Season 5 Ep 12 — Building Strength and Durability in Endurance Athletes With Chris Lee
Dec 13, 2023
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Chris Lee, the director of Sports Performance at Kinesis Integrated and certified strength and conditioning specialist, shares his expertise on strength training for endurance athletes. He emphasizes the importance of year-round training for injury prevention and performance enhancement, integrating strength work seamlessly into endurance regimens. Lee discusses the benefits of plyometrics and eccentric movements, addresses athletes' limitations, and offers practical advice for beginners. His insights are key for coaches looking to optimize training through collaboration and tailored plans.
Year-round strength training is essential for endurance athletes to combat muscle breakdown, reduce injury risks, and enhance overall performance.
Thorough body movement assessments help tailor strength training programs to address individual athlete limitations, improving their performance and preventing injuries.
Deep dives
The Importance of Year-Round Strength Training
Endurance sports are inherently catabolic, leading to muscle breakdown, which makes year-round strength training crucial for athletes. This approach helps mitigate injury risks while maintaining muscle strength, ultimately enhancing performance. Regular strength training not only promotes better athletic performance but also fosters overall physical resilience in daily life. Athletes should prioritize a consistent strength training program to combat the adverse effects of endurance training and maintain peak physical condition.
Individualized Assessment and Program Development
Conducting thorough assessments is a foundational step in creating tailored strength training programs for athletes. These assessments identify individual movement patterns, limitations, and specific needs based on their sports demands. By understanding each athlete's unique weaknesses, strength coaches can devise programs that target these deficiencies effectively, facilitating improved performance and injury prevention. A well-structured initial evaluation helps ensure that the training regimen aligns with the athlete's goals and physical capabilities.
Collaborative Approach with Coaches and Therapists
Strength coaches play an integral role within an athlete's support team, collaborating with head coaches and physical therapists to optimize training outcomes. This collaborative approach ensures that all aspects of the athlete's training plan align with their overarching goals, facilitating communication among team members. For example, if an athlete is addressing an injury, the strength coach can create targeted strength exercises that complement the physical therapist's recovery plan. Such teamwork allows for a seamless integration of strength training that accounts for an athlete's overall training load and recovery.
Plyometrics and Functional Strength Training
Plyometric exercises are vital for improving athletes' power, tendon health, and overall functional capabilities, contributing to better performance in endurance sports. Starting with lower-impact variations, athletes can gradually progress to more advanced plyometrics, which challenge their strength and agility. These exercises help simulate real-life movements, such as stair climbing or trail running, making them particularly valuable for endurance athletes. Implementing plyometrics not only enhances athletic performance but also prepares bodies for the demands of their respective sports.
Dirk Friel digs into Chris' approach to strength training. His philosophy is underpinned by thorough body movement assessments, identifying and targeting an athlete's limiters, and a belief in the vital role of strength work for injury prevention and performance improvement. He points out that he advocates year-round strength training tailored to each phase of an athlete's season.
Lee, the director of Sports Performance at Kinesis Integrated, holds a physical education and exercise science degree and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA. With almost a decade of experience, he serves as a strength coach for the Tinman Elite Running Team and has worked extensively with endurance coaches to integrate effective strength programs.
In addition to coaching Dirk's strength training program, he is also an advisor to new strength training features being added to TrainingPeaks, providing guidance and feedback for new tools coming to the platform in early 2024. Over 90% of TrainingPeaks coaches prescribe strength training through TrainingPeaks.
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