working strength sessions into the week

Weight training gains depend on getting adequate rest and recovery periods afterwards - that is when the muscles actually repair themselves and get stronger.  Therefore you don't want to work the same body parts back-to-back if you can avoid it.  For example, leg strength exercises followed immediately by a hard bike ride, or upper body/arms routine followed by swimming.  Just mix it up a little bit and you should be okay.

I came from a weight-lifting/bodybuilding background, but have done less and less weight training as I have gotten more involved in tri training.  

Good luck with your training, 

Mark

IMHO It is best to keep the easy days easy and make the hard days a bit harder but not too hard. You need those easy days to recover. You could mix and match, provided that those parts affected are fully, and that means fully, recovered from previous session.

Contrary to usual beleif, never train sore muscle, and never stretch cold muscle, it is both risk for injury. Yes I know, recovery could be faster if you do some specific light excercises, but as a newbie it is hard to discern what is "light" for your body. IMHO it is so much better and safer to do less than too much and then be forced to stop. Even if that mean to skip a session. Muscle strenght gain is so bigger than connective tissue strenght gain so you could be tempted to lift too much too soon. Be extremly carefull. You will see.

It is not common to have 6 fairly hard workouts in a row, there is such things as periodisation, microcycles etc. Just remember rest is the time you reap the benefits of your work, body needs that time to build itself stronger. Not enough rest=no benefits.

Good luck with your training!