Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

            When most endurance athletes think of lifting weights they think of bodybuilding and have the perception that lifting weights will make them ‘too bulky’. In truth, gaining a lot of muscle size is very hard and requires lifting moderate to heavy weights for multiple sets at a high volume and consuming a lot of calories to aid in recovery and promote muscular growth. Endurance athletes do not require that level of training, but by not lifting they are missing on some of the benefits it has to offer.

            Swimming, cycling and running all involve similar motions of hip flexion, lumbar flexion, and thoracic flexion. This type of repetitive use of the anterior musculature can lead to overuse of those areas and predispose the athlete to suffering an injury. With the restriction in range of motion due to the disciplines the body is not as effective at absorbing force or producing it which can lead to inefficiencies in form.

            Strength training can help improve overall posture and the range of motion of a joint. By strengthening the supportive musculature the body can become more resilient to injury. Some other benefits of strength training are improved balance, neuromuscular control and coordination and improved muscle recruitment that leads to gains in strength. By choosing exercises that work multiple joints and muscles a program can be very efficient with the use of time. These exercises also promote the greatest recruitment of muscle fibers so fewer exercises are needed.

            To start a strengthening program an athlete can choose one exercise for each of the following movements: squat, lunge, hamstring, horizontal press, horizontal push, vertical press, vertical pull, lower and upper body assistive work. These movements will incorporate all the major muscles and joints and will effectively lead to increases in strength and posture. Any exercise that fits into the movement can be used so exercises can be changed without loss of the overall workout structure. Examples of squats include bodyweight squats, back squats, front squats, kettelbell squats and kettelbell swings. Lunges include stationary, alternating, rear foot elevated (Bulgarian) or jumps. Hamstring work can be done by performing stiff leg deadlifts, Single leg deadlifts, stability ball curls or Russian hamstrings. Horizontal pressing can be bench pressing, dumbbell pressing or pushups, while pulling can be bent over rows, TRX rows, or single arm dumbbell rows. Vertical pressing involves shoulder presses, alternating or single arm overhead presses and pulls would be pull-ups, chin-ups, or lat pulldowns. Assistance work is meant to address areas that are weak or prone to injury and can be doing side leg raises for hip strength, calf raises for ankle strength, or scapular work for shoulder stability. 

            Exercises can be done 1-3 times per week depending on time, phase of the season and goals. Exercises should be progressed to allow for overload and adaption to the exercises. The repetitions should vary from 6-15 and move in a predictable fashion to make use of organizing the workouts for the best response. Time spent in each repetition range can range from 1-4 weeks and should continuously cycle for adequate loading. The development of strength will involve heavier resistance and fewer repetitions to stimulate maximal muscle recruitment while developing endurance and control will require less resistance and more repetitions.

            An option for developing muscular endurance, control, balance and cardiovascular health is circuit training. This is done by performing every exercise back to back without rest in order to maintain a high heart rate. This can be helpful when there is limited time to perform a workout, as a break from the typical endurance events, or as a different challenge for the muscles to accommodate.

            It can also be helpful to strengthen the ‘core’ muscles to assist with stability. The muscles in the lower back, abdomen and hips will be adequately trained by performing resistance exercises in the above movements. But, additional work may help with postural control, isolated strengthening of weak areas and greater stability when performing the endurance disciplines. Exercises that are beneficial to strengthen the core include prone planks, supine planks, and side planks. Bridging, bird dogs and wood choppers can also help with maintaining stability of the lower extremity during dynamic movement. These exercises should also be progressed over time by increasing the number of sets, increasing the duration of the exercise, decreasing the rest time between sets or increasing the resistance.

            Another supplement to endurance training involves the use of plyometric or jumping exercises. This type of exercise is beneficial in improving running economy through absorbing the landing and quickly rebounding, this action stimulates the stretch-shortening-cycle and increases jumping height and foot turnover speed. Exercises are vertical jumping, lunge jumping and hopping. They should be progressed over time by increasing the height of the jump, the number of repetitions, the number of sets or decreasing the rest time between sets. These are higher level activities that require good form to perform correctly so make sure your form is good before starting them. They can be helpful to include in your program to aid in the improvement of running economy.

            While implementing a strength training program will not make you better at doing the events, it is still important to swim, bike and run, it can help with improving your efficiency, strength and balance to keep you healthy. Being healthy enables you to train hard for continued improvement in your sport.