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This
program is divided into 3 distinct phases: Off-season
(16 weeks), in-season (24 weeks), and post-season
(6 weeks). Additionally, these phases are divided by 3
transition periods of one to two weeks each that allow for rest
between them. This is just a general guideline, but the main
point is every sport needs a post-season to recover and an
off-season to gain strength and triathlon is no different.
Triathlon, though, is a very long season and in this case 6
months are dedicated to the in-season.
Hopefully, some of the gains made in the off-season will
spill over into the in-season and provide benefits to training
and racing.
The most important phase of the three, as far as strength
training is concerned, is the off- season phase. The 16 weeks
are further broken down into endurance (6 weeks), strength (6
weeks) and power (4 weeks) cycles. Intensity increases within
each cycle as does rest time. During this phase 6 upper body
exercises will be performed twice weekly, Monday and Thursday,
and 6 lower body exercises twice weekly, Tuesday and Friday, for
a total of 4 weekly training sessions. Transition period one
allows the athlete to recover and start to focus on the upcoming
season. The in-season phase is basically a maintenance phase
that will be performed twice a week on Monday and Thursday. A
total of 8 exercises, 4 upper body and 4 lower body, will be
performed EACH session. The focus of this phase is on endurance
so rest times will be short, 30-45 seconds, and intensity and
amount of weight low. The athlete should focus more on triathlon
specific training and less on resistance training during this
phase. Transition period two allows the athlete to recuperate
from the season before starting the next phase. The last phase
is the post-season phase. In this short phase, consisting of 10
exercises, the athlete will prepare the body for the demands to
be placed on it in the off-season phase. The program here will
incorporate 3 days, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with all ten
exercises being performed each day. Rest time will increase
slightly, 45-60 seconds, and the athlete will focus on light to
moderate weight and technique practice in preparation for the
upcoming off-season program.
In
the off-season all 12 exercises will be performed, six for
each training day. Other days can be substituted as long as no
more than 2 days of rest are in between.
Three sets of each exercise will be performed. For the
in-season program the cable press and alternate arm/leg row will
be omitted from the upper body exercises and the step-up and hip
lift from the lower body exercises to reduce the number of
exercises to eight. Additionally, sets will decrease from three
to two sets per exercise. This will allow the athlete to devote
more time to training and racing.
During the post season program, the athlete will add the
alternate arm/leg row and step-ups back to the program as he or
she prepares to return to the off-season program. This will
bring the number of exercises up to ten. Also, the number of
sets will increase from two to three midway through the phase.
As
stated earlier, the off-season program is divided into
cycles. During the endurance cycle, we will focus on lifting the
weight or body in a controlled manner.
Both the lift and the return will be on a two count. Rest
period will be 45 seconds. For each week the athlete will try
and increase weight 5% for upper body and 10% for lower body.
For body weight exercises, try and increase one to two
repetitions per week.
In the strength cycle, the lift will be on a two count
and the return on a four count. Weight will increase by 2.5% for
upper body and 5% for lower body exercises for each week in this
phase. Body weight repetition will stay the same as the
difficulty of the exercise increases with the slower velocity.
The rest time will also increase to 90 seconds allowing for full
recovery. Finally, the power cycle will have the athlete lifting
the weight or body quickly and forcefully while returning on a
two count. Since more energy will be expended, the rest time
will be two minutes. Weight will remain constant because the
difficulty of the exercise is increased with rapid force
production during the lift. For body weight exercises the number
of repetitions may decrease for the above mentioned reasons.
For all cycles, each exercise will be performed for 3
sets except for those performed unilaterally; these exercises
will have 2 sets performed to each limb.
This
program is easy to implement, but some of the exercises can be
challenging even to the most seasoned athlete. To reap the best
benefits always focus on technique first and adding weight
later. There are many athletes out who lift heavier weights but
the technique is awful. Each exercise performed should be smooth
and fluid, if not then you have to practice your technique!
Gaining strength and the coordination to do the exercises may
not come in a few weeks, but stick with the program and you will
definitely see results come race time.
The following is a list of the twelve exercises that will be
performed in the program. These exercises should be performed in
that order to alternate quadriceps and hamstring exercises.
The
Upper Body Exercises: The first three are pulling exercises
and the last 3 pushing. The athlete should alternate pushing and
pulling exercises.
Pull-up/Chin-up
Inverted
Row
Alternate
arm/Leg Cable Row
Push-up
Progression
Cable
Press
Dips
The Lower Body Exercises:
One
Leg Squat Pull
One
Leg Dead Lift
Lunge
Hip
Lift w/ Stability Ball
Step-up
Leg
Curl w/ Stability Ball
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