Should you be doing strength training for triathlons? As triathletes, we are ALL super busy, so how can we fit some strength and conditioning into our hectic training schedules?

Today Brad and Coach Rudolf talk about why strength training is important and how you can do fit it into your training plan WITHOUT having to spend hours in the gym.

Some of the top tips from the video:

• Simulate strength work while running or on the bike by doing some hill and over-gear work
• Try go to the gym once or twice a week to do some strength work
• Follow a S&C programme that you can do from the comfort of your own home without equipment

Transcription

BRAD
Welcome back on to yet another edition of TRI with Coach Parry. My name is Brad Brown, we've got Rudolf Naude with us once again and today we talking about strength training for triathletes, and how to squeeze it in in an already busy training schedule. Rudolf, nice to catch up once again, are you well?

RUDOLF
Hi there, Brad, thanks for having me. Yes, I'm well, thanks.

BRAD
Rudolf, a great question that popped up in the forums on the Coach Parry Online Training Club. And it's got to do with strength training as a triathlete. And I think this resonates probably with most triathletes, is for most of us who have families and are working full time, it's hard enough to train for a triathlon, where you have to put in three disciplines - the swim, the bike and the run. Where do you find time to put in a strength training programme on top of all of that? Is it a case of you need to incorporate it with the other sessions? How would you suggest we go about it?

How to incorporate strength training into your training schedule

RUDOLF
Obviously it does depend on how busy your schedule is, and also your racing calendar, if you've got a set racing calendar. Normally during the offseason, people have a lot more time on their hands. That's where you can incorporate a gym programme, but that is in an ideal world. But a lot of us are racing throughout the year, as our season is a lot different to overseas and we're racing continuously throughout the year.

So my advice would be you can on the run, you can do hills. Same with a bike, over gear work on a bike, which can simulate some strength work, but I would suggest at least once or twice during the week, go to the gym and do some strength work but not heavy, heavy weights, as you do not want to increase muscle mass just basically increase your strength a bit and also help you out with injury prevention. As it is more conditioning kind of thing that we do, as we do not get to the gym like normal athletes because we need to train swimming, cycling and running.

Why you should be doing strength and training for triathlons

So time is very, very limited. But a bit of strength and conditioning will help with injury prevention, especially with that. Also because our muscles tend to get imbalanced because of all the three disciplines that we train. Especially I know, our backs, because we're swimming freestyle most of the time and also being in that time trial position. Being very aggressive, a lot of people struggle with lower back pain, especially Ironman people after 120k's the lower back starts to hurt, tend to sit more up so you lose your aerodynamic advantage. And also, it's not a nice thing to run with a sore back.

Training at home

BRAD
Absolutely, and Rudolf, you mentioned about going to a gym, you don't necessarily have to go to a gym, and I'm speaking just out of experience of what we've got on our training platform. I know you and our strength and conditioning coach, Shona, have put together a series of strength and conditioning programmes for triathletes. And a lot of it is body weight stuff, you don't have to physically go to a gym and push big weights. So it's something that you can do literally in your lounge at home.

And I know I'm talking to triathletes here so it's not like you're sitting at home watching TV in the evenings because generally you're doing double sessions. But if you've got 20-30 minutes at home and you're sitting in the lounge, it's something you can do sort of almost in your downtime when you're not training one of the other three disciplines Am I correct in saying that?

RUDOLF
Yeah, that's correct. You don't need to go to the gym for fancy weights, fancy equipment or anything. Like you said, Shona has put together a nice strength and conditioning programme where you use body weights, some resistance bands, so also you don't have to fork out to buy your own personal gym at home. Maybe a few weights here and there, a few resistance bands, a medicine ball and then you can do it at home while you're busy making food, waiting for the food to cook or... I don't know how busy people are.

BRAD
Do triathletes sit around and watch TV? I don't know. I know I don't so that's for sure. If you want to download that training programme, it is free you can access it right now. All you need to do is head over to coachparry.com/tri-strength. The URL is on the screen now. That's coachparry.com/tri-strength. You can get that strength programme as we speak right now. Rudolf, as always great to catch up and I look forward to chatting again soon.

RUDOLF
Yeah, thanks for having me Brad. Cheers.