Coach Alan Warner
MSc, CPT, CSCS
Team Atomica’s most recent coaching addition is strength and conditioning specialist Alan Warner. He coaches the Thursday Team Atomica masters swim practice a Riverdale. He also runs his own strength training company called Atlas Alliance. Having worked with triathletes, masters swimmers, and water polo players for years, Alan knows well how to maximize time in the gym when the demands of sport-specific training (not to mention life) make it hard to prioritize the weight room. We asked him to give us the low-down on what he thinks are the three crucial strength exercises for triathletes.
“Strength training is important for improving performance, but also for injury prevention,” insists Alan. He explains that working on strength increases an athlete’s ability to produce greater forces. “The key routines I suggest are: Deadlift, Bulgarian Split Squat and Lat pull down.” Below Alan highlights a few of the central advantages of each exercise.
Deadlift: Most useful for running, cycling and pool swimming (where you have walls to push off).
- Force production in running. The deadlift is beneficial for strength gains in your glutes and hamstrings. This will help you to apply more force at the ground as you push your foot backwards with each running stride. The more force you can produce at the ground, the further you can propel yourself per stride.
- More knee friendly than squats. Running puts a lot of stress on the knee and injuries may arise from over use or muscular imbalances between quads (with quads often being more dominant) and hamstrings, which are part of the anterior and posterior chain systems respectively. It is more beneficial to ensuring these two muscle groups are well balanced or the likelihood of injuries especially at the knee are higher. When done correctly, deadlifts should fire your hamstrings and glutes, in addition to your quads, which creates good muscular habits and balances helping to prevent potential knee pain.
- Added effect of upper body strength/posture/grip. When done correctly, deadlifts will train scapular rotation in the lift. Additionally, there is an added effect of having a more upright torso from engagement of back muscles, which is crucial in running. Furthermore, being able to hold the load in your hand at the top of the deadlift will improve grip strength. Form is one of the first things to go during an endurance race as the fatigue sets in and you slump forward, but deadlifting (and strength training in general) will help you avoid that and stay in a more ergonomic position to deliver continued force during long races.
Bulgarian Split squat. Most beneficial for cycling, running and swimming.
1.This routine is one of the best lower body exercises incorporating single leg strength and balance. As it is a single leg isolation exercises, it will also alert you to any potential muscle imbalances between the legs—ensuring that you have an opportunity to correct them, decreasing likelihood of injury. It is a beneficial way to increase your hip, and quad mobility. The Bulgarian Split Squat activates up your glutes, hip flexors (important in swimming) hamstrings, and quads (crucial on the bike and run), therefore helping to improve all three components of triathlon.
Lat pull down (in front of neck towards chest): Mostly beneficial for swimming.
- Gym-based exercises are an effective way to improve swim-specific movement patterns using the arms to propel or support the body. The latissumus dorsi or ‘Lats’ run the length of your back up and down your sides. It is a key muscle for a strong stroke and forceful rotation of the upper body allowing you to propel yourself forward through the water. Lat pull downs or seated rows effectively target and strengthen this muscle group. Stronger lats with the correct body position and kick can contribute to an improved distance per stroke and faster movement through the water.
As with all strength training or physical activities, athletes should be cleared by their doctor for intense physical exercise and declare any limitations (including current/past injuries or chronic health conditions) that their coaches should be aware of before starting.
You can book a session with Alan at Atlas Alliance by emailing: alanatlasalliance@gmail.com