Resistance Training for the Triathlon Athlete

By Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S.

Throughout my research and several discussions with triathlon athletes, I have become aware of the continual use of words like discipline, determination, methodical, precise, focused, perseverance, passion and responsibility. Triathlon athletes with whom I have come into contact know that extreme situations call for extreme measures. For example, athletes competing in the Ironman become somewhat extreme in the fulfillment of their responsibilities, in some cases bordering on fanaticism. The fact that the Ironman race covers 140.6 total miles and consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, performed in consecutive order would probably drive anyone toward fanaticism.

Jim Collins, the author of the bestseller "Good to Great" coined the term "rinsing your cottage cheese." The analogy comes from Dave Scott, who won the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon six times. Scott would ride his bike 75 miles, swim 20,000 meters and run 17 miles every single day of training. Scott did not have a weight problem since he burned an average of 5,000 calories per day. Yet he believed that a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet would give him an extra edge, so Scott would literally rinse his cottage cheese to get the extra fat off. The point of the story is not that he absolutely needed to rinse his cottage cheese to win the Ironman. The point is that rinsing his cottage cheese was simply one of many small steps he took to create a consistent program of superdiscipline.

This article will provide a framework for addressing key issues of resistance training for the triathlon athlete, as well as providing a sample periodized program that can be used as a reference point to help design an individualized program. The following is a general, 26-week periodized training program for an athlete with the goal of training for a triathlon without the undue loss of muscle that is often associated with triathlon training. I will be assuming that this athlete is in overall good health and free of any significant injuries.

WEEKS 1-8: CONDITIONING PHASE

• Frequency: 2 times per week with a day of rest between sessions
• Intensity: Low, progressing to moderate; 12-15 repetitions
• Sets: 2-3 sets
• 10-12 exercises emphasizing the major muscle groups
• Goal: Anatomical adaptation - develop a strength-training program that provides general muscular conditioning with an emphasis in developing the neuromuscular system.

WEEKS 9-16: STRENGTH PHASE

• Frequency: 3 times per week with a day of rest between sessions
• Intensity: Moderate, progressing to high; 8-10 repetitions
• Sets: 3 sets
• 10-12 exercises emphasizing the major muscle groups
• Goal: Anatomical adaptation - develop a strength training program that provides general muscular conditioning with an emphasis in developing muscular strength and the muscular system.

WEEKS 17-20: POWER PHASE

• Frequency: 4 times per week
• Intensity: High; 6-8 repetitions
• Sets: 4 Sets
• Split routine emphasizing compound movements and specific body groups
• Goal: Anatomical Adaptation - develop a strength training program that provides emphasis in developing muscular power at specific joint angles.

WEEKS 21-23: PEAK PHASE

• Frequency: 4 times per week
• Intensity: Very High; 2-4 repetitions on specific exercises
• Sets: 4 Sets
• Split routine emphasizing compound movements and core strength
• Goal: Anatomical Adaptation - develop a training program that provides emphasis in developing explosive power.

WEEKS 24-25: TRANSITION PHASE/ACTIVE REST PHASE

• Frequency: 2 times per week
• Intensity: Moderate; 8-10 repetitions
• Sets: 3 sets
• 8-10 exercises emphasizing the full body
• Goal: Anatomical Adaptation - maintain fat-free mass components of body composition.

WEEK 26: RACE

• The strength-training phase should be de-emphasized to allow the body to fully recover.
• This week should focus on low-end speed and low-volume work as it pertains to the swim, bike and run components of training to allow the athlete to rest fully before the race.
• Focus on proper pre-race nutrition and carbohydrate loading to ensure that the muscle and liver glycogen stores are at their fullest.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Triathlon athletes are the hardest to train in that the athlete's lifestyle, career demands, family and social commitments should be taken into consideration when planning the overall training program. It is important to customize the training phases to allow each athlete to be successful in completing all of the training sessions and still have time for other commitments.

The strength-training phase coupled with the training of the swim, bike and run is very demanding physically, mentally and spiritually. Therefore, it is not surprising that these athletes describe themselves as being disciplined, determined, methodical, focused, passionate and responsible.

"Much of the answer to the question of good to great lies in the discipline to do whatever it takes to become the best within carefully selected arenas and then seek continual improvement from there," said Jim Collins.

It's really just that simple. And it's really just that hard.

Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S., is the fitness/personal training director at the Baptist East/Milestone Wellness Center. Carlos has a master's degree in exercise physiology and has over 10,000 hours of personal training experience. He is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness magazine's editorial advisory board. Carlos can be reached by phone at 502-896-3900, ext.142.