Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: A Progressive, Individualized Approach
Strength training is just like every other part of your programming — it needs to be specific to you. What I see happen all the time is athletes finish their season and suddenly think, “I need to get back in the gym.” And then they go after it blindly, throwing exercises at the wall like eggs, hoping something sticks and they magically get stronger.
Sure, if you’ve done nothing all year, even a little core or random circuit work will give you some initial gains. And yes, you’ll get sore. But will you get the most out of your training? No. And more importantly — will you stay healthy? Often, the answer is no.
Because if strength work isn’t planned, periodized, and integrated with your swim, bike, and run load, it’s incredibly easy to get injured or overly fatigued.
There is also a central nervous system component to lifting — something triathletes often overlook. It isn’t just muscular fatigue or TSS. Moving actual weight taxes your nervous system, and that needs to be coordinated with the rest of your training.
Different Athletes Need Different Strength Approaches
Some athletes lift all year because that’s what they need. Others stop lifting completely during competition season. Some maintain with light core/prehab work a couple times a week. All of those can be correct. The real questions are:
• Where are you at?
• How do you respond to strength work?
• What is your total training load?
• What do you actually need to support your goals?
Strength training isn’t just exercises. It’s:
• Sets
• Reps
• Exercise selection
• Total load
• Order and placement in the week
• Tempo
• Range of motion
• Movement competency
• Percentages of max load
• CNS demands
All of that shapes how the work impacts you.
Example Athlete: Coming Off the Competitive Season
Let’s walk through a real example.
Your athlete finishes their race season — maybe they’ve done a couple 70.3s, maybe they wrapped up with an Ironman, or raced 70.3 Worlds. Now they’re taking 2–3 weeks of unstructured recovery to decompress and let the system settle.
Phase 1: Reintroduction (Weeks 2–3 of Recovery)
This is where we bring in simple bodyweight sessions — 3x/week, very basic:
• 3×10–15 reps per exercise
• Air squats
• Calf raises (2×25 in ~60 seconds is a great endurance metric)
• Reverse lunges
• Single-leg RDLs
• Shoulder band work
• Hip stability
• Glute activation
• Hamstring stability
This phase re-establishes movement patterns without adding heavy load. Even athletes who lifted during the season should start here after a real break. You adapt quickly, but the base matters.
Phase 2: Intro to Load (Twice Per Week + One Prehab Day)
As soon as we start adding compound movements or open-chain work, we reduce frequency — twice per week is plenty for endurance athletes. You can keep one prehab day on Monday after a big weekend.
Strength days often fall on:
• Wednesday
• Friday or Saturday
And they should be 48–72 hours apart to allow full nervous system recovery.
These sessions begin with higher-volume, lighter-load work:
• Push–pull patterns
• Basic squats/hinges
• Carries
• Controlled tempo
• Foundational mechanics
Then we slowly increase load while decreasing reps and sets as the athlete adapts.
Phase 3: Strength Development
Now we’re adding real weight — but only when movement quality and range of motion are solid.
This is where athletes often make big mistakes:
• Jumping straight into heavy sets (e.g., 5×5 at 80%) after the off-season
• Going to the gym 5–6 days a week when they haven’t lifted all year
• Doing 10 exercises, 5×10 on everything, huge volume, no progression
That’s a fast track to injury. Strength must be progressive. Layer by layer.
Movement Quality and Range of Motion Come First
You should never lift heavier than your technique or mobility can support. Even if you’re strong, if your form breaks down, the load is too heavy.
Tempo matters.
Are you lifting at:
• 1–1 (one count down, one up)?
• 2–1 (two slow counts down, one up)?
• Controlled eccentrics?
Can you maintain that tempo with perfect form? If not, reduce load or change the movement.
Example: Squats
Most endurance athletes do not need to squat below 90 degrees. Parallel is plenty. If you’re a powerlifter or Olympic lifter, sure — different story.
But if:
• Your hips are tight
• Your ankles are restricted
• Your back rounds
• Your knees collapse
• You lose balance
Then choose a safer alternative with the same training effect, like a leg press. It’s controlled, stable, and protects your back and knees.
There are always options. Always modifications. Strength should make you more durable — never more fragile.
The Most Important Question: “Why Am I Doing This?”
This ties all of it together.
Ask yourself:
Why am I adding strength training?
Is it to improve your triathlon performance?
• Addressing a limiter?
• Improving stability, power, or durability?
• Fixing an imbalance?
Or is it for life?
Maybe you’re an athlete in your 40s, 50s, 60s+, and you recognize that overall strength supports:
• Health
• Longevity
• Bone density
• Injury prevention
• Daily function
Being honest about your reason completely shapes the type of program you need.
So when building a strength program, the key questions are:
1. Where am I starting?
2. Why am I doing this?
3. How do I respond to strength work?
4. Where does this fit within my year’s periodization?
Those four guideposts prevent you from overloading, overreaching, and getting injured — and instead allow strength training to truly support your goals.
In Summary
Strength training for endurance athletes must be:
• Individualized
• Progressive
• Purposeful
• Aligned with your sport load
• Executed with quality movement
• Driven by your “why”
When done right, strength work makes you more resilient, powerful, efficient, and durable. It supports performance and longevity. But when done randomly or excessively, it breaks you down.
Build it intentionally, progress it intelligently, and let it serve your bigger goals — in sport and in life.