Strength Training for Triathlon

17751 CommentStrength+Training+for+Triathlon2009-11-23+08%3A19%3A36 | Posted by in Strength, Training

Like most triathletes, I train like a body builder when I go to the gym, not that I’m at all massive mind you! So I was interested to read TriFuels two part article on strength training:

: Image via Wikipedia

Triathletes need strength, power, flexibility, mobility, balance and they need to know how to move in the correct function. When triathletes go to the gym for a workout they need to start thinking about training specific movements, not muscles. Forget the old way of doing things, “I am going to do upper body and abs today.” This is not the correct way to train. The body is one kinetic chain that works together and that is how you need to train.

You can read the two part series here (Part 1) and here (Part 2)

What do you think? Have these articles got it right?

I also read this thread on TriTalk.

Do two sessions per week – generally what is excepted as the minimum to see significant returns

Use free weights (dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, disks) do not use machines. This is because free weights require greater stability and control due to them having more planes of movement, i.e they can go up and down, back and forth, pitch left and right. Machines generally will only go back and forth. The only exception is cable machines as these can be very useful for performing sport specific movements and require more control in comparison to other machines.

Perform sessions which are whole body, i.e not a ‘back and chest day’ etc. This is because you are training for strength during sport specific movements, not for a big chest using movements that are non sport specific.

Sessions should consist of multi-joint movements (lifts involving movements around more than one joint, i.e elbow and shoulders or hips, knees and ankles). This is because movements performed during sports like triathlon are multijoint (running, swimming, cycling).

Start with mastering basic exercises like the squat, lunge and deadlift before moving onto more advanced and specific exercises like single leg squats, stiff leg deadlifts, power cleans etc.

When lifting your back should always be flat or slightly hyperflexed NOT FLEXED. To do this keep your chest out and shoulders back, bending at the hips and knees when relevant. Perform flexibility training, many people will have ankle and hip mobility issues which will decrease range of movement and increase risk of you using bad technique.

Over your training year your strength training should continue, if you only do a couple of months then the improvements will not be maintained once you stop.

My comments:

Correct form when using free weights is really difficult
You need to develop an individual training plan. My problem is that my form deterioirates over time. For example, in a marathon my pace/mile tails off after about mile 18.
There’s not much mention of core strength until later on in the thread:

During running and cycling a stable core ensures that the hips can effectively transfer power through the legs to the bike/road. Unstable hips, characterised by poor core stability would result in being less efficient. Look at it like this, your core stabilises the trunk, in fact the transverse abdominis is one of the first activated muscles during ANY movement, in order to ensure the trunk is stable. Thus during trunk stability (required during running swimming and cycling) the core muscles have to be activated significantly, otherwise the core would not be stable (it would flex, extend, hyper extend, rotate). This would increase the amount of work the hip would have to do (as illustrated in uphill running due to greater hip moment) resulting in faster fatigue of the hip extensor muscles (the major muscle group for running) and poorer performance.