Effect of Strength Training

I'm not a big believer in weight training for triathlon. For the average person, it probably won't hurt, but it won't help either. The only supplemental exercises I recommend usually are core exercises.

I go on the principle of specificity of training, and there is no real advantage gained from weightlifting. You may be training the same muscles, but unless you are leg pressing 20 lbs 10,000 times in an hour, you aren't really doing anything to advance your triathlon training.

Now, if your desire is more of a balanced muscle structure than most advanced triathletes exhibit, by all means, go right ahead. It may or may not hinder you (Depending on how much extra muscle you actually build), but it won't really help tri performance.

John

I have drastically cut back on my weight training during the tri-season, but I will never totally abandond it.  With that said, I am not a professional triathlete, MOP age grouper at best with lofty triathalon goals.  I've rely on strength training to maintain strength, change body composition and keep my slow metabolism up. 

IMO there are many reasons why an athlete would choose to do strength training, but improved performance should not be one of them.  In an endurance activity, an athlete is not pushing against the fastest they can possibly go (strength) but rather the fastest they can maintain over the duration of the event (power).  In order to improve power for SBR, an athlete needs to simply SBR (at a variety of durations and intensities).

Shane

i will add that i QUIT strength training because of time constraints, only SBR, and ended up with sciatica (at 26!) because i now have underdeveloped glutes and a weaker core.  that was not fun...

I have no idea who is right or wrong (which is why I was asking the question), but Mark Allen, who is supposedly one of the greatest triathletes ever, says the following:

Lifting or strength training

Strength training is one of the most commonly overlooked tools available to improve your performance with a minimum of additional training time. A well-executed strength program can actually allow you to cut up to 25% out of your aerobic training and have even better results!

Anyone, even a triathlon legend, can make a statement and pass it off as fact. Real question is what does he base this on? Hard science, back by peer-reviewed research? Anecdotal evidence? The quest to sell more books/plans?

Mark Allen is a big believer in strength training and is definitely one of the greatest athletes the sport has seen, but I disagree with his thoughts on strength training.

Shane

I'd rather go into a race with that an additional 25% on my S/B/R bank than have some strength training.

that being said, I dont see nothing wrong with a little strength training if you are meeting all your S/B/R workouts and still have time left over.

what is gives you come race day is questionable.

Time is obviously a huge issue for triathletes, especially those with families and children!  I've decided moving forward, I will increase strength training during the fall and winter when it is feasable and realistic (due to crumby weather) to cut back on biking and running, then transition into increased SBR, less strength as the weather gets warmer. 

I agree that strength training may not be 100% necessary for triathalon, but is an invaluable tool for overall health, weight management and strength. 

I'm sorry to be my usual blunt self, do you actually believe that??  And how did you determine that?  Unless you sat through muscle biopsies and such I am unsure of how you could??

Last I checked, running was one of (if not the) best exercise for the glutes.  How did you figure out that you suddenly have a weak core and glutes?  I honestly want to know.

orthopedist, physical therapist, xrays showing hips sitting crooked where 2 years ago they weren't, etc etc etc. 

i didn't make it up.  running on flat paved roads doesn't build up muscles.  on top of that, i used to be a competitive bodybuilder and i can see and feel the difference in my muscles.

My grain of sand:

I do believe that strength is a good complement, but nothing else, it won't help you improve performance significantly. One thing of strength training that I think we did not mention is that it helps you reduce the risk of injuries. Developing stronger muscles can help you prevent injuries like for example the so known runners knee. Your strength training should not be at a very high load, I use 60% to 70%. In my experience, strength exercises for my back have helped me improve my stroke power.

what a way to end a Friday....this is gonna get good.....

shoot...wish I had me one of those popcorn avatars......

Right.

I'm not going to "discuss" strength training with an ex-bodybuilder (I saw the pics you had posted before on it - you were incredibly cut!!) as there would be a definite slant to the opinions.  Just like talking about architecture and cycling with me.

But to throw in my last two cents - To place the blame of physical conditions that have developed from venturing into a completely different sport and activities on cutting out weights is definitely inconclusive to me.  Far too many other things could have caused the issue (which sucks to have, especially so young).  Hope you work it out and get healthy again.

Edited by Daremo 2009-08-28 2:20 PM

Nothing to see here, move along.

(I'm not going to make this into one of "those" threads - I just got out of timeout, remember?)

Mark Allen is one of the greatest ever. But that doesn't automatically translate into kinesiology knowledge. If weight training allowed greater gains by cutting training to provide for it, every x-country team in the country would be doing weights for 25% of their workouts.

Weight training works different fibers in the muscle than endurance/aerobic training. It utilizes different metabolic pathways. It causes different physical adaptations. There haven't been any studies that have definitively proven that weight training enhances endurance performance.

The way that it CAN help is by working muscle groups that don't normally get worked in your training, and helping prevent injury from imbalanced muscle groups.

John

The consensus on here definitely seems to be that weight training is not much use in improving triathlon performance, apart from the fact that stronger muscles may prevent injury.

There are definitely a few coaches who disagree though. Apart from Mark Allen, there is also a guy who wrote a book called 'strength training for triathletes'. Eric Harr, who was also a pro triathlete, and has written books on the subject, advocates strength training.

As I said, I have no idea whether their claims have any merit.  

The studies are inconclusive and often can be interpreted either way for each "argument" on the topic.  The only relevant studies that show gains are for pure sprint speed (explosive power based stuff like track sprinting for both cycling and running).

Bottom line is - as often stated - if you enjoy it and it feels good, go for it!  Just be smart about when you do it so that you don't F up your normal s/b/r sessions.

If you like to strength train then strength train. Don't let anybody tell you that you shouldn't do something you enjoy because they think it's a waste of time. I'd say that 25 percent of your time on strength is a bit excessive. I'm down to maybe one or two lifting sessions a week, which sucks, but I just don't have the time (nor the heart) to put in another two or three hours a week at the gym.

Anyway, I disagree that strength training isn't beneficial. I contend that it will prevent injuries. If not, why do personal trainers recommend, every time I hurt something, that I `strengthen the (insert muscle)' ... so had I strengthened said muscle before, perhaps I wouldn't have injured it???

Agreed.  I have to think back to when I did have ITBS a few years ago when I was just running and the first thing my physiotherapist did with me was to strengthen my hips, glutes and core. No injuries since then. And it strengthens in a way that running and biking hills won't.

May not make me a better triathlete but if it helps me be more overall fit and keeps me out of injury's way it's good with me.  I plan on being active for a good long while!

Over 12 years, weightroom free. While not exactly "huge", I am a lot more muscular than most triathletes I see. Also one injury in the past 10 years, a cracked rib in groundfighting class. In 37 years of competitive sports, I can count on one hand the number of overuse type injuries I've had, and those can be attributed to my own stupidity, not anything else.

I agree, strength training can be beneficial and help prevent some injury. But, if you are swimming, biking and running in proportional amounts, stretching (I really believe stretching is a key in why I don't get injured very often), and getting adequate sleep/nutrition, then you should be pretty much all right.

There are some acute injuries that happen, but injuries due to muscle imbalance point at a technique flaw, not a muscular flaw. About the only true "imbalance" that I can think off of the top of my head is the hunched shoulders in swimmers, because the front deltoids get so much more use than the rear, and back problems because of overdeveloped abdominals (comparatively speaking.)

I don't choose to do weightlifting simply because I don't believe it brings any benefit to me personally for the activities I do. I don't generally prescribe it in the people I coach, because I think the time could be better spent doing s/b/r. If you want to weightlift, great, go right ahead. It's a great activity. Just don't do it thinking that it is going to dramatically improve your aerobic performances.

Note: I count weightlifting as what you do with weights, pick them up, put them down. I do core work, pushups and jumping jacks as part of my martial arts classes. I classify those as calisthenics, but I suppose you could make an argument that it is tangentially weightlifting.

John

It is your every choice and right to believe that.

And since it is physically impossible to prove or disprove people can argue it until they are blue in the face.  That is why so many people say that it prevents injuries.  Because there is no way to disprove it (just like there is no proof on the other side).

In other words, how can you prove something does or not help prevent an injury that hasn't even happened yet??  It is easy to say after the fact "Oh, if you had done X this wouldn't have happened" even if there is no real correlation.

Edited by Daremo 2009-08-28 3:30 PM