Functional Fitness for Triathletes





Triathletes use just about every muscle head to toe, but certain muscles and movements can super-charge performance and prevent injury. Functional training for triathletes focuses on spot strengthening these critical muscles.


Successful Ironman athletes like Mark Allen and even Team USA attribute improvement to mixing in weight lifting with their cycling, running and swimming workouts. The trick? Make sure your weight lifting is done in service of your tri goals. The way to do that is to focus on functional training.


Strength training should be done one 1-2 non-consecutive days with at least 1 day of rest in between for the muscles to recover. Aim for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise. The weight should be heavy enough that for the final few reps you struggle to maintain proper form. If you can't hit 8 reps with proper form then go down in weight. Also, it should be noted that unlike distance swimming, running or biking, strength-training is not an endurance activity. Each strength training session shouldn't exceed 60-75 minutes at the absolute most. Sip a protein shake with a scoop of BCA's for an added boost.


Functional Training for Swimming


Functional training for your swim focuses on upper body conditioning and power moves for the lower body.


  • Plank
  • Cable Row
  • Physio Ball Jackknife
  • Pull Up
  • Lateral Lunge
  • Chest Press
  • Banded Clamshell
  • Squat Jump
  • Deadlift
  • Kettlebell Armbars
  • Functional Training for Cycling

Functional Fitness for Cycling

When it comes to cycling, functional training is all about building endurance and power in your legs, and strength in your core and arms for support. Isolated (single-leg) lower body movements will help balance your strength. This can not only make you stronger but also help you prevent injury.


  • Lunge
  • Plank
  • Squats
  • Single-Leg Deadlifts
  • Lateral Step-Ups
  • Single-Leg Bridge
  • Plank with Row
  • Triceps Dips
  • Functional Training for Running

Functional Training for Running

Functional and strength training for running can be a game-changer. Running - especially distance running - tends to tax certain muscles heavily while others get tight or even atrophy. Weight lifting supplements that to keep you balanced (read: injury prevention) and make you more powerful when you lace up your sneaks.


  • Plank
  • Back Extension
  • Squats
  • Overhead Press
  • Physio Ball Jackknife
  • Physio Ball Hamstring Curl
  • Single-Arm Row


There is a fair amount of overlap in these categories, so you can mix-and-match to calibrate to your unique needs. You can go for whole-body functional training or tailor moves to the component of the race in which you need some extra help. Incorporate these moves into 1-2 cross-training days per week with the moves below to help bring your performance to the next level.
Location: Northbrook, IL 60062, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Many Mental Health Benefits of Functional Fitness

Image
Functional fitness doesn’t just help you physically. Exercising will also benefit your mental health! Functional fitness will help reduce stress, boost your mood, and much more. The following highlights just a few of the benefits. Why not start a functional fitness routine today? Reduces Stress Exercise helps reduce both physical and mental stress. Working out releases chemicals that help your brain moderate your levels of stress. Functional fitness exercises require you to put your body through routine physical stress. Through this, your body learns to adapt to physical stress. This adaptability and flexibility also carries over to how you handle mental stress. Mood Boost Functional fitness exercises also help make you happier. Exercise releases endorphins, chemicals that make you feel happy. When endorphins are released naturally through exercise, you’ll be  less at risk for depression  and more likely to have feelings of euphoria post workout. Opting to exercise outside
Read more

Functional Fitness for Older Adults

Image
It is a universal truth that humans need exercise for maintaining their optimal health. Take a look in nearly any gym, however, and it is common to see people exercising for a whole host of motivations, including the desire to lose weight, build endurance toward a particular fitness goal, or simply to “look ripped.” Older adults often have an additional motivating factor for working out: maintaining an adequate quality of life. Numerous everyday tasks can become much more difficult for older adults. Getting up from the floor, climbing the stairs, and lifting and carrying heavy things can present challenges as strength and coordination decline. Therefore, the concept of functional training for seniors should incorporate exercises that promote endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Ideally, individual exercises can address all four simultaneously. Here are some basic, yet extremely effective functional fitness exercises for older adults. Walking Walking is, without a do
Read more

Just Starting Functional Fitness? Try These Exercises

Image
Functional fitness exercises are a great way to strengthen the muscles you use on a regular basis. Even if you don’t play a sport or want to build extensive muscle, exercises such as the following are easy to perform and great for your body! Squats Squats a  great form of exercise, and the don’t require any extra equipment! They’re great for your lower body, including your calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The movement really helps improve the functionality of your body. After all, you use similar motions to get in and out of chairs. When performing a squat, focus not on your knees, but your hips. Make sure your toes point straight forward and your  knees are above your ankles . Your knees shouldn’t extend beyond your toes as you move into a squatting position. You want most of the action in your glutes, not your hips and quads. Push Ups Push ups are another easy exercise that helps train the muscles you use often in day-to-day tasks such as your arms, chest, and co
Read more