Conditioning to the Core

Condition the core; unleash the potential.

Serious athletes train for results—results that make them winners on the field, pitch, course, or court. And the key to getting those results, to improving performance in any sport and at any level, is no secret. A strong, well-conditioned core is the lynchpin to athletic success.

In Conditioning to the Core, strength and conditioning coaches Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor deliver the definitive guide to training the torso. Inside, you’ll learn these concepts:

- The core’s central role in originating and transferring strength and power, two requirements for superior performance

- The energy systems, the strength and power foundations, and the movement mechanics for any sport

- Over 300 of the most effective exercises for strength, stability, and power

- The way to design a comprehensive program based on athlete assessment and analysis, followed by several sport-specific sample programs for reference

Detailed photo sequences and expert instruction ensure you’re performing each exercise safely and efficiently. Color-coded stability, strength, and power training exercises, programs, and assessments provide all the tools for achieving high-performance goals. You will quickly identify and organize each component that addresses your needs, your sport, and your high-performance goals.

If you are serious about performance, Conditioning to the Core will help you get serious results. Whether you’re an athlete, trainer, or coach, this guide should be the centerpiece of your sport training program.

Greg Brittenham served as assistant coach for player development and team conditioning with the New York Knicks for 20 years before taking on the position of director of athletic performance for men's and women's basketball at Wake Forest University before the 2011-12 season. He was also the director of the Center for Athletic Performance at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport. In addition to NBA players, he has advised and trained athletes in the NFL and Major League Baseball and world champions in Olympic sports such as gymnastics and cycling.

Brittenham’s training regimens for improving overall athletic ability have made him a popular speaker and demonstrator at clinics and conferences worldwide. He authored Complete Conditioning for Basketball (Human Kinetics, 1995) and coauthored Stronger Abs and Back (Human Kinetics, 1997) with his father, Dean Brittenham, a pioneer in the field of strength and conditioning.

Daniel Taylor, MS, PES, CSCS is the head strength and conditioning coach at Siena College and oversees those efforts for all 18 Division I varsity programs at the college, as varied as water polo and lacrosse. He has trained athletes who have advanced to the professional level in soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and basketball. Taylor was part of Siena men's basketball's historic 3 championships in a row (2008-2010) that led to two first round wins in the NCAA tournament (2008 and 2009).

Taylor previously worked with men's and women's basketball at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York and with the New York Knicks Training Camps. He has been a speaker at numerous clinics and workshops in the northeast geared to high school through college level athletes. Originally from North Yorkshire, England, he now resides in Scotia, New York.