Five Strength Training Tips for Beginning Triathletes

New triathletes often work to do everything. They run, they bike, and they swim, and they do it all as much as possible. They jump on the internet to search out the best possible training plans, and they download videos from a myriad of websites on form and function for triathletes.

However, what they often overlook when they begin to set their goals, whether it be for a sprint triathlon or a much bigger half Ironman, newbies to the sport neglect to understand the true importance of strength training.

A common misconception about endurance sports is that all you need to do is teach your body to cover long distances without literally falling apart. While there is some validity to that idea, it fails to show you how to get the body ultimately prepared to endure the physical and mental torture that triathlon can be. You see, a prepared body is one that is not only fit to manage the specifics of the race, but it also possesses strong muscles that can carry it the distance the mind wants it to.

So, as you begin to chart a course for your first season as a new triathlete, make sure you include a series of strength sessions that revolve around the following five ideas. You might be able to finish a race without spending any time in the gym, but you can certainly compete much more efficiently and with less risk of injury if you invest an adequate amount of time with the weights.

1. Personalize the Program: Jumping on the web and finding a generic program to follow may be convenient and simple, but it may also cause you more harm than good. Trying to adhere to a program because it looks smart and organized could work if your body is that type, but more than likely you will need to have it personalized to match your goals and abilities.

2. Focus on the Core: Although the big round shoulders and massive chest will make you a hit at the beach, they will not help all that much in triathlon. Rather than pushing for size, focus your efforts on the core of your body-the abs, obliques, and lower back. If you create a workout that engages these as much as possible, even while doing general strength work for the other major muscles, you'll find your performance in training will improve consistently.

3. Be Sport Specific: Asking a trainer to put you through a full-body circuit system sounds good, but it does little to focus on the actual needs of a triathlete. Rather than doing a cookie cutter workout, fabricate the training to reflect the muscle action used in the race segments. Integrating cables, balance disks, and medicine balls will make your workouts more economical and efficient. Find a quality coach who can design a program that works for the events you need.

4. Keep It Brief: Gym rats like to brag about the two hour workout they did, but a triathlete should partake in no such conversation. Instead, you should only hit the weights 2 or 3 times per week for full-body sessions lasting no more than 40 minutes. Your time and energy needs to be spent predominantly in the pool, on the bike, and on the road, so don't expend all your resources doing the strength side. It is a critical stage, but it needs to support the actual event training.

5. Build:Once you have established a system and started the workouts, make sure that you continue to challenge yourself and make progress. Being satisfied with the identical weights and repetitions from session to session will disallow you from making the growth you need to complete any triathlon. Rather than being patterned, increase your workouts as you feel stronger, using the same percentage increase rules as you would on the road-no more than 10%.

For additional information on functional strength training, see any of the following websites.

http://www.trifuel.com/training/strength-training/functional-strength-training-for-triathletes

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=691

https://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Mark_Allen_s_12_Best_Strength_Exercises.htm?page=3