When looking on the internet, I don't hear much about triathletes doing strength training and I find this interesting. I always find internet training plans that consist of 'blocks' in which people ride for 30 minutes, swim for 30 minutes, run for 30 minutes each day, and vary that.
Perhaps there is a reason for this, however my goal is to build Power.
In Engineering, Power is Potential Energy x Kinetic Energy. Many triathlete plans I come across don't work on half of that equation -Potential Energy (Muscle mass)- and they rely heavily on the other half of the equation. They focus on Kinetic energy (Muscle endurance).
I guess that is great for triathlon-only athletes...But in order to increase your overall body power, it is important to build muscle mass as well. Weight training in the gym is a great way to do this.
Weight Training : Build Potential Energy
Triathlon Training: Build Kinetic Energy
A good example of Muscle Power is in cage fighting.
Referees will call the fight the moment a fighter drops their guard...this means, if you put your hands down or you lift your chin or appear unable to guard yourself, the fight will be called in the other fighter's favor. This is GOOD if you truly can't defend yourself...Bad if you don't have muscle power...Why?
A fighter's muscles need to be engaged (ideally) 100% of the time for a possible 25 minute fight. A 25 minute Chin-up, a 25 minute plank, a 25 minute half pushup, a 25 minute squat.
If a fighter builds kinetic energy and no potential energy, their strikes will be not be at the maximum effectiveness.
If a fighter builds Potential energy and no kinetic energy, they "Gas out" by the end of the first round, and become a punching bag for the remainder of the fight (which usually doesn't go through the 2nd round).
Fighters are only truly affective if they maximize potential energy and kinetic energy. Once their power is maximized, they can work on their overall Force(Power(pot_energy x kin_energy) x Speed). On top of that, they need to be able to be punched in the chin and elbowed in the chest about 400 times.
This is why when you see fighter's, their bodies look more like machines than human. They are much more of a physics equation than they are an emotional equation.
Here are some videos that show people who have maximized their overall power:
Anderson Silva:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0mdnnnC94
Quinton Jackson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjSDc1pQtqA
Georges St Pierre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2hFxvh4AVk
What in the world does this have to do with Triathlons?
-You WILL become a better triathlete if you work on your overall power. An old saying is "Slow and Steady wins the race...", which isn't true. We *ALL* know that FAST and Steady wins the race. Endurance is the "Steady" part. Muscle mass is the "Fast" part. A top notch athlete is fast just as much as they are steady.
I keep this in mind for my training. In order for my body power to be maximized, I need to build muscle mass, and I need to train that built-up muscle mass for endurance.
Perhaps there is a reason for this, however my goal is to build Power.
In Engineering, Power is Potential Energy x Kinetic Energy. Many triathlete plans I come across don't work on half of that equation -Potential Energy (Muscle mass)- and they rely heavily on the other half of the equation. They focus on Kinetic energy (Muscle endurance).
I guess that is great for triathlon-only athletes...But in order to increase your overall body power, it is important to build muscle mass as well. Weight training in the gym is a great way to do this.
Weight Training : Build Potential Energy
Triathlon Training: Build Kinetic Energy
A good example of Muscle Power is in cage fighting.
Referees will call the fight the moment a fighter drops their guard...this means, if you put your hands down or you lift your chin or appear unable to guard yourself, the fight will be called in the other fighter's favor. This is GOOD if you truly can't defend yourself...Bad if you don't have muscle power...Why?
A fighter's muscles need to be engaged (ideally) 100% of the time for a possible 25 minute fight. A 25 minute Chin-up, a 25 minute plank, a 25 minute half pushup, a 25 minute squat.
If a fighter builds kinetic energy and no potential energy, their strikes will be not be at the maximum effectiveness.
If a fighter builds Potential energy and no kinetic energy, they "Gas out" by the end of the first round, and become a punching bag for the remainder of the fight (which usually doesn't go through the 2nd round).
Fighters are only truly affective if they maximize potential energy and kinetic energy. Once their power is maximized, they can work on their overall Force(Power(pot_energy x kin_energy) x Speed). On top of that, they need to be able to be punched in the chin and elbowed in the chest about 400 times.
This is why when you see fighter's, their bodies look more like machines than human. They are much more of a physics equation than they are an emotional equation.
Here are some videos that show people who have maximized their overall power:
Anderson Silva:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0mdnnnC94
Quinton Jackson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjSDc1pQtqA
Georges St Pierre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2hFxvh4AVk
What in the world does this have to do with Triathlons?
-You WILL become a better triathlete if you work on your overall power. An old saying is "Slow and Steady wins the race...", which isn't true. We *ALL* know that FAST and Steady wins the race. Endurance is the "Steady" part. Muscle mass is the "Fast" part. A top notch athlete is fast just as much as they are steady.
I keep this in mind for my training. In order for my body power to be maximized, I need to build muscle mass, and I need to train that built-up muscle mass for endurance.
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