Lower body strength training is critical for the triathlete.  Not only will it help increase your flexibility and aid in endurance, but also and more importantly help prevent or minimize numerous overuse injuries that may occur while training and competing.  So why is training each leg individually more beneficial to the tri-athlete than, say, performing squats or leg presses?

Single-leg training is a better choice for two primary reasons.  First, a balance component will be addressed in your training when doing anything standing on one leg.   There is more stress placed on the inner thigh (adductors) and outer thigh (IT Band) muscles working to keep either leg stabilized with proper alignment at the ankle, knee and hip.  This will correlate directly to improving a triathlete’s running gait, therefore helping to minimize the risk of injury.

Second, anytime we train one leg at a time, especially in cases such as single-leg squats or step-ups, we are engaging a small but critical muscle in the buttocks called the gluteus medius.  The glute medius is the number #1 muscle responsible for stabilizing the pelvic region.  The more stable you are in this area, the less stress placed on the low back and lower extremities, such as the knees and ankles.
   
Regarding the low back muscles, they are already working overtime in an isometric fashion to maintain proper position while the tri-athlete is swimming, biking, or running.  The wear and tear on the knees and ankles due to long bouts of endurance work can create equal havoc in these joints.  Therefore, a strong glute medius muscle on either side of the buttocks is critical to the performance and longevity of the triathlete.

To learn more about the particular single-leg exercises used by triathletes and how you can implement them into your training regimen, check out Athlete’s Training Systems Strength Training for the Triathlete.  The time is now to put injury prevention at the top of your list for goals to be achieved during off-season training.