Rule 13 – never ignore the value of Strength & conditioning – year round
I can see why you might argue with my opening statement, after all there’s not much time left after you’ve done all the swimming cycling & running necessary to get fit for an Ironman
But let me tell you this. If you don’t hit the gym on a regular basis all of that training could be for nothing!
Why? Because in order for all of that extra training to be used to the maximum you are going to need a strong framework to allow it to happen.
Strength & Conditioning isn’t about performing bodybuilding style muscles by lifting big weights. In the world of a triathlete it’s all about creating a body that is resilient enough not only to handle the strain of repetitive movements day after day, but also to enable those movements to be performed as efficiently as possible for anywhere up to 17 hours.
Here’s what you really need
1. A strong core to help maintain a good posture in each discipline
2. Well maintained tendons and ligaments to handle the hundreds of thousands of repeated arm and leg movements per week
3. Superior stabilising muscles that allow the joints to hold a good position while the big muscles create power
4. Flexibility – this means a good range of movement about each joint for the most efficient technique
The only way to create this sort of framework is to follow a year round programme. To do that it’s vital to find a space for this type of training in your schedule. yes you will have to scarifice some of your aerobic conditioning, but not as much as you think.
It’s possible to do as little as 2 x 45 minute sessions per week, as long as you are consistent. and that means during the race season as well as in the winter.
In future blog postings I’ll follow up with more on this subject and over the summer I’ll be developing a specific Triathlon S&C programme to start in October.
In the meanwhile find some time to incorporate regular core work, stability exercise and stretching into your programme and you’ll have a much better chance of achieving your goals
Stay healthy & have fun
9 Comments
1:39 pm
Trevor Payne
Hi Simon
I couldn’t agree more with you. As a Biomechanics Coach I understand the importance of creating a strong and mobile frame in order to go and complete anything from a spint tri to an Ironman…and above.
What alot of people don’t know, is that a tight sciatic nerve can decrease the power in your quads by upto as much as 14%….and I think we’d all like to increase our power output. And that has been measured in a clinical study, so is therefore a proven and validated figure.
But again, what people don’t realise is that there are very simple and proven exercises that can help improve the mobility of your spine and pelvis, that are easy to do, and require no equipment or gym membership.
I’d be more than happy to discuss this with you?
Regards.
Trevor
2:07 pm
lee wallhead
Whilst i sometimes dont quite get all of the hours in on the bike or runs during a week, i never miss a strength session, either doing it in its own right or adding it in as part of a weight or core session.
Easy to do and great fun!
5:04 pm
Steve Howes
I’ve been doing strength & conditioning via circuits not weights for the last 20years, I keep banging on about it but very few understand, I’m glad to hear from someone singing from the same hymn sheet
11:34 am
TTC
Steve,
I’ve been writing about this for about the same length of time. I think my first article for 220 magazine in 1995 was all about S&C work and the benefits for improved performance and reduced injuries.
Keep the faith
5:06 pm
Neil
Agreed – I do pilates once a week, strengthens my core, stretches me out, improves flexibility on my “rest day” It’s the kind of stuff that if you don’t schedule formally in a class, you never get around to.
8:18 am
Alan Cardwell
Simon – couldn’t agree more, but i have to say I have a pathological hatred of gyms. One of the positive benefits of tri i sthat you get to go outside very regularly.
Been using bodyweight based functional exercises together with yoga based stretches for the last 3 years. First of all, injuries are less likely to occur as you build muscular strength symetrically and being able to work on glutes, core, lower back gives you the platform to Swim, bike and run faster. If you want to fire a big cannon, it needs to be on a solid platform….
Used to be a non- believer, but given I am now faster than ever at 45 years old, I’m convinced.
11:35 am
TTC
Alan
Excellent work. As one gets older it becomes more important to focus on strength & flexibility rather than aerobic fitness
4:08 pm
Dan Cole
So if I were doing 3x swims, 3x bike and 3/4x runs per week what should I drop to allow for a gym session?
And are you sure that if I dropped one (or more) of those sessions my performance would really improve, so a gym session is really worth a 33% swim or run reduction?
5:30 pm
TTC
Hi Dan
You are doing 9/10 session per week that target your aerobic system. How much training do you think that needs?
Would it really suffer if you dropped 1 hour per week?
I’m very sure that if most triathletes dropped their training volume a bit one focussed on the framework that holds everything together then they would all most likely go faster.
You don’t have to drop much just be a bit smarter about what you do
For example you have a 60 minute run. I guess about 10-15 minutes of this is warming up
What about this instead
5′ run warm up – 20 minutes weights – 25 minutes of quality running, 5 minutes cool down
You could try similar for Bike & Swim
It doesn’t require a lot just a consistent approach