Strength Training Guidelines for Endurance Athletes
You can make great strides in your sport performance in the
weight room. Because strength training can break down a lot of
muscle tissue I recommend weight work be done in the foundation
or base period. This does not mean you will not continue to build
strength throughout the season. Hill running, slow cadence
cycling work outs, and resisted swim work outs are all forms of
strength training that are specific to disciplines. Weight
training should smoothly transition into strength training in
your disciplines.
As your season progresses, and your intensity increases, weight
work can be detrimental to your more specific work outs and
events. Your legs may need up to 72 hours to fully recover from a
weight work out. This is a big block of the week to give up
performance in other areas. Just like your training plan your
strength plan will go through specific phases. Endurance athletes
should not use body building plans that are focused on muscle
mass gains. This can actually be counter productive for a
distance athlete. Each phase will have a specific purpose such as
acclimation, hypertrophy, muscular endurance and power. If you
are weak on sprints and jumps, you may want to emphasize more
power training. If you are weak on climbs, muscular endurance is
a good focus. If you are generally weak, or new to strength
training, I recommend a slightly longer period with the weights.
Shorter distance athletes may want to emphasize more strength
work for speed, while longer distance athletes, that are more
slow twitch, will not need as much weight work.
Listen to your body and avoid overreaching yourself with the
weights. This is especially important in the very beginning of
your plan. You may feel the need to push yourself, but you may
also not be walking well the next day. This is due to micro
trauma in the muscles or small muscle tears. These tears have to
heal up before you get stronger, so take it easy. You may also
find yourself more tired, and you may need more sleep during the
initial acclimation period. Make sure you refuel after a strength
work out just like you would any other.
Core strength is crucial to protecting your back during lifting.
I recommend using a variety of exercises to strengthen all core
muscles every other day. Core strength also will help with your
running, biking, and swimming ability. If your muscles are very
sore, do not overstretch them. This may re-injure the micro
trauma that occurred during training and slow the healing
process. Light stretching and recovery work is recommended. I do
not use a weight belt. These belts are for power lifter who wants
to increase inter-abdominal pressure for max lifts. They may
actually make your back weaker. Do not use a belt to exceed your
limits. In fact you should be no where near this type of lifting.
I like to perform my core strength at the end of my work out.
Performing core exercises first may leave them too fatigued to
properly support you.
Choosing when to strength train is very important because it
affects your other work outs. I usually try to strength train
after a rest day early in the week. I make sure I do not have a
critical or high stress work out in the next few days following
my leg work out. Again, this is why weight work is best performed
in the base or foundation period when there are not a lot of
break through work outs.
I generally only strength train my legs heavy one time per week.
I may do a lighter session at the end of the week. Strength
training and endurance training are like oil and water for the
most part. They work well when separated, but do not mix. With a
heavy foundation load I do not recommend strength training more
than twice per week. You may negatively affect your other
training, or more likely over reach yourself.
These are general guidelines. I will not recommend specific work
outs. I do recommend the core of your routine be compound or
multi-joint exercises such as the squat, lunge, dead lift, step
up, and leg press. The number one rule of strength training is
switch up your routine. Your body will acclimate quickly to the
same routine week after week, and growth will be retarded. Switch
up your exercises each week. You may want to get with a certified
strength trainer to learn advanced training techniques such as
drop sets, compound sets, super sets, and other methods. Try to
use a pedal width stance on your exercises and mimic the range of
motion of running and cycling.
One exercise I will caution you on is the leg extension. Most
people use way to much weight on this exercise, which can put a
lot of pressure under the knee cap. This may lead to cartilage
damage. Leg extensions are a good exercise to warm up with. Use
light to moderate weight and lots of reps. You may want to
perform this exercise in the top 20 degrees range of motion. This
helps strengthen your VMO or innermost quad which plays a key
role in patella tracking.
Finally, if you are unfamiliar with weight training and proper
form I highly recommend you get with a certified athletic
trainer. Exercises such as the squat, dead lift, and even leg
press can easily injure you if performed incorrectly. I could
write an entire book on how to perform these exercises, but if I
am not standing next to you and watching your form, you could
still be performing them incorrectly. I see and correct bad form
from even experienced clients on a daily basis.
Phase I- Acclimation 4-8 weeks
Purpose: To gradually adjust your body to the stresses of
strength training. During this phase you will use light weight
and high reps. You may want to start of your first few weeks with
very light weight or body weight. Make sure you perform your
exercises slowly and controlled.
Reps: 15-25
Weight: Light to Moderate
Exercises: 3-5
Sets: 2-3
Rest between sets: 1-3 minutes generally allows full recovery
Phase II Hypertrophy: 4-6 weeks
Purpose: To recruit maximum amount of fibers and promote muscle
growth and absolute strength. Make sure your first set is a light
warm up set. You will want to "pyramid" or increase the weight on
each set while lowering the reps. A typical rep scheme may look
like this 12-10-8-6, or 12-10-8. This phase has a good potential
for injury, so be careful and listen to your body. You can take
your lifts to muscular failure during this period. I recommend a
spotter. Don't be surprised if the first few weeks leave you very
sore.
Reps: 6-12
Weight: Moderate to Heavy
Exercises: 3-6
Sets: 3-4
Rest between sets: 1-3 minutes generally allows full recovery
Phase III Strength Endurance: 6-8 Weeks
Purpose: To train the ability to sustain repeated hard efforts,
similar to a steep climb. This phase will raise your lactate
threshold and time to exhaustion. You want to use moderate weight
and slow controlled motion. You can bring yourself to muscular
failure but at a higher rep range. I recommend that you raise
your rep range slightly as you progress.
Reps: 15-30
Weight: Moderate
Exercises: 3-5
Sets: 2-4
Rest between sets: 1-3 minutes generally allows full recovery
Phase IV Power: 3-6 weeks
Purpose: Power is force over time, or the ability to move the
most resistance in the shortest time period. This is necessary
for jumps and short sprints. Again, I recommend a trainer during
this period because of the potential for injury, and the creative
knowledge needed for power training. You will take each strength
exercise and explode upwards. Be careful on the eccentric phase
(lowering). Try to picture a spring that is slowly coiled until
it is tensioned, then explodes. Go light, especially in the
beginning. This does not mean you will not fatigue the muscles. I
use a body weight for the first few weeks.
Reps: 8-20
Weight: Light to Moderate
Exercises: 4-6
Sets: 2-3
Rest between sets: 1-3 minutes generally allows full recovery
You have to view strength training as a tool box. You have to
decide which tools are right for you based on your body, and your
event. I personally am a smaller person, slow twitch, and my
goals are usually short events. This means more time in the
weight room for me. If you are a marathoner, you will need less
strength work and less weight. If you are a large muscled person,
who has good short distance speed, yet you are training for an IM
event, I would focus less on hypertrophy and more on strength
endurance for climbing.
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and
internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and
is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt has coached athletes for CTS
(Carmichael Training Systems), is an Ultrafit Associate. Visit
www.thesportfactory.com for
more information.
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