Endurance Athletes Lifting Heavy Weights

If you participate in endurance sports it makes sense that we should train our muscles for endurance in the gym, right? WRONG. Endurance athletes spend most of their time in sport and consequently building muscular endurance so when it comes to resistance training endurance is the LOWEST priority.

Endurance athletes lack strength. If you build strength it will require less effort to put force into the ground, pedal or pull. Less effort at the same speed = improved efficiency. Improved strength means that you can run, bike, or swim faster with less effort than before. Lifting heavy enhances performance. The caveat is that the exercise selection is appropriate for your chosen discipline.

I understand that there is concern of putting on muscle mass and you may gain some lean mass but you will not achieve any result similar to a bodybuilder. The muscle you gain will support your sport & not slow you down.

Training strength for endurance athletes requires heavy loads and low reps. This will maximize your strength gains while minimizing increases to muscle mass. Lower rep ranges build nervous system adaptation & minimize soreness or heaviness that can impact your performance. Heavy loads will maximize your strength gains and effectiveness of training.

The wrong exercise dose will cause soreness that will make training the next day harder. No runner, cyclist or swimmer wants that! Part of the trick is planning your strength training regimen around your run schedule.

Regardless of doing things right you can expect some soreness if you are just starting out. Have someone assess your needs and help you work toward your goals. Lifting “heavy” is important but it’s also relative. It will take months for your body to adapt to some lifts. Take your time. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.

Are you an endurance athlete that lifts? Have you tried strength training? What do you like / dislike?