Should runners and cyclists strength train in the spring and summer?

TRAINING BREAKDOWN

“These plans are pretty sh*t at helping to improve your running and cycling”

By Emma O’Toole

Hey!

I hope you’re good and have been enjoying your training (and racing) lately. I recently received an email from a subscriber of this newsletter and was intrigued from the off by the subject line: “Troubled cyclist”, here’s the email:

I hear this a lot at this time of year and I totally get where you’re coming from.

Winter felt long and now you’re itching to get out, and honestly, the last thing you want to do is spend precious daylight indoors lifting… even more so when that lifting has left you feeling sluggish on the bike in the past.

Pete isn’t wrong about wanting to ride more, nor are you for wanting to run/ride more. That’s a natural seasonal shift. However, what does need adjusting is your training strategy.

I’m going to break down Pete’s email with you now into 2x parts that will help you with your training strategy.

1. Should you stop strength training in the spring/summer?

No! We don’t abandon strength work now the evenings are lighter and day’s longer, we adapt it because strength is what keeps you riding and running longer, recovering faster, and bouncing back from those big days in the saddle or out on the trails.

And more importantly it’s what helps reduce your chances of needing time off mid-season from injuries or niggles.

It takes roughly one month for the gains from your strength training to begin to diminish! According to the research, power and strength are said to only stick around for 30 days. What this means is the time you put in over the winter to get stronger and more powerful will be largely wasted if you decide to stop strength training for 6 months now spring is here.

Here’s a different perspective:

By swapping out 30 minutes from your run/ride for a 30 minute strength session, you will help maintain your strength and power that will have a far better return on your training and performance than those extra 30 minutes. PLUS! You’ll be helping to reduce your risk of injury, which anyone reading this who has been injured will know, is worth its weight in gold as when you’re sidelined with injury its for a lot longer than 30 minutes!

2. How to stop your legs from feeling sore after strength training?

I see time and time again cycling coaches, running coaches and triathlon coaches plugging in “strength training workouts” for those they coach. Now, this isn’t to bash at Pete’s cycling coach for offering strength training because you don’t know what you don’t know, but it is frustrating as a strength coach for runners and cyclists because a lot of these plans are pretty sh*t at helping to improve your running and cycling. They’re too high volume, they’re not sequenced right and they leave you feeling sore which totally goes against the principle that strength training supports your running and cycling.

Let’s take Pete’s plan and quickly look at the benefits and drawbacks of it:

Other questions I had for Pete were how much rest did he have in between sets and when did he complete those these sessions in the week to which he replied that there was no rest in-between sets and he did the sessions whenever he could- two more points for the bad column!

Ok, so I’m not surprised Pete’s legs were sore, nor that he feels a bit in limbo with his strength training. However with a few changes to this Pete could have a really great session that will support his cycling and so can you…

… Any strength training plan you follow to support your running and cycling needs to do exactly that. It’s not about how much weight you can lift, it’s all about your running and cycling.

A lot of runners and cyclists are having success with our 12-week BUILT TO RUN OVER 30 and BUILT TO RIDE OVER 30 strength training plans. Valued at £239 but yours for £83.99 and yours to keep forever! If you’d like more information click the programme you’re interested in below and I’ll send you the details.

But Emma, what if I just want to ride/run?

You’re not alone in feeling that pull to spend more time outside. Riding and running brings joy, freedom, fitness and ultimately, this is your hobby: your time for you.

But here’s the missing piece: Strength training doesn’t replace your running and riding, it supports it.

I’ve seen too many athletes ditch strength training in April, then hit a wall in July. Suddenly there’s this tightness, every run/ride feels tougher, an achey knee, a back niggle… and then they’re off the bike more than they’re on it and their trainers are collecting dust on the shoe rack rather than dust from the trails.

That doesn’t have to be your narrative!

Keep your running and riding in the spotlight, but keep the strength work ticking along in the background quietly supporting everything you’re doing. And if you want a plug-and-play session that fits seamlessly into your week- check out those 12 week programmes above.

It’s always great to receive emails like this from Pete and I do personally respond to each one that comes through, or to the questions that come into our free community.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Emma

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