Strength For Endurance

STRENGTH FOR ENDURANCE
How Increasing Strength also Improves Endurance

BY MARK TWIGHT
Certain physiological and biomechanical adaptations only result from proper strength
training – they cannot be achieved any other way. Endurance athletes often avoid real
strength training due to the belief that such efforts will make them bigger and tighter and
slower. The exact opposite is true (contingent on proper execution).
Along with increased peak force and rate of force production the intelligent use of
strength training can cause the following physiological gains:
Improved muscle capillarization
Increased fuel availability (to the muscle)
Improved muscular endurance (due to increase in size/efficiency of mitochondria)
Stronger bones
Stronger connective tissue
Better flexibility
Improved neuromuscular coordination
Reduced fatigue in the arms and postural muscles
Improved movement economy
Reduced risk of injury
None of these benefits are contradictory to endurance performance. Perhaps the most
important gains may be realized by strengthening the hands, wrists, and arms. Once these
peripheral muscles tire during effort (perhaps from carrying a weapon) the muscles
further up the chain – closer to the core – become engaged to support them. As the
shoulder tires, posture suffers and the diaphragm is compressed, which reduces O2
uptake efficiency. As these postural changes reduce movement economy the oxygen cost
increases because more, larger muscles are recruited in an attempt to maintain the posture
required for efficient respiration. Also, stronger legs are more mechanically efficient,
which reduces the overall oxygen cost of locomotion.
Blitz reviewing breakfast after a strength session towing the BFS sled and carrying the
100-pound bag affectionately known as "Judy"
Strength training can also reduce muscle imbalances that often lead to injury, and having
strong feet, legs, hips and core can reduce the strain on the spine. Since the trend is to use
lighter, less supportive footwear in the field it is wise to improve foot strength. This may
be done by executing the Olympic lifts or certain Kettlebell movements without shoes
and running barefoot once or twice per month (on a soft surface of course).
At Gym Jones we don’t consider that any training activity is necessarily specific to any
particular outcome. In accord with this idea we switch-up modalities, often using sprint
training to improve strength and weights or gymnastic movements to improve
cardiovascular fitness. The point being that strength training to increase endurance does
not necessarily take place in the weight room.
We run with ski poles to increase the oxygen demands (since more muscles are engaged
in the work). We run towing a weighted sprint sled to train explosive strength, and
because the movements are the same as those used during locomotion at any speed the
strength increases are fairly specific and neuromuscularly correct.
Full squat movements executed at high heart and respiratory rates have been shown to
increase diaphragm strength and endurance due to the externally induced stretching and
compressing of that muscle. The more endurance the diaphragm has the longer efficient
respiration cycles may be maintained during effort. A typical movement that causes this
adaptation would be Wall Ball (medicine ball thrown at a ten foot-high target starting
from the front squat position) or Thruster (front squat to overhead press). Movements
should be executed for repetitions; try a set of 15 Tabata Thrusters (20 seconds of work
followed by ten seconds of rest repeated 15 times) with a barbell weighing 65-95 pounds.
Apart from the crazy metabolic stress, the big, compound movement will also cause a
strong neuro-endocrine response as well as muscular adaptations that improve strength.
Another favorite combination is the 400-meter Lunge + Overhead Press. Start with a 45#
barbell held in any position, take five lunges forward, stop, stand, clean the bar and
execute five overhead presses. Repeat for 400 meters. It will take approximately 20-30
minutes and feature heart rates in the 160-170 range. The lunge improves leg strength and
coordination while the overhead press improves core, shoulder and arm strength … and
endurance. Carrying the bar loads the skeletal and core muscles, compressing the
diaphragm and costal muscles, which stimulates an increased ventilatory drive (breathing
in with more force to counteract the resistance of the load).
Because all movement is initiated by the core and finished by the extremities any increase
in core strength improves all movement efficiency. Different coaches follow similar
formulas; my Olympic lifting coach Dan John used to train with a throwing coach
(discus) who wouldn’t teach athletes technical throwing motions until they could
overhead squat bodyweight for 15 reps. The underlying thesis is that putting weight
overhead is one of the best methods of improving core strength. Dan himself believes that
a double bodyweight deadlift indicates a foundation solid enough to begin meaningful
training. The DL and its derivatives – C&J, snatch, various KB/DB swings and
movements, the squat and its variants, – all contribute to great posterior strength. Anterior
strength may be developed by training the front lever, L-sit, planks, ring push-ups,
throwing a medicine ball at a ten foot–high target from the Glute Ham Developer, and
other medicine ball partner drills.
Fundamental strength drills, executed in a manner that improves recruitment rather than
increasing mass, and combined with a diet that fuels the effort and recovery but does not
increase mass is as important as metabolic conditioning to the endurance athlete.
Building power from that strength is the subject of the paper titled “The Holy Grail in
Speed Training” describing the experience coach Barry Ross had with Allyson Felix.
This work is based on research conducted by Harvard Medical School research
physiologist Peter Weyand into the idea of mass-specific force. His thesis corresponds
exactly to the concept of Relative Strength we revere at Gym Jones where having the
greatest power-to-weight ratio has positive benefits for many athletic challenges.

Strength For Endurance

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Strength For Endurance

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Strength For Endurance

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

STRENGTH FOR ENDURANCE

How Increasing Strength also Improves Endurance

You might also like