Sensible Strength
How to approach the weight room as an endurance athlete
Have you, an endurance athlete, heard that weight training can be a helpful performance supplement?
Have you heard that you are supposed to lift heavy to make gains?
The weight room can be an unfamiliar place for a runner, cyclist, or triathlete. It is also place that is often avoided due to fear of soreness, injury, or lack of understanding.
This week, we will have a look at
How strength training can help and does it even matter?
What “heavy” lifting really means
How you can tailor your program accordingly
What is heavy?
Run, cycle, and swim economy can be improved when an athlete commits to the weight room. There some specific qualities that can be enhanced such as:
When these improvements are made, you can power up that climb, better sustain your race pace, or not fall victim to being smashed right after the swim (yes, the upper body matters).
It is known that these adaptations come by way of lifting “heavy”, but what does that really mean?
Heavy is a relative term. Obviously, that powerlifter you see on Instagram squatting 500lbs is lifting heavy…regardless of who is under the bar. For a triathlete who may be new to the weight room, heavy could be as simple as bodyweight exercise initially.
As a physical therapist, I have seen high level athletes new to strength be humbled by a body weight lunge. Do you see how it may not be “heavy” in a traditional sense but it sure is plenty of load for the athlete?
Heavy typically means a load you can lift for 4-8 reps with good form before you’re close to failure. If you’re new to lifting, start with bodyweight or light dumbbells and gradually add resistance as you learn the moves.
If your strength is already quite good, you may be able to load up the weight right away. Everyone starts in a different spot. It is important to not perform half reps or reps with a weight that is going to throw you off balance.
Practical Test: Pick a weight where the last rep feels tough but doable—not a max-out grunt-fest. For example, if you’re squatting and 50 pounds feels easy for 10 reps, bump it up to 65 or 75 and aim for 5-6 reps.
Heavy is different for everyone. Now let’s talk about how to set up your program.
How to structure
You do not need hours in the gym to reap the benefits of your strength training.
The training should supplement your swim, bike, or run training rather than detracting from it. The total volume and makeup of your program will look different from a bodybuilder and that is OK! Don’t forget this.
Compound movements
Keep the program simple. Squat, lunge, pushup, pull-up, hinge, and then accessory movements if time and energy allows.
There is a Strong Stride Program available to you in the article below where you can see exactly how this works in practice—
Lower volume
Simple wins again with the sets and reps prescription. You do not need to be hammering out 5 sets of 10 for every exercise. It is not needed for your goals.
3-5 exercises per session. 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps for each exercise. These sessions may take 30 minutes at the most. Super-setting3 the exercises is a great way to make the sessions time-friendly.
Simple progression
Add reps or add weight each week. 1 rep or 2.5 lbs still count as progression and that gradualness may work in your favor, giving your body time to adapt to the loads. As long as your starting weight was a good challenge, but not excessive, you will give yourself plenty of run way to keep progressing week to week.
Timing
To not always be chasing recovery, these sessions can be completed on your intensity days to keep all of the hard stimulus contained to one day. You will be able to better maximize recovery better on your easy days. This is a recommendation and not a hard and fast rule. If it comes down to time limitations, getting the work done on the days it works best is most important.
Races
In the final few weeks leading into a key race, you might be best off parking the weights. Remember, that the point of doing your strength training is to improve your performance. Most of the gains you will be looking for will be decided by the time your taper or unload comes around.
Strength training is not the the be-all-end-all for an endurance athlete, but it can be a helpful supplement. You can reap the benefits without a significant time commitment, so why not give it a try?
When talking about heavy lifting, it is important to remember that heavy is relative to your abilities. You also want to remember the role of lifting within the context of your swim, bike, or run goals. Strong enough for the task at hand is sometimes plenty.
With this understanding, you can start making gains today.
Barnes KR, Kilding AE. Running economy: measurement, norms, and determining factors. Sports Med Open. 2015;1(1):8. doi:10.1186/s40798-015-0007-y
Eihara Y, Takao K, Sugiyama T, et al. Heavy Resistance Training Versus Plyometric Training for Improving Running Economy and Running Time Trial Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med Open. 2022;8(1):138. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00511-1
A superset refers to a training technique where you perform two different exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between. These exercises typically target different muscle groups or movement patterns, allowing you to maximize efficiency, increase workout intensity, and save time.