Strength Training
Hey Gang!
Just want to get an overall view of peoples opinion in regards to strength training and its impacts to performance during off season.
Who here participates in regular strength training, and of those sessions, are they geared more on the upper or lower body?
The reason i ask is because i do regular upper body strength session (around 3 or so), simply for aesthetics.
When I do lower body strength training (around 2 a week), I find that it seriously impact my bike/run performance the next morning due to either DOMS or fatigue. So my question is...... how does one integrate lower body strength sessions in to regular training week without affecting the bike and run performance.
Does anyone have a good plan which they feel is going well? In in respect to lower body exercises, what do you feel is the best approach - a) high intensity or high volume lifts, b) what type of lifts (squats/deads) do you primarily focus on, and c) frequency of lower body training.
Upper body is not such an issue, however, i want to integrate a decent lower body session and still be able to perform well the next day. I value the opinion and trail and errors of anyone who has gone through exactly what i'm going through!
Thanks in advance!
G
Comments
I'm transitioning to a run only phase for the upcoming season and I plan to incorporate a similar 2x a week program for overall conditioning and to address some muscle imbalances I have. I plan to go with less weight and more reps (10-15 per set) instead of my previous effort (6-8 reps per set).
YMMV.
His thoughts were all periodization based. So strength training in the first early block, free weights, not machines, single leg exercises like Bulgarian squats, lunges, step ups etc. all with weights in hands. Next big block was hill running, both up and down. Short bursts for up to a minute up and then down. Run hilly courses. One other session a week of fast so you don't lose leg speed with all the hill stuff. Last block before race, no weights, focus on running, some hills, but scaled back as you work volume.
I tend to do single leg weights, hills, long stuff, but it's not that well planned out and usually mixed up and not structured into blocks. I seem to get fairly good results, but I'm rethinking a more structured approach.
I feel that functional strength training is important for durability and to promote recovery. I get the EN advice that you need to SBR to get faster at SBR. However, functional strength training will reduce your likelihood of getting injured, which means you get to train more. Many running injuries are directly related to athletes having a weak core -- the you can't fire a cannon out of a canoe idea. There is also a bunch of evidence that incorporating plyometrics will make you a faster runner.
I've experimented with incorporating strength training into my schedule and have found the following works for me:
Gurjit,
I hit the gym 4X week with my brother with 2X upper and 2X lower body. During the out season you will be doing some intense bike workouts
I don't do heavy weights with 10 reps. As my brother advances and wants to get bigger I just consider doing 10, 15 or maybe 20 reps along with getting some core exercise in. Exercises are squats, calf raises, leg extension & curls, a couple lower back exercises and sit ups/planks.
In the past I have had to remove gym workouts as I ramped up training especially for IM. This year I made it all the way through on my way to Lake Placid. Like others the key for me is lighter weight and more reps. For me I needed to adjust my mentality from when I was 26 and putting huge weights, to doing this for a different purpose, triathlon.
Not sure what your definition of a decent lower body session is but this might entail some searching for what your goals are bigger legs or faster times. I know you are looking for the optimal trade off.
I think everyone is really singing from the some hymn sheet when I say that I'm not the only one who is looking for a perfect tree off between maintaining a strong sbr and being able to stay away injuries..
I think I'm going to go with the consensus, and do more 'functional' type of exercise (single leg lifts, lower back exercises, box jumps etc) aand less of the power related stuff (Olympic lifts). Hopefully this is the perfect trade off I'm looking for to ensure I stay injury free, whilst being able to perform was I want when hopping on to the bike and going for a run.
I'm taking on everyone advise, and i'll let you guys know how I've adjusted my strength training to accomadate the demands of the outseason.
Many thanks everyone!
last OS Rich lead us on a Core/strength training mission to do short sessions of things like, push ups, planks, and cord drills. To this I added side leg lifts and glute work. Did this drill about 2-3 times a week and best part was you can do it at home without much fuss. Sounds simple enough, but if done right and for about 10-15 minutes can really add some great strength to your "core" (pardon the pun) triathlon muscles. I felt like this really helped me keep the injuries at bay and added some much needed muscle to my upper body that had melted away after a few years of not lifting weights. Built up to doing like 120-150 push ups over maybe 3-4 sets. For me that was pretty good. back in the Army I used to do 80 in 2 minutes (sigh).
I think comments on using specific exercises to address muscle imbalances caused by Triathlon are spot on. There isn't a triathlete out there who couldn't spend 10 more minutes a week working on hip, glute, and core strength or whatever.
Now if by strength training you mean, you want to bench and squat and pretend to be a gym rat (I mean that in a nice way), then by all means go do that, but I'm not exactly convinced that's really going to help you come spring time on the bike/run. As Roy mentioned, it kind of messes up your bike/run FTP work.
I have taken the tact that strength training will not make you "much" faster... However it shouldn't make you any slower... As far as preventing injuries , very much like stretching, I think is another debate with no real proof either way....
I like the way John Culberson explained it... At least my take away from what he said... One should be able to do strength training specificity within each sport via hills, low cadence , etc... Not sure I agree with paddles (could get injured) but certainly stretch bands, ankle bands and other swim tricks fit the bill...
Having said all that I do believe there are "tiny" gains to be had via strength training but they come at a very high ROI.... Specially for those aged 50+ ....Lots of theory and studies point to this like Joe Friel... At the very least I view it as preventing the inevitable slowing down that will come with age... There is no doubt that I have lost muscle mass in the last 7 years of triathlon training (came from rock climbing).....
My plans this year include: After some rest.... Strength training 3 times a week for 4-6 weeks, then 2 times a week for 4-6 weeks, then once a week thru the year as a maintenance.... I have kinda told myself I would do this before and it falls to the way side too quickly so will really try this year... Again the ROI is very small so that will always be whats get dropped first ! In addition to that some of the stuff John suggested....
I took on board all the great advice in this thread, and came to a conclusion that if the strength training left me fatigued, then its going to have to go.
So, out has gone the heavy deadlifts, heavy squats, leg extensions and clean&jerks.
In place, I started to do single leg squats, body weight squats and a lot more hip flexor movements (bands). Also incorparted on the same day are plyos and body weighted exercises.
In response to the change in exercise selection, I have gained a number of positives! The main being that i'm no longer as extremely sore or fatigued for my next morning workout. Secondly, I feel that this improved selection has actually helped the weaker points that I once neglected (Especially the hips).
Box jumps, plyos, hill running I also feel are giving me a greater ROI. As fpor upper body - i'm working on more the shoulders back and core, and again not 'power' moves - just functional at around a reasonable rep mark. These areas I feel are the key body parts to keep my swimming portion of the sport in check as well as helping keep me aesthetically happy
Great advise from everyone - highly appreciated!
G