RunningAHEAD - Topic: Heavy cross training (triathlon)

olethros

posted: 3/7/2007 at 4:10 PM

With my leg injury I am forced to stop running for some time. My running has been erratic at best, but I've been very consistent in doing gym work, though probably not as much for my legs as I'd have wanted to. Since I am not running I want to increase my bike/swim efforts, which I've been undertaking once a week or less, but I guess you'd consider me starting from scratch. The thing is, I 'll be sore most of the time for the gym, so I was thinking of doing a 'rolling' schedule with easy, medium, hard weeks at the gym mixed with easy, medium, hard weeks on the bike and in the pool - and combining them with hiking.. So the schedule would be: Week 1- Weights: Medium, Aero: Medium Week 2- Weights: Hard: Aero: Easy Week 3 - Weights: Mediun: Aero: Medium Week 4 - Weights: Easy: Aero: Hard With maybe an extra 'all easy' week. I am not sure how to vary Insity/Volume though. Probably this: Weights: Easy: Medium frequency, low/medium intensity, medium/high volume Medium: Low frequency, medium intensity, high volume High: Low frequency, high intensity, medium volume Aero: Not sure how to regulate this one.. since frequency and volume are more correlated compared to the wight training. Has anyone worked with that type of schedule before?

marcus_g

posted: 3/7/2007 at 5:15 PM

I don't do weight training, but I currently mix bike training with running and have mixed swimming previously... Swimming and biking are both unique in that you can recover from high-intensity workouts much more quickly than you can from lifting or running, so if I had your goals, I'd be inclined to put together a dynamic weight program and fit the other stuff (biking and swimming - hard and easy) around it.

Go to http://certainintelligence.blogspot.com for my blog.

corb

posted: 3/8/2007 at 3:18 PM

I'd only do the hard weights once a week if at all. Triathlon is more aerobic so any weight training should enforce that. I'm training for one and I lift twice a week all high rep, light weight, short rest between sets. I've found that to be less taxing recovery-wise and more benefit to my swimming, biking and running.

olethros

posted: 3/8/2007 at 4:51 PM

I agree with that sentiment - most weeks I'd follow a light weight training schedule, especially for the legs. However I really love to strength train Smile

- so I'd like to do some weeks, maybe once a month, where I strength train. Since my legs would be sore from that I would have to skip a couple of sessions. My idea was to devise a rolling schedule so that some weeks I am doing hard strength and others hard endurance [actually, not really endurance since I am mostly interested in the shorter distances, up to Olympic]. The question is, what kind of aero I should do when I am focusing on strength? Should I take an additional 'easy' week off? Maybe this type of schedule is completely stupid, of course.. Since you're doing triathlons, I have an additional a question about my swim/bike performances. Currently I can comfortably swim 1000m at a relaxed pace in 20 minutes, while my 100m LT intervals seem to be around the 1:20-1:30 mark. I can bike for 1-2 hours at 20-25kph, or for 30-60min uphill at 15-20meters/minute. Do you think that this is OK for comfortably completing a short tri, i.e. sprint or Oly? I have no intention of finishing at a good place, just finishing without being sore for a week.

marcus_g

posted: 3/8/2007 at 5:05 PM

Quote from olethros on 3/8/2007 at 4:51 PM:

Do you think that this is OK for comfortably completing a short tri, i.e. sprint or Oly? I have no intention of finishing at a good place, just finishing without being sore for a week.

I think that's definitely enough base for a sprint tri --- and probably enough for an Oly....

Go to http://certainintelligence.blogspot.com for my blog.

olethros

posted: 3/8/2007 at 5:27 PM

Good, now all I need to do is start running again Smile

corb

posted: 3/14/2007 at 11:04 AM

1:20-30 100m pace is pretty good. You are looking at about an 11 minute swim for the sprint Tri. Doesn't sound like you are having too much trouble with that part. I wouldn't change anything since it seems to be working for you. You could always cut back the weight on your hard weight days and up the reps. I've found 2-3 sets of 15 at light weight was tougher than 2-3 sets at 8 reps heavy weight, but I didn't have the soreness the next day.

olethros

posted: 3/14/2007 at 6:08 PM

Quote from corb on 3/14/2007 at 11:04 AM:

You could always cut back the weight on your hard weight days and up the reps. I've found 2-3 sets of 15 at light weight was tougher than 2-3 sets at 8 reps heavy weight, but I didn't have the soreness the next day.

OK, I feel more confident about the swim now! As for the heavy/light weight, it seems to be pretty random. I did +5/10Kg last week, with low reps (6-8) for biceps/triceps and I definitely could not get another rep out of me for the last two sets, yet no soreness ensued. This week I did a similar workout for my back and I definitely became sore. I guess the volume was a bit higher (more exercises and sets). I did a high-rep workout for my legs, targeting my quads, hips and calves mostly (I thought) but I ended up with a sore bum instead. The workout was definitely 'hard', but .. so the bottom line is it's hard to predict, but if you keep on doing the same workout all the time without changing volume, rest time, intensity, chances are you won't get sore.

corb

posted: 3/15/2007 at 3:51 PM

When I said soreness, I'm talking the type where you ask yourself "Why did I torture myself???". When I don't notice any type of soreness the next day is when I'll up the weight a hair or do some different excersizes. I did 2 sets of lunges yesterday (had not been doing them previously) and now I'm sore, but it's the good kind of sore where it goes away once I start moving again.

olethros

posted: 3/15/2007 at 6:25 PM

Yeah, lunges rule, I started doing them myself, you have all those extra stabiliser muscles you're working! BTW, is a sprint tri 500 or 750m? I am confused.

corb

posted: 3/16/2007 at 3:04 PM

Anything less than Olympic distance (1500 meters) is classified as a sprint, but you'll see various distances.

Heavy cross training (triathlon) (Read 1111 times)