Off Season Posterior Chain Strength Training for Cyclist and Runners

The term "off season" is commonly misunderstood to many folks out there as being the time of year when you kick back and take it easy. In reality the off season is when the real work is done in preparation for pre season and then actual on season competition. I also hear many people say "I don't want to do weight training because I'll gain muscle mass which will weigh me down". I'll save the rant I have about that statement for a later date. We should all be riding and running, but this is the off season and unless you want to stay at the same strength you were last season, you better make friends with some sort of strength training program and gain more muscle. More muscle mass equals more strength....easy math and a fact.

Where I'm going with this post is the fact that the posterior chain is either poorly training or in most cases completely ignored. The posterior chain is made up of many large power producing muscles. To make it quick and easy to understand, the Hamstring group, Glutes and Erector Spinae are the most import "links" in the chain when it comes to producing power and explosiveness in cycling and running. The Anterior chain is also important and without working both, imbalances will be created, thus creating a possible road to injury. With that said, since most cyclist and runners are already "quad dominate", a need to focus off season strength training more towards the posterior chain is essential.

I also see an enormous emphasis put on doing core in the 8 minute ab fashion when endurance athletes remember they have a gym membership. Abs are great. They help hold us up and they look good unless they're playing hide and seek under an inch or so of fat. Here's a few issues with that type of mentality. 

1) If you run or ride or walk like a chicken, then doing crunches all day are what you should be doing.

2) Most of the "crunch" type programs tighten up the hip flexors. We're cyclist and runners. We already have that problem. Why should we make it worse.

Look, I'm not saying "don't do any traditional abdominal exercises". I do them twice a week and I see the benefit when I swim and in my posture. What I'm going to say next is why I started these last couple of paragraphs.

When you work the posterior chain, you are doing exercises that also fire the core. If I'm doing a squat, my core better be firing or I'm going to fold in the middle and that would hurt. All the spinal loaded exercises done to strengthen the posterior chain require that the core fires. If the core is firing, it is working and that's a core workout right there.

In conclusion, I really think that all athletes should put some focus on strengthening the posterior chain. It's all about nuclear power production to create speed and that's what these muscles are...nuclear power plants. 

Live Powerfully!!