As endurance athletes we are always looking for new tools, tricks and gadgets to get us faster. However, we often overlook the most simple and most effective tool to increase power and speed. That tool is functional strength training.
I am not talking about bench press and bicep curls.
I mean FUNCTIONAL and specific movements to increase swim times, core strength, and strength to climb hills with ease and power. At Playtri we have trained and tested hundreds of athletes and strength training is 100% guaranteed to make you faster.
Not only does functional strength training help with speed, more importantly, it helps correct muscular and postural imbalances. We see too many triathletes with poor posture, forward rounded shoulders, tight hamstrings and/or low back pain.
To get started we recommend you meet with a qualified coach or personal trainer that can assess your movement patterns in exercises like squats, lunges, push ups and core movements to identify any imbalances and weaknesses that need to be addressed. Once you have established any areas that need particular attention we recommend adding 2-3 days of strength training to your schedule, depending on where you are in your periodization. Again, it can be a little as 30 minutes depending on your availability.
When creating your program we recommend you perform 70% of the exercises targeting your back, glutes, rear delts, triceps and hamstrings. The remaining 30% can be focused on quad, chest, and abdominal exercises. This ratio helps combat the effects of being hunched over on a bike, sitting at the office, running, and swimming daily.
Below is an example of an effective functional strength program:
- 10 minute dynamic warm up
- 3×12-15 body weight/dumbbell squats
- 3×12-15 TRX/resistant band/cable lat row
- 3×45-60second plank
- 3×12-20 push ups
- 3×12 body weight/dumbbell reverse lunge
- 3×12-15 rear delt row
- 3×12-15 glute bridge
- 3×15 calf raise
- 3×15 dumbbell shoulder press
- 3×45-60 second side plank
If you have any questions regarding how to start you own program contact Coach Mo at [email protected].
Author Bio: Morris Brossette
I competed in Sprint and Olympic Distance my first season but decided to try my hand at the 70.3 distance at the end of that first season. I had never, at one time without stopping, swam that far in my life. Needless to say I was extremely nervous. Then, in a shot, it was over. Not only did I have a great swim but a great race, finishing 5th in my age group. Fast forward 3 years and I am racing my first Ironman. It was the greatest test of patience and mental toughness that I have experienced as an endurance athlete. It was also one of the happiest moments in my life. In 2014 I was talked into racing my first obstacle race, the Dallas Spartan Beast. Once I began my training for this race I rediscovered my love and desire to not just be fast, but to be fast, strong, powerful, and mobile. About 3 miles into my Spartan Beast race I was hooked. I knew I had just discovered an incredible sport that unlocked a side of me I had been missing. Training and racing obstacle races has made me a better triathlete and a bette human.
In 2007 I was introduced to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) where I learned over 90 different dietetic theories from world leaders in the respective fields. We learned not just about the healing power of food but the role stress, relationships, and lifestyle can have on your health. This inspired me to further my education and study Integrative and Functional Medicine. I took this information and applied it to my love for sport in an effort to help athletes perform to their full potential while simultaneously reducing stress and reducing risk of disease. In 2105 I became certified as a Metabolic Efficiency Specialist through renowned Sports Dietician Bob Seebohar.
I have been privileged to dedicate my life to studying not just endurance sports but nutrition in its purest form. The power that eating REAL food has on the human body is absolutely amazing. We have the ability to not just recover from hard workouts, but prevent and heal disease. I teach my athletes the true power of food and human movement.
Athlete or not, movement NEEDS to be emphasized in your daily life. This can be something as simple as standing up from your desk twice a day to do a set of body weight squats. As humans we are designed to MOVE, not sit. I will teach you simple ways to incorporate movement and strength training into your life.
