9 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Strength Training
Most triathlon coaches think that triathletes need to take a different approach to strength training than athletes who rely heavily on quick power and strength. This post provides essential tips and advice to ensure that endurance-specific strength training is used to its fullest advantage.
Triathlons, similar to other strength testing events, involve doing the same routines regularly. For a lot of triathletes, repeated practice and competitions tend to create muscle deficiencies and discrepancies over a long period.
Having a strength training regimen is necessary to achieve long-term success and endurance in triathlons. When done correctly for a specific race of a certain length, strength training can help enhance sport-related motions, resulting in better results on the day of the race, and reducing the risk of injuries.
For triathletes, creating a structure of 12-16 weeks of regular strength building is key, beginning in their rest period and then shifting to upkeep during their competing period.
Suggestions to Make the Most Out of Strength Training
1. Embrace Strength Training Fresh and Avoid Mal-adaptations
Strength training is intense, so it is essential to do these activities when you are well-rested. An individual who specialises in strength exercises should never do a long endurance workout before training strength, and the same goes for any athlete who specialises in endurance activities.
It is alright to take a brief jog or bike ride, but it is essential to not begin strength training when you’re feeling exhausted. You can greatly reduce the effectiveness of your strength training if you do an extensive and tiring endurance workout straight afterwards.
Doing a run or other exercise that covers a moderate distance soon after weightlifting can help you to utilise the fitness improvements you gained from your weight routine in your sport. If you push yourself too intensely before or after a strength training session, it can lead to you not adapting correctly.
2. Focus on Functional Movements
Constructing and carrying out a balanced strength workout becomes convenient if you consider the movements and the directions of those movements rather than particular muscles.
Try to keep this in mind: Unless rehabbing an injury or targeting a specific, under-active muscle is the goal, you should skirt around single-joint exercises.
Focus your lower body strengthening on ground-based, multi-joint exercises. Using squats or lunges as an example, you can target muscles more effectively than with hamstring curls or leg extensions.
Incorporate exercises are done while balancing on one leg, such as a single-leg squat, single-leg Romanian deadlift, or a step-up, to assist endurance athletes. The exercises are tremendously effective in fostering more solidity and preventing injuries.
3. Don’t Overlap Endurance with Strength Training
Remember to always bear in mind that strength training is complementary to endurance training. Maintain Resistance Training at a strong intensity, but stay away from high repetition routines that have small rests in-between, such as those found in CrossFit and other circuit training classes.
Your primary objective is to increase strength and power while avoiding unnecessary tiredness.
Take a break between sets and put in more effort during brief periods. You can also map out your physical fitness journey using web-based programs that can help you in boosting your fitness. For more details visit here.
Your body relies on three primary energy sources: ATP-PC which is A-lactic, anaerobic, and aerobic. Doing exercise in short, intense intervals with plenty of breaks in between should minimise any disruption that may be caused to your other training sessions.
4. Incorporate Plyometrics
Plyometrics involve performing jump exercises with very quick intervals on the ground between each jump. The chief purpose of plyometric workouts is to amplify strength.
Not everyone is a fan of leaping, but one should keep in mind that even a small amount can make a big difference. Begin with less strenuous exercises such as ankle hops or running exercises and advance to more intense activities like box jumps, squat jumps, and running with extreme strides. Listen to your body when performing plyometrics, as too many jumps in one session can be strenuous.
Research has demonstrated that plyometric exercise is beneficial for running efficiency. For a specific speed of running, the amount of oxygen consumed is actually less. Adding plyometric workouts to an organized training plan has been demonstrated to enhance physical conditioning.
Athletes can lower their heart rate when running at a consistent pace, and their oxygen intake is lower, which is a sign that their running performance has improved.
5. Emphasise Power in Addition to Strength
Work is defined as force multiplied by distance. Power is defined as force multiplied by distance/time. Increasing the velocity of action will increase its strength.
Studies have shown that Strength Training, in particular, has led to many positive results due to its tendency to contract a high quantity of muscle fibres and exert a high level of power. Nonetheless, strength can be amplified by lifting lighter weights at a faster rate.
A lot of research has indicated that heavy weight lifting is an effective form of strength training for endurance athletes. Investigations have indicated that performing light to moderate strength training can be advantageous as well.
Using lighter weights, you can move faster, which is similar to the motions used in plyometrics. Although with heavier weights the movement is sluggish, it still increases strength. It was determined that having the aim to act swiftly is just as significant as doing so promptly.
It does not matter what amount of weight you are lifting, you should have the goal to move it rapidly to amplify the strength output.
6. Transition Your Strength Training to Actual Sports
The ultimate purpose of combined training is to promote the application of skills learnt. If you increase your maximum weight for a single squat repetition by 30%, the same rate of improvement will not be seen in the number of watts produced when riding a bike.
A workaround could be to imitate some of the actions and speeds associated with your sport. Eventually, you should incorporate strength training into the sport itself.
As an illustration, athletes who swim can either practice with a resistance apparatus or perform swimming drills with a tether attached to them. Be mindful when utilizing paddles as they are well-liked but there is an increased possibility of experiencing a shoulder injury.
Athletes who jog can do routine exercises that involve bursts of speed or short sprints on an incline. Likewise, cyclists can do short, explosive tackles, which involve 10-15 second maximum bursts of speed with complete rest between.
7. Strength Training Should Replace a Portion of Total Training Volume
Incorporating strength training alongside endurance training, referred to as concurrent training, is usually successful if the athlete does not go beyond their fitness workload.
If you incorporate strength training into an already busy agenda, you might experience problems from the strain or be more susceptible to overtraining. It is beneficial to incorporate strength training into your routine during the off-season or pre-season, as the amount of activity is usually reduced at this point.
Athletes who focus on stamina usually have a solid aerobic base, but may not have done enough to build up their muscles. It is essential to start a strength training program cautiously.
Ensure that you are consuming sufficient amounts of nutritious food full of protein. Take into account using purified supplements such as Vega protein powder or Garden of Life protein powder.
Strength training should be used in addition to endurance and triathlon training. Do not become preoccupied with your longing for a more athletic body or stronger arms. A small amount of strength-building can achieve great results, and it is not necessary to do too much.
Most athletes view endurance and strength training as separate practices. It is common, particularly with triathletes, to do specific exercises that have both physical and mental benefits.
8. Short and Sweet Gym Routine
This plan involves scheduling three brief meetings throughout the week, each including five physical activities. Dr Phillips proposed the allocation of specific days for workouts that focus on various parts of the body, stating it is especially important to set aside one day to target the legs since new gym-goers often neglect to work on this area.
He said that everyone was looking to increase the size of their biceps or work on toning their triceps. A large portion of one’s muscle lies below the waist. It’s the muscles in your legs, including your thighs, buttocks, calves, and hamstrings.
Aim to do 8-15 repetitions of each exercise. Use a weight which is hard enough to put some effort into it and lift until your muscles can’t work anymore (take a look at the part of the article you read about lifting until you simply can’t do it anymore).
If you are unsure about how to properly do any of these exercises, it might be a good idea to hire a personal trainer for some meetings to help you with your form.
9. Lift to Failure
The familiar statement of “no pain, no gain” is a trite concept. But that’s because there’s truth in it. It is essential to comprehend that your muscles won’t develop unless you present them with a motivator for doing so.
No matter the type of workout you do or the sequence you go through, it is essential that you strain your muscles to the point of total fatigue.
Dr Schoenfeld emphasised the value of putting in effort when it comes to resistance training, noting that if one puts in minimal effort, one would not see much benefit. You don’t need to exercise so hard that the vein in the side of your skull is protruding like a snake. You need to push yourself almost to the point of failure with each set.
Here are two alternative methods for ascertaining the quantity of weight to lift.
- Figure out the heaviest amount of weight you can lift at one time. This is your so-called 1-Repetition Maximum, or “1-Rep Max.” After you figure it out, use a weight that’s at least 80 per cent of your 1-Rep Max and aim for 8 to 12 repetitions on each set (except your initial warm-up set, which should be fairly light).
- Figure out your 1-Rep Max. Then use weights that are between 30 to 50 per cent of your 1-Rep Max and aim to do up to 25 repetitions in each set. A study by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario in 2016 found that people who used this approach gained just as much muscle and strength as a group that did a more traditional weightlifting routine with heavier weights and fewer repetitions
The most essential point is that the amount of repetitions is less crucial than how much you strain your muscles. You should keep performing the exercise with the correct form until you are unable to complete any additional reps. This level of physical exhaustion is essential to producing results, as it encourages your muscles to become stronger and better accustomed to the exercise.
James Steele, an associate professor of sport and exercise science at Southampton Solent University from England, suggested doing many repetitions correctly when it comes to exercise. The number of reps you do is insignificant, as long as you are unable to finish the final one.
Dr Westcott pointed out that the final repetition done with good technique provides the necessary impetus for increasing strength and muscle mass.
Build Muscle, Live Longer
In 2014, scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School made an astonishing discovery.
Researchers monitored the health of over 4,000 adults aged 55 and up for more than 10 years, and their observations showed a strong connection between their muscularity and how long they lived.
The researchers focused on the “muscle index” of each individual, which is the individual’s muscle mass divided by the square of their height. It was observed that the group with the greatest amount of muscle mass had the least deaths over time, while people who had the least muscle showed the highest mortality overall.
The researchers found that the association was still valid when they removed the usual indicators of illness, and they established that muscle mass was a more effective indication of early death than being overweight.
A further investigation involved more than 2,200 grown men in their middle age who were tracked for up to 44 years.
The findings demonstrated that having a physical fitness regime and superior muscle power in the average adult years were two of the strongest signs of a longer life expectancy. Over time, additional research has enlightened us about the advantages of strength training.
- It improves cardiovascular health. Resistance training increases blood flow to muscles throughout your body, which lowers your blood pressure.
- Resistance training significantly improves your VO2 max and your overall cardiorespiratory fitness. Studies have linked this to better heart health and a lower risk of death from cancer.
- Skeletal muscle helps regulate and dispose of blood sugar. Muscle soaks up glucose like a sponge, using it for energy or storing it as glycogen for later use.
- Resistance training makes you insulin-sensitive. To absorb glucose from your bloodstream, your muscle cells must be responsive to the hormone insulin, which pushes blood sugar into cells. Studies suggest that an early step in the development of Type 2 diabetes occurs when your muscles become insulin-resistant. Resistance training accomplishes the opposite: It makes your muscles insulin-sensitive.
- Muscle acts like a coat of armour against diabetes. A 2011 study in the Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism found that for every 10 per cent increase in your skeletal muscle index, you see an 11 per cent reduction in your risk of insulin resistance and a 10 per cent reduction in your risk of prediabetes.
