Strength and Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes

One area of debate that relates to sports training is whether or not resistance training is beneficial for endurance athletes?   Those that oppose this type of training of course say that it is not beneficial and that the time spent resistance training would have been better spent doing sports-specific workouts.  I want to start out by stating that my position on it is that ALL athletes can benefit from a well-designed and well-executed resistance and weight training program….period.   I am a big proponent of weight training as a means to increase performance and I look at it like this: The stronger that I am, the more capable I am to perform and compete at my best.  I apologize if this upsets you but POWER=SPEED, and folks resistance training builds power.  

It is well documented that resistance training helps to strengthen the tendons, ligaments, and stabilizer muscles involved in the sport-specific movements we engage as endurance athletes.  Some of those stabilizer muscles are those found in the knees, back, neck, ankles and most importantly the core.  Running and cycling put a lot of strain on joints and they endure a tremendous amount of pounding during training.  By working to strengthen all areas of the body (again those ligaments, tendons, etc.), the body will be more capable of absorbing the punishment placed on it during mile after mile of endurance training, while at the same time helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Weight and resistance training also builds muscle, which in turn has a positive effect of our basal metabolic rates (the amount of energy used to sustain life while at rest), meaning that our bodies will become more efficient at burning calories and stored fats.  This translates into an increased potential for fat loss and therefore weight training assists us in maintaining a lower body fat percentage, which also helps improve endurance performance.   There is still that fear that weight training produces bulk, which will in turn slow endurance athletes down.  Unless you are planning on adopting weight training and nutrition plans designed for body building, you have nothing to worry about in terms of gaining too much muscle!  Any gains in muscle resulting from a weight training plan designed for increased endurance performance will certainly present an athlete with more benefits and performance gains than limitations resulting from the potential for a small amount of weight gain.  Remember that athletes that have overly muscular physiques are training and eating in a manner to produce those types of results.  By balancing endurance and resistance training, your physique will also be balanced.  Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers are both utilized during swimming, biking and running, therefore it is important to work towards improving the strength and efficiency of both muscle fiber types.  The way I see it is I want to create the best possible environment I can for my muscles to become strong, while at the same time doing what I can to perform my best.  By having a well rounded training program that includes all my endurance workouts, with a healthy dose of strength and flexibility training thrown in, I feel that I am giving my body the exercise it needs to perform optimally. 

Resistance training programs for endurance athletes should have two areas of focus (1) Explosive power (such as the power used in sprinting) and (2) Strength endurance which give us the ability to resist fatigue and can allow us to exercise for a longer period of time before becoming fatigued.  So how do you go about designing a weight and resistance program for endurance athletes?  Let’s actually start at the end…. Weird right?  What I mean is at the end of a race season is the best time to start a weight training program.  First off now is the time to begin working to increase strength and after a lengthy race season with tons of sport-specific training, your mind and body will love the change of pace that weight training presents.  So after recovering for a couple of weeks after the race season, I begin getting more serious about resistance training and my initial focus is on gaining muscle and building strength.  I use simple power producing exercises such as squats, overhead presses, incline bench presses, barbell curls, dead-lifts, etc. to increase strength and stimulate growth.  These types of exercises (those that in essence work the entire body at one time) actually cause the body to produce more testosterone which in turn helps us build muscle.  Remember do not freak out here, I promise you are not going to turn into Arnold!  I am talking a natural and healthy release of testosterone and growth hormones, not to the degree needed to build body builder type muscles. 

I suggest doing 3-4 exercises per body part (i.e. chest, shoulders, arms and legs), do 3-4 sets per exercise of descending repetitions (start with a weight you can do 10 reps, then increase the weight until you can only do 8 the next set, then 6, then 4).  I suggest doing chest Monday, arms Tuesday, legs on Thursday and shoulders on Friday for a total of four weight training workouts per week.  I shoot for a total workout time of at least 45 minutes and no more than 1 hour.  During the power building phase, I allow plenty of rest in between sets, in the range of 30 seconds to a minute.  This type of weight training should correlate with the base and endurance phase of your endurance training. 

As you shift into the building phases of your endurance training, I suggest shifting the focus of your weight and resistance training into building more explosive type power and strength endurance.  You can achieve this through engaging in 1 to 2 plyometric type workouts per week (performing plyometric exercises of box jumps, vertical jumps, skipping, power jumps, sprints and jumping rope).  Shoot for 2 to 3 weight training workouts where you use less weight during exercises, but increase the number of repetitions so that the intensity remains high.  At this point in your training, I no longer recommend during the power and strength type exercises and instead suggest using more weight training machines verses free-weights.  Perform leg extensions, hamstring curls, chest fly machines, and arm machines during resistance training workouts.  Continue doing 3-4 exercises per body part, 3-4 sets per exercise, yet now the repetitions should fall in the range of 15 to 20 per set.  This style of weight training will increase endurance as well as helping the athlete to gain muscle definition.

During the peak phase of your sport training, I recommend reducing weight and resistance training to no more than 2-3 times per week, just as a way to maintain strength and the musculature you have gained.  The intensity in your training should come from the sport-specific exercises at this point.  Just like in the other workouts during this period, the duration of weight training sessions should drop to 20-30 minutes per workout.

To carry over from my last blog post, athletes must make certain to consume an adequate amount of protein.  It makes no sense to weight train if you are not going to fully reap the benefits of muscular growth and strength.  Without adequate protein in the diet, these increases cannot take place.  Protein is also necessary in the recovery process and weight training increases the need for muscle recovery in order for the muscles to grow stronger.  Weight and resistance training can offer a huge boost in overall athletic performance so use it and train smart!