Triathlon training focuses on building muscle tolerance which should withstand the three sports triathletes participate in. Triathletes participate in swimming, long-distance running, and cycling, and all three involve a lot of cardiovascular stress rather than muscle size.
Most professional triathletes have small frames, as it is challenging to maintain a hyper muscular structure as bodybuilders do in their profession.
So, Can a triathlete have a bodybuilder muscular body? It is possible for one to cross the finish line and be muscular as an enthusiast triathlete, earning the title “muscular triathlete”, but it is unfavored in the professional competitive category. In theory, muscle weight is a burden and a disadvantage for triathletes because of the drag it generates, however, the longer the triathlon distance, the more muscular the triathletes.
Triathlons demand long hours of weekly training, which consumes a lot of energy that leads to lean bodies. Check out our post on How Many Hours Do Triathletes Typically Train? Factors & Must-Know Tips
Triathletes’ training focuses on best performance while still preventing injuries to their bodies rather than growing muscle size. However, the longer the triathlon event, the more muscular the triathletes.
Yet, Why Triathlon Is the Ultimate Fitness Workout?
If you train weekly on the bike and ignore other disciplines, you tend to use large muscles due to the output required. Therefore, you realize most of the large muscle groups are active than the smaller muscle groups. It creates some sort of imbalance, which consequently leads results in reduced strength accumulation and possible injury.
Swimmers, for example, have overly upper solid bodies compared to lower bodies. The anatomy of most swimmers is they have a larger upper body frame but smaller and weaker legs since they exert their forearms, shoulders, and upper back to move with power in the water. If you do not fancy the swim part that much, check out What Is A Duathlon? Distances, Order, Gear, How To Train & Beginner Tips
Also, to better absorb the benefits of swimming, check out our post ” Can Swimming Make You Taller (or Shorter)? What Does Swimming Do To Your Body!
On the other hand, runners tend to have powerful cores and lower bodies but generally weaker upper bodies. For example, most long-distance runners tend to have lean frames since they barely use their upper bodies in the running. Alternatively, they ultimately exert their quads, hamstrings, and calves to retain power for speed and balance in competitions. Also, check out Are Triathlons Harder Than Marathons? Alternatives & Why To OR Not To Race One
Cyclists, on the other hand, are very powerful at their cores, quads, and hamstrings. The rest of their body muscles are mainly inactive during their time on the bikes. Moreover, they conserve more energy while using triathlon bikes as they prevent the overuse of their calves and hamstrings.
What triathlon does is it combines all three sports, and by doing so, the muscle weakness in one sport is compensated with another. No wonder why people get addicted to the sport. I for one feel amazingly fit after every triathlon race or training session.
When it comes to the question of what is the perfect body type for triathlons, the answer is very loose and not very well defined and everyone has a different opinion on it because of the endless factors that come to play. Check out the video below addressing this topic.
Do Triathletes Need Gym Workouts?
While triathlon is amazing in engaging most of the body muscles, it doesn’t do it all. Gym strength exercise helps triathletes go the extra mile. For a more in-depth look into this topic, we recommend that you check out our post “Do Triathletes Lift Weights? Is The Gym & Crossfit For Triathletes!“
In general, here are the pros of Strength Training (Source) :
- Prevent Injury
- It makes you a stronger athlete, and not just a strong triathlete
- Improving balance and flexibility
- Grow muscles enabling speed and power upgrade
- Contributes to all three sports ( better pull in the swim, higher power on the bike, and stronger running legs)
Also, check out “Does Triathlon Sports Give You Abs? Swim Vs Bike Vs Run!“
For more on this topic, check out our post titled ” Swim or Gym – Which Is Better? Should You Swim Before or After a Workout!
Smart Not Fast Muscle Gain Is The Priority
The secret to a good muscular frame as a triathlete is to practice mindfulness instead of standard excessive hard work. Here are a few pointers to a more muscular frame as an active triathlon. The magic word here really is sustainability.
1.Train smart
Most sports coaches insist on overtraining and intense activity to prepare candidates for upcoming competitions. The procedure works most, with results leading to very keen triathletes guaranteed to take the medals home. Check out my article on How Much Does a Triathlon Coach Cost? Do you really need one!
The magic word here I believe for the average triathlete is sustainability. There is an endless number of people who start the sport and then drop it because it’s just too much work. I am sure you have seen these people in the gyms too.
One way around it is really not to stress out on the long endless workout. Training plans tend to be hectic and rigid. I personally like to keep it flexible. At the end of the day, one must Swim, bike, and run, then try to swim bike and run as much as you can every week.
Also, consider short-time high-intensity training sessions which allow a triathlete to grow their ideal body and avoid overtraining. It also allows you to enjoy a comfortable growth process.
Also, if possible, incorporate more lifting in your training regime, especially that encourages slow build-up. If you adopt hypertrophy training lift style (making muscles bigger), you are likely to build up a lot of muscle that could slow you down due to lack of strength. (Source). Choose complete body weight lifting to ensure general muscle build instead of just spots.
2.Eat accordingly
Food is one of the big pluses of being a triathlete. Triathlon is the perfect excuse to eat quite a lot of food to replenish the calories consumed. Check out How Many Calories Are Consumed In Triathlons; Why Is It Important? All Distances. Every triathlete knows the diets they need to maintain the calories required for a full-blown workout.
It is vital to realize bodybuilding requires a significant increase in protein intake. Proteins composite of natural oils and fats such as lean meat, nuts, olives, fish, and avocadoes are the best for muscle conversion. They are also rich in the required stimulators for energy, endorphins as well as general body drive. The intake of healthy fats and oils in a triathlete promotes a comfortable bodybuilding lifestyle due to the induction of the right hormones.
On the other hand, though containing a lot of energy, carbohydrate-filled foods enable triathletes to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. The downside of consuming a lot of white starch causes low drive and sluggishness. White starch and sugar are purely just that and have no role in motivating hormone production.
The type of food you consume dramatically affects the way your mind, soul, and body works. I would highly advise getting a help of a professional coach or a nutritionist to help you out figure out what best works for you.
Consider taking proper supplements
I personally do not do this but heard it helped some triathletes. Consult your coach or a nutritionist first before committing to supplements.
We think you will find our post “Do Triathletes Take Creatine? Everything You Need To Know!” quite interesting.
The advantage of incorporating supplements into your diet helps you fill in nutrients that you may be unknowingly lacking. Therefore, taking fish oil supplements, multivitamins, calcium and magnesium supplements, iron, and powdered greens will significantly improve how you build muscle.
3.Invest your time away from the sport
Again, it’s all about sustainability. If one gets too invested in the sport, there will come a time for her to crash.
When you become a triathlete, it is straightforward to occupy yourself in the physical body and workouts; you forget soul nourishment. The most rewarding way to feed the soul is developing meaningful and loving connections, especially with non-triathletes.
Not to cancel out athletic friends, but taking breaks from triathlon guarantees a fresh outlook on life. The significance of taking breaks is to relieve the body of pressure and stress, affecting hormonal production.
The way our body looks relies heavily on the hormonal production of our bodies, as they govern the responses we engage in. A comfortable social life activates endorphins and mood boosts which stimulate more self-care and healthy lifestyles. Therefore, athletes should take breaks from the sight of a triathlon bike and witness how rewarding time spent with loved ones can be.
Conclusion
While a ripped muscular person can participate and finish triathlons, it is not the favored body type for a professional competitive level.
Although triathletes are not that muscular, yet they are extremely fit as a result of practicing three different sports and merging them into one continuous workout, where some muscles that are not utilized in one sport are trained by the other sport.
And finally, it’s not all about working out long hours. It’s about smart and sustainable training with proper nutrition.
Also, we recommend that you check out our post Do Triathletes Have to Be Tall (Or Short) & Skinny? Which Is Better!
