Strength Training for the Time-Crunched Endurance Athlete
I recently finished reading “The Time-Crunched Cyclist,” which, as the title suggests, is a book for people who want to get faster on the bike but have a limited amount of time to devote to training.
The final chapter in the book covers strength training. Although I really enjoyed the rest of the book, I honestly didn’t expect much from this section and planned to just skim through it. The strength recommendations in many endurance training books are often very generic or outdated and won't recommend much beyond some crunches and planks lest you become too bulky. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their discussion on strength training and thought the suggestions they made were reasonable and could apply to any endurance athlete looking to incorporate some strength work.
While the authors aren’t convinced (at least at the time of this edition) that strength training can improve cycling performance, they are certain that strength training will help “keep you in the game” and is essential for everyone’s overall health and function into old age.
Here are some of the key points and considerations from that chapter for implementing strength training as a time-crunched athlete (which in the book is someone who has less than 6 total hours a week to train.) Even if you don’t consider yourself “time-crunched,” most of these points will apply to anyone who has a job/family and doesn’t make a living being an endurance athlete.
Strength Training for Life
Even if identify as a runner or a cyclist and can barely find time to run or ride your bike, the reality is you are a human first and an athlete second (or somewhere farther down the line). At least some percentage of your training time should be devoted to improving your quality of life outside of running and cycling to make you a more well-rounded human and athlete. Don’t be the person who can easily bike 100 miles but is afraid they’ll hurt themselves playing tag with their kids or carrying in the groceries.
Train What Your Sport Neglects
Road running and cycling are very one-dimensional. By themselves, they might make you really fit for doing that specific sport (building some leg strength and aerobic fitness). However, if that is all you do, you’ll eventually find you become less physically capable in every other area of your life. Without other activities, running and cycling can cause significant muscle imbalances, bone density issues, and mobility restrictions, especially in the upper body and the muscles responsible for lateral movement.
Cost and Convenience
If you are time crunched and are serious about becoming a better runner/cyclist, then an hour long commute to/from a gym might not be the best use of your time. It probably makes more sense to buy some weights and bands that you can use from the comfort of your own home. This will also likely save you money in the long run. They didn’t mention it in the book, but doing your strength work either immediately before or after your endurance workouts can work well if you are crunched for time. Otherwise just fit it in when you can, whether that is two 30-45 minute sessions or three or four 15-20 minute sessions.
Movements Matter
When time is limited, focus on full body workouts and compound movements. Including a squat, hinge, push, pull, and core exercise in each workout is a great place to start and will go a long way to making you stronger for your sport and for life. As an example, a full body workout could include a goblet squat, single leg deadlift, push up, pull up, and ab wheel. This will cover all the major muscle groups and teach your body to work as a coordinated unit, rather than in isolation.
Lift Close to Failure
Whether you chose to lift heavier weights for low reps (80-90% 1RM, 4-6 reps/set) or lighter weights for higher reps (＜70% 1RM, 15+ reps/set), or somewhere in between, the most important thing to ensure you get the most out of your strength training is that your sets are challenging to the point where you could only do one or two more reps with good form (an RPE of 7-8 for most exercises). As always, prioritize good form over the amount of weight you are lifting and stay within your capabilities.
Whether you are time-crunched or have all the time in the world to devote to training, strength work needs to be a part of your training. When done right, it will help you get the most of your limited training time and improve your quality of life now and well into old age. Let me know if you want help putting together a plan that is simple but effective and works with the time and equipment you have available. I’d love to help.