Strength Training For Endurance Athletes

Introduction

The world of fitness is a very diverse place, packed full of cultish followings from CrossFit to Core Power, Powerlifting to Pilates, triathlon to treatments. Like it or not, the one thing that seemingly draws in most passionate fitness fanatics from far and wide with a confusing, yet awe inspiring sense of exclusivity is the painstakingly monotonous specialty of endurance sports.

At one point or another, in a self-proclaimed athletes “training” career, they slip into a deep, dark, dangerous hole that can only be fully understood by the tattoos that this “tribe” sports on their shaved calves…The IRONMAN Triathlon. That ink represents more than just a race; it represents a neurotically emotional and physical feat that necessitates a special kind of crazy to train for, let alone complete in.

This kind of insanity requires you to throw away hopes of orthopedic health, looking good naked, and any social life in order to have a chance to complete this 10+ hour nightmare. If that’s not getting you a little excited in the pants already, the lack of cross training, intelligent programming, and restorative and regenerative therapies needed to minimize the damage caused by the training alone, can leave IRONMAN competitors physically ruined for life.

Good thing traditional strength and conditioning is here to save the day, and save the asses of many triathletes from long-term debilitating pain and injury! With these training hacks focused on getting the most out of your body while reducing your time on the road, you have a fighting chance to survive. Learn how to minimize your sport specific work and maximize your body’s strength and endurance potential by picking up heavy things and training like a real athlete.

The Problem With Traditional Triathlon Training

Many naive triathlon-training programs focus solely on the swim, bike and run. The real question is why? Because that is the only thing this type of corporate athlete can do well. Triathletes shy away from any non-sport specific training because they are in moral fear of soreness that is produced by anything other than saddle burn. It should also be mentioned that for the most part, triathletes don’t have any intellectual access to cross training, even if it has been shown to yield optimal results come race day. Ignorance can only remain bliss for so long until it bites you in the ass.

An often-overlooked aspect of triathlon programs is the notorious requisite of clocking extreme training hours while rarely calling for a true rest day. The body was not engineered for repetitive movements at extreme frequency and intensities. This causes imbalances, injuries from overuse, and in turn, lack of effective muscular activation and function. These are all bad things if your goal is to do this “sport” for the long run.

Re-Engineering Triathlon Training

Ideally, an optimal tri-training program should include strength, dynamic movement, and proper recovery techniques in addition to road and water work. Strength movements should be programmed with the goal of increasing relative strength/power to bodyweight ratio, while activating muscles for key sport-specific training sessions. When executed properly, the gains made in strength and power training will be linear with your sport-specific performances.

Dynamic eccentric loading plays a pivotal component in successful strength-heavy tri-specific programming. Movements such as box lunges, windmills, or stiff legged deadlifts provide the necessary loading to stress specific tissues, both metabolically and mechanically, in order to create an environment for growth and performance enhancement. More traditional dynamic stretching corrects imbalances, which have a tendency to sneak up on triathletes until they rear their ugly heads in the form of damaging injuries.

Bottom line, training needs to be balanced between the gym, the road, and self-sufficient recovery. Without this trifecta, the body is guaranteed to break down sooner or later. Just make sure you save your own body from the graveyard before it’s too late.

Absolute Orthopedic Outrage

It is no surprise that iron-distance triathletes are some of the most injury prone individuals on the face of the earth. The exponential workload and time spent training are enough to make the average lifter break into convulsions at the very thought of saddling up on the bike and going for a cruise.   But how and where does all this cardio carnage actually occur? The actual rate of orthopedic insult is largely unknown, but there have been a few recent studies published to shed some light on the issue at hand.

The average prevalence of overuse injuries (non-traumatic in nature) for triathletes training and competing was shown to be 56% based on a recent study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine. More so, substantial overuse injuries were found in 20% of IRONMAN distance triathletes! And remember, these athletes are largely still training under extreme frequencies and conditions!

The most common areas of pain and dysfunction secondary to triathlon training and competition are pretty evenly dispersed between the knee (25%), lower leg (23%) and lower back (23%).   In my professional experience as a sports performance physical therapist, I believe that these statistics are extremely low. After working numerous IRONMAN events along with treating and training athletes competing at amazingly high levels, it’s not out of the question to say that nearly 90% of these athletes are broken down to one extent or another. Also, with chronic overuse injuries come frustration and long-term treatment plans; neither of which are much fun for athletes or therapists.

To trump it all, the rate of illness of these athletes was found to be more than the average sedentary adult, especially within a period of five days after a strenuous workout. Since the average triathlete trains six plus times a week, it can be inferred that these athletes are susceptible to illness on a daily basis. So if being chronically hurt, sick and lethargic sounds like a great time, it’s as easy as signing up! Tell me again why you love training for the triathlon?

Fixing A Broken Down System

Fixing a system that has been flooded with archaic training schedules and programs is a complex task. Many of the top tri coaches in the industry are seeking the magic potion to answer the age-old question, how does one stay healthy while still completing at the highest level possible?

Most coaches lack the idea to think outside the box; only looking for answers within sport specific training. Though swimming, biking and running involve a specialty skill set, which must be honed in order to train and compete, there are more joint friendly, metabolically responsive training methods available to triathletes other than manipulating the variables of a road workout or swim. The answer lies within training the bodies complex energy systems with some good ‘ole iron.

Enhancing Energy Systems

If you want to compete in the tri without killing your body, you better enhance your anthropometric efficiency by any means possible. The simplest way to do this is by increasing your power to weight ratio. Triathletes have to haul their emaciated carcasses around for 12+ hours during a race, making that ratio the difference between PRs and disqualification. Simply said, extra bodyweight in the wrong places results in the waste of precious energy, which then equates to slower times.  That extra soft tissue also requires the utilization of more oxygen to those areas, syphoning blood flow away from highly active musculature that are in dire need of nutrition.

After years of competing and working with professional and amateur IRONMAN athletes, I can distinctly inform you that the need for power and strength is an absolute necessity in a highly effective tri-training program. Having trained and coached through a 12-month period without sustaining a single debilitating injury, I can attribute this ultra health and performance to intelligently programmed strength and conditioning, most of which took place within the walls of my gym.

Triathletes must master a few key movements to yield amazing benefits for both performance and orthopedic health. These movements include overhead squats, deadlifts, front squats, and back squats. Each movement can be repeated in sets of 2-6 with > 80% 1RM to gain strength and power without adding unwanted mass. These movements are relatively easy to learn, pack some muscle armor onto the legs and posterior chain, and also emphasize core stability and posture. Poor dynamic posturing can result in increased rates of fatigue during sport-specific performances. Stick to the basics, master the movements, and reap the benefits!

Single leg movements can also be specifically advantageous for cycling and running. These movements include lunges, step-ups, split jumps, and single leg deadlifts. Iron-distance triathletes are unilaterally dominant secondary to their focus on cycling and running, therefore these unilateral exercises are extremely effective to correct left to right imbalances. Single leg movements utilizing heavy eccentric loads are especially beneficial, increasing vascularization, oxygen utilization and growth factoring in the specific tissues being targeted. Eccentric focuses also counteract the tonic shortening of muscles that can happen with cycling and running

The Triathlon Hackers Program

MONDAY

AM SESSION                          Sets                 Reps                Rest

1A. Goblet Squat                     3                      15

1B. Long Stride Lunges         3                      10 (per side)

1C. Windmills                         3                      15

1D. Single Leg Deadlift         3                      10 (per side)

*Rest minimal between exercises and 90-120 seconds between rounds

2. Box Lunge                           5                        5                      30 seconds

*Slow and Controlled with emphasis on Dynamic Stretching and Eccentrics

PM SESSION

1. Swim 60 minutes Easy Intensity            Optional

2. Recovery Work 20 minutes Foam Roller/Hot-Cold Bath

*Done in the afternoon or night (at least 4 after first Monday workout)

TUESDAY

AM SESSION                                      Sets                 Reps                Rest    

1A. Goblet Squat (Light)                       6                      5                      30 sec

1B. Deadlift + Long Jump                    6                     5/2                   90-120 sec

*Work up to 90% 1RM Deadlift over the 6 Ramp Up Sets

*Two Long Jumps completed directly after last Deadlift rep of each set

2A. Stiff Legged Deadlift                     6                      10                      90 seconds

2B. RKC Plank                                       6                      30 seconds      60 seconds

*Use 20-30% 1RM Deadlift for Stiff Legged Deadlift while completing 2 second controlled hold at the bottom of the movement

PM SESSION

Bike Intervals

1A. Warm-Up                           10 minutes

1B. Max Effort Intervals         30 minutes                   30sec ON / 30sec OFF

1C. Easy Intervals                    10 minutes                   60sec ON / 60sec OFF

1D. Cool-Down                         10 minutes                   Bring down HR gradually

1E. Recovery Work                   20 minutes                  Hands-On SMR

WEDNESDAY

AM SESSION

1. Tempo Run 90 minutes Varied tempos and cadence

PM SESSION

1. Easy Recovery Swim 60 minutes Heart Rate below 125 bpm

THURSDAY

AM SESSION              Sets                 Reps                Rest

1. Front Squat               6                        4                      90 seconds

*Use 3 Ramp Up sets to get to your 5RM and do it for 6 sets of 4 reps

2A. Goblet Squat          5                       8                      0 seconds

2B. KB Swings              5                       10                    60 seconds

*This pairing is a contrast set- Goblet Squat with no rest right into KB Swings then take 60 seconds to recover

PM SESSION

1. Bike 60 minutes Every 10 minutes do an all out sprint for 10 seconds

2. Recovery Work 20 minutes Foam Roller / Ice Bath / Massage

FRIDAY

AM SESSION                           Sets                 Reps                Rest

1. Goblet Squats 3 5                                                                15 seconds

2. Low/High Box Jumps 5 10/25                                        60 seconds

3A. Box Squat                         5                      5                      15 seconds

3B. Split Squat                       5                      5                      15 seconds

3C. GHR                                  5                      5                      60 seconds

PM SESSION

1. Easy Run 30 minutes Heart rate below 135

2. Recovery Work 20 minutes Hands-On SMR / Foam Rolling

SATURDAY

AM or PM SESSION                 Sets                 Reps                Rest

1A. Hang Clean                       3                      12                    60 seconds

1B. Bike Sprint                        3                      90/120/150sec 90 seconds

2A. Back Squat                       3                      10                    60 seconds

2B. Treadmill Sprint             3                      120 sec           90 seconds

3A. Pull Up                              3                      10                    0 seconds

3B. Push Up                            3                      10                    0 seconds

3C. Knees to Elbows              3                      10                    0 seconds

3D. Sit Up                                3                      10                    60 seconds

4. Recovery Work 20 minutes Static Stretching / Foam Roll

SUNDAY

AM or PM SESSION

1. Bike 3 hours 65-80% Max HR

2. Swim 1 hour moderate pace

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About The Author

Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized coach, physical therapist, speaker, and writer, whose published over 200 articles in some of the most widely regarded media outlets in the industry like Men’s Fitness, Testosterone Nation, Mountain Dog Diet, Bodybuilding.com, and Muscle and Strength, to name a few.

Along with an impressive laundry list of publications, Dr. John works with some of the world’s most elite athletes, including Gold Medalist Olympians, NFL All-Pro Quarterbacks, MLB All-Star Pitchers, Professional Bodybuilders and World Class IronMan Triathletes.

He takes pride in offering uniquely customized programming to clients of all walks of life in the exact same detail and passion as the Pros! Dr. John’s 12-Week Functional Hypertrophy Training Program is now available to you.

 

References

1. Anderson C, Clarsen B, Johansen T, et al. High prevalence of overuse injury among iron-distance triathletes. Br. J. Sports. Med.2014;48:17 1327-1333. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/07/31/bjsports-2013-092397.short
2. Vleck V, et al. Triathlon Injury- An update. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin und Sporttraumatologie. 2013; 61 (3), 10–16. https://www.sgsm.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Zeitschrift/61-2013-3/03-2013_2_Vleck.pdf Triathlon
3. Vleck V, et al. The Impact of Triathlon Training and Racing on Athletes’ General Health. J of Sports Med. 2014; 10.1007/s40279-014-0244-0 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0244-0
4. Winslow J. Treatment of Lateral Knee Pain Using Soft Tissue Mobilization in Four Female Triathletes. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. Sep 2014; 7(3): 25–31.  Triathlon https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145001/