Stronger, Faster, Further
When it comes to endurance training, a factor that is often overlooked throughout the training process is the incorporation of resistance training as tool to aid performance during endurance events. People often make the assumption, especially beginner endurance athletes, that they should focus solely on cardiovascular performance in order to become a better endurance athlete and neglect the weight room due to a belief that lifting weights will make them bulky and as such will negatively impact performance with regards to endurance. The reality of the matter however, is that resistance training will actually have positive adaptations when it comes to performance during endurance events.
Why should you do resistance training:
Injury Prevention: Endurance sports inherently require individuals to perform repetitive actions for long periods of time and whilst this helps improve cardiovascular efficiency it doesn’t do much for the structural components of the body. One of the most common types of injuries that is typically found within endurance events is that of an overuse injury. An overuse injury can be classified as any type of injury that has occurred due to repetitive trauma. Examples of an overuse injury may be things like stress fractures, tendinitis, shin splints and bursitis. In a lot of cases overuse injuries may be attributed to muscular or structural imbalances and it is these issues where resistance training may be used to not only aid in recovery from these types of injuries but also help prevent them in the future.
Muscular and structural imbalances are common place when it comes to human beings as the majority of us typically have dominant limbs i.e. right handed or left handed people. Due to this fact we favour performing certain actions in the same way most of the time. Even though the human body does a relatively good job of keeping things even on both sides, over time discrepancies in muscle size and strength begin to present themselves. Resistance training can play a key role in reducing these discrepancies by providing proper stimulus to all parts of the body and thus help balance out the muscles and structures of the body. The utilization of unilateral movements can be particularly helpful in this area.
Resistance training can also help improve and maintain stability and proper alignment of joints resulting in a decrease of acute injuries such as cartilage tears, this is particularly prevalent with regards to the tissues of the knee as an example. It does this by moving the joint through a fuller range of movement whilst under load which in turn provides stimulus for the body to respond and adapt and as such results in tissues of the joint being better equipped to handle stress in the future. As well as strengthening the tissue through fuller range of movements, resistance training can also provide the opportunity to target and strengthen muscles that are less active during the endurance event, again allowing the athlete to avoid developing muscular imbalances.
Muscular Efficiency: Resistance training can aid in endurance event performance by way of improvement of overall power output resulting in faster attainable speeds. Training strength and power using heavy resistance helps develop and improve the neuromuscular connection which in turn can improve efficiency due to better utilization of the muscles.
When should you do resistance training:
Resistance training can and should be performed continuously throughout the year unless engaging in active or passive rest where required, however the extent to how often or how intensely an individual should resistance train is the variable we will be looking at.
During the off season, generally in the winter time for most, it is typically regarded as a good time to be resistance training on a more regular basis and in a more progressive manner. Cardio vascular work may be kept at minimum or maintenance capacity with more focus being put towards technique during this time. The idea is that during this time the endurance athlete can essentially establish a solid foundation by fixing imbalances, sure up weaknesses and improve overall strength. Doing this will mean that the athlete will reduce risk of injury, improve muscular efficiency and essentially prepare the body for when the cardiovascular work begins to increase.
Over time as the athlete transitions from off season, to pre season, to in season, what the athlete should be aiming to achieve is essentially a transition from, with regards to resistance training, higher volume, progressive work to lower volume, maintenance work whilst the opposite should take place with regards to cardiovascular work.
What type of resistance training should be performed:
The resistance training that will take place is always going to be dictated by the intended goal or focus which in this case will be improved performance in whatever endurance event or activity the individual wishes to partake in. Taking runners as an example, an ample amount of focus will be dedicated to training the leg and hip regions of the athlete.
Unilateral movements are going to be essential for minimizing muscle imbalances and help improve overall performance.
Core work is generally going to be a priority regardless of the sport as developing a strong and stable core is always going to translate to better overall performance and more efficient movement.
Stability work is going to is going to help strengthen and secure potentially weak or susceptible areas. Using runners as an example this may come in the form balance work on unstable surfaces as a way to strengthen the tendons and ligaments of the knee, ankle and foot region.
The majority of weight training should be aimed at building muscular strength and power and less focus aimed towards hypertrophy. This means that the athletes main lifts will consist of heavy resistance (>85%) and lower reps (1-6) for strength development and low to moderate resistance (40-65%) at high velocity for low reps (1-6) for power development. Doing this will allow the athlete to improve power output whilst keeping muscular size to a minimum.
General advice:
The information above is to be used as an educational tool but does not fully describe the intricacies of a fully designed strength training program for endurance athletes. While general strength training programs may be adequate for beginner athletes, advanced athletes may require a more detailed and flushed out program. For anyone wishing to incorporate resistance training into their endurance training, I would highly recommend seeking out the help of a trusted and qualified professional in your area who can design you a program more specific to your individual needs.
