Planar Suspension Training – A New Paradigm For Triathletes

Strength training has for a long time taken a strictly muscle based body part approach. It is common to hear conversations in the gym focused on what body part is being trained today.Even triathletes that have time to get to the gym regularly fall into the trap of focusing strictly on body parts or muscle groups – training legs one day, chest the next day, then back, shoulders, etc.

There are some obvious problems with this approach.

First of all, this type of triathlete training presumes that you have enough free time to be at the gym everyday. (And if you think you need to be at the gym everyday then you’re not spending enough time at your sport!)

We’ve previously discussed the fact that most triathletes do not have much free time and are looking for ways to workout at home.

Secondly, and this is the most important point, the body part or muscle group approach presumes that the human body works this way. Obviously it does not.

Think of the mechanics involved in cycling for example. The human body uses all the muscles of the triathlete’s legs working together to produce the pedaling motion.

But look at the other muscle groups that are engaged.

The entire core is providing stabilization and is actively recruited especially when the triathlete is in the aero position. The upper back, shoulders and arms also work synergistically to maintain body position on the handlebars.

Now think of the joints involved. The ones that involve multi-planar movements such as the hips and shoulders as well as those that have uni-planar movements such as the knees, ankles and elbows.

Understanding how the body actually moves is the first step to developing a functional planar training approach for triathletes. Unfortunately most gym equipment is built for bodybuilders – not triathletes, runners, cyclists or martial artists. This type of equipment is designed to target a specific body part or muscle group.

An excellent personal trainer that understands the concepts of functional training and planar training as it applies to triathletes might be able to help you develop an adequate workout program. Again we run into the same problem of time.

In previous posts we’ve talked about how so many triathletes are using the TRX Suspension Training system for their strength training workout at home program. We’ve noted how Pro triathletes are using the TRX Suspension Trainer to get a world class workout that uses the entire body and actively engages the core in each exercise.

Click on the following link for more information about how a home workout using the TRX Suspension Trainer uses the concepts of planar training and functional training to deliver a world class workout for triathletes.