StrengthCon 2024 made the latest in the strength and conditioning field accessible to Filipinos, serving as a platform to boost health and wellness in the country.
At the 2024 Philippine Strength and Conditioning Convention — AKA StrengthCon 2024, a two-day conference in Manila that brought together world-class experts from around the world to share their expertise in the field of strength and conditioning — fitness enthusiasts and practitioners got the unique opportunity to open up their minds to new and valuable information.
In its second year, StrengthCon 2024 brought 14 local and international experts to the convention held in the Frassati Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas to speak to over 400 participants about topics on strength and conditioning, fitness, nutrition, physical therapy, and anything else that relates to performance coaching.
There was a lot of information to digest. The speakers touched on many different topics in this field — protein intake, injury rehabilitation, the business of strength and conditioning, and training trends are just some of the examples.
For Chappy Callanta, one of the leading organizers of StrengthCon2024, these were the topics that stood out to him:
“Definitely the topic of Greg Haff who is a world-renowned author and expert on strength and conditioning. He spoke about accentuated eccentric loading, basically the technique of lifting where the lowering or eccentric phase is heavier than the concentric phase or standing phase. Imagine you’re squatting a weight but the downward force is heavier compared to when you lift it from the bottom. He showed that it increases performance and strength for athletes and everyone who is interested in getting stronger.
“Marlon Lugue also spoke about the business side of strength and conditioning which was a refreshing and honest. Molly Mallari spoke about the importance of protein. And Dan Baker spoke about the effect of hard aerobic and anaerobic training in performance of athletes. All the speakers had great presentations but those stood out for me.”
As a strength and conditioning coach himself, he definitely found value in all the topics discussed at the event.
But apart from the nitty-gritty, scientific lessons that we’re sure the 400-plus participants were able to take from this event, StrengthCon was not just limited to professionals in the field. As Chappy shared, it is for “Anybody who loves fitness, anybody who wants or likes to train, and anybody who likes to train people as well.”
With this, here are some things the main things we learned from attending StrengthCon 2024.
The information out there is limitless
The speakers at StrengthCon 2024 covered a wide range of topics in strength and conditioning, and while they each got very specific in their respective fields of research, we can all agree on one thing: strength and conditioning is an ever-evolving field.
Every day, new research is being conducted and new findings are coming about, and it can be difficult to keep up. But this was one of the main motivations for hosting StrengthCon 2024 — to allow Filipinos to be up to date with the latest in the field.
“It’s [making information on strength and conditioning accessible to Filipinos] is very important,” Chappy Callanta explained. “In the country, we don’t have regulation when it comes to being a fitness coach or a strength and conditioning coach. Thereby, a lot of false information might be circulating when it comes to proper practices in strength and conditioning and fitness as well as nutrition.
“That’s really why we mounted this event. To increase awareness of the best practices when it comes to this field and make the population stronger and healthier.”
By learning not only from international experts but local professionals who work with Filipinos as well, the participants at StrengthCon got to expand their knowledge, which can ultimately help in their everyday practice of strength and conditioning.
Apart from sitting down to listen to each of the speakers, another main thing that the participants were able to enjoy was the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals.
“Apart from the knowledge they get from these world-class speakers, it’s really about the networking that they get, so this is about 400-plus people who are really into fitness and strength and conditioning and I’m sure a lot of bonds and relationships will be formed and I hope that partnerships will be born as well where they can make the fitness industry and strength and conditioning industry much better,” Callanta said.
With all of this within the span of two days, StrengthCon served as a platform to help Filipinos gain the tools and knowledge to help others as well.
It is an important time to invest in this industry
Fitness, and strength and conditioning in particular, is gaining increasing importance among Filipinos, from casual fitness buffs to professional athletes. The fitness industry is booming and this is one sign that it is important to invest in it, even in our own little ways.
While it is pretty much a no-brainer that athletes would avail of the services of strength and conditioning coaches, this doesn’t mean that non-athletes shouldn’t do the same. If anything, just about anyone who is interested in getting fit or exercising regularly could benefit from professional guidance, and this shouldn’t be overlooked.
“It’s very important [for Filipinos to get a coach to help in their fitness journeys] especially when you are starting out,” Callanta stresses.
“Yes, you can definitely do your own research and maybe if all falls into place you might be able to build a program for yourself, but having a great coach to guide you will make things run smoother as well as increase the chances of success. Plus, having a second set of well-trained eyes on you will help spot mistakes and will be able to “coach you up” when needed.”
As StrengthCon 2024 revealed, there is a lot of information out there. With this, having a professional who understands the research and the nitty-gritty details of strength and conditioning can help anybody achieve their fitness goals, whether you are a professional athlete or not.
All in all, the 2024 Philippine Strength and Conditioning Convention achieved what it set out to do. With such a big exchange of information over the course of two days, it can definitely be said that the participants now have more information to work with, which will ultimately help the health and wellness among Filipinos.
Images from Chappy Callanta on Facebook.