USA Triathlon Magazine

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Book Recommendations:

Recommended by USA Triathlon Magazine

A comprehensive guide to developing and following a well-rounded strength program. (from Amazon)

Stronger muscles last longer. Stronger triathletes bring more power, speed, lean mass, and muscular endurance to race day. Strength Training for Triathletes is a comprehensive strength training program for triathletes to build power, speed, and muscular endurance for faster racing over any race distance. While time is a precious commodity for every triathlete, every bit of time spent strength training pays off so you can become a stronger, faster, and more resilient athlete. Certified USA Triathlon coach and NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year Patrick Hagerman’s focused, triathlon-specific strength training program enables triathletes to push harder during training and on the racecourse. Triathletes who master this progressive strength training program will also become more resistant to injury, meaning fewer missed workouts. The sport-specic exercises make it easy to target your training for improved performance in any or all of the three events. In as little as 90 minutes a week: Improve endurance, build muscle, or increase strength and powerFocus your training on one event, or build an all-around programTarget imbalances with exercises for specific muscle groupsCreate workouts for home and travel using minimal equipmentFind the perfect mix of core, upper-body, and lower-body exercises for total body strengthBuild more powerful, longer-lasting muscles that resist fatigue and injuryDevelop body composition with stronger, leaner muscle massPerform better without added bulk.Hagerman will help you design a personalized strength training program that does exactly what you need it to do—whether that be improving your speed, addressing a muscular imbalance, or overcoming a weak area. Strength Training for Triathletes features 75 of the most effective strength training exercises for triathlon swimming, cycling, and running as well as core strength and general conditioning. Every exercise is clearly explained and fully illustrated, taking the guesswork out of good technique, and exercises are grouped so athletes can focus on their own individual performance limiters. In addition, Hagerman clearly explains the science underlying strength training, offering easy-to-follow guidelines on resistance and reps that will make triathletes stronger through every phase of the season. New in this second edition are sample strength training programs for the most popular triathlon race distances and for each of triathlon’s three sports, photographs showing detailed body positions for each exercise, several new exercises, new indexes that specify body-weight exercises and weighted exercises to improve usability, and an exercise log template to track your goal weights. Strength training often separates the top performers in triathlon from the middle of the pack. Even small improvements in muscle strength can add up to big race results. Strength Training for Triathletes is the ultimate guide to take your training and your race to the next level.

Recommended by USA Triathlon Magazine

'Well built' refers to Dixon's long-term and comprehensive approach toward athleticism, going well beyond the standard training programs, and outlining a great deal on nutrition, recovery, and strength and conditioning. The book gives the reader a framework for performance. (from Amazon)

In The Well-Built Triathlete, elite triathlon coach Matt Dixon reveals the approach he has used to turn age-group triathletes into elite professionals. Instead of focusing narrowly on training and workouts, Dixon reveals a more comprehensive approach that considers the whole athlete. Dixon details the four pillars of performance that form the foundation of his highly successful purplepatch fitness program, showing triathletes of all abilities how they can become well-built triathletes and perform better year after year, and considers the demands of career and family and the ways different personality types prefer to approach training. The Well-Built Triathlete includes:Guidelines and protocols to improve training consistency and recoveryNo-nonsense advice on triathlon nutrition, fueling, and hydrationFunctional strength tests and exercises to launch a program that builds resiliencyTwo-week sample training blocks for every phase of training as well as race prep for Olympic, Half Ironman, and Ironman eventsWorkout sessions to evolve swimming, cycling, and running fitnessThe Well-Built Triathlete helps triathletes apply Dixon’s approach to their season and training plan. Chapters on swimming, cycling, and running explain the most effective ways to train for each. A purplepatch section shows how triathletes can peak their fitness for long streaks of high performance. Dixon’s holistic, whole-body approach to triathlon will help triathletes become greater than the sum of their workouts. By becoming better all-around athletes, well-built triathletes will train and race faster than ever.