HI T THE GYM
Spending endless hours swimming, biking and running, but coming out in a (cold) sweat just thinking about the weights room? It’s time to learn to love strength and conditioning
Hate the weights room? Yep, you’re not alone. This is maybe the most common flaw in triathletes that I see as a coach. Although nearly every athlete understands the benefit of strength training and what impact it can have on their overall triathlon experience, sadly so many of them will always drop the strength session when time becomes tight or they think it’s not actually making them faster. Instead they will plough on with swim, bike and run, but some of these sessions may actually be ‘junk’. A common discussion between triathletes is how they’re constantly working with the odd niggle (how many of you are battling a ‘twinge’ in a hamstring or Achilles tendon?) or are getting properly injured and it’s disrupting their season. All of this could be avoided by sticking to a structured and regular strength session. Imagine a building that’s weak when put under stress from external factors – our bodies are the same! If we can make our skeletal and muscular structures stronger we’re more resilient to the stress of a heavy training regime.
When an athlete becomes functionally stronger then they will be able to move faster and generate more power without fatiguing as quickly. These are the stepping stones to success and no triathlete can afford to ignore this.