Strength Training for Triathletes

by Scott Molina

Consistent strength training builds a body that can withstand the stress of the increasingly difficult training that triathletes need in order to continue to improve.

My view that strength training helps avoid injury comes from observing many triathletes over the 28 years I've been involved in this sport along with working as personal trainer in a gym for eight years after my retirement as a professional triathlete in '95.

In my experience, most injuries are related to 3 things:

1. Irritation of the tendons from the repetitive stress of training - tendonitis. Strength training improves the strength, thickness and elasticity of the tendons to allow them to withstand higher loads of training. To accomplish this, strength training needs to use sufficient resistance and the movements must extend through a wide range of motion in order to adequately stretch and stimulate tendon and muscle development.
2. Micro adhesions in the muscles and fascia from training. Stretching, ART (active release technique) and massage address this problem.
3. Muscle imbalance, which causes some muscles/tendons to be over-worked. Strength training can help muscles learn to fire in the correct patterns and with adequate strength to avoid these imbalances from occurring. Physical therapy for the rehabilitation of an injury often centers on this concept, as patients find themselves with lots of strange exercises to help correct imbalances.

The past few years have seen a trend to move away from the traditional theory of isolation in strength training. The theory of isolation holds that if we isolate a muscle or two and recruit those fibers by using specific movements with resistance then we can improve that specific muscle's strength and elasticity. My experience and research certainly backs up the theory of isolation which has been used in strength training for centuries.

The more recent theory of functional strength uses movements that mimic the movements we do when we swim/bike/run but uses them in a more dynamic way with more resistance than we normally use when we s/b/r.

My view is we should remain focused on isolation training but add some s/b/r training that has this functional strength component built into it. So training regimes should include:

1. Using hills on the run and bike
2. Shifting into big gears on the bike
3. Using paddles and drag tools in the pool
4. Setting a faster-than-race pace
   

Doing additional functional strength in the gym should be fine, especially for those people who live in real winter environments and can't get outside to train as much as they'd like but I still think the priority in strength work is to rely upon the theory of isolation and use those exercises to strengthen and lengthen muscles and tendons.

For Northern hemisphere triathletes who have the time, energy, motivation and inclination to do some strength training, I have provided below a sample gym program for triathletes. If the athlete lives in a big city or real winter environment and is going to a gym to run and/or ride, or if the gym is right next to the pool they swim at, then I advise them to do upper body 2x/week and lower body 2x/week.

For athletes who are making a separate trip to the gym just to do strength training then I advise them to combine upper body and lower body in one session and do that 2x/week to reduce trips to the gym. Less travel time to train is better!

GYM WORKOUT

December - May - strengthen and lengthen rotator cuffs, core, upper and lower body strength.
2 different gym sessions