Fasted Race Experiment Successful... no shovel required!

Glad to report that I'm ok. Racing Abu Dhabi Short in a fasted state did not result in me collapsed by the side of the road begging passers by for an energy gel or Coke...

Some background
Yesterday I took part in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (ADIT), racing the Short distance - except there is nothing "short" about it: 1.5km swim, followed by 100km bike, followed by a 10km run.

Hello Abu Dhabi!

I take part in this race every year: being a Dubaiyite (as my wife calls us Dubai residents), it's considered our "local" race, I also often use this race to experiment with something new. Last year, I used the race to experiment with new nutrition products from Hammer Nutrition. While the products worked great, I misjudged my hydration, became dehydrated and had a miserable race full of cramps (which you can read about here).

This year, however, I went in the complete opposite direction: I wanted to race the event on nothing but water. That's right: no energy gels, no energy bars, no electrolyte tablets, no coke, no gatorade... just good old fashioned water, for a race that typically takes between 4 and 5 hours and coincides with the beginning of the UAE summer heat.

But I'm not an idiot: I didn't just wake up last week and decide to race "on an empty stomach". During the past 2 months or so, I've amended my diet and training to become more fat adapted. In other words, I've been teaching my body to prioritize the use of fat as a primary source of fuel both for exercise as well as for daily living. At the end of this blogpost, I'm outlining some of the main things I've adopted to become more fat adapted.

The purpose of my plan to race ADIT "unfueled" was to determine whether I was fat adapted enough to tap into my fat resources to fuel me through the entire race, without the need to resort to energy gels/bars/sports drinks.

Why am I doing all this? What's the harm in consuming carbohydrate-rich energy gels and drinks? Primarily for health reasons: I have diabetes in my family history, in addition to heart disease, high blood pressure and triglycerides, all linked to high carbohydrate consumption. I talked extensively about all this here.

I also did not make use of any electrolyte supplements (e.g. Saltstick, Nuun, Gu Brew...). These are claimed to replenish electrolytes lost in heavy sweating. All the research I've read in recent months about the topic point to the fact that it's virtually impossible to deplete yourself from electrolytes to the point of causing cramps in a single day event, unless you've had 0 salt/mineral intake with your food in the days leading up to the event (another impossibility).

So water was all there was (with some amino acids, as I explain below).

The X Factor
While my aim was to isolate the "fat adaptation" aspect in my experiment to make it the only "factor" in the race, there was a somewhat significant "X factor": my race fitness, or lack of it to be exact. I honestly haven't trained much in recent months due to a combination of personal and work-related matters. I had enough fitness to carry me through the race, but not enough fitness to "race" the race.

I knew I would have to look at my post-race results with that lens...

Preview and Race Conditions
The race took place on Saturday March 15th. I drove up on Friday morning, checked into the hotel, registered, did the pre-race usual (dropped off bike in transition, etc.). On Friday, conditions were horrible: heavy rain, heat/humidity, and gale force winds to boot. We were all hoping that things would calm down overnight...

and calm down they did...

On Saturday, we woke up to clear skies and no winds. The rain had left something behind though: we were looking at 80% humidity throughout the day, and the air felt thick. We also knew that the winds would pick up over the course of the day, as they always do in this part of the region.

The Race Plan
Nutrition
Breakfast - 2 hours before race-start: Bulletproof Coffee +3g Amino Acids
Bike: water +1g Amino Acids on the hour every hour (so 3g)
Run: water

Some explanations:

Bulletproof Coffee? What the heck is that?: Click here for an explanation. Why? Well the fat content in the Bulletproof Coffee actually triggers the fat burning metabolism (called beta-oxidation) in your body. In other words, it "starts the fat burning engine", thereby allowing you to tap into your fat reserves.

Why Amino Acids? Amino Acids are the basic building blocks of proteins. I take a small amount (6g in total) just to protect my muscles from destroying themselves too much during long endurance events, like a triathlon. I don't get energy from Amino Acids, they're more preventative than anything else (again following the theme of minimize the negative health implications of endurance racing).

Race Execution Plan
In order for me to get through the race without resorting to energy gels/bars/drinks, I would have to stay in my "fat burning" zone of effort. This typically means an effort of around 75% of my maximum effort on the swim, the bike and the run.

Why? Well your body uses 2 sources of fuel primarily: carbohydrates and fats. Fats provide more energy, but they take longer to burn. Carbs produce less energy, but they are "quick".

• So if your effort level is "hard" (e.g. 80% or more), you need energy "quickly", so you will need carbohydrates. You have some stored in your liver and muscles, enough for around 90min of effort. After that, you'll need to eat carbs to replenish and keep going (gels, bars, sports drinks, etc.)

• If you keep your effort level around the 75% mark, you can use "fat" as a source of fuel. You have hours and hours worth of fat stores in your body (no matter how lean you are). 

Of course, you can't just wake up and assume that your body will chose fat. Our typical diet has unfortunately conditioned our bodies to operate on carbs, even at low levels of effort. 

What I've been doing over the last 8 weeks or so is "recondition" my body to learn to burn fat for anything other than a "hard" effort (I describe some of what I did at the bottom of this blogpost).

Swim:
I opted for no wetsuit, even though it was going to mean a slower swim. My lack of swim training meant that going 45sec faster with a wetsuit would not have made any difference. In addition, the air was warm and thick with humidity, conditions I normally struggle with anyway, so I didn't want to risk overheating during the swim by wearing a wetsuit.

Target effort level: 75%, comfortable pace

Bike: 
Plan was to bike also at a 75% effort, making use of my Vector power meter and heart rate monitor to gauge my effort and keep it steady throughout the bike course (i.e. avoid spikes which would push me into carb-burning zones, which are typically above 80% effort).

Run:
Same as bike: keep it at 75% effort and use heart rate monitor to maintain a stable pace.

Race Day
Preparation
I woke up at 5am after a good night's sleep. It's funny, I don't get nervous much before races, a big step from a couple of years back when I would spend the night tossing and turning.

I ordered fresh coffee from room service, and while waiting for it, spent 5min doing some breathing exercises. Those have a dual purpose of (i) oxygenating my blood/muscles and (ii) warming up my breathing muscles (diaphragm, rib cage muscles).

When the coffee came, I prepared my bulletproof coffee, and while sipping it, I completed a quick warmup: pushups, burpees, lunges. Nothing crazy: just getting the blood flowing to all muscle groups.

I got my kit ready, took 3g amino acids, and headed downstairs to catch the shuttle bus to the race venue.

I got to the race venue and it was buzzing with activity. The Pros were about to start, music was blaring, and there was this infectious energy in the whole place, which I love and missed since my last big race at Challenge Roth in July.

A bit of a burst bubble happened when I realized that my bike computer (Garmin Edge) was stolen off my bike overnight! I couldn't comprehend it: the only people with access to the bikes were race officials and other athletes. What kind of athlete steals a bike computer!?

Anyway, I had my old trusty Garmin Forerunner 310XT in my bag, and I had charged it overnight as a backup. I put it on my wrist, paired it with my power meter and heart rate strap, and headed down to the beach to warm up before race start.

The Swim (1.5km)
I was in a wave of around 300 other athletes. I started on the side (no point in getting bashed around too much). When the horn went off, I plunged it and tried to settle into a rhythm immediately. I had to deal with kicks and blows for the first 5min or so (typical of a race start), but then things cleared up and I was swimming super comfortably.

Results: at this stage, I experienced the impact of the Bulletproof Coffee for the first time: I had never experienced such mental clarity during the beginning of a race. I was acutely aware of where I was in the water, I was reacting a lot quicker to other swimmers, and I was very much focused on my streamlining, body position and stroke. Certainly the most comfortable swim in any race I've taken part in.

I came out of the water in 32:10. Slow, but expected.

Thanks Christian for the pic!

Transition 1
T1 in ADIT is a bit of a long one. You run up the beach, through a fresh water shower, into a changing tent to grab your "bike bag" and change, then out into the large area where all the bikes are.

Again, I was super comfortable as I was running into the tent. My "bike bag" was empty, because all what I needed (helmet, race belt, sunglasses) were hanging on the hook where I left them. I grabbed them and put them on as I was running towards my bike.

Grabbed the bike and ran with it to the mounting line. I had left my bike shoes clipped into the pedals, so I ran across the mounting line, hopped on, slipped my feet into the shoes and started pedaling away.

T1: 4.5min. Rusty, lack of practice shows.

Bike (100km)

2nd bubble burst: as I explained earlier, my plan was to use my power meter and heart rate monitor to make sure I stayed in my "fat burning zone" of 75% effort. Of course, that requires being able to see the power you're producing or your heart rate. 

Since my bike computer was MIA, I had put on my backup Forerunner on my wrist. But when I looked at it on the bike, it was "dead': water had gotten into it during the swim (no idea why) and it just refused to restart.

Switching to Plan C then!

I had 2 choices at that point:

1. Throw the experiment out the window, smash the bike segment, grabbing energy gels from the aid stations throughout; or
2. Try to estimate what 75% feels like using my breathing and "perceived exertion" and stick to the experiment.

I opted for option 2.
How I executed it was pretty simple: 75% effort means I should be able to breath through my nose. Every time I had to breath through my mouth, I would slow my effort down until I regained control of my breathing. Of course I "let that go" on the bridges somewhat, but just by 10% or so.

The bike ride was otherwise super-smooth. I stayed on the aerobars for pretty much the entire ride (except for tight corners on Yas Marina GP Circuit).

I was grabbing water from every aid station (and nothing else). It was getting hot and very humid very quickly, so I was drinking around 800ml/hour (estimated, I had no watch/bike computer/Garmin!!).

Results

Positives: never ever felt any energy dips or lack of power. Never felt the need to take any energy gels/bars/drinks. Felt super steady and consistent in my effort, and it was very easy to regain control of my breathing after going up bridges and flyovers.

Negatives: none really. The only thing I struggled with was the fact that I was getting passed by so many people in the first 40km or so of the bike. 

This is something I'm not used to: the bike normally being my "strength", it's usually the other way around for me. 

I took a little pleasure in the last 40km though: I was passing a lot of the people who had passed me earlier, even though I was still putting out a 75% effort. Many people were beginning to fade as the winds picked up during the second half of the bike.

Total time for 100km: 3:12 (avg 31.2km/h)

Transition 2
T2 was uneventful. Got off the bike just before the dismount line, leaving the shoes clipped into the pedals. Dropped off my bike at the first empty spot I could find and jogged to the transition tent feeling very comfortable. Helmet off, shoes on, visor on, and off I went for the 10km run.

Saw Christian Berglehner from Race-Me and my club-mate at TriDubai on the way to the changing tent, and he snapped a pic:

Run (10km)
The moment I stepped out of the tent, I realized how hot and humid it was. It was close to mid-day and the sun was blasting, and I already knew that the run course had no shaded areas whatsoever.

Again, I had no heart rate monitor, so I had to gauge my effort by feel to keep it at 75%. 

I already knew what that meant for me (that's how I train myself and others): 75% means I'm able to keep a 4/3 breathing pattern. 3/2 means I'm beginning to go above 80%, and that was a no no for this particular experiment.

Remember what I mentioned earlier: 80%+ effort means you're dipping into stored carbs, and you only have 90min of those in your body. I was already 4 hours into the race, and I certainly did use some of those 90min during the swim (aggressive start) and the bike (bridges and flyovers).

Now the major parameter that influences how fast you go at a particular level of effort is your fitness. For example, someone who can run at 11km/h at 75% effort is fitter than someone who can run at 10km/h at 75% effort.

Things are also negatively affected by heat and humidity: if you normally run at 10km/h at 75%, the heat/humidity will drive your effort to 80% for the same speed of 10km/h. Some people (e.g moi) are more susceptible to hot weather conditions than others.

Results

I started the run feeling ok, and kept my pace very slow to control my breathing and maintain that 4/3 breathing pattern. 2km into the run and I started to lose control: I couldn't maintain a 4/3 breathing pattern anymore, which meant that my effort level was creeping above 80%. I had to slow it down since I still had 8km to go. 

But I know myself. This has nothing to do with how "fat adapted" I am. This has to do with how "unfit" I am. Given the lack of training over the past few months, I just was not "capable of staying at 75% at 6min/km", and the only way I could was by slowing down to a walk.

I started a new pattern:

• Run at 75% until I couldn't
• Walk until my breathing recovered
• Restart running at 75%

That went on until the 9km mark, when I decided that I still had some of that stored carbs left: I picked up the pace and ran the rest of the way to the finish at 85-90% effort.

A highlight of the run was seeing TriDubai trisuit after TriDubai trisuit. Such a big presence for our club at such a major race made me immensely proud! Shoutouts from Venny, Johan, Patrice, and countless others were uplifting!
Run time: 1:17 (slow as a snail).

TOTAL TIME: 5:11 (263rd out of 381 in my age group).
I crossed the finish line a little out of breath, but I can honestly say that I finished "fresh". I wasn't tired, no muscle pains, no cramps whatsoever…

But the most important thing of all: as with the swim, my mind was "clear". I had never experienced this mental clarity at the end of a brutal 5hr race. No mental fog, no dizziness, no blurred vision, etc…

Carbs are famous for causing mental fog in the best of conditions, but I always thought that the mental fog at the end of a long-distance triathlon came from the exertion… not this time!

I was chatting to some of the guys at the finish, and I could recall every minute of my race and could tell them what was happening at every one of those minutes. It was an incredible feeling…

Conclusions and Next Steps
In my opinion, the experiment was a resounding success: I never felt out of energy and my level of energy was steady and consistent throughout the whole event.

This is all hypothetical of course, but allow me to run some numbers:

The following were my swim/bike/run paces at 75% a year ago (when I was far more race-ready):

• Swim 1.5km: 29min (vs 32min today)
• Bike 100km: 33km/h (vs 31.5km/h today)
• Run 10km: 55min (vs. 75min today with walks)

In other words, I'm convinced that this experiment was successful enough to warrant a second attempt after a few months of training.

I'm registered for Norway 70.3 In July. Will I adopt the same there? Probably not. Not because I will stop fat adapting (I won't) but because I don't want to "race" Norway 70.3 at 75% effort. It's my "A" race this season and I'm looking at going hard (85% effort).

Having said that, I will certainly continued to teach my body to tap into its fat resources, because that will make me more efficient at ALL effort levels. 

This will certainly reduce the amount of carbs I will need to ingest during the race in Norway, which ultimately would be beneficial for my health.

I'm competitive, and all for getting a good result in my races, but not at the expense of increasing my risk of diabetes 10 years down the road…


How did I "fat adapt" over the past few months
I'll start off by admitting that I stuck to this plan around 70% of the time, and "fell off the wagon" around 30% (partially on purpose, partially due to either travel, entertaining, or lack of will power).

On the training side, it was pretty simple:

• Unlike what some traditional people recommend, I did not only train at 75% or lower efforts
• I trained like I normally would: a mix of longer endurance sessions (75% effort) and higher intensity efforts (80%-95%)
• My longer sessions lasted from 60-90min on the runs and 90-180min on the bike
• All of my longer endurance sessions were done in a fasted state (water only)
• All of my higher intensity sessions were under 60min and were pre-fueled

On the nutrition side, I adopted a high fat, high leafy greens, moderate protein, low carb approach.

• Fats accounted for around 55% of my diet.
• Proteins accounted for around 20%
• Carbs accounted for around 25%.

You will note that I still had carbs. Carbs at 25% means I was adopting a "low carb" diet and not a "ketogenic diet". I won't get into the details on the differences, but suffice it to say that keeping carbs at 25% consistently is a lot easier than you think.

• Fats included: grass-fed butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, raw nuts, sardines, salmon, eggs, bacon
• Veggies included: spinach, rocca, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, 
• Proteins included: grass-fed beef, lamb, free-range chicken, duck, fish & seafood
• Carbs included: quinoa (also source of protein), potatoes, fruits, rice (rarely).

Note: when I started this fat adaptation around 8 weeks ago, I could barely run for 60min on an empty stomach and without fueling. By last week (pre-race), I could run for almost 2 hours in a fasted state first thing in the morning feeling absolutely fantastic. It works people!


Finally, I have to say that my whole fat adaptation process resulted in a number of positive consequences which were not the reason I embarked on this in the first place:

• My body composition improved dramatically, despite my limited training: I dropped 2.5% of body fat in 6 weeks
• My GI problems all but disappeared (carbs have been proven to be a major cause of GI problems since the "bad bacteria" in your gut only feed on carbs).

And here is a list of "experts" whose knowledge and experience I draw upon a lot in my education about how our bodies work, how best to fuel, and whose experiences and knowledge I've drawn upon for this whole experiment:

Ben Greenfield

Dave Asprey

Mark Sissons

Chris Kresser

Tony

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