I’m still trying to figure out strength training within the context of Swim/Bike/Run. I’ve incorporated different types of strength work into my training off and on for the past several seasons – body weight, moderate weight, heavy weights – but I’ve rarely been year-round consistent and it’s taken various forms.
There seems to be a persistent split between 3-6 rep/high weight strength work versus 8-12 rep/moderate weight strength work. I’d put people like Dylan Johnson, Mikael Eriksson/Scientific Triathlon, Alex Harrison, etc. in the low rep/high weight camp while I think of people like Jay Dicharry, Matt Dixon/Purple Patch, Erin Carson/ECFit, etc. as being in the 8-12 rep/moderate weight camp.
Then there’s Trainer Road which has general benchmarks, but they seem low to me and I’m already well past them.
Here’s my dilemma: there appear to be a lot of studies that support low rep/high weight as having the greatest benefit for bike and run performance in triathlon (in terms of strength training, obviously your bike and run training will have the overall greatest benefits). My problem is doing low rep/high weight lifting leaves me sore to the point that it impacts my bike and run training.
I don’t feel as beat up when following a more moderate weight program like ECFit, but it also sounds like I’m not going to get the full benefits of strength work.
I don’t have any races the rest of the year so I’m debating whether I should:
(1) go all in on low rep/high weight by really dialing back the bike and run until I finally get to the point where it doesn’t leave me too sore, then switch to maintenance mode as I bring back more running and riding. My thinking here is that maybe I've never given myself enough time or capacity to adapt to low rep/high weight because I haven't previously dialed back riding/running enough.
– or –
(2) stick with a more moderate weight ECFit program while doing regular post season bike/run training.
Thoughts or suggestions?
My pool only just reopened this month, so either way I’m going to be getting in the water to try and regain what little swim form and fitness I had pre-COVID.
A bit of personal context: male, 42, ~15 seasons of tri racing, been lifting consistently throughout COVID but it was only at home strength (dumbbells, TRX, Kettlebell, bands, etc.) until my gym finally opened again in July, since then I’ve been building back in to compound lifts at the gym (focus on squat, straight leg dead lift, split squat, single leg dead lift, rows, and pull/chin ups).
There seems to be a persistent split between 3-6 rep/high weight strength work versus 8-12 rep/moderate weight strength work. I’d put people like Dylan Johnson, Mikael Eriksson/Scientific Triathlon, Alex Harrison, etc. in the low rep/high weight camp while I think of people like Jay Dicharry, Matt Dixon/Purple Patch, Erin Carson/ECFit, etc. as being in the 8-12 rep/moderate weight camp.
Then there’s Trainer Road which has general benchmarks, but they seem low to me and I’m already well past them.
Here’s my dilemma: there appear to be a lot of studies that support low rep/high weight as having the greatest benefit for bike and run performance in triathlon (in terms of strength training, obviously your bike and run training will have the overall greatest benefits). My problem is doing low rep/high weight lifting leaves me sore to the point that it impacts my bike and run training.
I don’t feel as beat up when following a more moderate weight program like ECFit, but it also sounds like I’m not going to get the full benefits of strength work.
I don’t have any races the rest of the year so I’m debating whether I should:
(1) go all in on low rep/high weight by really dialing back the bike and run until I finally get to the point where it doesn’t leave me too sore, then switch to maintenance mode as I bring back more running and riding. My thinking here is that maybe I've never given myself enough time or capacity to adapt to low rep/high weight because I haven't previously dialed back riding/running enough.
– or –
(2) stick with a more moderate weight ECFit program while doing regular post season bike/run training.
Thoughts or suggestions?
My pool only just reopened this month, so either way I’m going to be getting in the water to try and regain what little swim form and fitness I had pre-COVID.
A bit of personal context: male, 42, ~15 seasons of tri racing, been lifting consistently throughout COVID but it was only at home strength (dumbbells, TRX, Kettlebell, bands, etc.) until my gym finally opened again in July, since then I’ve been building back in to compound lifts at the gym (focus on squat, straight leg dead lift, split squat, single leg dead lift, rows, and pull/chin ups).