Personal Training Forum

webstar · Just Getting Started Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 9

What do you think about endurance athletes hitting the gym?

ExpressTraining · Just Getting Started Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 10

It really depends on what time of year that you are getting them into the Gym. Early season stuff can be good, especially if they need some preventitive stuff for injuries for the early miles that they will be starting.

Also gym can be good for when the person has a weakness they are trying to fix. Eg. knee injuries etc.

Fitva · Moderator Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 11

Yeah I agree with ExpressTraining. Endurance athletes don't really need to hit the gym unless they need it for specific reasons.

Peter Szeles · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:15 pm Post subject:

Weight training is necessary to keep your joints strong and healthy. Plus we all benefit from it. Just look at the sprinters and basketball players twenty years ago and now. And the records are getting broken. Must be doing something right.
I would and always did hit the weights once a week. Concentrating on compound excercises. Not bicep curls and such. Also do my rotators twice a week still as a rehab/prevention.

shaun · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:40 am Post subject:

I think that it's good to see endurance athletes in the gym. For instance most club runners I used to train with would by one pair of trainers every six months and wear them until they were literally falling off. I saw the same in their preperation to races and training. They would find something that worked for themselves ten years ago and use it to death never really progressing. Now there is alot more information in magazines and on the internet and they are slowly starting to use this knowledge.
I believe the gym is excellent for active rest weeks to break up training and allow a well earnt psychological break from long training runs/rides. We all know that resistance training if applied properly will improve performance in endurance athletes without unwanted bulk. It's also great for preventing injuries through overuse and muscular imbalance. How many long distance runners have strong quads but really weak hamstrings? Loads I see it in my sports massage clinic all of the time.
In a nutshell I feel endurance athletes should embrace the gym and not shy away from it. I feel it's our jobs as personal trainers to educate the 'I don't do weights because it'll bulk me up' brigade on the advancements in resistance and X training. With proper strength and movement related training we can improve the performance of most of these athletes.