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Kettlebell Triathlon strength: is S&S appropriate

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Davidlbn

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I'm on my way to timeless simple (Like the new book!). Working with a 28, just starting to mix in the 32.

Ideally I would like to achieve timeless simple in the next 6 months.
However, I would also like to do another 70.3 half Ironman in June/July next year. Since I'm been out of tri training for several years now, that's going to take some work.

Is S&S an appropriate program to work in alongside a triathlon program? Or would my triathlon goal be better served with a pure strength program?
Then back to S&S after the triathlon?

TBH I'm reluctant to stop S&S and have to start again later. It's been hard work getting to where I am and I don't want to lose it. But I'm not convinced I need the conditioning work of the swings on top of all the triathon cardio work.

Would a better option be to reduce the reps and increase the sets to make the swings more power oriented?

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

David
 
You should be good to go. Just watch your recovery. If you need a break take it or reduce your weekly training sessions. Best of luck with your training!
 
Would a better option be to reduce the reps and increase the sets to make the swings more power oriented?

I like your thinking there... My thought is that it's not necessary, but it's a good option. I would let recovery be your guide, as @ShawnM said.

So you want to do 10 hard sets of swings. If 10 x 10 leaves you reduced for your tri training in subsequent days, then do 10 sets of 5 instead, but keep the swings heavy and powerful. Or 10 sets of 6, or 7, or 8. Same thing with get-ups - make them heavy and hard, but reduce to 2, 3, or 4 per side if recovery is a problem. If you're recovering well, then do the standard S&S session as you have been.
 
I think S&S is a very good complement to IM training, provided you listen to your body and recover! Don’t be afraid to scale back the number of sessions in a week!
The one thing that might be an issue (certainly was for me, especially a couple of months out from the race) was time... Depending on how many hours you train per day/week vs the time you have available you might not be able to fit in S&S anywhere except during early or late hours which then impacts sleep and your recovery... don’t let that happen!
The race is on a dpecific date, whereas S&S is a longterm game, so if in a crunch sacrifice S&S and come back to it later (I didn’t and that put me on the verge of burnout)

If you can work around that, I think S&S is about as good as it gets for complementary training!
 
I'm on my way to timeless simple (Like the new book!). Working with a 28, just starting to mix in the 32.

Ideally I would like to achieve timeless simple in the next 6 months.
However, I would also like to do another 70.3 half Ironman in June/July next year. Since I'm been out of tri training for several years now, that's going to take some work.

Is S&S an appropriate program to work in alongside a triathlon program? Or would my triathlon goal be better served with a pure strength program?
Then back to S&S after the triathlon?

TBH I'm reluctant to stop S&S and have to start again later. It's been hard work getting to where I am and I don't want to lose it. But I'm not convinced I need the conditioning work of the swings on top of all the triathon cardio work.

Would a better option be to reduce the reps and increase the sets to make the swings more power oriented?

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

David
I think that it depends upon your aspirations in the tri.
If you are wanting to be competitive like a top or age group spot, then if it were me I would focus probably 90% on the 3 events and not on S&S or much of anything else. The S.A.I.D. Principle...
 
@ShawnM, @ClaudeR, thank you. I will watch the recovery and do only 2 or 3 sessions per week.

@Anna C I'm definitely going to try your suggestion of reduced reps with a heavy bell.

@offwidth, no such aspirations. I'm 56, just doing it to enjoy the process and the event. If all goes well, another full IM in 2021 maybe.

My plan is one week build, one week recovery. Probably stop S&S a couple of weeks from the race.
 
Ive done off road endurance for a while now, XTERRA, MTB, trail runs. Strength work came late to the game, but changed it for the better. Two different approaches seem to work for me, either a low volume and intensity high frequency program like S&S, Easy Strength, or the DMPM. Or, a more traditional gym program done twice a week, like Tactical Barbell Fighter Program. I like Easy Strength.

But trying to chase two goals at the same time is difficult. If it were me, I would focus on the tri training, do S&S as maintenance, and then focus on it after the race. Triathlon has a season, races have specific dates, but S&S does not.

Since you’ve been away for some time, it will take patience and hours to rebuild your aerobic base and reestablish swim technique. Not a good time to try breaking new ground in strength.
 
After reading Training for the Uphill Athlete I imagine the the following approach could work.

S&S maintenance (2x/week) plus slow buildup of easy endurance volume (zone 1 &2), then switch to Q&D (maybe even just the snatch version) when your endurance volume consumes too much time. Then 3-4 weeks of peaking with intervals etc. and possibly low volume S&S or Q&D. Probably half the volume for tapering. And after the race easy endurance maintenance (zone 1 and 2) and a new focus on S&S (3-5x/week).

But this is just theory and more qualified people than me might have better ideas.
 
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After reading Training for the Uphill Athlete I imagine the the following approach could work.

S&S maintenance (2x/week) plus slow buildup of easy endurance volume (zone 1 &2), then switch to Q&D (maybe even just the snatch version) when your endurance volume consumes too much time. Then 3-4 weeks of peaking with intervals etc. and possibly low volume S&S or Q&D. Probably half the volume for tapering. And after the race easy endurance maintenance (zone 1 and 2) and a new focus on S&S (3-5x/week).

But this is just theory and more qualified people than me might have better ideas.
I like that a lot!
 
Hello,

@Davidlbn
Below is an article regarding endurance athlete training, from Strongfirst:
Training Endurance Athletes for the Long Season | StrongFirst
This is some kind of all in one program.

Nonetheless, I also found those two articles, the first one regarding pure conditioning, the second one more about strength
Running Without Running: Training For A Half-Marathon When You Have A Full Schedule | StrongFirst
Strength Training Will Get You Far - Even a Half Marathon | StrongFirst

In all cases, you may adapt these routines in function of your recovery.

The more you are specialized, the better, at least to a certain extent because sooner or later, we reach a diminishing return point. So, if I were you, I would train for my events by practicing them. I'd add something else only for variety / recovery day.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Hello,

@Davidlbn
Below is an article regarding endurance athlete training, from Strongfirst:
Training Endurance Athletes for the Long Season | StrongFirst
This is some kind of all in one program.

Nonetheless, I also found those two articles, the first one regarding pure conditioning, the second one more about strength
Running Without Running: Training For A Half-Marathon When You Have A Full Schedule | StrongFirst
Strength Training Will Get You Far - Even a Half Marathon | StrongFirst

In all cases, you may adapt these routines in function of your recovery.

The more you are specialized, the better, at least to a certain extent because sooner or later, we reach a diminishing return point. So, if I were you, I would train for my events by practicing them. I'd add something else only for variety / recovery day.

Kind regards,

Pet'
Thanks Pet'
Some good stuff there
 
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