Strength Training For Triathletes + The 10 Best Exercises
Let’s talk about something that’s often sidelined in the world of triathlons – the importance of strength training for triathletes.
You’re probably thinking, “Why should I, an aspiring triathlete, worry about pumping iron when I need to swim, bike, and run on race day?”
Well, grab a cup of your favorite sports drink (or a strong cup of coffee, no judgment here), and let’s talk about why adding some muscle to your hustle is vital for triathlon success.
The Muscle Duality: Understanding Your Body
First, you have to understand that you have two different types of muscles. At a very basic level, they are divided into slow-working and fast-working muscle fiber types.
The slow ones are the endurance fibers. They are not particularly powerful but endure for a long time.
The fast ones are the opposite. They can contract very strongly but tire quickly.
Every athlete has their own special mix.
In our whole bodies, we have different types of mixtures out of the different muscle types.
You can’t change the mix of muscle types you have, but with a lot of specific training, you can teach some of those muscles to adopt opposite characteristics.
This unique duality of muscles is the key to understanding why both endurance and strength training are crucial for triathletes.
Uniting Strength and Endurance
Picture a triathlon as the ultimate superhero showdown, with swimming, cycling, and running as your three action-packed episodes. Each part demands a different set of skills and muscles. Let’s break it down.
Swimming relies on the upper body, particularly the shoulders and back, which require a mix of endurance and power.
Cycling predominantly engages the leg muscles, with the quadriceps and hamstrings playing a big role. They demand a lot of endurance.
If cycling is your weakness, check out these actionable cycling tips for triathletes.
Running, the final leg of a triathlon involves the entire body but primarily engages the leg muscles. Here, you need a balance between strength and endurance to push through the finish line.
The combination of these three disciplines highlights the importance of well-rounded training. Endurance alone won’t cut it; you need the strength to perform optimally in each phase.
The Advantages of Strength Training for Triathletes
Injury Prevention
Strength training isn’t just about gaining muscle. Improving joint stability and balance is equally important.
Triathlons involve repetitive motions that can be quite demanding. Over time, these motions can cause overuse injuries and lead to long-term damage if not properly addressed. By strengthening the muscles around the joints, you can reduce the risk of injury.
Improved Efficiency
The more muscle strength you have, the more efficient you will be in your movements. This means that you’ll use less energy for a specific motion, ultimately saving energy for the later stages of the race.
Enhanced Endurance
Strength training can seem paradoxical in this context, but it’s not. When your body is well-balanced with strength, your endurance muscles won’t have to overcompensate.
This means that you can maintain a higher level of effort over a more extended period.
Speed and Power
Stronger muscles generate more power. As we learned earlier, muscles aren’t solely divided into endurance and power; you can develop both. This newfound power can be a game-changer during sprints and uphill climbs.
Basics of Strength Training
Free Weights and Machines
When you use free weights, you need to hold the weights in your hands and balance them. Balancing the loads helps to improve the strength of small and underlying muscles. But the downside is that these exercises are a lot riskier.
When working with machines, the movements are guided, but that means you need little to no balance for it, and the underlying muscles are not strengthened.
They are less risky and much more suitable for beginners, as the risk of injury is minimized.
Sets and Reps
During strength training, you complete multiple sets with several repetitions. For example, 3 Sets with 8-12 Repetitions. The Volume (the amount of sets you perform for one muscle group per week) depends on your goals. But for triathletes, it’s not crucial to rack your brains over the ideal volume.
Recovery time/breaks
It is important to take breaks between sets!
Your body needs the time to recover and get ready for the next set. For exercises like bicep curls where you only use your arms, you need less recovery time 1-to 2 Minutes would be enough already.
But when it comes to compound movements (Those are multi-joint exercises) you need a longer time to recover between the sets. I would take at LEAST 2 minutes, but I would tend more to 3 to 5.
Note that there are a lot of studies on the optimal rest time, depending on your goals your rest time could vary, these tips are just what I noticed that worked best for me and my goals.
The ultimate goal here is to recover enough to perform the next set with good form.
Additionally here are the findings of a Study:
The findings suggest that longer rest intervals may be more beneficial for strength and power adaptations compared to shorter ones. Specifically, rest intervals of 1.5 to 3 minutes were found to result in greater muscle hypertrophy, strength, and power adaptations compared to intervals of 0.5 to 1 minute.
Additionally, 2.5 to 5-minute rest intervals allowed for a greater volume of work, the ability to train with heavier loads, and produced strength increases compared to 0.5 to 2-minute intervals.
The study recommends implementing rest intervals of 2 to 5 minutes when training to improve strength and power characteristics. However, it’s important to note that the ideal rest interval length may vary depending on factors such as the prescribed training loads, an athlete’s training age, fiber type, and genetics. Overall, longer rest intervals appear to be more effective for enhancing strength and power during training.
Spotter
Having a spotter is very important for some exercises, especially those involving heavy weights or complex movements. A spotter provides an additional layer of safety by assisting you in case you struggle to complete a rep, preventing potential injuries.
Find a spotter that motivates you and provides guidance on the proper form to achieve optimal results from a workout.
Exercises for you to try
In your strength training, you should try to imitate the movements of your disciplines as closely as possible.
Squats: Great for strengthening the quadriceps and glutes, essential for cycling and running.
Bulgarian Split Squats: Another great squat variation (They hurt like hell but are super effective, I promise).
Deadlifts: Great for working your hamstrings and glutes. But it may not be the best exercise for beginners as they tend to use their backs for the movement.
Push-ups: Strengthen the chest and shoulders, which are necessary for a powerful swim.
Planks: Fantastic for core strength, enhancing your stability during all three phases.
Leg Press: Focuses on the quadriceps, important for cycling and running.
Pull-ups: Build upper body strength for better control in the water.
Dumbbell Lunges: Work on your balance and leg strength.
Step-ups: Also really good for strengthening your quadriceps.
Leg Curls: The purpose of leg curls is to prevent injuries to the hamstrings resulting from an imbalance between them and the quadriceps.
Wrapping up
Triathlons require not just endurance from swimming, cycling, and running but also strength training for optimal performance. Athletes have a mix of slow-working endurance fibers and fast-working power fibers, both of which are critical for triathlon success. Incorporating strength training offers benefits like injury prevention, increased efficiency, endurance enhancement, and a boost in speed and power. It’s ideal to integrate strength training 2-3 times weekly.
So try this strength training for triathletes to get ahead of your competition!
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I include strength training in my triathlon training routine?
Strength training should ideally be included 2-3 times a week, depending on your level of experience and your race schedule.
Will strength training make me bulk up?
No, strength training for triathletes is about building functional strength, not excessive muscle mass. It will enhance your performance without adding bulk.
Can I do bodyweight exercises instead of lifting weights?
Yes, bodyweight exercises can be effective, especially for beginners triathletes. However, as you progress, adding weights can further improve your strength.
When should I do my strength training workouts?
Ideally, you should schedule your strength training on days when you have lighter or no endurance workouts. This ensures that you’re not fatigued for your main triathlon training sessions.
Do I need a personal trainer for strength training?
A personal trainer can be beneficial, but there is nothing wrong with planning your own strength training. It’s important to learn proper form to prevent injuries. Maybe ask a friend to check your form otherwise the staff of your gym will be happy to help as well (I hope).
