Mind Body Stretch and Strength Part 1: Benefits

The top priority of an endurance athlete for 3-4 months in the off season is strength and stretch training.



The three components of fitness are cardio, strength, and stretch. Endurance athletes spend 99.7% on the first area and neglect the other two. This has not only performance costs but also health costs. But with some smart strategy you can get all the benefits of strength and stretch.

Fallacies of Strength and Stretch
First let me dispel some misconceptions. "Weight lifting" is a very narrow slice of strength training. You can do some amazing and challenging strength training programs without ever lifting a weight, by using body weight exercises and a few inexpensive personal trainer tools.

I have even heard some particularly old-school runners say, "Runners don't need to do body building, because the extra bulk will slow them down." If you think strength training is body building you might as well stop reading because you are living in the 1970's era of Charles Atlas body builder vs. pasty skinny marathon runners. The vast majority of the top endurance athletes include some (often lots) of strength training.

With regard to stretching, I have heard some athletes say, "There is no scientific evidence that stretching makes you faster." If you believe that then, by all means, don't waste your time stretching. A few gifted athletes can get by with this and the rest will all get injured. This erroneous thinking overlooks the benefits that stretching improves form and reduces injuries, which indirectly leads to better results.

A good strength training program will do the following:

• Help you get leaner and possibly loose weight by building lean muscle tissue.
• Improve your power output in swimming, cycling, running, etc.
• Prolong the duration that you will be able to keep good form. ("Muscular endurance.")
• Reduce the frequency of nagging injuries that prolong recovery time.

A good stretching program will do the following:

• Help you reach the body's full range so that you can lengthen run stride, improve swim stroke, and fit into aero position.
• Greatly reduce the liklihood of injury, or treat the early signs of injury to keep it from getting serious.
• Recover faster.

Let me tell you a little story from personal experience. The third season I raced triathlons was to be my breakthrough year. I had steadily improved with several 2nd place overall results. After reseaching training theory, I hit the gym hard for several months, often cutting into the time I would have been cycling, running, and swimming.

My first race that May was a disaster. I got smoked and finished off of the age group placings. I seriously questioned my strategy and shifted much more time to hard endurance training. But then I noticed in the later months of the season, July, August, Sept, I was still training hard, improving. Most importantly---I was not experiencing the soreness and nagging injuries that had limited my previous seasons. You know when you get out of bed and those first few steps were painful? I got out of bed feeling like I could step to the start line of a 5K.

That year I won 5 triathlons in a row, and won the Midwest Heart of America Triathlon series with a perfect score. I beat a young newbie triathlete by the name of TJ Tollakson. And I became convinced that strength training would be part of every year that I raced.

How to do it: Okay, it is clear that endurance training takes a lot of time. If you are a runner it isn't too bad, but triathlon is ridiculous. But every smart endurance athlete takes an "off-season." You need to do it now. If you put it off you will not have the chance to catch up because the season will have started. October-Feb is the best time for endurance athletes to emphasize strength/stretch.

Right now while you are doing 20-50% of your normal in-season training, you should be doing 3-5 sessions of strength/stretch training. Make this your top priority and build up a "reserve" of strength and flexibility. Then when you start base training drop that frequency to 2-3 sessions per week, and 1-2 per week once you really hit the hardcore endurance training.

Upcoming:

• Okay I said that strength training isn't body building or weight lifting, but what is it? I will give you some ideas on how to focus your strength training.
• Need injury prevention? I will explain the concept of "True the Wheel" and explain how it applies to strength/stretch for endurance training.