Posts Tagged as "Weight Training"

Strength Training for Triathlon

Strength training is severly underated by most triathletes. Here a great article by Matt Dixon.

Regarding the value of strength training as it applies to endurance sports, and to provide a valuable response I should clarify exactly what I think of when discussing strength training. I think there should be very little debate as to the value of strength training in improving endurance performance—this being specific exercises and movements that improve stability, mobility and functional strength that directly correlate to movements made in your core sport (swim, bike, run). Functional strength is one of the four pillars of performance I base my training philosophy on, with the other three being the core sport, recovery and nutrition.

These four pillars are ranked equally in importance for every athlete and provide a balanced approach and platform from which to make gains. I would, therefore, argue that functional strength is critical throughout the season—not just in the offseason (or pre-season as I call it). The preseason is a perfect time to make functional strength your priority and to set you up for next year.

Let’s begin our discussion on functional strength by identifying what it isn’t. A proper functional strength program does not entail hours and hours of heavy lifting at the gym with traditional exercises such as bench presses, leg presses and bicep curls. While these types of activities have a place in health and fitness, it is highly questionable as to how they relate to endurance performance, and the vast majority of athletes I work with can achieve proper stimulus and benefit by using their own body weight.

Functional strength is not simply a series of static abdominal exercises and core work, such as crunches or situps, which have value as preliminary exercises and rehab but will not provide optimal performance gains in endurance sports.

To be truly effective, functional strength training should include these characteristics:

Lateral and stability training: Exercises should work on the stabilising muscles in the lower back, abdominals and hips, with plenty of focus on lateral movement. Triathlon is predominantly linear in nature so training with lateral exercises will help provide support, prevent injury and allow you to maintain your form and biomechanics when fatigue sets in.

Functional exercise: Many of your functional strength exercises should directly correlate to movements you will make in the core sport(s). Movements should be dynamic and teach you to engage the prime movers in the exercise in conjunction with the core muscle groups in the abs and lower back.

 

Graded unstable environment: As you progress in any exercise you should be able to evolve the exercise to be done in a less and less stable environment. Simply engaging muscles in a stable movement pattern will have nowhere near the benefit or correlation to the real world. This being said, it is critical to progress only when  you have mastered the proper movements in the more stable environment. I am often amazed at how many people are keen to complete the most advanced exercises before mastering the simple ones.

 

Mobility: Endurance sports are not simply about pure strength. Functional strength should include exercises that aid in strength through movement patterns correlating to the core sport, as well as aiding continued improvements in mobility and range of motion at the joints. A perfect example is the anchor of running: the hips. For our runners and triathletes, hip mobility is a central focus, with the aim of maintaining and improving strong but mobile hips. To achieve proper muscular recruitment and biomechanics, the hips have to move freely without restriction. A proper functional strength programme will provide specific strength but also improve mobility.

You can add tremendous benefits to your training and performance by creating space in your training schedule for at least two functional strength sessions a week. Notice I did not say “add in two sessions.” These sessions should be as much of a priority as your core sport, and the long-term gains are huge.

Whatever approach or system you employ to aid functional strength, it is a worthy component of every training plan. Functional strength exercises prevent injury, increase body awareness and control, improve power production and are a great platform for improved biomechanics. Don’t take this part of your training lightly—it is as important as any swim, bike or run.

Taken from http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com

Weight Training – Is it Really Necessary?

It’s amazing how many athletes I have come across that either think or have been advised to stay away from weight training, especially women. Unfortunately they never received the correct information on the benefits weight training or strength & conditioning as I call it. To them the mere mention of the word creates an image of a person with muscles of unbelievable proportions. Well yes I can understand that but let’s have a brief look at 2 of the misconceptions surrounding strength & conditioning.

1. “If I do weight’s I’ll get too big and look ugly.”

Despite a no of coaches’ endeavours to prevent this train of thought, this is still the biggest of the misconceptions out there. The term “weight training” I suppose does give this idea but hopefully strength & conditioning won’t. You see that’s exactly what you should be thinking of. Weights helps “strengthen and condition” your muscles for the ensuing season. By recruiting more of the muscles fibres, we become stronger provided we do the exercise 100% technically correct, we engage our core to stay stable during the exercise and we use a weight that is appropriate to the goal we want to achieve.

1. “If I do weights I’ll put on weight and become too slow.”

This is true if you are

1. Using 90% of the maximum amount of weight you can correctly handle.
2. Taking a supplement to promote muscle growth (legal product of course)

While there will be a phase where your muscles will adapt, change shape and in some case increase in size, these changes will be of insignificant            proportions compared to what they were. Sport specific strength & conditioning training allows you to develop the 4 areas of triathlon namely power,   speed, agility and endurance. Most or all of your top athletes do at least 1 session a week but they are not heavy or slow.

Most athletes think of weight training as having to go to a sweaty gym to train. On top of people think immediately of a bench press exercise as the most common exercise that they will have to do.  Science has moved on and these days you are able to purchase 3-4 small pieces of equipment that won’t break the budget and be able to perform all the training you need in the comfort of your own home. If you have never done any form of strength training before then you need to know The Four Basic Laws of Strength and Conditioning Training.

• Before developing muscle strength develop joints flexibility.
• Develop tendon strength before muscle strength.
• Develop the core/trunk before the limbs.
• Before developing the prime movers develop the stabilizers.

So where to from here. First off get hold of your coach and ask them to help you develop your strength and conditioning training based on your current strengths and weaknesses. Use the guide below to help you determine what type of training you should be doing for the phase of training you’re in

Objective	Amount of Weight	Repetitions per set	No of Sets	Speed	Rest period between each set
Strength	80%-90%	4-6	3-5	Slow and steady	2 – 5 mins
Power	25-50%	2-4	4-6	Explosive	1 – 3 mins
Endurance	50%	15+	3	Varies	<1 min

Last but not least always remember to change your exercises as you would the training to constantly challenge your muscles and your body to become a stronger, more powerful, faster you.

By Jono Rumbelow. Registered Ironguides Coach

(Thanks Jono)