"Rip up that plan, start again."

Author

Emma O'Toole
July 14, 2024

“So that’s the most important thing people, strength and conditioning, rip up that plan, start again.”

I was all ears during a recent episode of the Long Run podcast, where host Chris and runner Adam discussed the importance of strength and conditioning training. Raising awareness and having conversations on this topic are crucial steps forward to help support the performance and longevity of runners and cyclists.

To podcast host Chris’ point, strength and conditioning should be integral to your training plan, just as your long run or you weekend ride is.

“I just don’t have time for strength training!”

I know the prospect of adding in the strength and conditioning to your existing training plan may seem unmanageable and daunting right now. It might feel like there are not enough hours in the day and already a struggle to fit in your running and riding, but...

You have to think bigger picture.

What is your goal in the next 6 months… 12 months… 24 months and how do you want to achieve it?

You could run a marathon, or ride a century, with no strength and conditioning training. That is feasible if you train for it, and many runners and cyclists do so.

However, the sticking point is: How did you get there?

  • Did you crawl across the line?

  • Did every pedal stroke feel like you were riding through tar?

  • Were you in pain 2 hours in?

  • Did you hit the time goal you were after?

And, what comes next after your marathon or 100 mile ride?

  • Have you been left with an injury that still hurts or a niggle that will not go away?

  • Is your motivation down in the dumps because that was really hard and not enjoyable?

  • Do you have your sights on a faster time or higher power output for next time, but feel flabbergasted as to how you’re going to get there?

Strength and conditioning training will help you reach your goals, and importantly, achieve them in a way that makes you proud.

Let’s look at the following 3 scenarios:

Scenario A:

Scenario B:

Scenario C:

- You loosely follow a training plan, miss a few sessions and do not do any strength training.

- You’re relatively new to running/cycling (<3 years experience), brand new to the sports or returning to them after an time away from them (5+ years).

- You have had on and off injuries in the past.

- You’ve not done any strength & conditioning work before.

- You follow a training plan and incorporate 2x strength and conditioning sessions weekly even if that means missing 1 run/ride.

- The potentially missed run/ride is not a key session in your week, eg. not your long run/ride.

- You either have no history of injury or have had on and off injuries in the past.

- You’re either a new or experienced runner/cyclist.

- You follow a training plan nearly to the letter and skip strength training all-together.

- You have a background of endurance training (running/riding/rowing/swimming etc).

- In the last 12 months, you have done some strength and conditioning work on and off.

- You have no history of injuries.

For each scenario, we will imagine that nutrition, sleep, hydration are all adequate.

Which scenario do you think carries the highest risk of injury and lowest chance of success?

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Whilst, no single scenarios will give 100% certainty of reaching your your goal and remaining injury free, there are characteristics in each scenario which absolutely increase the risk of failure and injury. For example, an athlete with a history of previous injuries, dipping in and out of a plan could be called a ticking time-bomb… Or lets take the athlete in scenario C, who despite sticking to the training plan, might not reach their goal. Their training may plateau and flatline as their body is not getting any new stimulus from strength training, it’s only been accumulating more miles. We’ll dive a little further into this in our free running and cycling community next week (click here to join).

How can you make strength and conditioning training a non-negotiable?

Ultimately it comes down to mindset. Take a moment to think what the bigger picture is for you and how you want to achieve it.

Secondly, its about priority. Strength training needs to become a priority in your training week. To help you with this, I recommend looking over your current training plan and you’re weekly schedule. Last week we had a great conversation about if a “1 hour workout is only 4% of your day, so why are you not doing it” (you can check that out here). It may be that you do cut a run/ride or reduce the duration of a session to prioritize getting strength training in. Sparing just 5 minutes of your day to add in strength training requires much less of a time commitment than a 45 min session. Check out Endurance Athlete Power up: The ultimate solution for time crunched runners and cyclists for less than £1.20 a day.

Next up, its accountability. Who are you accountable to with your training? Who is going to make sure you don’t skip those strength sessions? Who is going to give you alternative sessions if you’ve been called away for work/family commitments and do not have you usual equipment to train?

And finally, it’s patience. Play the long game with your training; rather than a 14 week training plan, opt for a 16 week plan which is more progressive and allows you lee-way to incorporate strength training. Remember, results are not going to come overnight from strength training just as we do not get instant results from our endurance training.

If you’re unsure on how to include strength & conditioning training into your schedule, or need help maximizing your time with it; please reply to this email and I’ll be in touch.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, hopefully running and riding!

Thank you!

Emma x