Weights or no weights?

I don't life weights in tri training for the same reasons my fencing coach told us not to lift weights:

1. If you overdo it, it's easy to lose muscle rather than gain strength.

2. More muscle= more weight to move around on the SBR.

3. In my opinion, it gives no benefit in the areas of endurance or speed.

I am a critical thinker, so these are only my hypotheses, and I welcome any opposing opinions/evidence. If I thought for one second lifting weights would do anything significantly positive for my racing, I'd be in the gym in a heartbeat.

I'm not sure I understand how this is the case. A strong core is really important for all 3 disciplines, strong legs are obviously essential.

I can understand potentially limiting upper body weight training as there won't be too much tri specific gains but I can't see how a rock solid core will slow you down?

Makes sense. I guess when I hear "weight training," I imagine bench presses, etc.

I checked 'no weights' as that's what I do, not what I believe that I 'should' do.  But heck, with 10-14 hrs a week into cycling, swimming and running- there's just not a lot of time or motivation to fit more training time in. 

Plus- I like the scrawny look.

If this was my sport, I would consider lifting weights.  Right now, I'll stick to the SBR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEoI9IWLDvA

Do your legs not get stronger from pushing a big gear in training rides?  Mine do.  Bench press isn't going to strengthen your core more than maintaining your aero position for a 2 hour ride.  

Outside of just strength all three disciplines are very technique oriented.  You aren't going to practice your catch in a lateral pulldown even if they work similar muscles.

Now if you're talking about stretching and/or yoga to strengthen your core, then that's one thing, but weights are the topic of discussion.

I lift weights so I don't look like a scrawny girl.

my AG is super competitive (20-24) so if you can't beat em...look better than them.

The word "weights" is very vague.  Theoretically, a pushup is a weight-bearing exercise because it uses your body weight. 

What about kettlebell swings?  These things build a ton of core strength.  Furthermore, you do 100 kettlebell swings in five minutes and tell me it doesn't build your core, your cardiovascular ability and your anaerobic endurance.  Doing 50-100 35lb kettlebell swings isn't going to turn you into Arnold Scharzenegger, but will strengthen your core a ton.

That is what strikes me as odd about this forum's distate for strength building.  Strength building exercises don't necessarily mean old school "Gold's Gym" presses and pulldowns and I just have a hard time understanding how building functional strength doesn't help your s/b/r....

Here is my take...

It isn't distaste in general for weight training, it is all about diminishing returns on one’s time and personal preferences.  Most people on here have limited training time, so the focus should be first on those things with the highest payback, which is s/b/r training.  If one has the time, adding in extra core work and weights is great!  It will help, just not as much.

For me, I s/b/r and occasionally add in some basic core work, old P/T stuff to keep my back from acting up, and some “weight” exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and 20 to 30 pound curls.  I still haven’t found the extra time in my schedule to perfect the flip turn – imo its “return on my time investment” is not high enough for me to bother.

Super Srsly

I agree but who said anything about bench pressing? If you're going to use that as weight training, what about a dead lift? Or a squat? Do those exercises strengthen your legs / glutes? You can't tell me this isn't a good thing.

The question posted is very vague, but there is certainly a place for strengthening your body from other sources than SBR.

It is a little bit of an over-generalization, but because for most people, they are choosing (even if unintentionally) between spending their time lifting weights or doing more sbr.  More sbr will have a direct positive effect on performance.  ST will have a marginal indirect benefit, at best.

A solid core will be established through sbr workouts.  Most people will not benefit from additional core-specific exercises.  Having a "rock solid core" will not slow you down, but it's not necessary, so the time spent developing it is better spent elsewhere.

And, strong legs are not important for biking or running.  Powerful legs are.  Only certain types of lifts develop power, and they develop short duration/high power like those needed in sports that utilize explosive movements, not the long duration/lower power that is needed to be successful in triathlon.

x2. Kettle bell and oly lifting. I just got back from a workout containing box jumps, kettlebell swings and a high rep set of clean and jerk for time. Over 20 minutes I pushed my heart rate as high as any race does.

I added this kind of weight work a year ago and my running times improved dramatically from BOP to MOP. I cant testify that they will get me to FOP. But my 13.1 improved from 2:20 to 1:45 by cutting back on jogging miles and adding speed work and weights. Interestingly, my bodyweight went down. i got meaningfully leaner and lighter.

I would argue that the benefits of a strong core are more important that you're making them out to be. A strong core increases the chance that you'll maintain proper form in SBR, and it will reduce the chance of injury.

While it may not take time off your bike or swim, it will allow you to train effectively and consistently enough to realize those gains. A solid core is important in ANY sport, and worth targeting.

I don't know why I let myself get sucked into these threads...

Yes, your kettlebell swings will do most of the things you say, but it doesn't mean it's the best or most efficient way for a triathlete to accomplish those things, because it violates the specificity principle.  All things being equal, the specificity principle trumps all other factors when it comes to athletic training.

BTW, I found your reference to Gold's Gym amusing, because I'm a PT and Training Director at Gold's.  We do a lot more than just old school lifting.