Over the past couple of months I have been chatting with athletes and coaches about triathlete’s weight lifting in the “off season”. There seems to be two very distinctive camps “do it” and “don’t bother”… are there any articles that speak to these two philosophies? what are folks opinions on this board? Is there a difference between men and women when it comes to this?
-J
You need to if to only answer the question “So, how much ya bench?” or use the expression “gun show.”
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“what are folks opinions on this board?”
Oh God, INCOMING!!! Everyone find shelter! 
Seriously though, do a forum search, these threads can be hostile. I don’t think many will say weight lifting is bad, but to what extent it benefits you is still a point of heated debate.
Your probably right…I debated if I should post this question in the first place…I will do a forum search…
Thanks!
-J
“Not too many years ago, the idea of an endurance athlete like a cyclist, triathlete, or runner hitting the weights was almost unheard of. Why, everyone knows that weight training will make you big, bulky, and slow, right? Well, believe it or not, endurance athletes are lifting weights to improve performance. Want to know which ones? It’s easy to tell: the ones with the medals hanging around their necks and mantles full of trophies.”
I think this from Andy Cpggan cuts to the heart of the matter.
In Reply To Perhaps at this point our sports scientist friend Andy Coggan can give us some rules of thumb for how to define "trained" or "competitive" athletes, I think that would help clear some things up.
Allow me to answer it this way: subjects who have been training regularly on the bike for several years in preparation for competition have not experienced any benefits as a result of the addition of weight training to their program. OTOH, individuals who have only been riding an ergometer 3 d/wk for 3 mo (i.e., those in Hickson’s study) have. Where the dividing line between these two situations falls cannot be determined at the present time.
end quote
So to me it boils down to where you fall in the trained vs untrained spectrum, unfortunately if you are in between there isn’t enough data yet to make the fine distinction. So for those of us in between we are left with best coaching judgement, which is why the fightds erupt. Either side can say anything without much data to show one way or another.
I think you meant to make your post pink, right?
An article posted in Testosterone Nation MAY not be the most accurate and reliable information. And even if it’s accurate and reliable, it certainly has it’s bias leaning in one particular direction.
check this out too. I am going to be the first one to sound the cannon in this war:
http://www.socaltriathlon.com/article_8018.html
In no way do I think leg presses or bench presses will do you any good in triathlon. You aren’t gonna swim/bike/run any faster if you go do any machines either.
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Absolutely - lift weights, lots of weights. Every day, lift the weights.
Ask Klehner about the best weights to lift. (is it the squats or the preacher curls that really push your performance envelope to 11)?
Absolutely - lift weights, lots of weights. Every day, lift the weights.
Ask Klehner about the best weights to lift. (is it the squats or the preacher curls that really push your performance envelope to 11)?
11 is so yesterday. My squat rack goes to 12.
For me lifting weights is a lifestyle, it is as necessary and natural as brushing my teeth and drinking coffee in the morning.
Away from that, for any aging, female or weaker (aka strength or strength endurance limited) athlete, it is simply the easiest legal way to boost performance, recovery (by increasing Growth hormono and testosterone levels) and health (by avoiding overuse injuries).
Sure younger, male athletes with naturally high testosterone levelels don’t profit that much and maybe some “supplementation” is as effective, but I would rather give up cycling and swimming than lifting.
If on a businnes travel week only 5 hours of training are left, I will still do 2*30min of weights, best bang for the buck, doesnt take much time and keeps me fit.
“for any aging, female or weaker (aka strength or strength endurance limited) athlete”
Did you just lump together weaklings, old people, and women?
“it is simply the easiest legal way to boost performance”
Which performance metric? All of them? Speed? Endurance? Or just strength?
“and health (by avoiding overuse injuries)”
Are you saying lifting weights won’t cause overuse injuries like endurance training will? If so, I beg to differ.
“Sure younger, male athletes with naturally high testosterone levels don’t profit that much and maybe some “supplementation” is as effective, but I would rather give up cycling and swimming than lifting”
But does your theory of health and fitness align with the OP?
it is simply the easiest legal way to boost…recovery (by increasing Growth hormono and testosterone levels)
This is b.s.
The answer is a simple YES!! You should not only be lifting weights only in the off-seaons, but year around. Of course you will cut back some during the season, but why would you stop? I would dare you to find one professional athlete of any sport that does no weight lifting.
it is simply the easiest legal way to boost…recovery (by increasing Growth hormono and testosterone levels)
This is b.s.
Maybe for you, for me it works
I would dare you to find one professional athlete of any sport that does no weight lifting.
There are numerous professional cyclists, as well as numerous professional runners, who do not lift weights. Even if that weren’t true, however, your claim provides absolutely no evidence of the efficacy of weight training for endurance athletes.
it is simply the easiest legal way to boost…recovery (by increasing Growth hormono and testosterone levels)
This is b.s.
Maybe for you, for me it works
You may think it works for you, but it’s still b.s.
Do you still promote this:
“Lift: 20-40 sets of 25-30 reps - a good rep of 2 seconds” - from a post of yours back in Dec '06
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