How many of you guys lift right through the season ? Some seasons I do, some seaons I don’t. Usually when I do, I have better races. Typically I stop 3 weeks before an Ironman. This year, I experiments and lifted until the Sunday before Ironnman LP. I had a pretty good race posting a PB on the LP course. I felt that through the latter stages of the run, the extra strength helped me when the 500 lb Gorrilla jumped on my back at mile 22 climbing up past the ski jumps.
My in season weight program is limited to leg extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises, squats and step ups (legs only). Basically, right after my three runs per week, I do a 20 minute circuit, doing 20 reps of each exercise with fairly light weight (squats with 100 lbs, step ups with 80 llbs, hamstring curls with 50 lbs, leg extension with 80 lbs).
I was wondering what your experiences are ? In any event, whether it is placebo affect of not, I like lifting (although the amounts I am currently using are only loosely qualified as “lifting”) and it seems to help.
last year training for placid i was coached by don fink. he had me lifting up until the saturday before the race. so i had one week of no lifting. but i think the program was a bit unusual as i was lifting quite heavy up until that point - including bicep curls, etc. regardless, i had a very good race for me (11:27 and a 1hr pr) so i’m not complaining.
this year, i decided not to lift and see if i noticed any difference. so far the answer is no - no discernable difference. study of one.
herschel, I’ve never heard of a coach prescribing weights that close to Ironman, but I thought I would do my own personal experiment of one. I am glad to see that someone like Don Fink is suggesting this approach.
Surprisingly enough, in the age group ranks, there are several “well muscled guys” doing really well at the front end of the age group field at Ironman. More so than at half Ironman or less, where the waif thin guys seem to do better. Something tells me that having the excess muscle and weight is not as much of a liability in age group competition at Ironman as it is in shorter racing.
dev, i have some muscle left over from my pre cardio heavy lifting days so any lifting now just pumps me up unnecessarily. i wish that having bigger biceps helped my swim, but alas it has not…
and don fink has certainly had his share of success both with himself and his athletes so he’s doing something right.
I’m a believer of weight training( reps,not bulk)thru-out the year.
That alongside a vigorous stretching regimen has given me added durability .
Being a past sufferer of knee issues,the leg squats,hip abductor machines,and glute machines help keep my biomechanics in check.
Most importantly one’s resting metabolic rate is enhanced by resistance training.So for 40+ male ag’s like me this is a must .
I don’t lift any weights, but my core routine includes a fairly long set of lunges and 100 pushups. In the off season, I typically do the routine every morning. This season, my coach has me doing it twice a week. I’ve got my first IM coming up in Sept, and I don’t know if coach will have me stop the core work early or not.
What you say about the really thin people doing better in the 1/2s makes sense to me. It seems to me that the 56 mile bike is short enough that a really fast runner can hang on and then sprint past everybody. But double the bike distance, and those waif thin runners have to take on a whole different kind of training to get through the race. I don’t know if that’s the reason, but it makes sense to me.
I was doing weights 3x week in the off season and core work every day. I quit going into season to leave more time for tri specific workouts. I felt great going into the season, my bike splits were better than end of season last year, now I am missing it, my bike splits have dropped off a bit, and my off road running is suffering because I don’t feel as “strong” in my lower legs. I did a lot of stability work last winter to help ward off ankle injuries which plagued me last year. It seems to have worked but I need to keep doing them.
How do you guys feel it effects you on the bike? I really miss lifting. If I could do it and have it such that it was neutral to my cycling I’d be OK with that. I don’t expect it could make me a better cyclist, but I don’t want to put weight on either or lose the ability to ride hard almost every day. I’ve just been wanting to get into the gym the past month or so and do some deadlifts. Think I could get away with it if I only lifted twice a week and only after my hardest workouts, so the easier days remained easier?
From May through the summer, usually on 1Xweek strength maintenance program. Basically stuff I picked up on Gordo’s site and J. F.'s book plus some core work.
Last year I lifted right to the week before L.P. and I felt strong in every race I did. I don’t think it makes you any faster but I do believe the extra strength allows you to mainten your form as the day goes on.
This year I haven’t done weights since April and I really haven’t felt good coming off the bike or as the run goes on.
Placebo? I don’t know but I’ll be hitting the weight room again this fall, winter and spring with a maintenance program in the summer for L.P. next year.
Like Trever, my sample of one says it has positive effects on overall race performance. I agree that it seems to help you “hold it together” especially on long runs off the bike. All I know is that in 21 years of racing tris, the best seasons have involved “in season weights”. I also seem to recover better “in season” from hard sessions during seasons that include weights. During races, I seem to mentally deal with “leg burn” better as I experience this three times per week outside biking and running without jacking up my heartrate.
Coincidence ? Perhaps. Placebo effect ? Perhaps. I just wanted to see how many others are doing this and seem to feel that the net result is positive.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest weight training improves ironman performance in terms of increasing watts on the bike or otherwise.
Better to spend time doing threshold level specific bike, run or swim training.
I don’t believe this, not for everyone. It depends on what your limiter is. There was another thread on this a couple of months ago, almost the exact same thing with some interesting advice.
I just wanted to see how many others are doing this and seem to feel that the net result is positive.
I believe it has a huge effect on my cycling and running. Anecdotal evidence of course, but that’s my anecdotal evidence and I believe it.
VM, thanks, but I started this thread to see how many folks actually keep weight training “in season”. the other thread was about supplementing swim/bike/run with wts in general, not “in season”
I think it depends on the athlete. Ive been weight training for quite a while and never had a problem, but the last couple of years I stopped and ive had numerous problems such as ITB, weak muscles etc. Im going back to the gym to get back into muscular shape and hopefully have an injury free season.
I find that for instance, in the aero position I use my triceps and forearms the most, which happens to be the biggest muscle group in the arms and my biceps, which most people think are the biggest muscle group are hardley used.
name me one sport that doesnt use weight training as an every other day occurence. And im not talking about throwing darts as a sport for you smartasses out there;)
I always do weights in season, including legs. Usually back off a week before an important race. During high volume weeks I sometimes skip the weights, or count hill repeats for legs and only do upper body and core.
My study of one says, I pretty much don’t ever get injured and when I am strongest in the weight room, my race results are the best.
Imagine what I would look like if I didn’t do weights. I am stronger than I look and I wouldn’t be a good climber without a good strength to weight ratio.
In the off-season some of my the best lifts I did as parts of workouts were:
10x290 leg press
10x145 bench
15x155 stiff leg dead lift
Pretty modest for most people who lift weights, but not bad for a guy 6’2" and about 162 pounds, running fifty plus miles a week (These workouts were when I was prepping ofr Boston)
Right now I am taking it a little easier, typical 15x 180-200 for the leg press and and 10x125 for the bench.
