This is the type of thing that is being sold in my hometown. I loved the part about weight training helping to be better at sequencing movements from the correct muscle group while swimming. Some real gems in there. Enjoy.
Some real bits of “gold” in there, but this takes the cake:-
“…No amount of run drills or hill repeats will manage an inability to fire your core muscles…”
That must be why I see people’s torsos flopping around like a dead fish on hill runs.
I see what you are saying.
He appears to make some points there but my issue is if someone is training 12 hours a week it’s entirely possible to get faster by adding three 30 minute strength training sessions per week.
It’s also possible to get faster by adding three 30 minute runs per week or two 45 minute hard bike trainer rides per week. He doesn’t draw a line anywhere.
jaretj
This is the type of thing that is being sold in my hometown. I loved the part about weight training helping to be better at sequencing movements from the correct muscle group while swimming. Some real gems in there. Enjoy.
http://endorphinfitness.com/...news.php?article=281
For triathlon, yup, strength training is on the list of low-yield items for most AGers - it’s probably for me on par in terms of efficacy with stretching, high knee drills for running, and balance training. Not completely useless stuff for tri, but definitely low-yield and things I’d focus on last.
I will say, however, after taking a few months of a break from tri training and getting back to some weightlifting (have barely touched a weight in 5 years but I used to lift religiously for years in my younger days) that though it doesn’t help your tri performance, strength training and weightlifting is definitely relevant for life activities and sports outside tri. I’ve immediately noticed a positive difference in my life (also helps that I’ve dabbled with other sports during this break from triathlon.)
I think triathlon can engender the mentality that strength training = bad, when it’s actually not true in the slightest. Strength training is a good activity, and the older you are, the more direct benefits it provides for quality of life and activity - there’s a lot of science and practical rehab programs built around it with excellent results. Don’t do the strength training to get you faster at tri - do it for all the other reasons.
http://endorphinfitness.com/...news.php?article=281
For triathlon, yup, strength training is on the list of low-yield items for most AGers - it’s probably for me on par in terms of efficacy with stretching, high knee drills for running, and balance training. Not completely useless stuff for tri, but definitely low-yield and things I’d focus on last.
I will say, however, after taking a few months of a break from tri training and getting back to some weightlifting (have barely touched a weight in 5 years but I used to lift religiously for years in my younger days) that though it doesn’t help your tri performance, strength training and weightlifting is definitely relevant for life activities and sports outside tri. I’ve immediately noticed a positive difference in my life (also helps that I’ve dabbled with other sports during this break from triathlon.)
I think triathlon can engender the mentality that strength training = bad, when it’s actually not true in the slightest. Strength training is a good activity, and the older you are, the more direct benefits it provides for quality of life and activity - there’s a lot of science and practical rehab programs built around it with excellent results. Don’t do the strength training to get you faster at tri - do it for all the other reasons.
I don’t think strength training is bad. As a matter of fact, if it’s what gets a sedentary person moving, good on ya! What gets me is the hype around strength training. e.g. muscle tissue burns more fat than…fatty tisue? (No, I get it, muscle tissue requires more calories to support/regenerate, but it’s been my experience that most people are doing ok w/their daily caloric intake. In the abstract, I believe we don’t need any more bulk or calories going in/on us.)
I really can’t see any advantage to strength training in endurance sports, swimming included. I don’t want to beat a dead moldering horse carcass, but, I think strength training can be an excuse to get away from the hard work of the hours (years) of training required to not just finish, but actually race a tri or open marathon. Go ahead and cite Crowie’s crediting ‘getting back in the gym’ comment. I think w/elite athletes, who can handle monster training loads, weight training, applied correctly, can help them shock muscle tissue, and break up the monotony and tedium of hours of endurance training.
Core training is, in most cases absolute b.s. Not because it’s not (completely) w/o merit, but because the average Joe, and average Joe trainer eff it up…core work has come to mean abs. Sorry, ABS!! The relentless focus on abdominal training in the fitness industry is, I fear, keeping orthopedic surgeons and chiropractors in business. Most people suffer from an imbalance of strength in their core. The reality of core training is, if you’re doing 3+ hour rides, 2+ hour runs and swimming lots, you ARE doing core work. The best kind: applied.
So, what the author is saying really is, one needs strength training, but not the kind that actually makes you stronger (bench/squat/deadlift/clean and jerk/etc) - you need the kind of strength training that only a strength and conditioning coach can custom build for you. How surprising…
I don’t know if that is true or not, maybe it is. But it got me thinking that a good rule of thumb would be
“you can screw around with weights and core work AFTER you hit 12 hours of triathlon training a week. Until then, just run/swim/bike more”
and you can’t count the coffee stops or talking to chicks in the lane lines as hours.
He appears to make some points there but my issue is if someone is training 12 hours a week it’s entirely possible to get faster by adding three 30 minute strength training sessions per week.
EF Pro Julie Rechel Places in First Pro Race.
In her first race as a pro, Julie Rechel takes 9th overall with a come from behind victory at the South Carolina Elite Draft Legal Challenge.
Congrats Julie!
Apparently she managed to win, place, and finish 9th all in one race. That’s pretty impressive indeed.
Some real bits of “gold” in there, but this takes the cake:-
“…No amount of run drills or hill repeats will manage an inability to fire your core muscles…”
That must be why I see people’s torsos flopping around like a dead fish on hill runs.
This is gold. Heard this is what Tiger Woods does exclusively: