Strength Training and Injury Prevention for Endurance Athletes

Thank you for attending!

Getting Started with Strength Training

Example Exercise Routines

We'll post the recording at:

http://enduranceworks.net/resources/webinars

Next webinar:

12/1: Planning Your Next Triathlon Season

Please contact us with any questions:

David Glover - david@enduranceworks.net

Krista Schultz - krista@enduranceworks.net

Krista Schultz

David Glover

Find more videos at:

www.enduranceworks.net/resources

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

-Goethe

Warm Up with Dynamic Stretches

Quick Core Workout: 4 Point Stability

1. Front Plank

2. Side Plank (Left, Right)

Three Cues for Proper Stability

Consider the Three Planes of Motion

3. Back Bridge

4 Simple Exercises to Improve Cycling Efficiency

Running, Biking, Squats

• Bracing abdomen (core)
• Knee toward pinky toe
• Weight over tripod of foot

Jumping Jacks,

Side Bending,

Lateral Lunge

Throw a Frisbee,

Dumbbell Fly,

Tennis Swing

Example

Movements:

Example Full Body Strength Routine

Seasonal Plan

Guidelines for Strength Training

• Push press
• Overhead squat -> split squat -> single leg squat
• Push up -> plank push ups
• Good morning -> single leg good morning
• Dumbbell row
• Double external rotation
• Calf raises
• Crab walks with band

Perform exercises that:

• Incorporate stability, balance, strength and power
• Load spine
• Enhance major muscle movers
• Engage stabilizers in front and back - 29 muscles
• Maintain a balance of strength across the joints.

Perform exercises with controlled, fast movement (not ballistic) in proper form:

• 8 to 20 repetitions (depending on exercise) to muscular fatigue
• 2-3 sets per exercise

View videos at: www.enduranceworks.net/resources

Pre-Season

Injuries Are Common in Triathlon

Competition

Off-season

"Fifty percent of triathletes sustained an injury in the 6-month preseason... Thirty-seven percent were injured during the 10-week competition season."

- Burns, et al.

Takeaway: Strength training is appropriate year round

Common Problems for Triathletes & Runners

Common Overuse Injuries

Typical Triathlon Training & Lifestyles Can Lead to Problems

• Muscle weaknesses and imbalances
• Muscle asymmetry – dominant sides
• Loss of proprioception
• Loss of range of motion
• Poor joint and core stability
• Poor balance
• Overuse injuries

Typical Training

• Achilles tendinitis / calf injury
• IT-band syndrome
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shoulder tendinitis
• SI joint dysfunction
• Stress fractures

Typical Lifestyle

• Long, slow training
• Highly repetitive motions in single plane of motion
• No strength training

“An overuse injury is any type of muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress fracture, that's caused by repetitive trauma.” - Mayo Clinic

• Poor posture
• Forward rotation of shoulders on computer, iPhone, etc.
• Sitting for long periods of time

Why Strength Train?

Other Common Causes of Injuries

Success!!!

• Too much training volume
• Sudden changes in training volume
• Lack of strength in a particular muscle and/or muscular imbalances
• Poor body mechanics
• Inadequate warm up and cool down
• Inadequate rest

"“It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”

- William "Bear" Bryant

Special Considerations

Strength Training Myths

• Lifting weights will give me big, bulky muscles.

• If I strength train, it will slow me down.

• Strength training won't help my performance.

• I don't have time to strength train.

Agenda

“Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.”

— Charles M. Schulz

• How muscles function and get stronger
• Common injuries and their causes
• Proper exercise technique
• Sample exercises and routines
• Special considerations

How Muscles Function

Strength Training Facts

• Improves muscle function, strength and power
• Increases lean muscle mass
• Decreases body fat
• Decreases risk of injury
• Boosts anabolic hormones
• Slows aging process

Strength Training Counters the Effects of Aging....

What Happens As We Age?

"The body conforms and adapts to the intensities and directions it is habitually subjected to."

- Wolfe's Law

Women Are Different Than Men

• Structural - Q-angle (hip joint wider than knees)
• Muscles fire at different response times
• Tend to have lower bone density
• Tend to have weaker upper body
• Tend to have more body fat
• Hormonal differences

Muscles Are Made Up of 3 Types of Fibers

Type I

Slow Twitch

Type IIa

}

Type IIb

Fast Twitch

Muscles Enable Movement

• Muscles attach to tendons, which attach to bones

• Nerve impulses contract muscles to move bones to move body

• Musculoskeletal system tries to adapt to exercise stress

Muscle Fibers Are Recruited Incrementally Under "All or None" Principle

Build & Maintain:

Strength Training for Triathletes and Runners

by David B. Glover, MSE, MS, CSCS & Krista Schultz, MEd, CSCS