Can getting stronger actually make you a better endurance athlete? The research says yes. A 2024 review looked at strength training in nearly 900 middle- and long-distance runners, from moderately trained to highly trained athletes. The big finding? High-load strength training improved running performance. As did Submaximal strength and plyometric training. Interestingly, it did this without significantly improving VO₂max. That's an important distinction. Strength training isn't replacing your endurance training or trying to build a bigger aerobic engine. It's another tool that can help you perform better with the engine you've built. That's why strength belongs in an endurance training program. Not instead of swim, bike and run, alongside them. Research linked below. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38627351/

A few of you told me you're running, riding or training again... …but strength and mobility haven't quite made it back into the routine. So today we're not starting another program. We're doing 10 minutes. Pick ONE: STRENGTH - Open IGNITE. Do the warm-up + first block. OR MOBILITY - Open RESTORE. Pick 2–3 movements for an area that needs some attention. That's it. 10 minutes. If you feel good and want to keep going, go. If you stop at 10 minutes? It still counts. Sometimes the hardest part isn't knowing what to do. It's starting. Who's got 10 minutes today?

We just finished 8 weeks of Ignite, and before I jump straight into the next Strength2Go program, I want to do something a little different. I want to hear from you. Not what you think you're supposed to be doing. What would actually help you right now? We're into September. Race seasons are in different places. Some of you are still racing. Some are winding things down. Some may have fallen completely off the strength wagon. So tell me where you are. A — I'm training and racing and need strength to fit around it. B — I've fallen off strength training and need help getting back into it. C — I'm beat up/tight and movement or recovery is the priority. D — I'm heading toward the off-season and I'm ready to get stronger. E — Honestly, I haven't been using Strength2Go much lately. You can just drop the letter. No explanation necessary. And yes — E is a perfectly acceptable answer. I'd rather know where you actually are so I can make this community more useful to you. Let's figure out where we go next.

Today’s assessment is the Hip Hinge Wall Tap. This one is simple, but really important. It gives you a look at: - hip hinge pattern - glute engagement - hamstring loading - spinal position - whether you can move from the hips without turning it into a squat That matters because if you can’t hinge well, it makes a lot of strength work less effective and usually means you’re compensating somewhere else. What to look for: - can you push the hips back without bending into a squat? - do you stay long through the spine? - can you tap the wall with control? - do you feel the hips and hamstrings doing the work? Score yourself: - 2 = pass - 1 = needs work - 0 = fail If you have to squat down, round out, or really struggle to find the movement pattern, that tells you something. If you do it today, drop your score below:2, 1, or 0 If you want a little more feedback, you can also DM me a video.