• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Training Plans
  • Courses
  • Books
  • Videos
Alp Fitness logo

Alp Fitness

Alpine Endurance Training

Strava   TrainingPeaks   Instagram   YouTube

Make Your Muscles Smarter

Adam Hodges | October 1, 2014

Excerpted from The Triathlete’s Training Guide and featured in USAT’s Multisport Zone.neurons

When most people think of strength training, they think of making their muscles stronger. But strong muscles aren’t worth much if they don’t fire when needed or coordinate with each other during sport specific movements. For endurance athletes engaged in strength training, it is important to recognize that stronger muscles form only part of the equation for enhanced performance. You also need to have good neuromuscular control over those muscles.

Any time a muscle contracts, it requires a signal from the nervous system. This is why we talk about neuromuscular movement (as opposed to just muscular movement). A great deal of the work done by the nervous system occurs more or less automatically as a result of… continue reading

Additional resources:

  • Functional strength
  • Neuromuscular activation
  • Running drills

Related:

Rethink Traditional Assumptions When Choosing Running Shoes A Swimmer’s Guide to Healthy Shoulders Overcoming Dropped Hips for Better Running Form chairThrow Out Your Desk Chair Core Control and Postural Stability for Economical Running

Filed Under: Training Tips Tagged With: Drills, Prehab, Strength

About Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges, PhD, is a trail runner, mountain endurance athlete, and coach with credentials from the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), USA Triathlon (USAT), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). In addition to coaching multisport athletes, he has coached high school cross country and track runners in California and masters swimmers in Colorado and California. As a USAT All-American triathlete, he has competed in the ITU World Triathlon Championships, the ITU World Duathlon Championships, and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a masters runner, he has won a series title in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Series. His current pursuits include trail running, climbing, mountaineering, skimo, and cross-country skiing. Check out his training plans and courses to help you prepare for you next adventure.

Primary Sidebar

One Percent for the Planet Business Member logo

Colorado Triathlete Multisport Club

InsideTracker logo

Footer

Alp Fitness
Training Plans | Courses | Books | Videos

Calculators | Glossary | Newsletter

Search by Category

Race Calendars

Ultra-Running | Running | Cross Country Skiing | SkiMo | Triathlon | XTERRA | IRONMAN | UTMB World Series
Alp Multisport Publications
About | Meet the Coach | Contact

Terms of Use | Ads | Privacy Policy

Alp Multisport LLC
Boulder, Colorado
© 2009–2023


One Percent for the Planet Business Member logo