Endurance athletes often live at the extremes with strength work: either doing none at all, or hammering random gym sessions that leave them too sore to hit their key workouts.
Think “Support,” Not “Showcase”
Your strength plan should support your main sport, not compete with it. You don’t need PR deadlifts; you need resilient hips, glutes, and trunk so you can handle training load.
The Simple Two-Day Template
Most triathletes and runners do well with two 30–40 minute sessions per week built around:
- A hinge (deadlift pattern) with moderate load and crisp reps.
- A squat or split squat for single-leg strength.
- Pulling work (rows, pulldowns) for posture.
- Trunk stability instead of endless crunches.
Place Strength After, Not Before, Key Sessions
To protect your key workouts, stack strength after easy sessions or later in the day after a hard session — not right before intervals or long runs.
Done right, strength work disappears into the background of your week. You don’t feel “like a lifter.” You just notice that your body handles more training with fewer weird niggles — and that’s exactly the point.