Well, I guess I didn't state my point that well. In Friel's Triathlete Training Bible he talks about strength training for triathletes.

For the Bike he says: Squats and Deadlifts.

To increase your run power he discusses the Power Clean and Power Step Ups. Why the C+J, I suppose you don't need to do the jerk portion. However, my point here is that you shouldn't do the power clean (a segmented portion of a clean) if you haven't learned the clean and can do it well.

This is a problem earlier on with high school athletes (at least it was when I was in high school) because the Power Clean is used in football a bunch, but strength coaches weren't teaching the full movement. Which is why I stated to learn and do the full movement first.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I want to be strong and fast. Really fast.

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Deadlift
Squat
Bench press
Overhead press
Pull ups
If you have time for some assistance exercises, go for some unilateral exercises like single leg Romanian deadlifts, single leg squats, etc.

Agree. AKA Stronglifts 5 x 5.

This. Jane Fonda Hip Complex is a life saver for runners.

I was just saying to exclude core only exercises from this conversation. I know how crucial they are to staying in area, swimming on plane, running with good form. They need to be done year round.

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Blog: https://davidkoppeltriathlon.blogspot.com/
Coaching: https://dkendurance.com/

These aren't ones that everyone should do all of the time. They are ones that everyone should be able to do. Being able to do these exercises demonstrates a mobile body free of range of motion problems.

IMO, being able to move safely is more important than being strong. The whole point of strength training is being able to move smoothly and without encumbrances.

#1. A 40 M sprint.

If you can't sprint, your muscles aren't engaging well. Even IM triathletes should be able to sprint. Triathletes don't need to move off the line like usain Bolt. However, a good sprint is indicative of a healthy mobile body that can withstand hard training.

#2. Jumps

You need to able to jump. Being able to jump is indicative of well functioning coordinate muscles. Muscle recruitment is important. Jump high. No need for boxes.

#3. Full squat barefoot. Both feet at 90 degrees to the body. Straight back.

If you can do this exercise, you have mobile ankles and hips. If you can't, you are probably leaving something on the table with your run ability. There is a video of world steeple chase silver medalist, emma coburn, doing these on one leg.

#4 A pullup

Doing a pullup without cheating means you have good shoulder range of motion and strength. Chin above bar on up part. Full arm extension on down part.

#5. A pushup.

Core stable and elbows next to the body. You'd be surprised how few pushups you can do if you don't cheat. Most endurance athletes can barely do a real pushup either because of should issues or lack of strength.

*IF* said person has the requisite shoulder mobility for an overhead squats. I would recommend either KB racked squats (if you have access to KB's) or a basic standard goblet squat. Both are much more spine friendly and reduce the systemic stress on the body. While you can get plenty of benefit of an overhead or back squat, you can greatly reduce the risk while maintaining the reward with KB racked or goblet squats.

I simply say that with over a decade of experience as a strength coach and knowing the movement capacity of triathletes for these movements without being coached up on their movement patterns beforehand.

This is my favorite self-deprecating tri-joke:

Me: "Hey! Wanna see a triathlete jump?!!!"
Them: "OK, Sure!!!"

< just stand there >

Me: "Wanna see it again?!!!"

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I'd agree. I'm two years in with regular oly coaching, and am still learning the finer points. A n00b clean and jerk is horrifying to watch.

That said if you do have the proper instruction and technique, it's fun, and it's great at stability, coordination, covering a huge % of muscles.

Ding ding ding ding.

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- Jordan

My Strava

I would agree and say that goes with many of these movements/lifts (especially any olympic lifts). Triathletes are not always known to be great movers and many of these lifts demand a high competency of movement quality so the rewards of all these lefts drops as the quality of movement is diminished.

Hang cleans are fine for most. Don't need to pull all the way from the ground. Still get a good return on power production and learning to produce power from the ground.

I’ve decided the extra mass by not dropping the weights is actually less than the weight of a thousand stares watching the meathead with the skinny triathlete frame throwing weights around the gym, lol

A lot of good movements noted already. Consider dumb bell shoulder presses (or anything that improves deltoid strength). It will improve your swim strength (make you faster and get you to T1 in lower HR zone).

Where did the idea that the leg press isn’t effective come from? For cycling, it’s useful because you can build power where it counts without all the stabilization needed for a heavy squat. I would still pair the leg press with real squats, but I wouldn’t discount it for not using the whole body, that is sort of the point isn’t it?

I think arnold presses (single and both arms) are superior to shoulder presses for muscle development, if you had to pick one.

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

It's not that it isn't effective, it just has less bang for your buck compared to squats.

Squats are one of the best core exercises you can do based on the trunk stability requirements through dynamic range of motion. Why would you want to take that portion out?

Squats allow you to work on better ankle and hip mobility as well versus a leg press which is very passive compared to squatting.

Why would you pair a leg press with a squat? IMO that isn't very efficient use of energy or time. If you are going to pair a squat I would rather do a movement that does not directly fatigue the legs (anti-extension/rotation core exercise, mobility, etc) so you can maximize power and muscular recruitment when you squat.

1. Squats
2. Deadlifts
3. Chins - wide, with overhand grip
4. Lunges - with weights in hands
5. Kettlebell swings

1) Kettlebell Swing.
-same hinge pattern as the deadlift, but can be trained explosively and without the stress of the eccentric portion (very useful for avoiding adding bulk).
-a great alternative to the Olympic lifts (especially with a heavy enough bell). It’s much simpler, less risky, and faster to learn, yet still trains the hips explosively while requiring stabilization from the midsection and upper back.

2)Deadlift. Done reasonably heavy, for minimal reps, in some of the safer variations, not necessarily straight-bar-from-floor.

3)Deep squatting with fairly light weight.
-I’m starting to move away from getting the triathletes I work with to squat “heavy” (“triathlon heavy”) to an extreme range of motion, particularly with a straight barbell. That said, squatting as low as one can go with a much lighter weight—-goblet squats with dumbbells or kettlebells work great—-keeps the lower body resilient and mobile. If the athlete can tense the muscles properly throughout the movement, even light weights can provide a strength benefit.

4)TRX static holds.
-“T,” “I,” “Y,” and Bat Wing holds for a few sets of 30sec (I alternate the particular hold each session) have been quite useful.

5)Upper body calisthenics.
-we don’t go overboard on them, but a few pushups and pull-ups/chin-ups per session go a long way. I try to keep the athlete’s upper body training to a bare minimum, but one pushing and one pulling exercise done regularly seem to help keep the shoulder girdle in good shape to handle swimming load.

This.


Or mix is up sometimes. Leg presses on same day I'm doing lunges or single leg work.

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