From Weight Training to Triathlon Training

An article by Debi Hazelden    1 Comment

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When I used to do lots of weight training a few years ago my personal trainer suggested I have a protein shake after every workout to help rebuild my muscles. The trainers aim to get you putting on kg’s of muscle and losing bodyfat %. This is a great thing if you are just wanting to be healthy and look good.

Slim down rather than bulk up

Now that I’m training for triathlon this changes. The change between weight training and triathlon training is bigger for guys than girls.  The difference between bulking up and slimming down.

Apart from the fact that I don’t manage to fit in weight training anymore, the big point is that I’m not trying to put on muscle. This should be mainly for guys training for triathlon. It’s a big difference to what they are used to – which is becoming big and muscular! In triathlon, if anything you should try to lose weight and possibly lose some muscle mass. You’ll notice all of the elite triathletes are tiny and Ironman athletes are still quite small.

So change your train of thought and stop bulking up guys. It’s time to slim down. Don’t worry, you’ll still look hot. Check out Scotty McNab or Torenzo for a bit of eye candy

Macca and Torenzo

I wouldn’t try put on muscle anymore. If you are planning on doing triathlon you’d mainly be trying to slim down no matter if it’s fat or muscle. The lighter the better – to a certain point. You’ll run faster and climb hills faster. The balancing act is the power output of big muscles in cycling on the flat. You’ll notice all the triathletes are tiny.

My partner used to bulk up at the gym, he was 97kg when we were in Hamilton – big and muscular, but now has been trying to lose weight since getting into triathlon. He got down to 82kg before Ironman but is about 86kg now. He’s 6”2 I think. That’s very tall for an ironman athlete. Usually the good ones are about 70kg and shorter than him.

Can we do weights when training for triathlon?

Have you started triathlon training and still doing weights? Weights aren’t a bad thing, but I’d say soon you will realise you don’t have much spare time to fit them in, and any time you do have will be running, cycling or swimming. If you have a guy at the gym doing you a program ask him to give you a core/balance/flexibilty program that you can do around your swimming/running/cycling.

Core strength and flexibility is great to work on and really beneficial. I wouldn’t worry about your body fat %, it should just come down with the cardio training that is triathlon training. I say how beneficial core workouts are but I know I don’t do them enough!

Should we use protein shakes?

Berry smoothie instead of protein shake

We used to have protein shakes when we were weight training a few years ago. But now we don’t. I try have a healthy fat and a protein at every meal and snack.

Protein i.e. yoghurt, cheese, hummus, nuts
Healthy fat i.e. flax seed oil, nuts, olive oil, avocado, full fat yoghurt

After a workout you need to replenish your carbs and protein. I think you are better to do this with real food as it’s more nutrient dense than a protein shake. You could have a protein shake though – but food is the better option. You could have a smoothie with berries, milk or coconut milk, 1 Tsp flax seed oil, vanilla essence (and almonds if you like).

If you haven’t had too hard a workout – i.e. a 2 hour steady cycle I might not have anything during the ride and have a snack after. Whereas Scott might work at a harder intensity and would want electrolyte drink on his ride and maybe a gel and a snack after.

Lots of athletes think they need to eat more carbs than they should. Especially in their off season when you are doing lower intensity workouts.

Definitely cut out the white rice, pasta and sugar.

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elly/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/