Incorporating strength training into triathlon training

Personally I use free weights and some cable weights. I usually do my running and biking first then weights. But I do weights first then swim. Being a paramedic having functional strength is very important for me so when I got into triathlons it was not a big jump. I do lift four times a week, two of those times are with a good friend. It helps that she is a police officer and we are both competive so we can safetly push ourselves against eachother.

I do suggest starting out slow with low weight and low reps and go from there. Does the gym you go to have a personal trainer you can do an hour or so with? That would be a great way to see where you should start out at.

I do a lot of focus on the shoulders, upper and lower back, upper and lower arms, hips, and upper and lower legs. I used to also do an two one hour cardio class each week but have since dropped it due to time constranits.

Best of luck to you! Just getting started is half the battle.

I thought it was time for another one of these threads.

Welcome to BT.  Firstly, the red font is the sarcasm font

There's been tons of threads on strength training here and a search would turn up an enormous amount of information.  What you'll find is a consensus that strength training does nothing for swim, bike, run.  If you want to get faster at s/b/r you need to s/b/r more.  If you want to strength train for your own vanity reasons then just slot it in wherever you can fit it but don't do so thinking it's going to improve/help your s/b/r.

I don't personally weight train, but that doesn't mean it can't be beneficial to others. In fact I would challenge you to find me a study that showed weight training actually having a negative impact on s/b/r results - I would say more accurately that it will either have no affect, or marginal affect - but never significant (in the case of most people). Some may believe there is potential for weight gain, but I would argue that any weight gained is offset by the increase in power and strength from muscle development. Developing your quadriceps (squatting) for example, will help you with force-resistance (wind, hills, rough water).  Also when you develop these slow-twitch muscles, it will allow you to generate a faster pace while maintaining an aerobic level of exertion, which in turn conserves your glycogen and glucose banks.

Again, some studies have shown no performance gain, while others have. You need to assess your own level of fitness, areas of weakness, areas of muscle imbalance, and determine the right training program on an individual level. What works for your friend might not work for you, and vice versa. Some people (especially older or unfit) aren't ready to jump on a bike and crank out 20 miles, so spending a couple months in the gym developing those muscles could be highly beneficial. 

If you ARE going to weight train, make sure you read and apply the right literature. Most weightlifting programs are for bodybuilding, whereas with multisport training you want to lift from a purely functional standpoint - how is this exercise going to increase the efficiency and power of force on the pedal, or my swimming pull? One example could be when doing leg presses, your feet should mimic that of a riding position - you don't ride 2 feet apart and toes turned inwardly, so you shouldn't train that way either.

Good luck, and welcome  

Now you gone and did it.

There has been only one strength-related activity that I have found that actually does help with my triathlon performance, and it's probably less strength than an endurance/power exercise when done correctly. 

Resistance cable swim pulls. They actually work, if you go hard for 2-5 minutes or longer per set. Coach Troy demos them on youtube. It's legit. Not a substitute for swimming, but analogous to doing a pull set with paddles in the water. I do these for 30-45 mins on a non-swim day where I can't get to the pool, and there's no doubt that it's helping me either improve (if swimming enough) or maintain (if not swimming enough) my swimming ability. 

All the other low-rep strength activities, while good for overall health/strength and fitness, do nothing to get you faster at triathlon. Lift weights for other reasons, but not to get faster at triathlon.

I lift weights twice a week, about an hour and a half sessions.  Freeweights only, but I started out on machines for a couple months just to get some initial strength and help with getting proper alignment/motions.  I don't know if it helps or hinders since I'm new to tri and I've read studies on the pluses/negatives for weight training. 

You definitely need to do your cardio before weights.  I used to to the opposite and I just didn't have much in the tank to really get in a long run.  But if I run first, then I'm warmed up and can lift about the same as if I didn't run.   

There are so many different routines and exercises that it can get really mind boggling on what to do or not do.  When reading about programs and talking to personal trainers, I always like the advice to keep it simple.  You will see bodybuilders who go in every day and work out one area, like the chest.  They'll do 10 different exercises.  The next day, they work shoulders, then the next day, biceps, etc.  That's not what you want to do.  Just pick major groups to work out and do one or two exercises for each group.  For example, Tuesday is my chest, shoulders, and back day.  I have 3 exercises for each group.  On Thursday, I do legs, biceps, and triceps, also with 3 exercises for each group.  I do abs though both days, and on Saturday as well.  When I first started though, I only did one or two exercises per group, until I got more endurance and strength.

Lastly, I lift partly for strength, partly for vanity, but mostly for my brain.  A whole bunch of new studies show that weightlifting really does wonders for the brain.  Some of the results are astounding.  They are getting results where 70 year olds can get brain activity of 30 year olds.  But only if they lift weights.  Cardio did not show as great of improvement. 

I strength train simply for physical appearance, not for speed/race training.  When IM training, I cut it out all together.  if I have the time to strength train (and am not swimming, biking or running), I can be better served with rest, massage or stretching.

In the end, all depends on what your personal goals are and what you ultimately want out of the sport of triathlon.  Do you want to complete races, or compete in races?

By who?

No, there doesn't appear to be much, if any, value in squats or leg presses for increasing cycling speed compared to an equal amount of time spent actually cycling.

ST's biggest value for triathletes seems to be for neuromuscular development in teaching movement patterns and for correcting and/or preventing muscle imbalances.  IMO, ST for triathletes should focus on the parts of the body neglected by s/b/r training.

I'll try to go back and find some articles I've read but some recommended off-season squats or leg presses. Now granted, they're articles from surfing the web so I don't know how much is good material vs. fluff. 

The most I've ever done was a 3 day a week total body workout on my cycling days but that was to help build muscle after losing 100lbs, not necessarily to make SBR performance gains.

Here's some:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/357564-how-to-improve-cycling-avg-speed/

http://www.cptips.com/trntips.htm

http://bicycling.about.com/od/weightroomworkouts/Weight_Room_Workouts.htm

I wasn't questioning whether anyone ever recommends ST.  I was questioning the premise that squats and leg presses are often recommended.  I took your post to imply that the prevailing wisdom is for triathletes to do so.  The articles you linked focus primarily on road cyclists and mountain bikers, and that's not a surprise considering the particular demands of those types of riding.

I think it's important to understand the different demands between mountain biking, road cycling, and triathlon cycling.  Road cyclists need to surge or sprint when the pack does, and mountain bikers often need to muscle their bikes over or around obstacles.  Both of these situations require high power / short duration anaerobic efforts.  There is no question that strenth training and power lifting in the gym can help develop the anaerobic capacities used in road cycling and mountain biking.

Non-draft legal road triathletes on the other hand, try to maintain steadier effort levels, avoiding those sorts of spikes, because they come at too great of a cost.  Because power levels are much lower and stable during non-drafting road triathlon bike legs, the value of high power / short duration workouts in the gym that work the same muscles used during cycling is diminished, especially if that time could have been spent actually cycling or recovering from a cycling training session.

Hi there,

first congrats on your decision to enter the triathlon arena!

For your question, I can share that when I asked my trainer at the gym about programs to support my training plan, she did not recommend strength training but gave me a program for "core training". Duration is not  long (15 min) so it is easy to fit but I find it VERY challenging

I have found it very helpful for the swim (sinking legs) and somewhat helpful for the bike (better form/efficiency). I had more background in running and I found the benefits were less obvious in this department. 

As other mentioned, it boils down to what your objectives are  and  what your training budget (in hours) is.  Consensus seems to be  that strenght training has low return on investment on race results, but "to each is own".

Hope this helps.

Fred

I get it. I ride as much as possible but am always looking for (any other) way to improve cycling speed. Not being a cyclist, I didn't see the issue of shorter distances, bursts and the anaerobic need. Admittedly, I don't believe I've read any triathlon focused articles recommending leg weight training.

gsmacleod,

Can you point out what is incorrect about my slow-twitch statement?

Not to speak for Shane, but here are some studies that I found.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h23862917523772v/

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g1k812336833u0jt/

Studies that I am coming across suggest that weight lifting can effect both, however the slow twitch muscle fibers are more involved with long repetitive exercise.(i.e. swimming, biking & running)  The fast twitch muscle fibers play a role in short bursts of power.  

After reading through all these posts, and coming to the conclusion that there appears to be so much diverse information and quite honestly, some of which is just plain not correct, my advise to you is do your thing, whatever that is and whatever works for YOU and makes you happy, period!  After 30+ years in the fitness arena, this has been my first year of venturing into the wonderful world of multisport.  I finished 2 Oly's this year, the 2nd one faster then the first.  At 51 years of age, 5'-11" 165-167 with 6% body fat, I am in the best shape of my life and will continue to strength train 3+ time per week.  While I totally agree that if you want to SBR faster you need to SBR, strength training has many benefits and can be very beneficial to multi sport athletes.  I no longer train for size utilizing low reps with big weights and consuming the amount of protein required to gain size, instead opting for higher rep counts with moderate to low weights emphasizing those body parts helpful to triathlon.  Lats and triceps for the swim, hamstring, quads and calves for both run and bike.  I also train core/abs 3 or more times a week, I feel it is critical to all areas of triathlon.  Do a Google search on strength training for triathlon and you will find literally thousands of articles on the benefits this type of training can ad to your triathlon experience. A quote from Mark Allen, 6 time Ironman Champion, "All to many triathletes sacrifice strength training in favor of additional swim, bike and run sessions.  This is unwise.  In fact, a well executed strength training program can allow you to carve up to 25% out of your swim, bike and run volume while improving performance and enjoying better race day results".  From an article in Triathlete magazine.  Any yes, I have a family, a regular job and I continue to coach high school baseball as well.  So don't lay the "I don't have time to spend in the gym" crap out there.  If you want it badly enough, you make the time, period.  And trust me, at my age, going against these AG'ers that are so flippin fast, I do spend the time in recovery mode as well, with well placed days off for restoration of the body AND mind.  Bottom line, do what works for you.  It may take you years to figure it out, but the journey will be worth it.  As for me, I'll continue to swim, bike, run, hit the weights, play racquetball, ride my MTB, kayak in the lake, what ever the heck I want to do that makes me happy and keeps me fit enough to persue the podium!

thanks, I used to bike a lot for fun and found that sits up improved my balance and form on the bike.I was really surprised to see how many people said that strength training is low return for triathlon training, but its makes sense now. I think the core workout is a good place to start, and I can experiment with strength training as I move on.

Thanks

Thank you for your comment. It has given me a lot to think about. I think the high reps with low weights will work very well. I used to play water polo and found that using the row machine ( the one with a handle, chain, and fan) imrpoved my swimming form, endurance, and speed. I think I will try to incorporate that into my training as well.

Thanks,

Beau