Keith Russell from Reading in the UK sent me several queries based on the Strength Training section of the book (Part 9). I’ll answer each in turn.

Hi Keith,

As I mentioned my queries were on the weights/strength training section. I have listed them separately for clarity.

1. You mentioned the deadlift as the best ‘bang for buck’ lift. Which other lifts do you recommend in addition to the deadlift? Conversely, are there any lifts that you recommend avoiding completely?

I’d avoid doing lunges- these can be dangerous. They injured Craig Mottram’s hamstrings and derailed his World champs campaign in 2007, after he’d done an early-season 8:03 2 mile. Other exercises to avoid totally are seated leg extensions and prone hamstring curls: these exercises isolate the quads or hamstrings away from the other muscles in their functional units, and they bear no functional resemblance to real-world lifting situations. In the case of the leg extension, tremendous “shearing” forces and compressive forces are applied along the length of the knee joint. These forces are along vectors the joint is simply not designed for; especially the patellar tendon. We are after a dynamic real-world lift that ticks all the boxes, and the dead lift does that very well. Seated military presses and overhead presses are non-real world exercises that can strain the lower back and shoulder for no particular gain that will benefit a runner.

Care should be taken initially to do the deadlift exercise with sub-maximal loads with more reps, and long recoveries, initially, so as to not “shock” the body with too much information and be left walking like John Wayne straight off the horse from the High Sierras .

Once into the groove, then we start on a programme of 3-4 sets of near-maximals, keeping “load time” total in each set at or under 10 seconds so as to keep out of the lactic system and promote quick recovery, repair, and muscle protein genesis at the cellular level. When we’re training the powerful IIB muscle fibres for strength, we’re ALSO TRAINING ALACTICALLY. We’re using the same system described in the previous post, except now the neuromuscular firing pattern for fast relaxed running isn’t being trained- just the maximal tension potential of the very same fibres, and the same biochemical system. Recovery between sets should be up to 5 minutes to make sure that the “phosphate battery” tops itself up to near 100% again. If we get into the lactic system too much and drop below near-maximals, then we are training the IIA oxidative/glycolytic fibres, which will adapt by synthesizing significant numbers of aerobic and glycolytic enzymes and organelles, and the accompanying cytoplasmic fluid mass which will then be a weight burden to the athlete. So for lean and extremely mean, we train only the IIB fast twitch, which are brutally simple, needing only the phosphate system for fuel.

We lift near-maximally to directly recruit IIB fibres  and bypass the size principle of sequential recruitment from (small) slow twitch Type I through (large) Fast Twitch Oxidative/glycolytic (IIA) to massive IIB.

A useful guestimate of maximal when you start off is by seeing how many lifts you can do 10 reps with before tiring. This is, for most people, very close to 75% of your actual maximum.  Use that mark as an initial set point based on 85%+ for a good strength training effect on the alactic non-oxidative fast twitch IIB fibre specifically. If you can do 75kg 10x before tiring, then your maximal is around 100kg, and your effective training session will be several sets of 3-5 repetitions @ 85 kg or more, keeping total lifting or “load time” under 10 seconds. Load time includes the descent (eccentric) phase. More reps can be done in the allotted time if the weight is dropped at the top of the lift, but a Smith machine or weight cage is required to do that safely. The dead lift won’t exercise the fast twitch muscle fibre in an explosive fashion- just slowly, keeping muscle tension very high, as we can’t lift a very heavy weight quickly. Later on, relaxed short sprints under 10 seconds and plyometric exercises such as bounding can translate the increased density and  tension potential of IIB fast twitch fibres into high power output.

2. Where do you stand on the use of machine weights versus free weights? I appreciate that machine weights isolate muscle groups whereas the free weights will work stabilisers as well as the main muscle(s) targeted, but for those new to lifting, such as myself, are they a safer method to use initially?

You’re correct about the shortfall of machine weights: the synergistic muscles and the nervous system don’t get trained effectively. You’re training strength in a limited range that is pre-determined by the machine’s mechanics and not yours. Some people say start with weight machines for a few weeks, but I’d say that could set one up for injury in the untrained or unrecruited synergistic muscles.

Start from the beginning training with free weights or dumbbells at your current untrained levels, and increase your weights naturally as your neuromuscular system adapts.

3. Should a weights programme be periodised to match a periodised running programme, and if so how?

Also if yes, should you still periodise a weights programme if you are following a complex running system?

Interesting question. Year-round, whether training the aerobic systems, or coming into a race preparation phase, we should “keep in contact” with fast movement patterns (sprint efficiency) and strength training. This is totally different from actually training these systems hard, which only comes when we periodize for competition. But we just stay “in contact” while we’re concentrating on other phases, energy systems, and muscle fibre types. We don’t want to lose those hard-won neuromuscular recruitment patterns and accompanying IIB fibre muscle density. Use it or lose it. Once in competition, we should just do maintenance levels of lifting at a reduced total weight output (ie: maybe 2 sets of 3-5 reps as opposed to 4 sets). This is simply to “rest” the organism as a whole prior to expecting huge outputs, mentally and physically, in competition. The concentration required to lift very heavily can deplete the neuromuscular system as much as the muscles themselves. Keep supplemental levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids ( deep sea fish oils) high , as well as magnesium and calcium supplements, when lifting heavily regularly. The Ca:Mg ratio should generally be 2:1 of elemental metals.

I always used to do weights at night, when warmed up, AFTER all hard or long running was done for the day, the night before a very gentle recovery day which may have involved moderate distances covered slowly. The warm-up for weights should be dynamic: stretching and deep-bending into positions similar to those you’ll be lifting heavy weights in. The idea of warming up aerobically for heavy lifting with 15 minutes on an exercycle should have disappeared with the dinosaurs.

Maybe warm up with light weights, doing the specific lifts, but with low intensity (below 50% maximal) that can’t possibly recruit the IIB fibres. Start the lifting session proper with a few reps (no more than 5) of the heaviest weight you think you can manage in that exercise, and then when recovered from that set, try lifting as heavy as you can again. US Strength training and sprint coach Barry Ross recommends this, and has startled experienced lifters by rapidly taking them to new levels where they smash lifetime bests by training with fewer reps, more recovery, and heavier weights than they’re used to.

With a complex system, where year-round the conditioning involves predominantly steady aerobic work with pivotal “tougher” sessions on several days, I’d do the weights session on the evening of the tougher days. Complex systems usually surround the short, sharp, tougher session days with several sessions of easier steady aerobic efforts. One season, long before I learnt more about the alactic system, I doubled my squat strength to 10 reps at 150kgs, at a racing bodyweight of about 58 kgs, training 20 minutes, three nights a week. Most of that 20 minutes was recovery time. These days I’d do fewer reps, and at 51 I’m sure I could lift more again, training correctly this time around!

DON’T schedule weights on the day before even a moderate speed session or track session or rhythm session; you may regret it, especially if you’re new to lifting or doing a new exercise! ALWAYS make your first weight session/s for a season moderate to gentle, lifting almost pathetically light weights, until the muscles get the idea. Then, go for it! Once you’re used to lifting weights, you’ll be able to lift quite heavily, frequently, with no fear of injury, especially if you use your common sense and lift with proper form! You’ll get to know your own recovery pattern as far as energy levels, recovery from stiffness, etc, etc. Henry Rono once said “I know my own limits” when asked how he trained for his world records in 1980.

Finally, remember that the main thing should always be the running session, and the weights should come second. If fatigued, drop the weights session and jog easily till you feel strong and recovered again. No use flogging a dead horse.

4. One additional question I meant to ask on the weights was; is there a different approach to the weights, or additional lifts required for triathletes as obviously there are extra muscle groups used?

Another good question, Keith. Slightly out of my particular area of sport, which is running. The answer here is YES. Two-time NZ Olympic Triathlon coach Chris Pilone, who coached Hamish Carter to gold in Athens in 2004, confirms that Carter did do quite a bit of weight training, but not specifically for the big upper body muscles required in swimming, as one might expect. He did a routine involving core exercises, some upper-body work, and split squats (a glorified lunge , where the rear leg is positioned with the rear foot elevated to really stress the quadriceps on that particular leg, and the front leg starts from a position with thigh parallel to floor. With the descent phase, the front leg gets to really work the hamstrings and glutes to the max.)

Pilone says that Carter didn’t discuss his weight routine at all while he was competing, as he felt it gave him the edge in coming off the bike. Now that he’s long since retired, we can safely reveal that his main reason for weights was that the extra strength in the core and lower body enabled him to transition much better from ride to run, and seemed to prevent the extremely common neuromuscular fatigue often seen with “rubbery leg syndrome”. Carter had a strong rowing background prior to his triathlon career, and was used to weight training for that sport.

Cyclists like Lance Armstrong use upper body and core workouts so that they sit strongly on the bike without undue fatigue, especially on uphill rides. If the cyclist is stable on his bike, then most of his driving force can be directed into the pedal, rather than in wrenching his torso across a bucking bike.

The swimming portion of triathlon can be addressed by concentrating on the “swimmer’s muscles” - the ‘lats’ or lattissimus dorsi. A great way to do this is with “lat pull-downs” or with wide-grip behind-the-neck pullups: wear a weight belt and strap on a decent weight plate while you see how many reps you can get. Most good athletes can do a number of pull-ups with body weight and then once they get to something decent like 15-20 reps, they get to a strength plateau pretty quickly. To smash that, we are better off doing (obviously!) far fewer reps with something decent like a 50lb plate whacked onto the belt. I saw TV footage prior to the 2008 Olympics where Australian 100m freestyle world record-holder Eamon Sullivan was cranking out reps with what looked like at least a 50 pound weight plate chained to the belt.

The guy who can do a respectable 20 reps with body weight might only crank out 2 or 3 with an extra 50 pounds on the belt, however this will really get the muscle working in the alactic time frame, asking a great deal from the neuromuscular system, and the powerful IIB fast twitch fibres will get their wake-up call. If this overload is applied regularly, the results with reps when one gets back to maxing out with body weight only can be extremely pleasing. A stronger muscle has more endurance at any given level of exertion, and won’t go into lactic acidosis until several more reps have accrued. A strong athlete should be able to lift at least his body-weight in a seated lat pull-down exercise: this will usually entail having to be strapped or held onto the seat. A good yardstick to aim at would be 5 reps at bodyweight plus 100 pounds (about 45 kgs).

Brian Bessingpas, of Dassel, Minnesota, has a query about integrating alactic sprint training into a middle distance training program. Good query, Brian!

The three main types of training for middle distance involve three energy systems and three muscle fibre types. In a nutshell, there are two anaerobic energy systems and two fast twitch muscle fibre types that correlate with them. There are several distinct strata in the aerobic energy system, and one main muscle fibre type to be trained. Of course, there are grey areas in the higher aerobic strata where the fast twitch fibre types are recruited in tandem with the tiring slow twitch, each with their varying power outputs and varying biochemistries.

The first part of the anaerobic system, the alactic, is totally different to the second part, the lactic (also called glycolytic). While it produces phenomenal power output, it tires rapidly somewhere between 10 and 13s in most athletes. The lactic system then takes over as a rich source of medium-term anaerobic energy.

The alactic system can be trained very well without ever having to undergo the unnecessary discomfort and acidosis created by the lactic system. So what is ALACTIC TRAINING? Correct alactic training is a “shortcut” to athleticism, brute strength, and power: and it is FUN, as opposed to the vomit-worthy discomfort of LACTIC TRAINING!

We have to do both types of training, after a good aerobic base has been established, to reach our potential over middle distances. But it’s best to get into a very aerobic and alkali state, with capillarization as fine and as deep as possible into the local musculature, before contemplating intense lactate tolerance work. (This is all explained in depth in Part 6 of my book).

I define alactic training as any effort of high intensity that lasts less than 10 seconds, with ample easy aerobic recovery of jogging or walking until the effort is repeated. Alactic power training can be safely done through an aerobic base training phase without upsetting the alkali state of the body significantly and destroying the production of the aerobic (oxidative) enzyme systems. Lactate tolerance training can’t safely be done during an aerobic base training period as it produces significant acidosis.

Basically, fast, powerful efforts of less than 10 seconds are ideal to develop power and speed, and DON’T CREATE MUCH ACIDOSIS! Acidosis is the ENEMY of healthy cells. Imagine drinking vinegar (acidic), compared to milk (alkali). You get the picture.

Because the alactic anaerobic system relies on the self-priming “phosphate battery”, our fast relaxed efforts of under 10 seconds will usually not produce significant local acidosis in the legs, as will longer efforts beyond about 13 seconds, where the sluggish lactic acid system really kicks in.

The “phosphate battery” is a nickname for the creatine-phosphate system in fast twitch muscle fibres. Huge power outputs in a muscle are achieved by the extremely rapid exchange of phosphate molecules at the coalface of muscle cell contraction. Every high school student who has done biology will be aware of ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) rapidly degrading to ADP (Adenosine Di-Phosphate), and then to AMP (Adenosine Mono Phosphate). Creatine Phosphate is the substance that is able to donate phosphate molecules back into the phosphate system very rapidly in any healthy, well-trained individual.

This “phosphate battery” can recover completely to its pre-effort levels within minutes if enough easy recovery is enjoyed. Compare this to the exhaustion and acidosis in the local muscle after longer, glycolytic (lactic) efforts. These can take several days to recover from properly, as they can deplete much of the accessible glycogen in the local muscle, and harm several other energy systems.

Alactic sprint training needs to be done year-round, on a regular basis, to ensure that the skill of fast running becomes reflexive and “second nature”. The main thing to note is that to practice the neuromuscular skill of FAST running, the body must be well-rested and not anywhere near heavy-legged glycogen-depletion or localised acidosis. It can be done safely year-round, even in an aerobic phase, because it never enter into the realm of acidosis

So never do alactic training straight after very long running or glycolytic (lactate tolerance) training: your neuromuscular system will be temporarily “shot” and there will be no point. “You can’t flog a dead horse”, as the racing parlance goes.

It’s good to practice fast running when “fresh”, as the brain can receive mixed messages, and associate tired not-so-fast running with the discomfort of lactic acidosis, whereas it should feel “fun and fast”. The brain will learn whatever it’s given, good or bad, and spit it out on race day.

With a good endurance background, most middle distance athletes recover very quickly from long running: certainly within a couple of days of the weekly long run if it is done at a correct, steady aerobic pace. For work on the track during the lead-in to track racing, a set of fast relaxed strides with ample recovery, every time we do a “session” can accumulate over a season.

We’ll often insert some alactic speed drills several times a week in track season during the early part of a session, at the end of a brief warmup, several days after the weekly long run. We get the athletes to do fast, relaxed strides over 60 metres or less, with plenty of easy walk/jog recovery. Doing this before any longer, harder running achieves the requirement of having well-rested muscles.

In winter, this sort of drill is done, in spikes, by the training group before embarking on longer hard running over a cross-country course or parkland. There’s no danger of being too exhausted to do the fast running, and the following hard work will be done well because the body has just completed a set of faster running, with ample recovery.

Fast, relaxed running over short distances, with a number of repeats and adequate recovery, is a sure-fire way to develop the learnable neuromuscular skill of sprint speed. The brain and body can be considered a functional whole, and to this extent, repetition really is the “mother of learning”.

Think of trying to do some homework or studying for an exam when you’re tired! It’s not satisfactory at all, is it? A tired or tight muscle cannot be asked to perform fast, relaxed running!