There is a long, ongoing debate among sport scientists, coaches, and athletes concerning the value of strength training for endurance athletics. The early science attempting to examine this issue did little to resolve the debate, as studies found both potential benefit and negligible value. However, more recent and effective research examining this question supports strength training as a critical component of an overall training program for endurance sports, particularly when performed using the right kinds of exercises, using adequate resistance, and in conjunction with more typical triathlon training. The improvement for a triathlete who becomes stronger in swimming, cycling, and running comes through better movement economy—which basically means you can move more easily using less energy once you are stronger in a movement pattern.
However, to efficiently improve strength and movement economy, well-trained adults are most likely to have success with training exercises involving high resistances and high power outputs. Studies of strength training in conjunction with endurance running show that improved strength offers a significant avenue for running improvement when compared with training programs using running alone. The exercises used most commonly in these studies involve variations of the basic squat, the Olympic lifts, and various jumping and plyometric movements, all of which train you to move in patterns similar to running itself, a concept sport scientists refer to as movement specificity. Applying resistance to these kinds of movements increases both strength and functionality in comparison to traditional machine-based movements. Improved functionality offsets the natural losses in movement capability that often occur when doing repetitive triathlon training alone. Of course these mobility losses are made even worse if you sit for extended periods every day.
A few recent cycling studies using similar exercises illustrate the potential benefit of heavy resistance training for this sport as well. A small number of studies have also shown a positive relationship between swimming-specific strength exercises and swimming performance, although numerous studies using more conventional strength training exercises show little or no effect on swimming performances. The successful studies tended to use movement patterns similar to those created by swim benches such as the Vasa Trainer, which emphasize the high-elbow “catch” position so critical for effective swimming, as well as a variety of functional movements that target core and upper body mobility generally. Some studies have also applied in-water resistance devices directly to swimming. Two key elements of the studies showing a successful transfer of improved strength to improved endurance performance seem to be (1) the specificity of the movements used for training and (2) the examination of actual endurance performance as an outcome instead of more typically analyzed physiological outcomes, such as improved 
O2max and lactate threshold. A reasonable conclusion for the competitive triathlete is that resistance training using the most appropriate movement-specific and functional exercises with adequate loading can benefit performance in swimming, cycling, and running beyond that obtainable using conventional endurance training methods alone.
This chapter attempts to highlight the key training methodologies and specific exercises most useful for achieving the twin outcomes of improved performance and reduced injury in training triathletes.
Triathletes and coaches seek first and foremost to use a training process as a means of performance improvement. To effectively apply resistance training for this purpose, athletes and coaches must consider the following components when designing a strength training program.
For improvements in strength and power to have maximum transfer to the ability to swim, cycle, and run at greater speeds over racing distances, it is necessary to train the movement itself rather than simply the muscles involved. This concept is referred to as training specificity. To ensure training specificity in a chosen resistance training movement, you should consider the following factors: the pattern of total-body movement; the range of motion used during force application and recovery; the speed at which the movement pattern occurs in performance; the nature of the muscle contractions involved; the nature of the movement pattern (i.e., simultaneous versus sequential); the relationship of the movement pattern to gravity and the ground, water, or bicycle; and finally the nature of the force impulse generated with each repetition of the movement pattern resulting in forward motion.
In running, for example, the movement pattern requires the body to fall forward, with each step efficiently absorbing the force of gravity at foot strike through a total-body posture and then returning the absorbed force through elastic recoil as the foot is lifted from the ground and the center of mass is shifted to the opposite side of the body. The force-application impulse occurs in microseconds over a very limited range of motion yet involves the entire body musculature, much of which is contracting either eccentrically to absorb force or isometrically for stabilization. At the point of force application (foot strike), the movement is entirely simultaneous in nature, meaning all joints move together at one time. The majority of these factors are present when you perform a squat, particularly when doing so with one leg. This movement pattern simulates the body position during the support phase of running, in which eccentric (lengthening) muscle contractions occur to support the body and simultaneous muscle activations are required because of the addition of significant resistance. The factors may be even more specifically present when you perform a box jump. A box jump requires a relatively high movement speed similar to that which occurs during support in running, hence the high degree of positive effect on running performance when these exercises are used for strength training.
However, you should also consider the following Latin proverb when employing movement specificity to highly repetitive movement patterns having a limited range of motion, such as swimming, cycling, and running: “What nourishes me also destroys me.” This could be interpreted as meaning that too much specificity of movement in resistance training, while improving speed initially, may also create conditions that eventually alter movement patterns and create injury.
When the human body functions optimally, each joint is controlled by an appropriate force-couple relationship between the opposing muscle groups that move and stabilize the joint. Unfortunately, highly repetitive movements favor the development of one side of the force couple (the one that propels us forward) over the other (the one that returns each joint to its original position). The result is a change in the basic postural position of the joint over time and ultimately a loss in its movement capability. This phenomenon also occurs when you sustain unusual body postures during both your athletic performance (think of your aerobar shoulder position) and your daily activities (think of your sitting position at a computer). Consequently, when identifying resistance training movements for triathlon, you should also consider the recovery aspect of each motion as well as the repetitive body postures employed. Of course the effect of repetitive movement patterns and body postures can also be seen by examining resting body posture while sitting or standing.
Continuing with the running example in the previous section, although a squat is very specific to the force-producing aspect of running, it is very nonspecific to the recovery motion because the leg is not lifted from the ground. In running, you apply gravity as a driving force in the next support-leg position by shifting your center of mass and body weight off the previous support leg as you remove that foot from the ground. This weight shift and foot lift combination should therefore become its own specific exercise in a movement-specific strength training program for running. Consequently, hopping exercises and ankle-pulling exercises are very specific for this aspect of the movement and should be paired with the force-producing exercises. As a result, an effective strength training program includes some form of squatting and depth jumps as well as some form of hopping and leg pulls in order to develop or maintain balanced strength of both the support and recovery aspects of running technique. The importance of balanced strength development is further described in the next section.
When you move in swimming, cycling, and running, you regulate and integrate the entire body musculature in ways that require an intricate sequencing, timing, and firing of muscle groups, which results in optimal function of all of your joints. When one or more joints and associated muscle force-couples fail to perform correctly, other muscles and joints have to carry a greater role. This is referred to as a compensatory movement. When forced into using compensatory movement patterns, you fail to achieve the degree of control, range of motion, and optimal force application necessary to produce elegant and effective swimming, cycling, and running movements, and so your performance suffers. Even worse, altered movement patterns often overload the compensating joints and muscles and produce the kinds of chronic injuries that end triathlon careers or result in surgical interventions. A classic example is the loss of stabilization force necessary to hold the pelvis laterally in an upright position as the athlete absorbs force while landing on each foot in running. The result is a falling and twisting pelvis during the ground support period, which both dissipates force that could be absorbed as well as forces the hip, knee, and ankle joints into further compensatory movements to propel the body forward. The athlete often loses needed muscle activity, in this example in the medial gluteus, by sitting so much of the time that the muscle becomes inactive.
However, once the most typical compensatory movement patterns that develop with repetitive swimming, cycling, and running are identified, correcting them by applying appropriate functional training exercises—the basis of modern concepts in physical therapy—is relatively effective. Further, it is certainly logical, although as yet unproven scientifically, that the proactive use of such exercises might not only prevent the development of injuries in the first place but also improve performance and technique in the uninjured as well.
A person’s strength in a movement pattern is defined by the ability to produce a force against a resistance to cause movement, regardless of the time involved. This concept defines the capacity to do work using the following equation:
Work = force × distance
However, each force application in efficient swimming, cycling, and running must occur very rapidly over a brief period of time, and so the rate at which force is applied is also critical. This is known as power (the rate of work) and is defined by the following equation:
Power = force × distance/time
As a result, both the ability to apply force and the rate at which force can be applied are important for generating greater speed in swimming, cycling, and running. However, the optimal training conditions for strength and power development vary somewhat. Strength is trained optimally using very heavy resistance, which necessitates slower movement. Rapid force application, or power, is trained best using lesser resistances that can be moved at speeds comparable to those in the movement itself. Both facets of the process—force and movement speed—can be trained independently, however, and so both approaches can and should be used in a training program. You might think about the overall process as follows: You first seek to increase strength by adding resistance to your movements, but you sacrifice movement speed in the process. However, as you build greater strength, you reestablish speed to heighten power output.
This concept can be applied to a single training exercise, such as the squat, by manipulating the resistance used and the intent of the exercise. Training sessions for the squat can be varied by using both heavier weights to develop strength and relatively lighter weights to develop power (by performing the squats explosively). This process can be further augmented by jumping movements similar to squats in order to work at movement speeds equivalent to those used when running or cycling.
At the moment of force application in running, cycling, and swimming, a large number of muscles in the body contract against one another to simply hold portions of the skeletal system in place so that other portions of the body can push against them. This is the basic concept of stabilization in a lever system. When one lever in a system is held in place, the lever working against it can work with greater efficiency. It is commonly thought that most of our important stabilization in locomotion occurs in the torso, which is sometimes referred to as the core muscle set; however, stabilization in swimming, cycling, and running is more often a total-body function. This component is trained effectively using functional movements that require dynamic stabilization, such as alternate lunges with the upper body held upright.
Use the following three steps to design a resistance training program that improves performance and prevents injury: (1) Select a group of exercises that create greater strength, peak power, and functionality in swimming, cycling, and running, with minimum training time and maximum efficiency; (2) develop a cyclic training plan that will create sustained improvements in strength and power while maintaining or promoting greater functionality over time, scheduling the training to augment your basic swim, cycle, and run training; and (3) determine a specific plan for guiding the intensity and volume of training to maximize the adaptive response.
When organizing a strength training program, you should select a force-application and related recovery exercise each for swimming, cycling, and running along with three basic functional movement exercises (strength training exercises are described beginning on page 51). Force-application exercises simulate the movement to propel the body forward. In running, this happens during the support phase as your falling body weight is absorbed; in cycling, it happens as the pedal is projected downward in the pedaling “circle” by your shifting body weight; and in crawl-stroke swimming, it happens as the body weight is placed on the “catch,” or support, of the leading arm.
Recovery refers to the phase in which you resume the body posture used for force production on the opposite side of your body so you can perform the movement again. In running, this occurs as you lift your support foot and shift body weight onto the opposite and descending leg; in cycling, this occurs as you unweight, or “get out of the way of,” the ascending pedal, allowing your body weight to shift onto the opposite descending pedal; and in crawl-stroke swimming, recovery occurs as you lift the trailing arm and position it to drop into the water forward of your head, thereby initiating the next successive body roll.
Unfortunately, complex locomotion patterns, particularly swimming, can never be completely duplicated using only a few exercises. Further, the potential list of functional movement patterns that may be beneficial for a given individual triathlete is continually expanding. Given greater time and commitment, the next step is to add additional movement-specific paired exercises (force and recovery) for each discipline along with additional functional exercises to address specific aspects of body mobility that may become compromised through the normal triathlon training process. As you develop improved functionality and increased strength, the addition of plyometric exercises (e.g., box jumps, long jumps) will further augment improvements in your running, particularly because of the inherently different way in which force is applied in this movement pattern.
A common mistake is to do strength training only in the off-season. The fallacy of this approach is that while strength and power may improve during this relatively short period of time, the loss in strength that occurs through the considerably longer in-season period, if no significant stimulus for strength is included, results in a net no change or loss in strength year to year. This happens because detraining occurs at a faster rate than the adaptive process associated with training. If you accept the now well-established science that movement-specific strength is a vital component of overall endurance performance, it only makes sense to utilize a year-round training process that allows improvements in strength from year to year.
The published scientific literature examining how weight training should best be organized in an overall periodization approach to training is sparse; however, it does suggest that an undulating approach may be superior to a linear one. In an undulating approach, various intensities of training are regularly alternated in shorter training cycles, much in the way that successful endurance athletes alternate endurance sport training sessions focused on endurance, race pace, and speed on a regular cyclic basis. In a linear approach, each area of emphasis is trained in isolation over extended blocks of time.
You can also create a longer-term cyclic periodization plan or macrocycle in an undulating approach by varying the exercises employed in the phases, typically moving from more general exercises, such as the half squat, to more movement-specific exercises, such as the single-leg quarter squat. Finally, the training plan, when carried out throughout a full training year, will by necessity have to include periods of strength and power maintenance versus progression so that more specific swim, cycle, and run training progressions can be adapted to more successfully. This is accomplished by simply maintaining the current stimulus level (the weight and sets you are currently adapted to completing without undue fatigue) and by reducing the frequency of sessions if necessary.
The most emphasized areas in endurance sport resistance training are peak strength, peak power, and anaerobic endurance. To these one might add the emerging concept of functionality, although that might just as easily be more directly integrated into the other areas of emphasis, depending on one’s time and equipment limitations.
An example of a resistance training microcycle carried out over 7 days might look like this:
Day 1: Strength emphasis and functional training
Day 2: Power emphasis and functional training
Day 3: Anaerobic endurance emphasis and functional training
Day 4: Day off
Day 5: Strength emphasis and functional training
Day 6: Power emphasis and functional training
Day 7: Anaerobic endurance emphasis and functional training
As you can see, these sessions are separated by a minimum of a full day for recovery, but they can still be effective even when performed 2 or 3 days apart once an athlete adapts to relatively high resistance levels. Unfortunately, the best placement of resistance training sessions relative to endurance training sessions on the same day has not been established. In my experience, resistance training performance is influenced less by fatigue created by prior endurance training sessions than vice versa, and so resistance training should be carried out last in a day whenever possible. In addition, the lower sustained metabolic intensity of resistance training allows for a gradual cool-down when such sessions directly follow endurance training, and no warm-up is required for the resistance training session. Finally, by placing the functional training movements last, an athlete leaves the training process having regained mobility rather than the opposite.
The higher intensity of resistance training can also be used before endurance training to augment performance. This works best when an athlete is highly adapted to the resistance training and uses reduced training volumes to prevent significant fatigue. The high-level neuromuscular stimulus before endurance training seemingly results in an acute stimulating effect, improving the capacity to swim, cycle, or run afterward.
Typically, strength training intensity is based on percentages of your one-repetition maximum (1RM), meaning the weight you can successfully move in a given exercise only one time. Typically, strength is developed using weights in excess of 85 percent of 1RM, with repetitions of 6 or fewer. Peak short-term power is developed using lighter weight in the range of 30 to 70 percent of 1RM, with repetitions of 4 to 6 done as explosively as possible. Short anaerobic endurance can be developed using weights in the range of 40 to 60 percent of 1RM, completing repetitions over 30 to 60 seconds, or typically between 10 and 20 repetitions. Finally, functional exercises are completed using very minimal resistance (often initially only body weight or light poles for overhead extension), with an emphasis placed almost entirely on balance and technique. Of course over time significant resistance can be used in these exercises as well. Following are examples of squat training sessions focused on strength, power, anaerobic endurance, and functionality, respectively.
The nomenclature used next, such as 1 × 10 reps at 80 percent of 1RM, refers to the number of sets (i.e., 1) and the repetitions of each set (i.e., 10) at the target intensity based on an athlete’s known or estimated 1RM value in that exercise. As an example of the intensity, an athlete who can lift 200 pounds (91 kg) once in the given exercise would then use 80 percent of 200 pounds (160 pounds, or 73 kg) in each set.
Using a half squat or a single-leg quarter squat, perform the following:
1 × 10 reps at 70 percent of 1RM
1 × 10 reps at 80 percent of 1RM
3 × 5 reps at 85 percent of 1RM
Using a half squat or a single-leg quarter squat, perform the following:
1 × 10 reps at 70 percent of 1RM
1 × 10 reps at 80 percent of 1RM
3 × 6 reps at 50 percent of 1RM (at maximum speed using timed sets)
Using a half squat or a single-leg quarter squat, perform the following:
1 × 10 reps at 70 percent of 1RM
1 × 10 reps at 80 percent of 1RM
1 × 20 reps at 50 percent of 1RM
Using an extended-arm full squat, perform the following:
3 × 10 reps, with pole maintained overhead and body kept in appropriate alignment
The approach to creating training targets used in the previous examples presumes you will complete only the targeted number of repetitions at the target weight and then make increases in the target weight as the 1RM increases over time. Of course another traditional approach to training is to use failure sets, whereby you lift a given weight until the last repetition cannot be completed successfully. However, limited research suggests that the adaptive response to more controlled training (using fewer reps at a weight level less than that necessary to produce failure) is superior, meaning that trainees experience greater improvements over time. From a practical perspective this is very likely the result of reduced exertional pain, less posttraining fatigue, and a greater amount of the specific neuromuscular stimulus desired. The last comment may seem contradictory; however, shorter training sets at a given weight allow the completion of a greater total number of sets and repetitions of the movement with less fatigue. Even though many associate the pain of failure sets with improvement, the actual stimulus for neuromuscular adaptation lies primarily in the total work completed and the forces used to accomplish the work rather than in the pain and acidity experienced with each set.
Following are training exercises for each discipline, classified by movement specificity versus functionality. The intent is to provide an accessible group of exercises that can be used in conjunction with one another to achieve improved triathlon performance in a time-efficient manner.
In general, the following two principles should be put into practice when performing any of these exercises. First, you should always maintain optimal body posture during the exercise. Important points involve drawing the pelvis (or belly button) in by activating the gluteal muscles and flattening the abdominal muscles so you have a normal curve in your low back; pulling the shoulders back and together to hold the thoracic vertebrae in a normal curve by activating the midback muscles; and elevating and aligning the head to hold the cervical vertebrae in a normal curve. In this way, each exercise also helps develop optimal posture rather than further degrade it. Second, you should always attempt to align joints with the intended direction of force in each exercise. A critical example is the alignment of the hip so that the knee tracks correctly over each foot while weight bearing during exercises such as squats, lunges, and jumps.
These basic exercises develop both the force-producing and recovery aspects of the crawl stroke in swimming, the most commonly used stroke during the swim leg of triathlons.
This exercise develops the catch and pull in crawl-stroke swimming. It is best done on a sliding bench as pictured; however, it can also be done using a cable machine. To perform this exercise, lie facedown on the sliding bench, with the hands held in flexed position as when swimming and the elbows raised above the hands, keeping the elbows high, or forward (see figure 4.1a). Then, attempt to push the hands down, keeping the elbows up (see figure 4.1b).
This exercise develops the recovery movement pattern in crawl-stroke swimming that pulls the hands from the hips to the extension position in the water. To perform this exercise, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold the arms at the waist with elbows flexed, a dumbbell in each hand (see figure 4.2a). Lift the arms simultaneously to a position at shoulder level (see figure 4.2b) and then to full extension overhead (see figure 4.2c). The elbows are flexed from the beginning of the lift until the transition to full extension overhead, as during the high-elbow recovery in swimming.
These basic exercises develop both the force-producing and recovery aspects of the pedal stroke in seated cycling.
This exercise trains the cycling force-producing movements effectively. This movement uses a range of motion in the hip and knee specific to cycling as well as provides a greater general mobility stimulus and total-body muscle activation. To perform this exercise, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with feet pointing forward and a barbell supported across your shoulders (see figure 4.3a). Lower the hips until the thighs reach a parallel, or close to parallel, alignment with the ground while maintaining the normal curvature of the lower spine, an upright head position, and your weight balanced evenly across your feet (see figure 4.3b). It is important to keep the center of the ankles, hips, shoulders, and head in alignment. Once this alignment changes in the movement, you are beginning to compensate for limitations in either strength or range of motion in one or more joints.
This relatively simple exercise trains the cycling recovery movement effectively. To maintain muscle balance, the movement employs the paired muscle groups used in conjunction with the parallel squat exercise just described. To perform the exercise, assume an upright seated position at a leg-curl machine (see figure 4.4a), and simply pull the heels toward the buttocks (see figure 4.4b). Special care should be taken to maintain neutral alignment of the kneecap with the feet during the movement. When appropriate equipment is available, it is possible to use a contralateral, or alternating-sides, approach for greater movement specificity.
The basic strength training exercises described first develop both the force-producing and recovery aspects of running technique. The plyometric and jumping exercises further develop both the ability to apply forces very rapidly and the dynamic balance so vital for efficient running.
This version of the squat is very specific to the force-application absorption phase of running during ground support. The exercise can be done with light or no weight to stimulate improved pelvic control as well as with heavy weight to stimulate strength, once pelvic control is established. For the weighted version, use a Smith machine or similar support rack for squatting and a board or box to stand on (the board creates an elevated position for standing on the ball of the foot). To perform the weighted version of this exercise, stand on one leg (as in running during support) with a level pelvis (see figure 4.5a). Lower the hips, just as in two-leg squats, keeping the pelvis level (see figure 4.5b), then push up to the start position. The support-leg knee should track directly over the support foot, with the body weight placed on the ball of the foot as in running support. The nonsupport leg should be held in a flexed position as in recovery during running. Lower approximately half the distance of a more typical parallel squat in a way that simulates the movements that occur as you land on the ground with each foot during running. Change legs and repeat.
This exercise trains the recovery pattern of the leg during effective running technique. To perform this exercise correctly, use either ankle weights or a plyometric box and cable, with adequate movement range from a point near the ground so the ankle movement can be as near to vertical as possible. To perform this exercise, stand on one leg (as in running during support) with the knee of the support leg bent, the pelvis neutral, and the head and upper torso upright. Pull the nonsupport ankle vertically from the ground to the bottom of the pelvis, the knee and hip flexing simultaneously (see figure 4.6), and then allow the ankle to fall to the ground again, initiating the next repetition as quickly as possible as the foot touches the floor. The ankle should travel in a nearly vertical line with each repetition. Try to cover a full range of motion, with the ankle tucked under the buttocks at the top of the movement as seen in the leg actions of runners moving at peak velocity. Repeat the exercise using the opposite leg.
Plyometric depth jumps simulate the total-body actions taken as the body falls to the ground with each running step and the feet rapidly move into recovery. These exercises augment our ability to apply very high forces very rapidly by prestretching the propulsive muscles during the landing. This activates the stretch reflex, which increases the responding muscle contraction forces as you leave the ground, assuming you do so rapidly.
To perform this exercise, stand on an elevated box in a running-specific support position on both legs (see figure 4.7a for an example of this position for the double-leg jump), simply drop to the ground (see figure 4.7b for an example of this position for the double-leg jump), and then lift the legs and ankles as quickly as possible at contact to return to the box. Land in a “soft” position, with knees bent, pelvis neutral, and head and upper torso upright. The key element of an effective depth jump is removing the feet from the floor as quickly as possible instead of landing, pausing, and then jumping. As you develop greater coordination in the exercise, loading can be increased by adding resistance (a weight vest is best), by increasing jump height, or doing both. The exercise can also be performed on a single leg once adequate strength and balance are developed, making it even more running specific.
Repetitive long jumps develop total-body coordination, which creates greater transfer to the steps taken in running. A plyometric effect is also achieved when the jumps are done in rapid succession. Successive jumps also require a more vertical body action, which simulates running mechanics. To perform this exercise, begin standing in a running-specific support position. Initiate the jump sequence by allowing the body to begin falling forward, simultaneously crouching slightly (see figure 4.8a for an example of this position for a double-leg jump), and then lifting the feet from the ground vertically as in depth jumps (see figure 4.8b for an example of this position for a double-leg jump). Land softly on the balls of the feet on each successive jump, initiating the next jump in turn by rapidly lifting the ankles.
The emphasis should be on rapid vertical foot removal with each successive contact, as in depth jumps, as well as balance versus maximum distance on each jump. You will have to work harder than during depth jumps to keep the body upright with each jump by activating your core muscles more forcefully. The exercise can also be performed on a single leg once adequate strength and balance are developed, making it even more running specific.
These basic exercises develop general mobility, balance, and strength in movement patterns that are often impaired by extensive swimming, cycling, and running training.
This squat variation is the king of all general functional training movements. It serves as both an assessment technique to identify existing compensatory movement patterns and as a training exercise to correct deficiencies. To perform this exercise successfully, you must have virtually all sagittal plane (forward–backward) joint actions in working order. Most experienced triathletes will initially be deficient in the hip, ankle, and shoulder extension mobility necessary to successfully complete the movement. That said, the ability to squat fully to the ground without difficulty is a basic evolutionary skill most of us are likely capable of performing but have lost thanks to the modern world of chairs. Once this movement capability is regained, running, cycling, and swimming performance and injury resistance are often greatly improved.
This exercise is commonly used by physical therapists, coaches, and trainers to test total-body functionality, and it should be used by triathletes in this manner as well. As joint movement limitations and the resulting compensatory movements are identified, they can be addressed using a combination of stretching, muscle strengthening, and dynamic warm-up techniques to mobilize the joints functioning suboptimally. When the full squatting movement can be successfully completed, it can be used by itself to maintain normal joint function and to gradually improve strength and body control.
To perform this exercise, stand in the normal beginning position for a squat, with arms overhead, holding a lightweight pole (see figure 4.9a). Grasp the pole just outside of shoulder width or at a width where a 90-degree angle is created when you let the pole touch the top of your head. Keeping the arms over and behind your head, lower your hips just as in conventional squats, going as deeply as possible (see figure 4.9b), and then push up to the original starting position.
This general functional movement series for the entire body develops full hip mobility as well as upper body stabilization and balance. To perform this exercise, stand in the normal beginning position for a squat, with arms overhead, holding a lightweight pole, as shown in the previous exercise. Begin by stepping forward with a single leg into the lunge position (the knee of the rear leg nearly touching the ground in the process), keeping the upper body upright, with arms extended (see figure 4.10a), and then push back up to the start position. Attempt to step on a line near the center of the body, being sure to track the knee directly over the extended foot. Repeat the movement with the opposite leg. Next step laterally, flexing the extended knee and keeping the pelvis neutral (see figure 4.10b), and then push back to the start position. Repeat the movement with the opposite leg. Finally step backward, flexing the forward leg now (see figure 4.10c), and then push back up to the start position. Repeat with the opposite leg for one full repetition of the series. These movements can be increased in difficulty and the total-body coordination required by adding a shoulder press to each step as well as by adding torso rotations to the front and back lunges.
Although it is certainly true that beginning triathletes will see their greatest improvement in the sport simply by adapting to increased amounts of swimming, cycling, and running, the ability to increase movement-specific strength and injury resistance eventually paves the way to performance improvements and continued participation in the triathlon. The intelligent and consistent application of a resistance training program using movement-specific exercises in combination with injury-preventing functional training exercises can take triathletes to the next level of performance as well as ensure their ability to compete successfully for decades to come.