Habits: The good, the bad, the broken

Habit: a behavior pattern followed until it has become nearly inescapable

Over the last 15+ years working with endurance athletes and clients from around the world, I’ve seen far too many folks omit the loud warning signs their bodies are sending them:

Achey knees

Chronic hip and back pain

Chronic neck and shoulder pain

Loss of range of motion (upper back, shoulders, ankles)

Foot pain

The thing is, the vast majority of the individuals I saw, while they paid a little attention to these warning signs and sought my, or other professionals help, they far too often wanted (and still currently want) a quick, simple fix to a problem that occurred due to ignoring smaller signs, or their non-adherence to previous “quick simple fixes” when they were appropriate.

“Just give me 1 or 2 exercises I can do to fix this”

“I think I just need to stretch X muscles to get more mobility”

“I’ll just transition over to trail running for half my mileage instead of road, and then I don’t need to do the strength exercises any more”

While some fitness professionals and cycling/triathlon coaches may give the athlete what they want, they fall far short of what the athlete needs, which leads the athlete down the road to ruin.

“If there is something I’ve learned in my Ironman journey: Recovery and injury prevention are same priority as the workout themselves”

- Aviv D.

Habits: The good, the bad, the broken

Over the last 9 months it seems the universe has been pushing me to write this post, as nearly every 2-3 weeks I’ve seen instagram and Facebook posts from individuals I assessed or consulted with, who have had major injuries, or surgeries to try to address issues, which had they made some basic changes from what they enjoy doing, to what they needed to do, could have (and very much so SHOULD have) been avoided.

Why does this matter?

Because these athletes, for whom each of the issues they had major operations for were brought to light and identified 5+ years ago when we met, or when they met with another professional (Physical Therapist, Massage Therapist, etc).

The athletes were clearly told, in no uncertain terms, where they were headed and what habits they needed to change in order to be able to continue to perform their sport for the next 10, 20, and 30 years….but instead elected to continue down the road to ruin, ignoring the council of others with their best interest at heart.

From complete reconstructive foot surgery, to lower back fusions, shoulder surgeries, neck surgeries, and a number of knee surgeries, each one of these athletes had a chance to decrease or completely avoid the need for extensive surgeries…..instead choosing to be like the grasshopper, neglecting to do the small habits today, which would help them avoid catastrophes tomorrow.

Strength Training isn’t the end all be all….but it sure as hell helps!

Strength training is just one piece of the puzzle to help keep endurance athletes healthy and able to execute what they love to do, but it isn’t the answer to everything. In fact, a few of the individuals whom I have in mind didn’t need strength training, they needed better sleep, nutrition, and lifestyles. They were pushing their bodies so hard, it was just a matter of time before they broke, but the pervasive mentality of “HTFU” (Harden the f*** up) from other triathletes was so ingrained in them, logic fell on deaf ears.

But strength training for cyclists and strength training for triathletes can help you take large steps forward to stay out on the road, doing what you love, for a number of reasons:

1. Better posture means joints and muscles are in positions where they can do their jobs

2. Improved balance of muscle strength means you can move easier and freer

3. Moving heavy objects (relative to your abilities) improves neuromuscular function and helps you keep more muscle mass- very important as we age.

4. Decreased wear and tear on your joints, as the muscles work to protect the joints

The thing is, many cyclists and triathletes see strength training as time AWAY from their sport, when in fact, when done PROPERLY, strength training can and will significantly boost your triathlon and cycling results. And it isn’t a huge mindbend to get there….

On my Strong Savvy Cyclist & Triathlete podcast interview with Jason Fitzgerald from www.StrengthRunning.com he talks about how he reduces mileage each run throughout the week, and replaces that time with a strength routine immediately after his run, to improve overall function and abilities.

Just like saving or investing financially, the returns will come from steady, regular habits performed over a long period of time…not some big excited jump into strength training every November that leaves you sore, stiff, and tired for the next 2-3 months, only to fall off at the first sign of spring weather.

The choice is yours….

Here is a 5 minute post-ride routine that you can use 3-5 days a week to help you move, look, and feel better:

---

If you want to learn more about Strength Training for Cycling, or Strength Training for Triathlon, you can either take one of my TrainingPeaks University courses on the subject here:

Strength Training for Cyclists: https://trainingpeaks-university.thinkific.com/courses/strength-training-for-cycling-success

Strength Training for Triathletes: https://trainingpeaks-university.thinkific.com/courses/strength-training-for-triathlon-success

Or you can sign up for the HVT Newsletter and get great info in your inbox, and first dibs on my upcoming first of it’s kind "Strength Training for Cycling Certificaiton” course, which will be released in fall/winter 2019.

Are You Actually Healthy? 4 Markers To Keep You on Track

As with many July’s of years past, my inbox begins to fill with emails from cyclists, runners, and triathletes who have seen their seasons come to a stall, or crashing halt, due to “lack of motivation” or “lack of energy to do my workout”…..Although they are emailing me because they cant muster up the energy or motivation to get out the door, more often than not, they mention “but my weight is (X)” or, “but my watts per kg is (x)”.

But there are a large variety of factors that effect our health that we tend to write off, and instead go based on a number on a scale, or your Watts Per Kilogram.

I’ve seen this with a wide variety of people- from promising professional/semi professional athletes, to those working to get their weight down via surgical or non-surgical interventions, as well as brides to be, and the everyday individuals whom I train and coach.

The scale, and watts per KG, while they can be a decent indicator of your mass or overall abilities, it does not tell you what that mass is made up of, nor how well your body is functioning. In short, the scale lies, your watts per kg are just a number. Yup, you read that right. The scale lies and your W/kg don’t mean didly when it comes to determining your overall health and wellbeing.

So if the scale and watts per kilo don’t tell us all we need, how do we assess if we are living a truly healthy lifestyle, and are healthy?

For the sake of brevity, here are a few better indicators of your actual health, that will allow you help determine how healthy you are, and where you can improve.

1. Time for self

While this may not seem like much of a health indicator, one of the biggest things that we see is stress from having so many activities, or so much to do.

Now, this does NOT mean grabbing some popcorn and watching a few episodes of your favourite show. It DOES mean taking a 10-15 minute walk (no music or phone!), sitting on a park bench, watching a sunset/sunrise, or heading out around the block with the dog (again, NO music, no phone!). 

Time for self allows us to think things through, get a firmer grasp on whats going on in our life, and start to make much more focused and thought out decisions. 

This time for self gives us the ability to see things with a bit more mental clarity, think things through without distraction, and helps us stay true to our own North Star.

GOAL: 15-60 minutes a day

2. Sleep

Sleep is where the body solidifies things learned in our day, and sorts and stores the information that we’ve taken in. Specifically REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is integral to allowing us to recover, and improve. While we get restful sleep, it allows the body to repair itself, and hit the reset button.

To help you get the most out of your sleep, aim for 6-8 hours, in whatever amount allows you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day. Avoid Coffee and other stimulants such as alcohol after 5pm if at all possible, and aim for a regular bedtime (+/- 15 minutes) each night. Oh, and no screentime (phone, computer, TV) for 30 minutes before bed. The blue light from the screen wakes your brain up, taking longer for you to hit your REM cycle (deep sleep).

GOAL: 6-8 Hours a night of uninterrupted sleep, waking up feeling energized and refreshed

3.Nutrition 

This is one of the simplest things for us to do, but yet it is just so damn hard!

I’ve been involved in fitness for over 20 years, and am going to tell you the truth- nearly every diet will work for you, if you follow it STRICTLY with no cheating……for about 6 weeks. After the 6 week period, it will depend on how much the diet actually goes with your lifestyle. 

What we eat becomes a part of YOUR body, and effects how it works- for better or worse.

Want to get off the revolving door that is fad diets, and diets in general? Here’s what you need to do:

Eat veggies.

Eat Fresh fruits (no added sugar), but not too much.

Eat healthy fats, but in proper proportions.

Eat protein- now days no matter if you’re an omnivore or Vegan, you have many options

Limit highly processed food - breads, pastas, bagels, etc (although endurance athletes on days that you are training more than 120 min, or days which you’re doing high intensity for ~75-90 min you WILL need some more)

Keep processed sugars out of your daily meal plan- they are like poison….EXCEPT if you are in your prime riding/ racing season, and burning through 4000+ calories a day, in which case SOME of these, sprinkled in, can actually help bolster your on-bike/ in-sport abilities.

GOAL:

Non endurance workout days: Zero processed sugars, 2-3 servings fresh fruit, 6-8 servings of healthy proteins, some healthy fats, 8-12 servings of fresh veggies (mostly dark, leafy greens), and minimal processed grains each day.

Endurance workout days: Very few (1-3) processed sugars, 2-3 servings fresh fruit, 6-8 servings of healthy proteins, some healthy fats, 8-12 servings of fresh veggies (mostly dark, leafy greens), and 2-5 servings of processed grains each day.

For best results, find a qualified and certified Registered Dietician/License Dietitian to work with you 1 on 1.

4. Exercise

There are TONS of ways to exercise. What you choose is up to you- Just make sure you choose things that you enjoy, and look forward to….or if you’re struggling to get going, choose something you and your friend(s) will enjoy doing together. 

Women: While Strength training for women is incredibly important to help maintain healthy Body Composition, and keep you moving without pain, what’s most important is that you truly look forward to your exercise sessions (most of the time)… And strength training to increase your strength is often the lynchpin for a boon in endurance sports results.

Since the 1970’s the US has been obsessed with Cardio, and women have embraced it much more than men. However, as more research is being done on women, we are finding that strength training done properly, is just as important for women as it is for men (Duhhhhhhh).

And no, unless you have the genetics of an Olympic Track and field athlete, the chances are low that you will bulk up and look like China from WWF. I’ve worked with a number of women and women’s gyms from around the world, and the best ones understand how important strength training is for women, and incorporate it into their workouts. From TRX to Kettle bells, Strength training- when done properly- will help you not only build a healthy balanced physique, but will also serve as a huge confidence booster as you unlock potential from within yourself!

Men: Strength training is absolutely paramount to your prolonged health, joint balance, and performance in your sport. Your Watts per Kilo may be great now, but as your body changes to mimic your riding position OFF the bike due to the large demands you place on it on the bike, strength training become more and more important to keep your joints in good alignment to perform at you best.

Read one of my many posts here on the HVT blog, or for Pez Cycling, Training Peaks, or Tony Gentilcore for more ideas.

GOAL:

If you’re starting out, aim for 2 session of structured strength training per week, along with your 3-4 days of structured bike/run/swims.

Always take 1 day off a week, to allow your body a chance to heal, and for your friends and family to have a day with you, or for you to just chill out!

Follow these basic guidelines, and you’ll start to see your health begin to move into good standing, your energy begin to increase, and you’ll start moving from being good,to great!

Strength Training for Runners: IT'S A MUST!

This weekend, as I perused the interwebs, I came across a post from a fitness professional whom I thought was brilliant. It read:

Running does not make you stronger, you must be strong to run

Brilliant, and very true.

As one of the great things about the internet, we had some interactions on the post from those who may not have the most up to date information or approaches when it comes to training endurance athletes. Now the thing about this is, that the professional who posted this, is incredibly open minded, welcoming of CONVERSATION, and understanding where others are coming from, so when the following was posted, a conversation was begun:

I don’t think this is correct. None of the best distance runners in the world are strong. They’re light and have great power endurance. But definitely couldn’t be classified as strong by any measurement other than in running terms such as the strength to hold pace while running up a hill. (Again, really power endurance than strength anyway). 

Given strength training is likely to make people even bigger, and that ~70% of most western countries are overweight or obese, this is actually only going to compound the problem. 

Making yourself bigger to deal with impact forces doesn’t make sense when by making yourself bigger you’re going to have to deal with more impact forces. 

What people need to do is shed the excess weight and learn to run well.

Edited to add - don’t disagree that running doesn’t make you strong. But saying you need to get strong to run is as ridiculous as saying you need to run to get strong. And we’d all recognise the fact of that.

And a second post from the individual (after the fitness pro stated that she is talking about the AVERAGE runner, not necessarily the top in the world), and that strength training can be done without much hypertrophy, to which the response was:

Good thing you both explained the difference between strength training and hypertrophy to me. I had no idea! (sarcasm).

If you're going to use someone as a strength example, I wouldn't pick the guy who half squats 40kg and actually does circuit training as my example :)

You're still both wrong. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91TZh72MnZI

While the answer for each athlete will ALWAYS be IT DEPENDS, the stance that this individual took- that runners are weak and strength training would hurt their sport performance due to hypertrophy- is incredibly prevalent in the fitness industry, and even with some performance coaches.

THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM. And is in fact one of the biggest obstacles that we MUST get past if we are to unlock the human being’s full abilities to perform in endurance sports.

The vast majority of runners out there,ESPECIALLY those at the amateur levels, NEED a properly designed strength training program to help them maintain good posture, muscular balance at the joints, to help them deal with the forces in their sport, and to keep the joints of the spine, hips, knees, and feet from taking unnecessary strain due to insufficient muscular strength and poor posture.

“STRONG” is all RELATIVE to what that athletes needs are.

Runners, as a whole, do NOT need to be moving heavy weights, although “heavy” (relative to that athlete’s abilities) must be included at certain points in the training program to elicit best results.

So today’s post is a sharing of what current best practices are, and WHY strength Training for runners is a MUST, as well as why when compared to other sports athletes, the raw numbers for runners SHOULD be lower, but that does not mean they are weak. Rather, they are SPECIALIZED to perform in their unique sports demands.

The following is my response to this individuals post:

---

Yes, you are correct that learning how to actually run properly will be a huge boost to the runners abilities. This too, as much as proper strength training for runners, is way too often neglected or overlooked.

Yet one cannot simply state that strength training for runners will slow them down or cause them to not perform in their sport. That statement is ignorant, and is in fact one of the biggest reasons why so many runners continue to be plagued by injuries that can, and should be, prevented with basic strength training done on a consistent basis.

Many professional runners are incredibly weak to the point they are useless outside of their running, in an UNHEALTHY fashion, Ryan Hall himself publicly stated this:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2087751/yes-professional-runners-are-weak

Speaking as one who has worked for over a decade in Strength Training for endurance athletes at all levels, it’s been my experience, and is my expert opinion, that strength training is an absolute MUST for runners, alongside technique refinement and tissue-quality training (these 3 go hand in hand in hand).

HOWEVER, your statement above of:

"If you're going to use someone as a strength example, I wouldn't pick the guy who half squats 40kg and actually does circuit training as my example."

Your thought process follows the "classic American thinking" that lifting weights will automatically lead to body-builder type muscle growth, or unnecessary muscle growth. This is ignorant, and follows a very shallow thought process of "what strength training is", as well as what “STRONG” is or needs to be.

While adding body building style muscle mass can be the case when someone follows a strength program that does not suit their sports needs/demands, the thought that "muscular hypertrophy as a result of strength training is unnecessary" is, in fact, incorrect, as there are 2 types of muscle hypertrophy:

1. Sarcolemic

2. Myofibrillar

When strength training for endurance sports, we actually are programming for myofibrillar hypertrophy (the contractile parts of the muscle themselves), allowing for very dense muscles, and for the muscles and tendons to be able to carry good muscle tension.

While this will usually lead to increase in weight, when done properly and in the correct proportion, it actually leads to a better overall functioning athlete; in sport and out.

Again, I must stress, WHEN DONE PROPERLY.

Programming is where many endurance athletes and well-meaning fitness professionals go awry, and ultimately leave strength training due to unwanted results (muscle mass, or increased strength with decreased results).

Hypertrophy is, in fact a part of the correct process with which to progress endurance athletes in strength:

1. Anatomical Adaptation

2. Hypertrophy

3. Max Strength

4. Conversion to sport specificity

5. in-season maintenance

IF we want to get into the issue of half-squats vs. full squats, we can certainly do so:

The 1/4 squats, as per your citation of Mo Farrah and your dismissal of his half squatting and circuit training as not "really" being strength training, is one of the major obstacles that the general strength training community need to wrap their heads around if we are to truly allow strength training for endurance athletes to move forward and help us unlock the full human potential in these events.

1/4 squatting, while you seem to dismiss it, is in fact completely sport-specific to these athletes, as with proper running form the hip and leg is put through a 1/8-1/10 of a full squatting motion with each footstrike. Thus 1/4 squatting for runners, is essentially the equivalent of "ass to grass" squats for olympic lifters- it is BOTH necessary for their in-sport success, and to strength the tissues and muscles through the ranges of motion (and then some) required by their sport.

Add into the equation the fact that "ass to grass" squatting and Deadlifting off the floor are not requirements by any means for someone to see sport success- UNLESS they are an olympic lifter (in the case of squatting) or powerlifter (in the case of deadlifting off the floor), and we can now begin to better understand how "partial lifts" are in fact strength training in ways that will significantly help these athletes.

"Assess the athlete's sport needs and demands, and build your programming to meet and even slightly exceed these demands" is a basic principle when it comes to programming. Do not forget or neglect this, as if you do, you will simply be burning the athletes mental and physical energies in ways that will hinder their progress, not propel them forward.

We want to be as efficient as possible in our programming in sport and out, allowing for the least amount of energy and effort being put forth, in order to see the sport result we are after. THAT is the true secret to the top coaches and athletes accomplishments!

As per your issue with circuit training, this actually goes back to what Verkhoshansky pushed in his foundational book "Super training" as the primary mode of strength training for strength-endurance:

Timed sets (2-4+ min in length) with 20-40% of estimated 1RM with multiple exercises formed in a fashion that most replicate the athletes sport demands, with timed rest periods.*

This serves multiple purposes, as the building of athletic performance, and not simply strength for strengths sake, is actually built upon 4 pillars which MUST be addressed through proper training:

1. Cardiorespiratory fitness

2. Neuromuscular Fitness  

3. Hormonal

4. Metabolic Demands

Doing strength training for many top-level endurance athletes in a timed set, circuit fashion, actually allows for the 4 pillars of athletic progression to be simultaneously built, thus allowing for the maximum effectiveness to be elicited by a single strength training session. (See above about how training must be energy and time efficient)

This is in fact, in my opinion, an optimal way for an endurance athlete at Mo's level to train. For the “average runner" however, it depends, and more often then not, we will be focused more on building baseline strength and balance of the muscles at each the joints.

Some of your "average runners" will need to focus more on the myofibrillar hypertrophy and max strength end of things, as they build up not only the muscular strength to deal with the forces demanded on the body by their sport, but also the tissue qualities needed to be able to use less muscular force, and more of the "spring" supplied by building up of tissue qualities over time, such as the fascia and tendons.

It is NOT size nor the total weight one can lift that most endurance athletes need to have their programming seek after.....rather, it is the ability of the body to produce and maintain muscle tension and "tuning", and inter & intramuscular coordination which will allow them to execute the long-duration of repetitive movements in their sport that will ultimately propel them to success.

In that case, you are correct, endurance athletes "Max strength" abilities pale in comparison to other sport athletes....but then, it SHOULD. Yet you cannot discount their needing strength training simply because their raw numbers are low! This would be, and is, a huge mistake!

As you so pointed out, it is their strength endurance and power endurance that they need to build atop the platform of Strength, not strength for strength sake. So yes, runners are weak compared to other athletes, if we look at raw numbers. But they should be.

All this being said, your simply writing off "strength training for runners", as well as the style of strength training selected, is a huge mistake and one that is incredibly pervasive in most peoples current thinking on strength training for endurance athletes. It is a HUGE impediment to our unlocking the development of the best human abilities in the endurance sport abilities.

This includes "Half squatting" and "circuit training" as being "bad", as you seem to be hinting to in your post.

There is a correct time and place for different kinds of training, and in this case these ARE appropriate and very specific to this athlete, and where he is (based on what information is available to the public about this athlete, and having never met him, or assessed him).

This is EXACTLY the kind of thinking that is so prevalent across the fitness industry, and even with some performance coaches. As Lee Taft said in his interview with me on my Podcast "The Strong Savvy Cyclist and Triathlete", We really are barely even beginning to tap into the performance gains that strength training offers runners....

This kind of thinking: that 1/4 squats and circuit training "aren't really strength training" and that "strength training will only slow runners down because they'll put on unnecessary size" is holding us back from truly unleashing top-human performances, and is hurting our clients- literally - as many of the common injuries sustained by runners could be avoided through simple, short, consistent strength routines done at home, or at the gym.

*Verkhoshansky recommended 40-60% of e1RM with 25-40 reps per set, 2-4 sets per exercise with 1-2 minutes rest in between. The sets should take 80-150 seconds to complete, with the speed being 6-80% of max speed per rep, with 8-14 sessions per week.

Over the course of my career I have found the 2-4 minute sets with 20-40% of e1RM to have high success with endurance athletes in fewer sessions per week, usually due to life and time constraints.