Getting Started with Strength Training for Endurance Athletes
Strength training is the most important and often neglected part of endurance training. It is the part that gets pushed aside in busy schedules until you absolutely need it because you injured yourself. Then it becomes a priority. Usually, until you have recovered, maybe a little after, before it gets pushed aside again to prioritise anything else available to you. Trust me, I know from experience.
Strength training, when included, can help you not only build muscular strength and endurance but also work on your stability, mobility and general conditioning your body to withstand more of what you love - swim, bike, run. Although maybe not the swimming part for most triathletes - I know you only do it because you have to before you can get to the bike. Strength training can be specific to your favourite sport, focusing on exercises that will help you improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury which means you get to keep training and racing for longer - Woo hoo!
There are thousands of articles, including this one, on the Internet telling endurance athletes that we can be better at our sport if only we did x, y, and z strength training. And yet - it is still something that we just don’t seem to prioritise. This article will probably not instantly make you start including strength into your routine - that requires the desire to build a new habit. But maybe, it can be the catalyst for someone to start doing just a little bit more in their daily lives to improve their performance. Or maybe it will just be another article I send to my athletes to highlight the good reasons why I keep putting those strength workouts into their schedules.
Why Strength Training Matters for Endurance Athletes
Injury prevention
Strength training is a form of injury prevention. The stronger your muscles, tendons and ligaments are the more forces they can withstand before an injury occurs. And we put a lot of force through those limbs - especially running. The found reaction force for walking is 1.0 to 1.5 times bodyweight (b.w.) and goes up to 2.0 to 2.9 b.w. for running. That is a lot of force per leg, per stride. Think about how many steps you do during your run. Cyclists - think about how many pedal strokes you do during an hour's workout? Swimmers - how many strokes total in a session?
It is a long time of repetitive motion that our bodies must handle to do the sport that we love. It is no wonder why we see so many overuse injuries in all three disciplines.
What are the peak forces involved in running? - RunningPhysio Here is a cool infographic on the forces put through each part of the body when running.
And if you are nerdy and want to read about the muscles used in which phase of running. Muscle contributions to propulsion and support during running - PMC
Running Overuse Injuries Running-Related Biomechanical Risk Factors for Overuse Injuries in Distance Runners: A Systematic Review Considering Injury Specificity and the Potentials for Future Research | Sports Medicine
Improved power and efficiency
It should go without saying that stronger muscles lead to better performance in running and cycling. Stronger means more propulsion and higher wattage. This alone should have us wanting to do strength training every day. I personally have experienced the benefits of strength training in both my running and cycling performance. You probably have too. Think about someone in your group ride who suddenly seems to be cycling faster for longer, stronger up climbs or taking more turns on the front. Chances are they have started to include strength training a few times a week.
There are numerous studies out there about how much resistance (Strength) training can improve endurance athletes' performance. I have listed a few below for your reference if you are interested in further study.
Better endurance and fatigue resistance
The stronger your muscles, the longer you can maintain a proper form. The longer you can maintain proper form, the longer you can remain efficient in your movement. More efficiency means less fatigue and fatigue takes longer to build up.
Fatigue resistance also means that you will be able to recover faster from your workouts.
Getting Started: Strength Training Basics
The first thing to figure out when bringing a strength routine into your training schedule is when to do your workout, how many workouts you need, and how long they should be. This is highly individual and will ultimately boil down to what your schedule is like and how well you recover from all workouts. You can work this by trial and error and/or speak to your coach about when to put them in.
There are some generalised rules about strength training for endurance athletes.
How often: 2-3 times per week
How long: 15 min up to 60 min
Purpose: complement endurance training
Where to train: in a gym, at home with or without equipment
Equipment needed: minimum is bodyweight, extra is dumbbells, barbells, weights, resistance bands, machines, etc. Anything you can find in a gym. This can also be achieved at home on the cheap - find any object in your house you can lift and use it.
Type of strength training:
Here is where it can get complicated and have differing opinions.
Should I lift heavy or do plyometric exercises?
Both are good at improving the endurance athlete and each has its benefits. Overall, if you can only do one, the research suggests that heavy lifting near maximal loads may be better than plyometrics at improving economy and performance. Encompassing both would be the optimal method.
However, that simple answer is not the best dynamic answer. Heavy lifting near maximal loads is not something that endurance athletes can keep up all season long. Nor is being able to keep 3 strength sessions per week usually possible all season long. This is because the season has different training periods that focus on different aspects of the sport to make sure that you are ready for race day. Generally, maximal loading is only applicable in the base period or potentially off-season to develop the strength before specific training is introduced. Then it switches to a maintenance strength program.
Similarly, plyometrics adds to the impact that the body must handle whilst also spending hours each week running. Running puts a lot of force through the body (see above) and plyometrics, while helpful, can be overdone.
The absolute best advice that I can offer is to get a coach or a personal trainer to help. Hint: contact me!
The best generalised advice that I can offer - include strength training as best you can but when you need to, prioritise your sport-specific workouts.
A basic strength session of 30 minutes or longer can be done early in the season 2-3 times per week.
During the season, you can shorten this to 15- 20 minutes 3-5 times per week, focusing only on the exercises that you need to do for your specific weaknesses. If you know you struggle with hip stability, spend 15-20 minutes 3-5 times per week doing glute/hamstring bridges, clams, squats, lunges, planks, etc.
Key Strength Exercises for Endurance Athletes
Here is a list of exercise suggestions that you can incorporate into your strength routine to improve your swim, bike or run.
Lower Body (Power & Stability)
• Squats (bodyweight, goblet, barbell)
• Deadlifts (Romanian, conventional, single-leg)
• Lunges (forward, reverse, Bulgarian split squats)
• Calf Raises (single, double, deficit)
Core (Posture & Stability)
• Planks (front, side, variations)
• Russian Twists
• Dead Bugs
• Hanging Leg Raises
Upper Body (Strength & Posture Support)
• Pull-ups or Lat Pull-downs
• Push-ups or Bench Press
• Dumbbell Rows
• Shoulder Press
Integrating Strength into Your Training Routine
Timing of workouts
This was briefly discussed above in terms of season duration. But what about each week of training?
Ideally, you want to time the workout to have the least amount of interference with your endurance sports session. This means either position it multiple hours before/after on the same day or on a different day entirely. This will depend on your available time and the current structure of your week.
Try to avoid a heavy leg day right before running or cycling. Similarly for swimming and upper body.
Structuring a session
Always include a warm-up and cool-down. The warm-up can be a little bit of light cardio or dynamic movements and activations of the targeted muscle groups that you will be working.
A cool-down can be light cardio or some stretching (dynamic or static).
Both are recommended to ensure the body is ready for work and resets back into recovery.
Progression
If you have not lifted before or regularly trained for strength, start light and easy. You need to adapt to the new stimulus.
Form/technique is the most important part. This is what will lower your risk of injury and make sure you achieve the benefits you are after. Lift incorrectly and you might not be working the targeted muscle in the right way.
Gradually increase your load. Rep ranges can be 6-20+ depending on load used, time taken, tempo etc. The most often used is 8-12 reps. Don’t rush the reps unless aiming for explosiveness.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Overtraining and neglecting recovery
Overtraining can sneak up on you, especially if you neglect your recovery. Take note of how you are feeling each day and if you feel ready for the workout session. Never be afraid to reduce the effort if you are feeling large amounts of fatigue.
Structuring your workout schedule properly, allowing for recovery and listening to your body are how you prevent this.
You can only train as hard as you can recover. We don’t get better from training, we improve through rest and recovery. It is when the body makes the adaptations.
Skipping key muscle groups
Look, we all have our favourite exercises and muscles we generally prefer because they are stronger. However, neglecting a muscle group leads to imbalances and risks of injury. Triathlon uses all the muscle groups between swim, bike and run. You need to work all the muscle groups to improve.
Try to ensure you include an even number of exercises from each larger muscle range (lower, core, upper). E.g., pick two exercises from the three lists above and you will cover most muscle groups.
Poor technique
Improper technique leads to injury. The only way to fix this is to have someone show you what the correct technique is and remember it every time. This is best done in person by a professional, however you can use what is available to you. YouTube is filled with videos of exercises - most have good technique and can demonstrate it well. You can also ask someone at the gym to help but keep in mind the effectiveness of this will depend on who you ask. Some gym users are very knowledgeable, others are not. As a personal trainer, I see a lot of the latter, and only some of the former.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of which endurance sport you are training for, strength training can improve your power, efficiency, and endurance and reduce the risk of injury.
Start small and be consistent. Like every other aspect of our training, consistency is key.
Remember that strength is a long-term investment, much like endurance sports. It takes time to see benefits (8-10 weeks usually), so be patient and keep it up.
You can message me with questions about incorporating strength training, tell me how you already incorporate it, what exercises you are doing and how you have found it to help.
You can also reach out if you would like help with your endurance training plan or strength training.
Start lifting and enjoy those gains!