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Strength Training for the Triathlete: Foundation & Maintenance
by Jamie Silber
USAT Level 2 Coach
For many of the triathletes out there, the triathlon season has already begun with a few Sprints and maybe an Olympic event already under your belt. Looking forward to your races in September or even as late as October, your season of racing now appears to be unending. This can be a racing season that’s as long as eight or more months. In some parts of the world, the climate allows for 10 months of racing, and few realize that your body, even if you’re a genetic freak, will most likely encounter excessive fatigue and in some cases injury.
The process of training and racing for triathlon will make you fit, but it will also put you out of balance. The consistent forward motion of swim/bike/run atrophies most of the body’s stabilizing muscles – putting you at risk of injury.
For our proposes at Triathlon Training Series, we see Strength Training as a Key component in anyone’s training regimen, especially when you consider that most triathletes never make time for strength training because most of us can only allow our precious time to be only on swimming, biking and running.
What to do?
In order to prepare the body for greater demands in the coming months, one of your main goals should be to strengthen your bones, tendons, ligaments, and small stabilizing muscles of all the important joints you use in triathlon. This approach increases your ability to withstand tension and tearing and creates a strong foundation in which to support the larger musculature. Foundation training is a necessary part of establishing any strength-training program as well as maintenance training, through out the entire season.
Foundation training places a strong importance on selecting muscles that tend to break down as you progress through your training. In swimming, the shoulders and in particular the Rotator muscles and tendons will feel the effect of endless laps in the pool. As a coach,
I hear all too often: “how do I get rid of this pain in my shoulder?”. On the bike and run, the lower back and core area becomes the center of your universe in terms of generating power, maintaining balance and maximizing efficiency.
If you have the time and I strongly encourage you to make the time, there are just a few exercises that if implemented into you weekly tri-training, will make a dramatic difference in your performances. The Triathlon Training Series has created a special video preview of the Key Exercises that are essential to Foundation & Maintenance training - as previewed here, in an exclusive FREE WebVideo on the Triathlete.com Website!
While there are many other strength building exercises and more advanced phases to consider, its important to build a foundation first, refine and control your movements of each exercise, and as always executing perfect form.
Intelligent use of the weight room, just like intelligent implementation of a triathlon-training program, can have a dramatic influence on your performance. This success can be defined as faster swim, bike and run times but can also be extended to include: reduced risk of injury, athletic longevity and an overall heightened enjoyment of triathlon.
SAMPLE EXERCISES: Anatomical Adaptation Exercises
Length of Phase: 4 weeks Volume: 2-3 sets of 10 to 20 reps (circuit) Intensity: 40-50% of 1 rep max or body weight only
Frequency: 2-3 times per week Recovery: 1-2 minutes between sets & exercises Speed of Lift: Moderate
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