Triathlete Strength Training

[NoNameNoNumber]

Stepping up to full Ironman this year and looking for some strength training to generally help me out all round. I'm 6' and 155lbs currently and never carried any weight, not looking to bulk up but I keep hearing about how important gym sessions are.

What can you guys recommend?
I have a gym buddy on standby, he's suggesting a 5x5 strong lift routine, keen to go regularly and with intention, problem I have is from a quick google it seems the 5x5 may not really work around my other cardio training...
Not something I know much about

Cheers

 

[D.P.]

You don't want to be doing much weight training, mostly just supporting some the joints in shoulders and in legs. Some of the best exercises will simply be things like 1 legged squats, donkey kicks, clam shells, lateral leg raises, bunny hops. To work on hip flexors I use some stretch bands.

30 minutes 2-3 times a week is sufficient, and the advantage of these exercise is you can do them at home so no need to waste time going to a gym. When IM training you are incredibly pushed for time so it is more important to be time efficient. I know quite a few people who train hard for IM, very spend almost no time on strength training during the main training cycle as any time you is best spent running/swimming ro cycling, or simply recovering for the next hard work out. They do a bit more in the off-season between training cycles. My serious running friends will do a bit more strength training since there is a limit to how much runnign you can do and after a hard run the next day you want soemthign a bit easier, but IM training you can get in a hard swim and easy cycle for example.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Thanks for your reply DP, appreciate your point about not needing to waste time going to the gym but for the last few months that has been my fire... Go there, full of beans, bust my balls then go home to relax... Seems to work well motivation wise so whilst those juices are flowing I want to capitalise.
I get 4 days off a week so can incorporate rest days to coincide with work and shorter more intense sessions etc. I'm trying to push my FTP up and it seems a bit of strength training is the key.
I have been looking long and hard into Iron distance PTs but I've found nothing to accommodate shift workers... Everything is based on a 5 day working week with Sat/Sun off :/

I find on my longer swims my forearms and lats fail me... Gotta be some strength training gains to be had there?

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Talking with a few mates that seem to know what they're on about we've come up with the following;

Workout A
70% 1RM
3x8
Squat
Benchpress
Pullups

Workout B
70% 1RM
3x8
Deadlift
Overhead press
Barbell row

That means 2x30 minute workouts per week, that should do me some good until April time when my mileage will start ramping up and the weight training will likely subside.

 

[mrthingyx]

Talking with a few mates that seem to know what they're on about we've come up with the following;

Workout A
70% 1RM
3x8
Squat
Benchpress
Pullups

Workout B
70% 1RM
3x8
Deadlift
Overhead press
Barbell row

That means 2x30 minute workouts per week, that should do me some good until April time when my mileage will start ramping up and the weight training will likely subside.

Very sensible workout regime for anything (New Year Noobs take note): that will do you well for pretty much any sport up to about "awesome amateur."

DP isn't wrong by suggesting some light stuff, but most people who exist are so catastrophically weak that something a tad more serious to start is actually more important.

As the miles rack up, you will want to taper down to reduce your fatigue and that is when bodyweight work becomes critical to keeping you from seizing up as you prepare for the actual day.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Thanks for your reply Mr X
Yeah I'm conscious of the fact that currently my mileage is low and intensity high, that's because I hate swimming in a pool so I'm doing 400-800m sessions hoping that when I get open water again in April I'm straight up to over 2000m per session but with good technique. Cycling in this weather/light isn't ideal from a being seen perspective, and after 2-3hrs in the cold I cramp up... Running is ticking over nicely although I keep tweaking my knee, something I've not had before...

If I can string together a solid 3-4 months of this workout then back it off to maybe one session per week or even stay the same schedule but drop the weights to enable better quality cardio I'll be happy.

What do you think is better? 70% 1 RM or start light and add a little each time?

Cheers

 

[D.P.]

Thanks for your reply DP, appreciate your point about not needing to waste time going to the gym but for the last few months that has been my fire... Go there, full of beans, bust my balls then go home to relax... Seems to work well motivation wise so whilst those juices are flowing I want to capitalise.
I get 4 days off a week so can incorporate rest days to coincide with work and shorter more intense sessions etc. I'm trying to push my FTP up and it seems a bit of strength training is the key.
I have been looking long and hard into Iron distance PTs but I've found nothing to accommodate shift workers... Everything is based on a 5 day working week with Sat/Sun off :/

I find on my longer swims my forearms and lats fail me... Gotta be some strength training gains to be had there?

When your arms get tired swimming, the best way to get stronger is to do more swimming. Strength training is just not going to be that useful. Especially with swimming, the biggest gains are found by just being ion the water and working on technique. If you can;t get in the pool to frequently then you want to set up a dry land swim bench using elesatic bands to provide resistence, and you just practice that same front crawl movement.

Similarly, for cycling to push your FTP up you don;t need to touch weights at all. Join TrainerRoad and do a winter FTP booster. The only way you will get better is by putting in the hours on the bike.

Looks like you would have to adjust training plans but I think what you described is good.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

This is were the complications arise... Everyone has differing opinions, and I just don't have the experience to know which route I should take.
My tri game is still in it's infancy so I guess there has to be an element of trial and error... I've done 3 tris so far

Sept '16 Lanzarote 70.3 in 7:01 didn't know what was gonna happen so took it so easy I felt fine at the end... Like literally fine
Aug '17 Allerthorpe Olympic 2:34 ate too much, puked on the swim and had cramp all the way through the bike and run. Lesson learned
Sept '17 Lanzarote 70.3 5:45 felt awesome. Flying, but just couldn't put a solid run in, took 2:01 for the run :/

All lessons learned

Signed up for Copenhagen full this August. Flat and cooler so should be a doddle, but I need to make sure I have the minerals to keep pounding for 12 hrs...

I do agree though, ultimately there's no denying the best thing I can do is get the mileage in.


Here I am at 6:23 and again at 6:29

 

[D.P.]

Nice video.

If you are coming into this from a beginners side then definitely the more time training the 3 sports the better, especially getting in long bike ride, long runs, bricks etc. If you like doing the strength trainign and you have time for it then it will be marginally benefitial, just less bang for buck than heading to the pool/another trainer road session.

the thing is with triathlons is it is almost impossible to train properly for the 3 discipline anyway, and if you need to give your legs a break there is always the pool or a gentle spin. If you focus ona single sport like running there is more of a limit in how much you can do and so it is easier to add some crosstraining and weights.


I also find it hard to strength train some of the required muscles using weights. It is so much a question of strength so need to bench crazy weights, but getting positions and movements that target the liekly weak areas. If you do a bunch of lateral leg raises or donkey kicks you can really feel that certain muscle groups around hip joints for example have been worked. I don't know what kind of weights could really help with that. Squats are good though, but again if you can master a 1 legged pistol squat then you are in much better shape than squatting 500lbs or whatever the steroid junckies do!

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

I've been cycling for ~5 years but with no real aim, never been a swimmer and only ever done a little bit of running... A friend of mine has done dozens of triathlons and got me into it.
I am managing the 1900m sea swim in 40 minutes whist not really going for it but this time around I am aiming to do the 3800m swim in 1:20... As mentioned above, my arms ache at the half distance so I feel a bit more strength there wont hurt.
Hip flexors are the next biggest struggle I can really feel them lacking when I run. I will remain focused on the bike as this is my strongest and where I can make the most time up.

Agreed on not being able to train properly for all 3, if I'm honest I am not training properly for any of them :/
I'll keep this up, went to the gym today, 800m swim in 16 minutes then followed workout A, didn't go anywhere near 1RM though, just the bar to get used to the motions and try to establish good form. Last thing I need is an injury.

 

[MM-Seat]

I've been cycling for ~5 years but with no real aim, never been a swimmer and only ever done a little bit of running... A friend of mine has done dozens of triathlons and got me into it.
I am managing the 1900m sea swim in 40 minutes whist not really going for it but this time around I am aiming to do the 3800m swim in 1:20... As mentioned above, my arms ache at the half distance so I feel a bit more strength there wont hurt.
Hip flexors are the next biggest struggle I can really feel them lacking when I run. I will remain focused on the bike as this is my strongest and where I can make the most time up.

Agreed on not being able to train properly for all 3, if I'm honest I am not training properly for any of them :/
I'll keep this up, went to the gym today, 800m swim in 16 minutes then followed workout A, didn't go anywhere near 1RM though, just the bar to get used to the motions and try to establish good form. Last thing I need is an injury.

Very smart to start off with the bar. When I followed stronglifts I always used to warm up with just the bar and reaffirm the technique to myself.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Thanks, it's something I had not considered before... keeping the shoulders set, breathing, balance, strong core etc... All needs thinking about

 

[GSVBagpuss]

I like the idea of doing a tri but like you I'm a cyclist who can't swim and jogs at best. The transitions also look hard work to get just right. I’ve just paid to enter a beginners one that a family member recommended

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

The swim was my biggest nemesis but I got worked up over nothing.
Nov'15, decided to try a triathlon so booked Lanzarote 70.3 for Sept' 16. Went to the pool and did 125m and gave in, abysmal...
Kinda did very little then until April swim-wise, then the local open water swim lake opened up. I went armed with my wetsuit to try and do a few laps, managed 50m at a time, total of 250 m... Spent the next few months purely open water and managed the 1900m a couple of times around 50 minutes, went to Lanzarote knowing I should make the 1:10 cutoff and ended up flying, 41min I think it was.

The run on the first tri just came from bike fitness and a few brick sessions, bricks are horrific but totally necessary. Running off the bike is not like anything I can describe.
Now I'm hooked.

The transitions, I walked the routes maybe 20 times, practiced every move but them come raceday I hadn';t accounted for the change tensts to look like the Calais jungle... All the best laid plans went out the window, still dried my feet, got all (most) the sand off and clean socks for both T1 and T2.

Go for it, just do a sprint. Be warned though, I'd be wealthier had I just taken up a class A drug addiction

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

2nd session today,
10 minute gentle spin on the bike

1 x 8 40kg squat
1 x 8 50kg squat
1 x 8 60kg squat

3 x 8 30kg seated overhead press

2 x 8 40kg deadlift
1 x 8 50kg deadlift

3 x 8 straight leg raises (that what they're called? hanging from the arms, lower back on an inflatable ball)

10 minute, 2k warm down jog

Feeling good. Made it out on the bike yesterday, and a swim on Saturday so keeping it together so far

Just for reference, I weighed myself today, 155lbs and 6' exactly.

 

[Django x2]

I'm full IM in July and haven't been near a gym since I was 21, not properly anyway, maybe for the odd spin class. I see little to no benefit in strength training other than focusing the strength towards each discipline. Ie, pull buoy for arms, hand paddles, flippers and kick boards for swim, power meter for bike and hill, sand, speed work for the run.

Brick sessions 3 to 6 months out and nailing the OW swim technique (v different from pool), and the transitions are all key wins

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Interesting one ain't it... Other IM swear by strength sessions...
I'm not worried about ow swimming, that's where I learnt. This is the first year I've ever done any pool swimming to keep things ticking over through winter.

I know its early days but the strength sessions feel great, I'll do another lactate threshold teat in a month or two, see if its doing any good

 

[Shamrock]

When I trained for IM Switzerland, my week was so full of swim/bike/run that I didn't really have time for gym training. I would keep it specific personally. Similarly, my mate who came 53rd overall at Kona definitely didn't train anything other than swim/bike/run.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Mine will be from the spring months onwards... For the next 2-3 months only I'll be gyming it along with my swim progressing and ticking over on the bike and run...

 

[D.P.]

Run training takes years, you gain massive fitness by building a run base of easy miles over many many months before focusing on more specific race requirements.
Having your running "tick over" is definitely.sub optimal. You should be building as much run volume as possible, and in fact as you get closer the run volume can decrease to allow better recovery and harder cycle/swim work outs.

An extra couple of hours a week running now will.pay off massively by the spring. The weight training is unlikely to make a noticeable difference, but may reduce injury risk.ifyou are doing good exercises rather than simply benching weights