The biggest mistake is the most obvious: not doing any strength training at all! If this sounds like you, then this blog is a must-read.
Neglecting strength training might seem like a good idea at the time, especially if you’re short on time. After all, endurance sports like triathlons require you to train continuously for swimming, cycling, and running. It’s easy to assume that sticking to just those disciplines is the quickest way to improve. However, this approach can be a recipe for stagnation and injury.
Replacing just one or two sessions a week with a sport-specific strength session and a tailored mobility session is essential. These sessions are crucial for progression, longevity, and injury prevention. Strength training helps restore muscular balance, increase power output, and build muscular endurance.
When the body is subjected to repeated, sport-specific stress, it learns to adapt for efficiency. But without strength training, it will only improve the muscles worked during endurance training, leading to imbalances, overuse injuries, and poor mobility. A program that targets your weaknesses, strengthens neglected areas, and supports your sport-specific needs will help you perform better and stay injury-free for the long term.
Mistake 1: Training Like a Bodybuilder
Training like a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or CrossFit athlete might provide some benefits, but it’s far from optimal for endurance athletes.
Think of it this way: Training like a bodybuilder for a marathon is like building the foundation of a house with the wrong materials. It might look solid, but when the storm comes (race day), it won’t hold up.
Building a foundation with the right materials (functional strength, mobility, and stability) ensures your house (endurance) stands strong. Going into the gym and smashing out “upper body day” or “leg day” with high-volume sets and muscular pumps might feel satisfying, but it’s not the most effective approach. Instead, prioritise movements that replicate the demands of your sport and strengthen the muscles you’ll need on race day.
Runners: Squats, lunges, split squats, step-ups, and deadlifts.
Cyclists: Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges, and core stabilisation.
Swimmers: Pull-ups, rows, shoulder stabilisation exercises, and rotational core work. Mistake 2: Ignoring Core and Stability Work Your core is the foundation of all movement, it’s the trunk of the tree or the base of the building. Inefficient movement starts to creep in, and poor posture starts to show. Different types of core training are essential; below is a short guide. For example: Isometric exercises (e.g., planks) are needed for endurance and stability. Dynamic balance exercises (e.g., bird dogs) for coordination and symmetry. Unilateral exercises (e.g., single-leg deadlifts or knee lifts) to ensure your core works in harmony with your limbs, mimicking the demands of running or cycling. Mistake 3: Lifting Too Heavy or Too Light Finding the right intensity in the gym is critical. Ego lifting is one of the biggest reasons I’ve seen people injure themselves within a gym. It promotes overreaching and incorrect form; both are a formula for disaster. The rep may count, and the weight may turn heads, but it comes at a cost. Going too light does not give the body a reason to change or adapt, which is the sole purpose for training: to provide muscular adaptations. Finding the correct weight is always specific to the individual. Here’s what I recommend:
Progressive Overload: For beginners, stick to a rep range of 10–12. Choose a weight that allows you to complete at least 10 reps but no more than 12 with good form.
Track Your Progress: Record the weights you use and aim to increase them by 5–10% each week.
Implement Recovery Week: Take a recovery week every 4th week of training and halve the load by 50-60%. Mistake 4: Skipping Recovery Weeks Recovery weeks are often overlooked, but they’re vital for long-term progress. Without them, your body can’t adapt to the training load, which can lead to burnout, stagnation, or injury. I recommend aligning your strength training recovery weeks with your endurance plan recovery weeks. The time between recovery varies depending on plans, coaches, and athletes; however, a good rule of thumb is to implement this on every 4th week of training. The plans are reduced approximately 50-60%, whether that be time, intensity, or load. This approach gives your body a chance to adapt and sets you up for even greater progress in the weeks that follow. Mistake 5: Overlooking Mobility and Stability Work Training with tight muscles or poor range of motion is a definite way to limit your performance and invite injury. Strength training can incorporate mobility and stability work. Mobility (increasing your joints’ range of motion) and stability (strengthening the muscles that stabilise and protect your joints) are crucial but often neglected because they can feel tedious. Here’s how you can combine strength, mobility, and stability into one exercise:
TRX-Supported Split Squat Example: Start without elevating the rear foot.
Perform slow, controlled repetitions with a focus on the eccentric (lowering phase) and concentric (lifting phase).
Pause at the bottom for 3–5 seconds to improve stability.
Gradually increase depth with each repetition to work on mobility.
Before the set, test your range of motion in the split squat position, then retest and notice the difference in feeling and range.
Conclusion
Strength training for endurance athletes isn’t about lifting the heaviest weights or following a bodybuilder’s routine. It’s about building a strong, functional foundation that complements your endurance sport, prevents injuries, and helps you perform at your best.
If you tried the above training method, found it useful and would like a personalised plan tailored to your specific needs, complete with descriptions and how-tos, feel free to contact me. Let’s work together to optimise your training! Train efficiently, recover fully and achieve more with less. Rob Crerie
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