Strenght Training vs Endurance Training

It's entirely dependant on what your goals are.  If you're just looking for overall fitness, then by all means do both at the same time.  However, if your primary goal is to do well in triathlon, I beleive you should focus almost entirely on endurance training with strength training in the off season. 

ARGH!  I know this forum was set up to avoid the debates about the need for weight lifting and tri, but please don't post something like this that has no basis in known facts.

If it makes you feel that way, then by all means, do it.

Sorry, never said it's 'worthless'. 

However, there is little evidence that it does much for improving your swimming or biking (some evidence for running improvements with things like plyometrics which appear to improve running economy).  The 'dropping fat' is also a red herring.  You can drop fat just fine with endurance training.  Add some intervals if you want to "raise your metabolism" post-workout.

And elites, contrary to the post I responded to, may in fact be the very people who might consider strength training to improve their triathlon performance.  IF there are some marginal, as yet unknown, benefits that are additive to just swimming, biking & running, these are the athletes that might really benefit from that since they are already doing LOTS of the individual activities (known with 100% certainty to improve performance of said activities).

None of this is to say YOU shouldn't lift weights (or do other strength training).  Or that there are NO benefits to it.  Just that there's little reason to believe that it makes you a faster triathlete.

Feel free to do a search in the regular tri forum on the subject and read more than you ever wanted to about the debate.

Check your facts better (and, likely, the sources of those 'facts').  My post was not at all 'hasty' as I've looked at scientific info on both sides of this for some time.  AT BEST, the 'evidence' for what you cite is inconclusive.

I'm out of this now because this argument will be the same as we've had here in the past.  I suggest you do a search if you are really interested.

Cheers!

On-season (May-Sep), I rarely do strength work.  Time is a big factor as I believe I'm better served with more S/B/R.  The other factor is my northern latitude.  When Spring finally arrives I ache to get outside for longer runs and time in the saddle.

I do spend the Winter months working on strength (legs, lats, chest, abs, obliques, back).  During this "off-season" I select sport-specific focus/improvement.  November-December, I will really work on my swim.  January-March, I focus on running (as much outside as possible for my mental health).

I do think core work is a positive for triathletes.  During the last half of one's run, having a strong core will help keep good form.  I somewhat neglected this aspect and felt it during my May oly (sore lower back and overall loss of form).

Burn more calories.  Eat less.  Lose fat.  Weight training is not required for this.  "Better" should to be defined by the goals of the individual--this may or may not involve weight training. 

Let's just let it go.  Sorry for 'intruding' on your forum.

This last off-season was my first.  I incorporated strength training into my workout along with a lot of swimming (a weakness).  Some biking and running.

When the "season" started, I cut the strength training down to just core workouts as my running/biking increased.  I am time restricted. 

If there was more time in the day, I would continue to strength train along with the other tri specific training.

Right now, my biggest limiting factor in endurance sports is excess fat. If I get rid of the fat, my performance will improve. If doing weight training circuits will speed the process, then that's what I'll do.

Run hills.

Strength AND sport-specific.  Plus, no need for any equipment other than what you already have.

Or do a search for yourself at pubmed or Google scholar and you will get as much info as you ever wished. You will easily find a ratio around 3:1 to 4:1 supporting what JK is stating. BTW strength training is important and something most triathletes can achieve while swimming biking and running in the form of swim/bike/run drills, swimming all 4 strokes, hill climbing, etc. Weight lifting on the other hand isn't although it can have its place in endurance training for specific athletes with certain limitations, like those with diagnosed muscle imbalances, recovering from injuries or unable to do any/more s/b/r.

in the end it is up to the athlete to do what he/she enjoys the most but it is better to avoid providing misiformation in a beginner website and making statements claiming that this or that will improve performance when there is no evidence indicating so.