Friday 27 December 2013

Simple Pleasures


Well, I have to admit it's been quite a while since I've had the chance to write up a new blog post.

A new time consuming job and year-end festivities meant that while I've kept up my reading and research, I haven't really had the time to write, which is a personal disappointment I aim to fix in the coming weeks.

So look out for 2 new posts coming up early Jan, including one about probiotics, and another about the importance of protein consumption for athletes (how much, what type, difference between vegan and animal protein, does timing matter, etc.).

In the meantime, please enjoy these photos from my "urban run" this morning in Dubai.

It started and ended in Downtown, taking me through Peacock lane, DIFC, and the gardens of Emirates Towers, going into underground car parks, up and down stairs, and jumping over every obstacle I could find! Lots of fun, give it a try!

Merry Christmas!


Let's go legs!




Up into DIFC? why not


Gate Village Bridge

















Peacock!!







ummm, timed lap??

Those stairs in Downtown...
... lead to a deadend and a bolted door!






Where does this go?
Satellite signal lost!



Back home for some food - awesome run!






Monday 21 October 2013

Strength Training for Endurance Athletes - Part II

PART II



I have a feeling Part 2 is going to be quite a bit more controversial than Part 1. After all, it's hard to argue against the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes given the scientific evidence. However when it comes to discussing when to include it, what to include and how, there are no clear scientific rules there. The suggestions you see below are based on my personal opinions, which are drawn from a combination of extensive research of different training programs, sport science literature, the basics of physiology (how muscles adapt and function in response to stimuli), emphasis on recovery, as well as experimentation.

Please note that I will NOT specify exercises here. What I'm outlining is the "types of exercises to do during the various phases of your endurance training", as well as when to include them within your weekly schedule and how to execute them properly. I normally assign specific exercises to athletes based on their individual needs, their experience in the weight room, and pre-existing injuries or vulnerable body parts.

My Training Philosophy

Let's start with a 30,000 feet overview of endurance training, and what it takes to become a better performer, but even more importantly, a healthy performer.

Side note here: as I've mentioned this before, if you're looking for top-end performance at whatever cost, including your long-term health and well-being, then this whole blog is not for you. My aim is to help people getting into endurance sports to get the best out of themselves while preserving their long-term health.

So, what do you need to strike that balance? Again based on my own philosophy, you need:












3 common so-called "goals" I do NOT include here are Stamina, Nutrition and Body Composition. There is a reason for that:

- For one, Stamina is not a scientific term nor can it be measured (I'm allergic to things that cannot be monitored and measured).

- Two: is Stamina anything beyond the combination of endurance, physical and mental strength?

- Three: Nutrition should never be a goal, because (i) putting it as a goal means once you reach it, you risk losing the drive that got you there, and staying at that "top" level would be difficult, (ii) trying to micro-manage nutrition takes a lot of time and energy, and (iii) nutrition is just one of many factors that impact your health and performance.

- And Four: Body Composition should never be a goal in itself either. You tick all the boxes I mention above, and good body composition / body image will be a natural consequence of all that.

(I hear you say: there are many "overweight" endurance athletes. Yes sure, probably more than the ones with "ideal" weight. Same goes for crossfitters and other fitness people, and don't get me started on health clubs. 
BUT, are you telling me that those "overweight" athletes are truly following a training and nutrition protocol that maximises their metabolic efficiency? strengthens their immune system? provides them with a robust muscle and skeletal system? Possibly, but I highly doubt it...)

This all may sound overwhelming, and to many it is. Furthermore, not everyone has the passion or time to delve deeply into all this and manage every minute aspect of their lives to tick all these boxes.






Fortunately, that's what coaches are for: not just to get you physically ready for an event, but to ensure that you get there healthy, in good spirits, and with no detrimental effects on your physical or mental well-being (and that includes stress management too, which does have health implications).

In my mind, a coach should "assess", "plan", "educate", "nurture" and "guide". The day an athlete feels a coach is something they "want" and no longer "need" is the day when that coach has successfully done his/her job.

My Approach to Training Management

So, let me give you a quick overview of my approach to training, so I can feed my views on strength training into it:

1. Setting Goals: I like everyone to start with a goal: a 10k, a half marathon, a sprint distance tri or an Ironman. It really doesn't matter. What a goal does is allow us to (i) have something to work towards, (ii) to allow me to work backwards all the way to today, and structure a plan that will get you there fit, healthy, and happy, and most importantly (iii) help you manage your adherence to that program without disrupting your life in the process - my job is NOT to force you to stick to a plan, but to help you manage the limiting factors stopping you from doing so (this may sound like sport psychology psychobabble but trust me, it works :))



2. Specificity and Adaptation: The human body is a superb piece of engineering. Nothing in the world can adapt and overcome like the human body can. 

But even the human body has its limits, and thanks to the countless scientific and sport science studies from the last decades, we have a pretty good idea of how the body reacts to stimuli and what needs to be done. Examples include: 


- Assessing the current abilities of the athlete relative to their goals, and prioritize the areas of focus

- Every training cycle (block of 8-12 weeks) should have no more than 2-3 primary goals

- Every week within each cycle should have a theme and a focus

- Every single training session should have a specific adaptation purpose: are we training to enhance fat burning, are we trying to get some leg speed, or making you more efficient at metabolizing lactic acid, etc.

- Every single training session should have mental cues: this helps the athlete be focused and mentally engaged in the session, a valuable tool 

- Every cycle, week or session should include nutrition guidance that fits the overall goals and objectives of that period - you can't expect to follow the same nutrition plan year-round...

Does every athlete need that much structure and focus in their approach? No, not really: if you have 20 hours to spare training for an Ironman, then by all means, do that, and chances are you'll be hitting the benefits of the above (along with a lot of "junk" miles). The process I describe above is designed to help you make the best use of your time, leaving more time for family, friends, and life in general.


3. Managing Limiting Factors: once again, if you're one of those athletes with a single goal in mind to maximize performance at whatever cost, then this would not apply to you. Most of us have busy lives, a range of commitments, and do not want to lead a hermit's life. Yes professional athletes train 20-30 hours a week, but they have no day job and therefore leave a lot of time for family, social life, etc. 

For many new entrants into the world of endurance sports, the biggest challenge is not the training itself, but rather how to fit all that training into what seems like an already full "life schedule" to begin with! Many just get their training program online or from a coach and then try to squeeze sessions in, or worse, they go to an extreme and start "shoving life out of the way" to make room for training. The result? Sure, short-term physical performance, but also marital problems, social life problems, a loss of drive and interest in sport, constant frustration and a "not enough hours in the day" feeling.

Once again, it's not your job to figure all this out. It's all new to you anyway! It's your coach's job to help you manage the limiting factors standing in the way of training. And the key word here is "managing", not "removing".

4. Educating: I said it before and I'll say it again: a successful coach is one who is "wanted" by his athletes but "no longer needed". What do I mean? My goal is to help you have control over your life, all of it, including your nutrition and sport performance. Can it be done overnight?  I don't think so, you can't just dump a ton of knowledge on someone and expect them to change their life overnight. 

I strive to gradually educate by explaining the theory and purpose behind every advice or instructions that I give. Gradually, over time, you will grasp that knowledge and start applying it on your own. The result? Superior confidence and adaptability. A perfect example is someone who goes from "needing detailed instructions for every workout and meal" to "adapting and creating their own plans when traveling for example".

5. Communicate Communicate Communicate: it's simple, your communication as a coach encourages the athlete to communicate back, and that's what you want. Your athlete had a very stressful day at work and has a high intensity 400m intervals session in the evening? You want to know about it and scale it back or move it. Your athlete is feeling fatigued and seems to be constantly fighting off a cold? You want to know that too and correlate that with her training so you can identify her "overtraining threshold". It's simple, often overlooked, and crucial in my opinion. You can't expect the athlete to make the first step all the time, you have to establish those communication lines and nurture them for weeks and months.

Incorporating the Strength Training Component

I can hear you saying: come on already! I thought this was about strength training!

So let's use a practical example to illustrate how I would incorporate strength training into the endurance training program for an athlete. 


Meet Jane Bravo (see what I did there? See it??). Jane is a newbie triathlete, and it's Jane, not Janey, because Janey is a friend and elite amateur triathlete who embarasses anyone who tries racing her.

So Jane doesn't have a background in endurance sports, or any sport for that matter, realistically... She was excited about the challenge of getting into running and triathlon as a way to lose some weight, get fit, and meet great people.

So just like most people, she just went, bought herself a pair of running shoes from a salesperson who made her stand on a mat that took a print of her foot, and then set off running. 

Pretty soon, she starts feeling some pains in her shins, her back was hurting, and she wasn't losing weight! But Jane is a stubborn one, so she doesn't give up. She goes online, and gets a training program for a half marathon race, and sets herself a challenge!

Things go well for a few weeks, but then she gets injured again! Her neck is hurting, her back is hurting, she's still not losing much weight, and her knees and ankles hurt every time she runs. Now she's getting frustrated! But once again, she's stubborn, so goes out and finds herself a good coach. The coach then tells her this:


- Jane, before you start building your run volume, you need to make sure that your body can handle it

- Jane, before you start building your run volume, you need to make sure that your running biomechanics (the way you run) are adequate and won't get you injured the longer you run

- Jane, in order to lose weight, you have to do some faster / higher intensity running, but in order to be safe when doing so, you also need to make sure that your muscles and skeletal system are strong enough to handle all that.




You see Jane, I'm going to incorporate a progressive strength training program into your endurance training program. I'm going to explain to you what types of strength exercises you should do, when you should be focusing on what type, and how you should incorporate them into your program to make sure they make you stronger, faster, fitter without compromising your endurance training, and without having to spend hours in the gym every week. 




Types of Strength Training Exercises

I prefer to categorize strength training exercises into 3 categories:




There are literally hundreds of exercises which would fit each of the 3 categories mentioned above. Listing them here would be pointless, because I would be seriously concerned about people's ability to correctly perform these exercises. Performing them incorrectly would not just be an inefficient use of your time, but more importantly could put you in serious jeopardy with injuries, especially when using weights or plyometrics.

Ideally, you would ask your coach to demonstrate the exercises for you, or find a properly certified strength and conditioning coach, explain exactly what you're looking for based on the above, and let him/her put you on the right path.

If you're looking to do some more reading yourself and get some guidance on specific strength training exercises for endurance athletes, then I would highly recommend the Training Bible series by legendary coach Joe Friel, which you can find here.

Scheduling Timing and Frequency

Whenever I'm looking at incorporating strength training into an endurance program, I have to do so while keeping in mind the phase of endurance training the athlete is currently undertaking. To do so, I look towards certain guidelines, which include:

1. Ensure that the strength training prescribed does not detract from the quality of endurance training. For example: avoiding a Muscle Strength session the day before hill repeats

2. Ensure that the strength training prescribed works seamlessly with the specific overall objectives of that week. For example: objectives for the week is to improve swim technique, so Muscle Strength for the upper body works well to preserve power since the actual swim sessions involve mostly drills and technique work

3. Ensure that the strength training prescribed does not interfere with racing performance

4. Ensure that the strength training prescribed does not utilize the same energy systems being used in endurance training during the same period. For example: avoid circuit training/plyometrics during a period which includes frequent high intensity bike and run sessions

5. Ensure that the strength training prescribed does not overstress the skeletal system. For example: avoid Crossfit-type exercises during a week of heavy ankle band and paddles swimming or downhill running

So, to put in practice, a typical endurance training program follows a certain sequence: Base Period, Build Period, Peak Period/Racing, Off-Season. I like to structure the strength training component as follows:



A few words of warning:

The above program assumes the athletes are familiar with the proper way to execute the requisite strength training movements. Slight modifications to the way an exercise is executed could severely increase risk of injury and / or render the exercise useless in terms of specificity and adaptation. 

So if in doubt, spend the first few weeks during the Off-Season with a strength and conditioning coach to learn how to properly execute exercises.

In addition, I've  noticed a number of athletes not capable of properly executing certain compound exercises with the correct form. Remedying this may require "isolation exercises", where you focus your strength training on one specific muscle (the weakest chain in the link), to strengthen that muscle enough to support the compound movement. This is the only time I would advocate isolation exercises.



General Thoughts on Nutrition

Do you need to alter your nutrition if you incorporate strength training into your endurance training program? Well that depends. If you're already on an adequate nutrition program (I will write a separate blog on my thoughts on that), then I don't believe you would need much more. 

However what you need to be conscious of is the fact that post-workout nutrition for muscle recovery becomes even more critical following strength training. Most strength training exercises rely primarily on glycogen for fuel and protein for building muscle fibres, so consuming adequate amounts of good quality carbohydrates and protein immediately after strength sessions is paramount.


Other FAQs

Will I bulk up if I include strength training in my program?
Unlikely. Yes you will gain a little muscle mass, but you will gain a lot more power. In the grand scheme of things, your "power to weight" ratio should increase.

It would be quite hard for you to put on large amounts of muscle mass when also training for endurance. In my opinion, the only way that would happen is if you cut back dramatically on your endurance training and combine that with a very high amount of protein intake (essentially what bodybuilders do)


If I'm short on time, what goes out first, strength training or endurance?
It depends on which cycle of your training you're in. In my opinion, strength training is paramount during the Off-Season cycle. I would aim to get at least 1 session in per week during the Base Phase and Build Phase, and I would ensure that I always maintain mobility, muscle activation and core strength. 


What comes first, cardio or strength training?
Well that depends. If by cardio you mean high intensity quality sessions (e.g. hill repeats or bike interval efforts), then these sessions go before strength, and ideally not on the same day. The reverse would run the risk that muscle fatigue and glycogen depletion from strength training detract from the quality of the interval session.

If on the other hand, your cardio session is a low-intensity endurance workout, then do your strength training first (utilizing glycogen and building up lactic acid) and use the low intensity workout to utilize fat as fuel and enhance blood flow to accelerate your muscles' recovery from the strength training session. The reverse would run the risk that your muscles glycogen stores would be too depleted to allow you to really hit your targets during the strength training session.




Mentions

A few words of thanks to the people whose opinions on this subject I value and drew upon for inspiration (in no particular order):

Darren Stanborough - Head of Sports Medicine & Exercise Science at UpandRunning Dubai
- Toby Jones - Bike fitter and owner BikeFit Asia
- Purplepatch Fitness
- Ben Greenfield
- Joe Friel
- Mark Allen
- Dave Scott

Thanks for reading and happy training!

T



Wednesday 9 October 2013

"To do or not to do": Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

PART I


Have you ever experienced it? I know I have: I'm a decently trained triathlete. I've completed 2 Ironman races and multiple shorter-distance ones. Yet if I climb stairs 2 or 3 steps at a time, I'm winded and I feel it in my muscles. 

At other times, I pick up a six-pack of water bottles and pull a muscle in my neck or lower back.

What gives!!! We're supposed to be hard-ass Ironman athletes, the fittest people in the world right! 

Well no, not right at all. Not in my opinion at least. Sure as an Ironman athlete, you could swim/bike/run for 10-15 hours non-stop, but if you strain your back putting your icebox in the back of the car, there is something missing from the picture right?

I'll tell you another personal story: a couple of years ago, on a freezing December Sunday morning, I went for a long run in New York. I was a few kms away from getting back home when a woman walking her dog stepped out from a door right in front of me. I jumped up and sideways over the dog and leash, and... wrenched by knee. It was the worse pain I had ever felt, and I had to hobble the rest of the way home.

The strange thing was that the sidestepping movement wasn't all that extreme. It's the kind of movement you see football players practice on the field all the time. Heck I even remember Jane Fonda doing those movements in 1980s aerobics videos, leg warmers and all!!! 



It doesn't take a stroke of genius to understand what's going on: the reason this movement caused me so much pain was because my body was very well trained but in one plane of motion: front and back (sagittal plane). I had been running, cycling and swimming for countless hours in that sagittal plane, but my body was not trained to support me in any sudden movements in any other direction.






Which brings me to the topic of this blog post: would strength training address all these issues? Would it even make me a faster athlete? And if so, why? how? when? what?

So let me try to shed some light on the matter (and probably fan the flames of debate in the process). It's a gigantic topic, so I'll try to simplify it by answering the main questions that come to mind:

1- The Why: Will it prevent injury? Will it make me faster?

2- The What: what type of strength training is best for endurance athletes?

3- The When: how do I incorporate strength training into my endurance training?

4- The BUT: what do the opponents of strength training for endurance say, and is there any truth to their claims?

5- Nutrition: do I need to adjust my nutrition if I add strength training?

And I'll tell you what, this was one of the hardest articles I've had to write. The amount of information on this topic is absolutely immense, and only dwarfed by the number of examples I could have listed for injuries caused by muscle weakness in endurance athletes

So I tried to be as concise as possible, trying to demonstrate the main principles and leave it to you all to apply across the board. I'm also splitting this blog post into two parts, Part I is what you're reading here, Part II will follow in a few days.

THE WHY

I'll start by listing the perceived benefits of strength training for endurance athletes. The list below is based on countless research papers and articles I've read, complemented with my own experimentation and experiences.

After listing those benefits, I'll delve a bit into the evidence behind these claims, including the results of some studies as well as anecdotal observational evidence.

Perceived Benefits of Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

RUNNING: improved running economy, stronger/faster sprint finish, stronger hill climbing ability, injury prevention

CYCLING: injury prevention, improved economy, stronger time trialling and sprinting ability

SWIMMING: injury prevention, improved efficiency, stronger propulsion

GENERAL HEALTH: improved bone health, better hormonal production and balance


IMPROVED RUNNING ECONOMY

What does "running economy' mean anyway? Simplistically, better running economy means your ability to run faster and / or for longer without expending more energy in the process.

Better running economy can be achieved through multiple means, including better biomechanics (for e.g. midfoot striking as opposed to heal striking), deeper and more controlled breathing, faster cadence, etc.

How can strength training improve running economy? Well studies on that subject are inconclusive  Some show small / insignificant improvements while others show no improvement at all. However, one thing I noticed is that most of these studies involved elite runners who by definition are already very efficient  with very good biomechanics and more importantly good physiology.

Why is that important? Well because one of the main reasons non-elite runners have worse running economy is because of a weak core / stabilizers combo. Let me explain:

Let's start with picture (A): in this scenario, during the "push-off" phase of the stride, the force generated by your calves and hamstring will be directed primarily vertically upward - this combines with the forward lean in your body to produce an upward and forward motion, moving you forward. Again, simplistically, the result is that most of the force generated ends up moving you forward. Elite athletes tend to naturally have that Picture (A) type position.

Now consider picture (B): because of unstable hips, the force generated by the push-off is directed up and to the side. A lot of that force is "absorbed" by the tilt in the hips, instead of being used to propel you forward (note that this scenario significantly increases the risks of many running injuries, which I'll address below).

One more thing to consider here: this argument is even more critical for triathletes than runners: by the time we get to the run, we're usually already quite tired and our "core" has already been working non-stop through the swim and bike. This hip stability becomes an even more critical factor for us.

One study has shown an 8% improvement in running economy among runners who strength train twice a week compared to those who rely only on run training.

There is one other aspect of running economy to consider: muscle elasticity. Now if you're familiar with proper running biomechanics, efficient runners will use a combination of gravity and the natural "elastic recoil" of the body to be efficient over long distance. What does that mean? It means the following:

       Muscles and tendons are naturally elastic. They are designed to store and release energy like a spring. When your foot lands (when running), the muscles compress like a spring, and the tendons stretch like a rubber band, and then they both release, giving you that "bounce" (you can experience that for yourself if you stand barefoot and "lightly" jump up and down).

     ==> Multiple studies (e.g. Saunders et al in 2004) have shown that strength training and plyometrics significantly improve the ability of muscles to use elastic energy and reduce the energy wasted in braking forces (when your foot lands when running for e.g.), thereby improving overall running economy. 

A study by Millet et al in 2002 showed that heavy resistance training led to improved max strength and running economy in triathletes with no significant effects on V02max.

STRONG AND FASTER SPRINT

Here the evidence from studies is clearer: there seems to be a consensus that specific strength training among runners does improve peak speed as well as reduce "time to fatigue" in anaerobic zones.

What does this mean in everyday language: it means you will be able to sprint faster for longer (at the end of a triathlon or running race for example). In fact, not only that: that same attribute will allow you to sustain power for longer when going up a hard hill or stairs when you need to tap into that anaerobic zone.

Studies have also shown that strength training improves the runner's ability to metabolize lactic acid accumulated during anaerobic efforts. This becomes a critical factor in events that involve sudden bursts of speed (for e.g. a run course with multiple 180-degree turns or when trying to "break" an opponent a la Gomez-Brownlee London 2013 ITU Final).

A study by Sedano et al (2013) of 18 well-trained male endurance runners split into 3 groups: endurance group (E), theraband and endurance group (TE), resistance, plyo and endurance group (RPE). 12 week results: TE and RPE showed increased muscle strength, running economy, peak running velocity, and faster 3km time trial.

A study by Mikkola et al (2007) demonstrated that a simultaneous explosive resistance training and endurance program improved power output in cross country skiers without compromising VO2max, providing power needed to overcome hills and sprint finishes.

INJURY PREVENTION: LOWER LIMBS

Ahhhh, the big one.... where do I start? I'll just focus on the most critical ones: implications of muscle weakness on joint stability and function

The list of examples of joint pains or damage resulting from endurance training is endless, but I'm going to focus on the most common complaints and how muscle weakness plays a role.

Let's start with the lower half of your body, where people suffer the most: knee pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hip pain, etc.

You see whether running or cycling, the plane of movement is always the same: saggital (front to back). Essentially, your hip, knee and ankle joints move in the same direction whether running or cycling. Some are designed ONLY for this kind of motion (knee) while others have a wider range of motion (hip, ankle). 

Why is this important? Well because this is how these joints are supposed to be moving when running/cycling, but muscle weakness and imbalances lead to inconsistencies in how they actually move during these activities.

Consider this: you're increasing your run volume (or even your cycling volume) but your glutes (muscles in your bum) are weak. You see the main function of your glute muscles is to stabilize your hip and keep it pointing in the right direction. You want to know what direction your hip is in right now? Squat down and look at where your knee is pointing, that's a good indication - if it's like the pic on the left, you're likely suffering from weakness in your glutes / core (OK YOU CAN STOP NOW! PEOPLE ARE STARING!!).

The scenario in the picture on the left is very common. When your foot lands during running, your knee turns inwards instead of pointing straight towards the front.

Now look at the red line, the "force" of the impact from running is being applied to the knee when it's "stressed" by being pulled to the inside. OUCH!!! The knee is only designed to move front to back,  not laterally!

But hold on a second, it is NOT your knee that's rotating inwards, it's your entire hip! Remember your knee cannot rotate, but your hip can, so in fact YOUR ENTIRE LEG is rotating inwards. This is putting tremendous "torque" and pressure on the ligaments around your knee, as well as your cartilage.


You often hear people talking about ITB syndrome as a cause for knee pain - well one of the main reasons for that is this kind of hip rotation. Your ITB runs alongside the outside of your hip, then crosses over the knee towards the inside of your shin (see ITB labeled in bold in the pic on the left). If your knee collapses inwards when running, this stresses/stretches the ITB and causes it to rub against the bone, causing that miserable pain.
What causes this? In most cases, it's muscle weakness and imbalance: your glutes are the ones supposed to keep your hip stabilize and tracking in the right direction. Strong glutes will rotate your hip back to the correct angle where your knee points straight ahead, and will keep it there.

This is even a bigger problem for female athletes, because their physiology already puts them at a disadvantage in terms of the angles of force produced when running (that's one of the main reasons why female runners are not as efficient as their male counterparts, but that's a whole different topic).

So any further imbalances caused by muscle weakness in female runners put them at an even greater injury risk than male runners.


The Cascading Effect

But wait, the story doesn't end there... You see when your knee collapses inwards like this, it leads to more muscle imbalances elsewhere: Because your knee is now towards the middle of your body when your foot lands, but you still want to move in a forward motion, your foot and ankle now have to rotate excessively outwards to compensate

Without getting into too much anatomy, suffice it to say that this puts tremendous pressure on the "inside" of your shins and causes your "arch" to collapse.

Side note on overpronation, shoe choices and orthotics: you walk into a shoe store and they make you stand on this mat that tells you whether you have normal or high/low arches. Then they tell you: oh you have a normal arch so no overpronation, go for neutral shoes without any arch support. A few runs later and you're suffering from shin pains! What happened? 
For starters, don't get me started about the knowledge level of salespeople at run shoe shops in Dubai! 
Second: yes you may have a "normal arch", but then if your knee is collapsing inwards every time you run, it is causing your arch to collapse anyway, causing you to overpronate, overloading your shins and causing you shin pain, shin splints and possible stress fractures!! (thanks to my physio Darren for pointing this out to me)


This is just ONE example of how muscle weakness and imbalances in your lower half can lead to a number of joint-related pains and injuries.

Another area where muscle weakness can lead to injury is when force is exerted on a joint in the wrong direction due to a change in terrain or sudden unexpected movements. Examples include offroad running, obstacle courses, or even the sudden stop/turn/go motion of turnaround points on run courses. All of these scenarios put sideways pressure on your ankles, knees, spine and neck. 
If the muscles surrounding these joints are not strong enough to stabilize these joints, then you run the risk of "shearing", which is not only painful, but could lead to long-term injuries.

I'll leave this topic with one more piece of information: a study by Chuter and Janse de Jonge (2012) showed that poor core stability is implicated in the development of foot and ankle injuries, ITB Syndrome, patello-femoral pain (runner's knee), and ACL

INJURY PREVENTION: UPPER BODY

I'll give you one more example of a similar problem in your upper body. No I'm not going to talk about lower back pain due to weak lower back muscles, because that seems like a no brainer! I will talk about a problem that's recently happened to me, and which I've discovered has plagued a number of triathletes and swimmers: neck and shoulder pain.

Consider the picture on the left. The Scapula is your shoulder blade, the big wide bone in your upper back. The upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles act on it by pulling it upwards, while other muscles around and below the Scapula pull it downwards. All in all, it should stay stable / balanced

There is a common problem that is identifiable with swimmers: swimming develops strong shoulder and upper chest muscles, including the upper trapezius and Levator Scapulae. These muscles start "pulling" the Scapula (your shoulder blade) "up and in", towards your neck (indicated by the red arrows). This has to be compensated by all the other muscles stabilizing your scapula pulling it back out and down. But unless these middle back muscles are strengthened, they will get overpowered by the stronger muscles used when swimming (labeled Area of weakness). 

In fact, any movement that bunches your shoulders up towards your ears works those upper trapezius and Levator Scapulae muscles hard: swimming, lifting heavy objects, sitting at your desk at work, and even being tense (notice how your shoulders move up when you're feeling stressed). If you don't train the lower muscles to "pull the shoulder blades" back down, the Scapula will gradually start moving upwards, compressing the nerve conduits around your spine, causing neck and shoulder pain, numbness in arm and fingers, and potentially bigger problems if untreated. The fix? Just work your middle back and lat muscles in the gym to counterbalance all the work being done on your upper shoulder muscles (trapezius and levator scapulae). 

If you're already seeing symptoms, then you may have to combine the strength training with treatment to release the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles to help "bring the shoulders back down".



SOME ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE ENHANCING OR INJURY PREVENTION EVIDENCE AND OBSERVATIONS

Improved Cycling Efficiency: studies published in July 2012 in the Journal of Human Kinetics have shown that strength training improves the "negative" phase of the pedal stroke, improving overall power produced by 7% in the process. This was especially visible in the final strong sprint efforts at the end of 3 hours of aerobic cycling


Improved Swimming Efficiency: it is no coincidence that people drool over the washboard abs of professional swimmers. They do a ton of core work. As you know, streamlining is paramount for efficient swimming, and if you have a weak core, your body will be flopping around in the water, pretty much the complete opposite of the streamlined arrow you're looking for - Second: you don't swim with your shoulder muscles, you generate power from your hips and use the big lat and chest muscles to propel yourself through the water. Again, the stronger these muscles are the more powerful your stroke is going to be (a good way to increase your "distance per stroke").

Better Impact Absorption: as we discussed above, and thanks to their "elastic" nature, your muscles act as your shock absorbers. The stronger these muscles are, the better shock absorption you'll have in running or other high impact sports. Note: that is one of the reasons professional Ironman athletes tend to be "bulkier" than short-distance triathletes.

Bone Health: studies have shown that the increased tension on tendons and ligaments induced from strength training leads to bone growth and strengthening. Furthermore, studies have shown that lifting heavy weights causes a (very slight) bend in long bones, again spurring the growth and strengthening in the skeletal system.

Hormonal Health: this is a hotly debated topic but the evidence is more and more convincing: endurance training lowers testosterone levels in men (let me know if you want to know more about why, how and what to do about it). On the other hand, strength training boosts anabolic hormones (including testosterone), which has the added benefit of having a beneficial impact on body fat, mood, and sex life (as evidenced in a 2003 study comparing levels of Luteinizing Hormone, DHEA, Cortisol and Testosterone between endurance athletes and strength training athletes - "Effect of Training Status and Exercise Mode on Endogenous Steroid Hormones in Males").

In PART II (coming in a few days), we shall address the optimal approaches to integrating strength training into your endurance training regime (the when and how), as well as any nutritional adjustments you may need to implement. Of course, there are people opposed to strength training for endurance athletes, so we'll tackle some of the most common arguments too.

Train smart, train hard, train safe.
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