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Strength & Conditioning Q&A with Driven Athlete

Strength and conditioning coach, Eddy, discusses performance statistics.

Do you feel lost or overwhelmed when going to the gym? Don’t know where to start? Worried about doing the wrong thing and getting injured?

We have got you covered! we asked Strength and Conditioning coach Eddy from Driven Athlete in Leeds, to help us answer some common questions when it comes to all things strength training.

How should you warm up for a gym session?

The most important part of a warm-up is the getting warm part! It takes approximately 4 mins of continuous exercise to raise muscle temperature, but this doesn’t have to be done all on a piece of cardio equipment. I recommend a couple of mins on a bike or cross trainer, followed by continuous full body mobility like walkouts, Spider-Man crawls and multi directional lunges. Then the last part of the warm-up should be specific to what you are doing, so if you are warming up to do some Heavy Split Squats, then practicing some light split squats and gradually increasing load is perfect. Alternatively if you are warming up to do some plyometric (jump) training, then include some low intensity hops and jumps to prepare your body and tendons for the impacts.

 

How do I know if my technique is correct?

Find a coach, either in person or online and ask them to review your technique! Online coaching is a great cost-effective way to get feedback on your technique. Also, I always encourage my athletes to learn as much as possible about their training, including how to do it and why, so that when they are in situations without a coach they will do a great job on their own.

 

I don’t have any weights; can I still do a strength session?

If you don’t have access to weights, you can still get huge benefits from training with bodyweight exercises. Done properly bodyweight exercises can still put a lot of tension onto your muscles to create an effective stimulus, especially using tactics like slow eccentrics (lowering phase) and pauses at the bottom of reps. Also plyometric (jump) training doesn’t require weights and will have HUGE carryover to reducing risk of injury and improving running economy.

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What nutrition should I take to recover from a gym session?

During resistance training your muscles undergo a lot of stress, triggering the process for strength adaptation. In order to fuel this adaptation and rebuild your muscles after a session you should be taking on protein (approximately 20-30g) after your session. This could come from food sources like meats, eggs, dairy, or nuts, or it can be obtained from supplements like whey protein powder or protein bars. There isn’t a superior source, but it might come down to convenience.

 

*How does strength training help with endurance sports such as running or cycling?

Adaptations gained from strength training improve the muscle and tendon’s maximal ability to absorb and produce force, which in turn allows for greater efficiency when using these tissues during running. Having greater efficiency means you expend less energy and less stress is placed on the body, so reducing risk of injury. This in turn will improve your performance as if you’re injured less frequently, whether it big injuries or just little niggles here and there, it all adds up, and so you’ll be able to train more often across the year so can build up more and more volume in your endurance training.

 

*Will the gym help me to reduce injury risk?

Yes 100%. In the gym you can perform all sorts of types of training that will help improve your body’s ability to tolerate the demands of your sport. Strength and plyometric training have great carryover to endurance athletes by improving your body maximal ability to absorb, produce and redirect force, so allowing for a more efficient muscle and tendon system.

Individual lifting weights in a gym.

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What are the different types of training I can do at the gym?

Different types of training you can do at the gym range from Strength, Plyometric, Hypertrophy, Muscular Endurance and Conditioning. For endurance athletes the former two, Strength and Plyometric Training, will have the biggest “bang for buck” with your training.

 

Should you do a cool down after your gym session?

After a gym session I wouldn’t get too worried about a specific cool down. My go-to advice is just to move as much as possible and try not to just go sit on the sofa for the rest of the day! Whether it’s doing some mobility or going for a walk it will help stop you ceasing up after training.

 

How many days a week should I be going to the gym?

You can get huge benefit from just one good gym session per week, especially if you have a busy training and life schedule. Then if possible 2-3 sessions a week would be even better! More than that, especially if you train a lot in your sport, probably isn’t necessary as you need to manage your fatigue and training throughout the week.

Woman lifting weights in a gym.