Weight Train?

I received an email yesterday from a new triathlete asking whether or not the athlete should weight train, in addition to a fairly heavy swim/bike/run schedule. I think this is very common and useful Q. My response, which I believe applies broadly, was this:

This is an area of opinion more so than proven training principles regarding triathlon. (There are few proven training principles.) I don’t believe that anyone reading your email can confidently, and even ethically, give you advice about weight training for your triathlon plan. First, it is highly individualized. What is beneficial for one athlete is detrimental to another. Second, it depends on your specific racing goals, and the demands of your races. It also depends on your time available to train, the amount of time you have until your next big race, your athletic history and background, your strengths and limiters, and your relative experience in each sport. It even depends on your body composition and body type. Even knowing all these things, it is a matter of opinion. Training is a blend of art and science, and there is no one-size fits all approach to most training issues.
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That said, core strength is a must. Any athlete that has a weak core should spend time strengthening it. If its strong, you’ll get little return for the time spent. Just maintain in that case.

Remember, you cannot consider weight training in isolation regarding your triathlon training. It has to fit into your overall training volume, and will almost never be the most important or beneficial part of your training. Nevertheless, it for sure can help in some cases. I have an athlete that I actually had STOP almost all weight training, and he got faster. I also have another athlete for whom weight training is critical, mostly on the bike. You’ll probably discover, when you ask Q’s about triathlon training, that the answer is often, “it depends.” If its not, be careful. Be very wary of anyone who acts like they are sure they know what you need to do. That just indicates they have no idea.