Lifting while triathlon training. (Page 2)

Lift.
Don't lift!
Lift if you want to.
Don't lift if you don't want to.
Lifting does nothing for tri performance.
Lifting does wonders for tri performance.

That's what I say to myself while contemplating getting up at 530AM to meet my coach!

The key is that it is not high rep stuff; it is low rep at a high percentage of 1RM.

Shane

While there is lots of anecdotal evidence about how light weights for high reps will help endurance performance, the literature would suggest that high weight for low reps will provide a (slight) benefit in endurance performance.

Shane

I'll give it a try Shane.

I lift simply because enjoy it.  I like how it makes me look and feel and believe it gives me better overall fitness than just long cardio endurance activities.  I don't really try to devise a way to have it benefit me for racing nor do I care if it does or not.  I also enjoy racing, but not so much so that I feel the need to get my weight down below 180 to bike or run faster, unless of course it's fat that I'm shedding (heck even in High School with no muscle to speak of I was 180).  There isn't time to do it all when tri racing is hot and heavy during the season so lifting takes more of a backseat.  In the off-season for awhile swimming and biking take more of a back seat, lifting comes back to the forefront and running is continued but with slightly less volume.