Should endurance athletes strength train?
In coaching endurance athletes, I have seen muscular imbalances and mobility issues are common among runners and cyclists. They often suffer from hamstring issues, lack of ankle mobility, tight hip flexors and weak glutes.
A common imbalance among runners and cyclists occurs between the muscles of the quadriceps and those of the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings and lower back).
Often, while their endurance training routinely strengthens the quads, the glutes and hamstrings do not receive the attention they need or deserve, hence contributing to poor biomechanics and possible injury. Introducing strength training into any endurance athletes’ training plan to target the posterior chain can improve speed on the bike and run and as a bonus can reduce their susceptibility to injury. After all, the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body, so why not make it work to your advantage.
A study published in Feb 2015* concluded that strength training in conjunction with aerobic training can increase cyclists’ average power output over a 40 minute time trial.
The study consisted of elite cyclist that undertook 25 weeks of heavy strength training. Nine cyclists performed endurance training and heavy strength training (group A) while seven cyclists performed endurance training only (group B). Group A showed improved results in mean power output 40 min time trial, whilst group B showed no improvement.
So the answer to the question is an unequivocal yes to strength training for endurance athletes. In my next blog I’ll discuss how and when to add it in to your program.
References
* www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24862305