As an avid cyclist and triathlete, it was absolutely unbelievable today to find out Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping at this years Tour de France… WTF?!?!?   With the HUGE cloud of controversy that is already hanging over professional cycling, it is just sickening that at this stage of the game that a tour top contender and the Astana team captain was still willing to risk his career and the rest of his team’s race!   Is it an addiction?   All tour riders know that WHEN they get caught (not IF) for any type of banned substance use, their fine is equivalent to 2 years of their current salary – that’s a LOT of money to be flushing down the toilet, not to mention your own reputation… 

Anyway, not just in cycling, but in any type of sport – cheating doesn’t get you anywhere.  Fitness gains and strength gains can of course be gotten through the use of illegal substances, but for what possible long-term gain?   How can you look at yourself in the mirror knowing that you’ve cheated yourself?

For more breaking news about the latest pro-cycling / Tour de France scandal, drop by:

http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/details/articles/12910.0.html

Here is a great article by Matt Russ who is an expert level USAC coach.  Have a read and apply what he says to your endurance training…

You can make great strides in your sport performance in the weight room. Because strength training can break down a lot of muscle tissue I recommend weight work be done in the foundation or base period. This does not mean you will not continue to build strength throughout the season. Hill running, slow cadence cycling work outs, and resisted swim work outs are all forms of strength training that are specific to disciplines. Weight training should smoothly transition into strength training in your disciplines.

As your season progresses, and your intensity increases, weight work can be detrimental to your more specific work outs and events. Your legs may need up to 72 hours to fully recover from a weight work out. This is a big block of the week to give up performance in other areas. Just like your training plan your strength plan will go through specific phases. Endurance athletes should not use body building plans that are focused on muscle mass gains. This can actually be counter productive for a distance athlete. Each phase will have a specific purpose such as acclimation, hypertrophy, muscular endurance and power. If you are weak on sprints and jumps, you may want to emphasize more power training. If you are weak on climbs, muscular endurance is a good focus. If you are generally weak, or new to strength training, I recommend a slightly longer period with the weights. Shorter distance athletes may want to emphasize more strength work for speed, while longer distance athletes, that are more slow twitch, will not need as much weight work.
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Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

Welcome to Strength Deconstructed! A web resource devoted to overall Fitness, Health, and Strength Development.

An integral part of my ironman triathlon training involves core strength development beyond all the other training for swimming, biking, and running. Coming from a bodybuilding background, I wasn’t exactly the typical long distance endurance athlete – growing up I focussed on “burst power” type sports like football, basketball, track and field, etc etc.

Ironman Canada 2006! The thought of having to race for 10, 11 or 12 hours straight for an ironman distance triathlon was initially insane! In any case, the time spent in the gym was not wasted as my strength development from my younger years definitely helped me develop into a long distance endurance athlete – training is a lot different now and I honestly feel a lot better overall from a fitness and “useful strength” perspective. Strength comes in many different forms, and how to gain “strength” – whether for bodybuilding, or sports specific strength like triathlon – is the subject of this blog. I hope you enjoy the information that will be contained within! cheers, Tavis