Strength Coach- Endurance Training Compilation

Michael Boyle - 

One area we get lots of questions about is training endurance athletes like distance runners or triathletes. We've pulled together some articles geared specifically to this population. Join StrengthCoach.com to access the below articles....

Training the Endurance Athlete- Michael Boyle (Preview below)

Triathlete Case Study-  Tim Crowley

Single Leg Strength for Endurance Athletes- Getting a Leg Up On The Competition- Tim Crowley

Training the Endurance Athlete w/ Jon Messner- Strengthcoach Podcast Episode 199

Why Endurance Training Lacks Staying Power- Alwyn Cosgrove

Foam Rolling Compilation - Michael Boyle

The Static Stretching Renaissance- Michael Boyle

Training the Endurance Athlete (Strength Coach Classic)

Michael Boyle

Training endurance athletes can be a goldmine for personal trainers and strength coaches if you can understand their mentality. Truth is endurance athletes have a lot of qualities that make them desirable clients. They are generally motivated, in need of help and often affluent. In fact, triathletes, runners and rowers far outnumber team sport athletes in the adult population.

The first question you need to ask yourself in order to understand the endurance athlete is "Why are they an endurance athlete?". The answer generally comes in one of four parts.

1. Genetic predisposition- they've always been good at endurance activity
2. Mental predisposition- they've always been a type A personality.
3. Endurance training provides a competitive outlet into adulthood.
4. A combination of 1, 2, and 3
You might ask yourself "Does it matter why they are an endurance athlete?". It does matter because personality characteristics and genetic predisposition are at first a positive but, can rapidly become a negative. High levels of motivation and drive can initially produce great results. However often they also produce injuries. I believe that what makes you train hard also makes you train hurt. 
The truth is that endurance training probably isn't good for you. However, no endurance athlete wants to hear that. This is what they do and they are not about to change because you or I think the risk of injury is too high. So if you can't change them you might as well help them. If you can't beat em, train em. 
In order to train the endurance athete you need to understand how he or she thinks. This involves something I have decided to call The Endurance Cycle. The cycle is illustrated below. 

The Endurance Cycle-Train--- Injury--- Rehab/PT----
-Train--- Injury--- Rehab/PT----
-Train--- Injury--- Rehab/PT----
-Train--- Injury--- Rehab/PT----
The cycle is simple. Train hard until you get hurt. Call your PT (who by now is like a family friend) rest and repeat. This is so prevalent that I have coined another term "The Endurance Conversation". This is a typical conversation overheard between two endurance athletes. 
Endurance athlete 1 Question- "Are you training or injured?"
Endurance athlete 2 Answer - " Well I just got over _ _ _ itis and I've being running in the pool.."
To you or I, this may seem like a strange conversation but, between two endurance athletes. This is a "how's the weather conversation?". Endurance athletes view injury as a reasonable expectation and are not surprised when it happens. In fact, my theory is that the entire physical therapy profession owes a great debt to the early aerobic proponents of the seventies. As a kid growing up playing sports I had never heard of a physical therapist. Physical therapists were put on the map by endurance athletes and their "itises". Endurance athletes fueled the physical therapy boom and today they continue to provide some of physical therapies best patients. To be honest, PT's love these guys. They are like crack addicts to them. 
Another thing that has become very common in the endurance world is the revolving door of what I like to call "The Injury Progression". The injury progression is illustrated below.  Join StrengthCoach.com today to read the full article and more....