For most endurance athletes the benefits of strength training are outweighed by the fear of gaining too much bulk, loss of flexibility and diminished "feel" of their sport.
Let’s get one thing clear right now, strength training for endurance athletes is not about developing a ‘beach body’ or turning you into a muscle bound hulk. I can promise you that getting down to the gym to strength train for two or three times a week will make you stronger in your event (running, cycling, swimming, adventure racing). I’ve worked with enough endurance athletes to know that a good strength training programme will not only make you stronger and faster but will help you to remain injury free.
Still not convinced? Here’s the top 5 training benefits that can be yours in exchange for just two to three short strength training sessions each week.
1. Increased power output – the fastest person wins the race, right. To be fast you need to be powerful. To be powerful you need to be able to generate force. So it doesn't matter if you are splashing around in a pool or running the streets, you need to be able to put down more power which will translate to higher speeds on the tarmac or in the pool.
2. Power up those hills – if you are a runner you will know that there’s no such thing as a fast flat course and if you want to see how a race can be won or lost on the hills watch a clip of Fraser Cartmell destroying Stephen Bayliss on the final hill in an Ironman 70.3 event.
3. Increase the strength of your swim stroke – maybe running and cycling isn't your thing but by simply developing increased strength levels you'll be able to grab hold of the water and pull yourself through and watch how your stroke count drops.
4. Improved endurance – we don’t all have lungs like dustbin liners and hearts to match so there will be genetic limitations as to how much you can improve your aerobic capacity. Strength training will improve your muscular strength and endurance helping you become more efficient, which means you will be able to work at a higher percentage of your aerobic capacity for longer. Become efficient at what you do.
5. Banish those aches and pains – strength training will improve your gross athleticism making you a more robust athlete, allowing you to withstand the training demands placed on your body and helping you steer clear of injuries. I ran a clinic recently for runners and every single runner had been injured or had an injury….actually that's not correct, one lady wasn't injured but she had only taken running up 2-weeks before the clinic (only a matter of time then!). Same goes for cyclists with knackered knees and backs and swimmers with shoulders that are constantly pulsating with pain.
Some people just keep popping up on my radar and over time they prick my interest. Keir Wenham-Flatt is one of those coaches (not least because he has a funky name!). We’ve bounced a few e-mails back and forth and I recently read a great post that fits in rather nicely with a lot of my recent posts regarding breaking in and forging a career as an S&C coach. Keir has recently done what a lot of the young aspiring coaches that write to me are trying to do – GET A FOOT IN THE DOOR. In this guest post Keir will share with you some of the key lessons he’s picked up during the past 12 months. Over to Keir.
In July 2010 I took a gamble. I left my comfortably paid job as a personal trainer, moved away from my relatively new girlfriend to the most expensive city in the country, to work a full time, unpaid internship for London Wasps. It was a long 12 months, but in the end I was fortunate enough to have my services retained. I learned a bunch of lessons along the way, the top 7 of which are featured below.
Many great articles have been written chronicling peoples experiences as interns and the lessons they have taken from working within the profession. The most recent of these was a fantastic multi-part series by John Annillo that I took a wealth of valuable information from. This article is my homage to his and those that went before; my attempt to organise my thoughts, to pay it forward and add to the pile of existing information.
(I got hired and I couldn’t be happier…. honest!)
Lesson 1- It’s all about who you know
Professional sport is no different to any other industry. People do business with, give jobs to and recommend people who they know and like. For better or worse your prowess in your chosen field often won’t even come into the equation. For a long time I had a chip on my shoulder about this issue. I told myself that I could reach my goals but just being good at what I did. Big mistake.
A year of working within a small industry with precious few jobs quickly wised me up to the value of relationships. The more people who you are able to help and be valuable to, the faster you will progress in nearly all aspects of your development. You can learn this either by sitting on the sidelines watching your less qualified, but better connected peers pass you by, or by getting your head into Keith Ferrazzi’s fantastic book “Never Eat Alone”. I’ve tried both and I know which I would recommend!
(The name of the game)
Lesson 2- It’s all about what you know
“Surely a contradiction?!” I hear you say. Perhaps, but both lessons 1 and 2 are of equal, vital importance. Sure, the span and quality of your network of relationships with well connected people will get you through the door. But lack the necessary skill as a coach and you will soon be leaving through that same door with your reputation tarnished. Scores of books have been written on what makes a good coach, but here’s a quick breakdown of the things I admire in other coaches:
Book smarts- having a balanced, deep and scientifically current knowledge of physical preparation.
Coaching smarts- things like being able to put the theory into practice, manage and motivate a group, and get the best out of your athletes whilst keeping them injury free.
Walking the walk- keeping yourself in good physical condition, have competed as an athlete to a decent standard and be able to kick your athlete’s asses in at least one area or physical test. It shows you are serious about what you do and can be useful in getting athletes ‘on side’.
A proven track record- having a long list of previous or current high achieving colleagues and athletes who speak highly of you as a professional.
Lesson 3- If you don’t want it somebody else does
Learning from others has taught me that to reach the higher levels of any field requires years of dedication. I cannot speak for others but my internship was, at times, extremely tough. I lost a couple of thousand pounds that I didn’t have to lose, had to work up to 3 part time jobs at any one time and a 15 hour day became the norm… all to keep my head above water.
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered quitting at some point. Thankfully I persevered. I told myself “You have set yourself the goal of finishing this internship. This is the price of achieving that goal. If that price is too high then f**k off and move aside, because there are plenty of people out there willing to pay it.” Remember, if you are any place worth being, somebody out there wants to be where you are. Just make sure you are willing to pay a higher price for it and you will stay there.
(How my internship felt at times…)
Lesson 4- Some people just don’t get it
I think it was the late Charlie Francis that first remarked that in any group of athletes, individuals will fall into one of 3 categories. Firstly, the gifts: these guys have physical talent coming out of their ears, and will take to any drill you task them with like a duck to water. Second is the normal human beings: these people take a little longer to get up to speed but eventually get there. Lastly, the problem children: no matter what you do, no matter how you tweak an exercise or try to correct their form, they just don’t seem to get ‘it’.
I can confirm this observation is certainly true in rugby union. Even at the professional level, I have witnessed players that were able to dominate opponents on the field yet move with all the coordination of a drunken baby giraffe in the weight room. My advice: don’t be afraid to barbecue the odd sacred cow when it comes to these guys. For example leg presses may be far more appropriate than squatting at times for athletes like this.
Lesson 5- The concurrent approach is King for rugby athletes
The old proverb says “Many roads lead to Rome”, and how you organise your athlete’s training is no different. Each periodisation scheme has its merits and it’s pitfalls. Yet my experiences over the past year have lead me to conclude that the concurrent approach (synonymous with the training of Westside Barbell) is King for rugby athletes.
The breadth of the motor demands of rugby union is so great that any other system of training is rendered unfeasible. ‘Western’ periodisation and other approaches like block periodisation were all developed with nice, predictable sports in mind and in disciplines with a fairly narrow band of motor demands. A rugby player on the other hand must exhibit the highest possible development of all strength qualities, all 3 energy systems and other biomotor abilities in a largely unpredictable playing environment. Toss in 40 games a season, injuries, travel and a schedule that can change at the whim of senior coaches and the concurrent approach soon emerges as the most suitable candidate.
For an in-depth exploration of the various popular approaches to periodisation check out this helpful article by Serbian physical preparation coach, Mladen Jovanovich: http://tinyurl.com/433rec4.
(Training for rugby can be like spinning plates)
Lesson 6- Olympic lifts are for Olympic lifters
During my internship, in rugby union and the Strength & Conditioning community at large I encountered on repeated occasions the dogmatic assertion that athletes should perform the Olympic lifts. James Smith of Juggernaut Training Systems has written at length on this subject here, and through my own experiences I can only echo his sentiments:
In contact sports the shoulder takes a battering on a daily, if not weekly basis. Loading an already sore shoulder with lots of weight in an anatomically precarious position like that seen in the lifts is plain stupid.
Perhaps 95% of coaches perform the lifts with subpar form themselves. If you suck at something, your athletes will probably suck at it too. I suck at the Olympic lifts, so I don’t teach them to my athletes.
The learning curve with the Olympic lifts is a slow one. Spending months trying to perfect an athlete’s technique when preseason is maybe only 8 weeks long is a foolish way to spend precious training time.
Olympic Lifts are not the only way to develop speed strength. The dynamic effort method, medicine ball drills and jump variations are all easier on the joints and take little time to perfect- good news for athletes with limited training time and for coaches who have to be technical models. Save the Olympic lifts for Olympic lifters.
Lesson 7- Coaches not cheerleaders
(THIS IS NOT HOW TO DO IT!)
Top coaches and authors alike agree that atmosphere is key when it comes to developing excellent athletes. If you can create an environment where people bring out the very best in each other and continually raise the bar, the rest is just detail. I agree, but this cannot come at the expense of proper technique- a scenario I have encountered on a number of occasions when visiting other clubs and weight rooms in the past year.
Athletes need coaches, not cheerleaders. Searching the magic words “power clean school record” on Youtube will soon give you a flavour of what I’m talking about: coaches and team members surrounding their stand out player, whooping and hollering, whilst he reverse-curl-sumo-squats the bar up with a degree of knee valgus that makes you wince just watching it.
Injured players do not win games, so be a coach first and a cheerleader second.
Great article and wise words for someone just breaking into the industry. If you enjoyed this guest post from Keir, take a look at his site www.trainingbykeir.co.uk
At the end of 2010, I went through my blog archives and picked out my favorite posts from 2010. I think this was the best year for my blog. Lots of good content, lots of useful tips. More blogging and writing to come in 2011. Which of these posts is your favorite? Did I miss one that you enjoyed?
1. Are you assessing or guessing? – It’s a bit daft really – you wouldn’t programme your sat nav to get you to a destination 100 miles away without first inputing your starting point (how will you know which route is the most effective to take?). So why would you try to develop a programme to achieve an outcome without knowing where you are starting from?
2. Practice until you get it right! – This one makes even more sense now that I’m reading The Talent Code. Technical competency should be the cornerstone of all good strength and conditioning and atheltic development programmes.
3. Ice Ice Baby – An update on all things linked to recovery and regeneration.
4. CHAOS Training makes more sense – I’m changing this title to CHAOS Training makes even more sense now that I’m reading The Talent Code!!! (can you guess what book I’m totally into at the moment?). I lift the lid on the brainchild of Coach Robert Dos Remedios’ training methods.
5. Do you want to see my brazillian? – This is one of the best drills I’ve picked up all year. If we are talking movement preparation for the shoulder complex then this needs to be in the session.
8.WTF is overtraining syndrome?- If I had a penny for every time I heard a coach say their athlete was overtrained – what a load of horse s*%t! Find out what is really going on.
10. The best treadmill workout ever – I’m currently greeted by the site of the Janaury jogeers pounding out mile after mile on the treadmill at the gym in an attempt to get in shape. If you are going to use the treadmill for a workout then this is the only session you should be doing!
When a strength and conditioning coach from New Zealand asked me if I wanted to see his Brazilian I wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t wait for a reply and just went straight ahead and showed me his Brazilian – something he was very proud of!
This all happened a couple fo weeks ago when a group of local S&C coaches got together to explore rehab techniques for athletes coming back from shoulder injuries. I love these sessions, everyone parks the ego at the door and shares training tips with each other – nothing is held back and all the coaches are keen to share ideas and develop.
It was during the ‘show and tell’ session that Mark Campbell, Lead S&C Coach for the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield offered to show us his Brazilian. Thankfully Mark had not been going mad with the hedge trimmers, what he was so keen to show us was in fact a simple and highly effective exercise that the Brazilian Volleyball team use as part of the shoulder movement prep (now I’m giving Mark the benefit of the doubt regarding the origins of this exercise because when you watch the double arm version I think this is in fact how Mark busts shapes on a Friday night in downtown Auckland back in NZ!).
It’s taken me a couple of weeks of practice to get the technique sorted (you’ll see the intense concentration on my face – especially when both arms come in the mix) and this weekend I took some time out during a training camp to grab a video camera and get some footage of my Brazilian!
The venue, in case you are a nerd like me is the newly fitted out S&C facility in Stirling at the Forthbank Stadium – home of Stirling Albion FC and GB Women’s Basketball for the next couple of weeks (17 players in a small space with fairly low ceilings has been interesting!). That said, the staff at the Peak Sports Complex in Stirling have been fantastic, makes a change to get exceptional service in the UK.
I’ve just got back from a the Wrightington Sporting Shoulder Conference. This was the second time that I’ve presented at the conference and it is always amazing to sit and watch the surgeons present the lastest surgical techniques (even if some of it is a bit tough for me to handle straight after lunch!).
This year was superb and I was in esteemed company. The surgical team included Joe de Beer, Lennard Funk, Giuseppe Porcellini and Dan Guttman. The line up of physio’s was equally impressive and I really enjoyed the sessions from Ann Cools and Jo Gibson (something of a legend when it comes to shoulder rehab in the UK!). The gap between physio’s and strength and conditioning is narrowing and I thought I was ‘aggresive’ when it came to accelerating the rehab process but I think Jo and the team that work at Wrightington are giving me a run for my money! As Jo said, she likes to get her patients moving day one after surgery (gone are the days of walking around with your arm in a sling for weeks), after all if the surgeon has done a good job then there shouldn’t be problem!
I was delivering two sessions, the first of which was on Saturday morning and covered late stage rehab from shoulder injuries. During lunch I had a chance to visit the Charnley Museum at Wrightington. The museum is dedicated to the pioneering work of Sir John Charnley. Sir John Charnley was an orthopaedic surgeon who spent years at Wrightington perfecting artificial hip replacements in the early 1960s. It was a fascinating tour. We started off in what looked like a garage workshop. This was the hospital metal workshop where Charnley tasked the metalworkers with producing the early prototypes! We then looked around the museum, the displays housed the original hip replacements, tools etc as well as the original clean air sytem that Charnley developed to helped reduce infection rates!
After lunch I was able to relax and become a delegate for the afternoon! There were some fascinating lectures and I really enjoyed listening to Stuart Cosgrove talk about the techniques he uses to help power lifters and body builders recover from shoulder surgery. Stuart is a physiotherapist based in Manchester and was a competitive body builder himself (NABBA Mr UK in 1987, Mr Britain, 1996, UK Squat Champion, 1989 and physio to non other than Dorain Yates and Ricky ‘the hitman’ Hatton!) If you tear your pec, Stuart is the man to see!
The next day was a chance to get a little bit more practical and I took the delegates through some practical examples of the exercises that I use to help the clients that I work with get back to full fitness following shoulder surgery. This type of session is always my favourite as it is a chance to get ‘hands on’.
As always this conference is one of the highlights of my year because it is so different to the majority of seminars that I attend. If you would like to look at the presentations from the conference then follow this link Wrightington Sporting Shoulder Conference
“@gallagherbren: Feb 18 2012 Boxing RIP” a disgrace, cant decide if it was a publicity stunt or real. Either way they should both be ashamed 3 days ago
I’ve just got back from a the Wrightington Sporting Shoulder Conference. This was the second time that I’ve presented at the conference and it is always amazing to sit and watch the surgeons present the lastest surgical techniques (even if some of it is a bit tough for me to handle straight after lunch!). 
