Triathlon Weight Training

Back to basics

As regular readers will know, This is not a how to fine-tune your performance type of blog.

A theme I do comment on however, is about improving performance by going back to some training and nutrition basics and examining the validity of accepted and blindly followed training methods .
You have to question the popular approach to triathlon, of simply piling on the distance and that triathletes have much to gain and virtually nothing to lose by incorporating some specific strength training into their programmes, and
volume of training and time spent training for the actual event itself.

I see quite regularly that it’s all about wearing a badge of honour for the number of hours spent running, cycling or swimming.

This is a pretty flawed approach,with the mass of research showing that volume of training is one of the main culprits of overtraining and injury incidence.
Amongst the triathlon community there has been overemphasised the benefits of endurance-based training and underestimated the benefits of strength training.

Triathletes will spend hours completing endurance sessions in the hope that they can squeeze a little bit of extra performance from their cardiovascular system, but are reluctant to spend just a couple of hours a week in the gym.

By forgeting the huge potential that the musculoskeletal system has to offer to performance, many triathletes have forgotten about and pay scant regard to its training benefits.

When the musculoskeletal system cannot handle the stress of thousands of repetitions (which is what happens when you are training for a triathlon) then you need to condition the musculoskeletal system first.

You should program your body based on the movements it’s going to perform – not based on the cardiovascular system,  an upside down method of programming!

Strength training in the gym can make a real performance difference Typically triathletes have had so little structural integrity , a resistance training programme to work on muscular weaknesses and imbalances should be the first approach.

I will continue with some more on the the subject later

The fact is that for many triathletes, moving the body is the biggest problem – not their ability to transport oxygen!

For years Triathletes have been focusing purely on improving their cardiovascular system but more often than not, they’ve broken down at some point during their season through illness or injury. I know this to be so very true it is always a conversation piece about what injury are you working through.

A better approach is to set to work improving the chassis and bodywork first and tune the engine later.

Shifting the mindset

Typically three main areas of concern are voiced when considering a strength programme:

1. Increased mass – fear of weight gain and subsequent drop in performance done correctly a balanced training programme will develop relative strength and power (ie improved power and strength to weight ratio) without significant increases in weight;

2. Lack of time – This is flawed thinking! Many triathletes have lots of time to swim, cycle and run but won’t consider adding just a small proportion of strength training into their training schedule. Just make sure that your programme is time efficient – 30-45 minutes duration (maximum):

I personaly find 40 minutes is good and with home based body weight training you save time and money by not having to travel to the training site.

3. Increased risk of overtraining – triathletes are often (rightly) concerned about overtraining, so there is a very real concern that extra strength work may tip them over the edge. The key is to ensure that the strength training sessions are quality focused and don’t have too much volume in them. The greater risk of overtraining is much more likely to arise from hours and hours in the pool or on the road than a couple of 40-minute gymworkouts!

The key is to develop a program that will have a positive impact on performance.

                                 Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility

No that is not a typo  corrective stretching and dynamic movement preparation should play a major role in every triathlete’s programme.

You do not need to adopt a ‘stretch everything’ mentality but you do need to recognise that the nature of the sport means you undoubtedly have to address some flexibility issues before you even think about working on developing strength.

I truly believe  prioritize the development of flexibility before moving on to strength.

Related posts:

1. Strength/weight training has it place
2. Body weight training
3. Fittness or sport specific