How often should I strength train?
As an endurance athlete the primary focus is obviously sports specific conditioning- cycling, running, triathlon, rowing etc. and this will make up the bulk of your weekly training volume. Depending on the level of the athlete (amateur-elite), age, training history, time of year, work, family and other commitments this weekly volume of endurance training will vary greatly.
As we now know strength training for endurance athletes has many key benefits that can improve an athlete's performance in their chosen sport.
These can include:
Improved neuromuscular coordination
Improved musculoskeletal resilience
Increase in muscle mass
Increase in power and rate of force development
Athlete development and injury reduction
Given the above benefits (and many more!) it is imperative that all endurance athletes include a strength and conditioning program within their weekly training schedule. Strength and conditioning comes in many forms and must be adapted to the individual athlete to align with their strength training competency and experience, sport/ event goals, time available, access to equipment or gym etc.
Strength training is any form of resistance training where the goal of the session is to improve maximal strength, power, explosive strength or hypertrophy. This must be in the form of moderate to heavy loads with low to moderate rep ranges. Strength training is not conditioning circuits using weights, HIIT sessions or pilates/ yoga, although all of these forms of training can have additional benefits.
The ideal number of sessions of strength training will be individual to each athlete and as mentioned will depend on a number of individual factors. For example, an early season phase where endurance training volume is low could include up to 4 strength sessions for an experienced athlete. In contrast in the build phase leading up to an important event this same athlete may only complete 1-2 strength sessions per week of a shorter duration- but not stop strength training altogether!
Another example could be a junior athlete who is still developing fundamental athletic qualities and is training and competing for fun, will still benefit from structured strength training once per week.
For most amateur and recreational athletes, 2-3 strength sessions per week seems to be ideal, with 30-45min suitable to complete a whole-body strength session. This may include at least 2 moderately heavy sessions which should be spaced out by ~48hrs to allow for adaptation and promote recovery before higher intensity endurance sessions.
The importance of strength and conditioning for improving endurance performance is clear and all endurance athletes should include it in their routine. Strength and conditioning should be continued year-round with the intensity or frequency modified depending on the time of year or athlete goals.