Strength Training
by Rob Harvey
With 3 disciplines to train for already the best question to begin with is do triathletes need to undertake strength training?
Well it depends what is meant by 'strength' training and the whether 'strength' is a weakness for that person. Whatever movements we are undertaking we need to consider the amount of force we are generating, the speed of the movement and how long we need to sustain them for. The force and speed of the movements come together to generate power. The amount of time we can sustain them for is a measure of endurance. For example, whilst cycling if we generate more force at the pedals whilst keeping our cadence the same we will generate more power and all other things being equal go faster. If you can maintain this increased force throught the duration of a race we will fininsh in a quicker time. So this sounds like a good thing to try and achieve. However is the most effective way to achieve it by increasing the maximal ability of the muscle to generate force (Maximal Strength) or by increasing the proportion of the maximal force that can be maintained for the required period (Strength Endurance). The answer is ideally both however the training methods for each are quite different. To develop maximal force it is quite difficult to do it on the bike as a stable platform is required so it is easier to do it in a gym using lifting techniques such as the back squat and dead lift. Strength endurance for the durations of time that triathletes cycle (30 mins +) can quite easily be targeted on the bike through simply using bigger gears. This is the sort of training people do all the time when the ride up hill and don't have enough gears to maintain their usual cadences. So one suggestion could be to do maximal strength training in the gym early in your preparation then as your key race approaches switch to more specific strength endurance work on the bike with just enough maximal strength maintenance sessions so as not to loose the gains you have made.
Is this the same for everyone?
As I said earlier even though the suggested strength training above seems to make sense it might not be worth it for everyone. If you already have good maximal strength in the gym from years of weight training but have poor strength endurance on the bike then you may be better to skip the maximum strength work and spend more time on your bike. If you have good maximal strength and strength endurance then you should identify the areas you are weak in and spend the time on them.
Does the same principles apply for running and swimming? Well in theory yes, but as the movements become more complex then the specific way they are performed becomes more of a factor not just the amount of force generated. Luckily most of the key lifts used to improve maximal strength for the bike are the same as those used run and swim so you don't need to worry about this too much.
Won't Maximal strength training leave me tired for my other training sessions?
In the short term yes, but the secret is to do it in a way that minimises that interference.
Before you begin lifting anything heavy it's important to give your body time to learn the exercises and make sure your technique is correct using much lighter weights. This will give your body some time to adjust but there is no avoiding the muscle soreness that comes whenever you up the resistance. The soreness comes mainly as a result of the eccentric (lengthening) movements of your muscles whilst they are contracting. The good news is once this is out of the way only a significant increase in load will cause a similar amount of soreness.
The positive side of maximal strength training is that the volume is relatively low. For example 2-3 training sessions per week of 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps per exercise with possibly only 3 exercises per session all with nice long rests in between. This short duration, high intensity work will mainly tap into your ATP/Pcr energy system, not normally a significant contributor to your triathlon training. As you are doing most of the development work early in your season this should mean the volume of your swim/bike/run high intensity work is relatively low. You can use some of those long aerobic swim and bikes to aid recovery. Once you have achieved the desired increase in strength if you are lucky you may only require 1 maintenance session each 1-2 weeks to hold on to those increases.
Does the speed of the movement matter or is it all about the amount of force generated?
That's quite a complicated question. Firstly its worth saying that whenever you are doing maximal strength work you should always TRY to lift the weight as fast as possible whilst holding good form, however if the weight is very heavy the resultant speed of the movement may still be slow. Current thinking seems to suggest that over time you should vary the resistance you are working against somewhat therefore changing the resultant speed of the movement to get the best results. So some sessions you should do the same exercise with heavy weights and slow movements whilst others you can use lighter weights with fast movements but the effort you put in is always maximal. Hope that makes some sense! Some people tend to call using lighter weights with faster movements power training.
Won't I end up getting really big muscles and putting on weight?
No. it's not likely. Whatever anyone says it's hard to put on significant muscle mass. This sort of training is not like the hypertrophy work that body builders use to pump up their guns!
Is there any other types of 'Strength Training' that are beneficial to triathletes?
That depends who you speak to. Some would say that if you are including maximal strength work using Olympic style lifts and holding proper form you will get all the additional benefits I'm about to mention thrown in for free. So in that case the answer may be no. However if you aren't including a maximal strength phase, you are trying to get yourself into good enough condition to be able to undertake olympic style lifts with good form or if you don't have access to the required facilities then the answer is certainly yes. The types of training below have big areas of overlap and I will often get athletes to do all of them within the same session.
Strength Endurance Exercises - I've already talked about doing strength endurance work on the bike using big gears. It can also be done whilst running using hills or dragging a resistance. For swimming you could wear drag shorts, use a pull buoy, bands or a parachute. However it can also be done in the gym using much the same exercises as you would use for maximal strength work but with higher reps and lighter resistances. This can be to learn proper technique before progressing to heavier weights, to help strengthen ligaments and tendons, prevent an age-related decline in strength endurance, using single arm / leg variations to look for movement imbalances. If done as a circuit it can also be a very intense cardiovascular workout.
Core Stability Exercises - Whilst maximal strength training requires stable surfaces to work off in order to generate high forces much core stability work uses unstable surfaces such as wobble boards, stability cushions, swiss balls, removing points of contact to provide extra stabilising work for the joints and core and put a focus on balance. For running being stable when running on soft or uneven ground (or when tired at the end of a race) help maintain efficiency and prevent injury.
Injury Prevention Exercises - Think of these exercises as the sort of thing that a physio would give you to help with rehabilitation after injury. The force used would be low, the movement very specific. By doing them before you get injured you can prevent the injury taking place in the first place. Key areas to protect as the shoulder and pelvic girdles. A trip to your local physio for movement screening will help pinpoint your areas of weakness.
How can I calculate the resistance I need to use when strength training?
When guidelines are being given for the resistance to use during a set of repeats it is often given as a specific RM, RM range or a percentage of 1RM. The information below should help you work out your resistance. For example, as long as you know your 6RM for the back squat, you can calculate the relevant resistance if 90% of 1RM is recommended for a set.
% of 1RM: No of reps
- 100: 1
- 95: 2-3
- 90: 4
- 85: 6
- 80: 8-10
- 75: 10-12
- 70: 15
- 65: 20-25
- 60: 25
- 50: 40-50
- 40: 80-100
- 30: 100-150