The benefits of hybrid training for triathlon

Fergus Crawley identifies as a hybrid athlete, for whom the historic notion of being either an endurance athlete or strongman is anathema. He’s followed in the footsteps of Ross Edgley, whose synergistic exploits include pulling a car 26.2 miles around Silverstone circuit and completing a triathlon while carrying a 45kg tree.

Crawley may not race with ‘accessories’ but just hours before the swim start at the iron-distance Outlaw in 2021, he undertook a brutal 3am 1,200lb powerlifting workout.

Crawley represents a growing band of athletes who juggle the two. “The working definition is the training of disciplines that don’t necessarily support one another,” Crawley explains.

With strength and endurance, the prime disconnect is that gym-junkie muscularity adds weight that isn’t conducive to long, stamina-fuelled events. At a deeper level, the cell signalling to either build endurance or strength is muted by training both simultaneously.

“You can still progress in both by doing both but, okay, you might not hit the podium,” says Crawley. “And arguably that’s the point. If you’re somebody that likes lifting weights but don’t want to give that up, you can still compete in triathlon, you just might not go sub-10 hours for an Ironman. Which is fine.

“For me, it’s all about enjoyment and breaking down barriers to enter endurance sport.”

What are the benefits of doing a lot of strength training for triathlon?

Crawley says he’s encountered triathletes who can’t get their head around devoting their sporting time solely to endurance improvement, to seeking out the 1% marginal gains.

“Yes, I might be limited in my ability to progress beyond a certain point because the fatigue I accrue in the gym, for instance, might impact the intensity and volume of triathlon one week and vice versa.

“But it also means I’m well balanced across the energy systems. I’d also argue that there are triathletes who would benefit from more biomechanical strength, while strength athletes could benefit from zone-two endurance efforts.”

Which triathlons has Fergus Crawley raced?

Crawley’s multisport CV includes the Celtman and, a few months back, the Double Brutal in Snowdonia, which comprises a 7.6km swim in Lake Padarn followed by a 373km bike featuring 6,000m elevation and 84.4km run that includes the ascent and descent of Mount Snowdon.

Crawley documents his own brutal journey on his YouTube channel and it’s worth 50 minutes of anyone’s time, charting the highs, lows, rains, hallucinations (especially the Dick Dastardly trees), mechanicals, fuelling issues, elation and relief of completing such a magnificent challenge.

The 26-year-old’s journey to the finish line, reached in just under 41 hours, involved sacrifice, both physically and emotionally.

“Because my background is in powerlifting, I have a strength bias, which means it’s easier for me to maintain my strength. If I’d had an endurance background, it’d be the same with endurance,” he explains.

“That meant my Brutal plan was all about progressing in one (endurance) and trying to hold onto gains in the other (strength). In all honesty, the compromise was my lower-body weight training that I kept to a bare minimum, so I took a muscle-mass hit. But it didn’t disappear, just dropped slightly.

“As for my upper body, that didn’t take too much of a musculature dent as my swimming volume wasn’t mad. Yeah, I could have doubled my volume and swum 25 minutes quicker but over the course of two racing days, is it worth the stress along the way?

“So to paint a picture of a Brutal training week, the structure was always the same – it was the prescription and volume (specifically bike and run) that changed over time.”

What did Fergus Crawley’s Double Brutal training week look like?

Crawley ended up scrapping training Mondays as his businesses – Modern Mind, which is a corporate well-being business that has an accompanying and excellent podcast, and Omnia Performance, a coaching outfit for those who want to balance strength and endurance – needed his priority.

Tuesday was a full-body lifting session in the morning and swim intervals in the evening.

Wednesday would be a turbo-training session in the morning and easy run in the evening.

Thursday an upper-body session, followed by another evening turbo session.

Friday was Crawley’s volume swim.

Saturdays involved a long bike ride followed by a run and then Sundays was a long run.

“It was about 26 to 30 hours a week training, with a minimum of 50-hour working weeks. It was very challenging.”

Three common strength training mistakes 
and how to 
avoid them

Here Crawley delivers a multisport hat-trick of easy tri wins

1. Triathletes often underestimate the classification of strength work

I’d argue that strength work is resistance work not just bodyweight stuff. If we add resistance, you reinforce injury prevention up the kinetic chain and help generate more power.

We should all aim to be as well-rounded as possible, so whether it’s an off-season thing or all-year-round, focused strength training helps.

2. Bias to certain food types

I think there’s a lack of understanding of thermodynamics that’s focused upon in powerlifting.

Tracking your energy balance and your macronutrients gives real visibility over what you’re eating, whereas for triathletes it’s often what food you’re eating rather than how much.

I encourage people to understand their energy balance so they can make more informed decisions around how they eat and how much they eat.

3. Too much emphasis on mileage, in that you need to cover X amount to reach Y

Training is very much an individual thing – your background and how you respond to volume and intensity.

‘You need six months minimum to train for an Ironman’ or ‘you need X amount of miles a week to complete an iron’ is 
too generalist and can put people 
off more than it brings them in.

I encourage people to explore training methods and explore what they can tolerate. Maybe work with a coach 
and find what works for you.

Five key strength moves for triathlon

Fergus reveals the resistance exercises that’ll benefit triathletes…

1. Single-leg squat variation

I’d say a single-leg squat variation, whether it’s with a barbell or dumbbells; it could be Bulgarian (see image below), static, reverse lunge…

2. Romanian dead lift

Again with a barbell or dumbbells.

3. Overhead shoulder press

4. A pull-up or chin-up

Because it’s a great bodyweight exercise and translates to swimming.

5. Face pulls

I’ve always been a fan of these. They’re a great way of looking after shoulder health. Throw in 3 x 15 at an RPE (rate of perceived exertion) of seven at the end of each session.

Top image credit: @scojackson & @campbelldonaldson

Illustrations: William Linn