-
Justin Levine – Strength and Conditioning
Justin has a reputation as one of the top fitness professionals in Central California. He owns and operates California Fitness Academy in Visalia, CA. In his 10 years in the fitness industry, he has worked with clients from all walks of life. From professional athletes, junior college athletic teams, high school athletes and the general fitness population, Justin’s approach is to increase an individual’s performance and vitality of life through proper exercise and nutrition prescription. Justin received his BA degree in Human Performance and Sport from New Mexico Highlands University. Justin is a professional member of the NSCA and the NASM. He is a free lance writer and his articles can be seen at strengthcoach.com, trifuel.com, talktriathlon.com, and myfitnesschannel.com. Justin is a very active athlete in the sport of triathlon. He is the president of the Visalia Triathlon Club and he has completed over 20 triathlons. For more information, please go to www.justintrain.com.
Please ask any Glen any questions that you may have by typing a comment below and check back here for your answer.
3 responses to “Justin Levine – Strength and Conditioning”
-
gdayimdave April 1st, 2009 at 03:48
Hi Justin,
As well as all of my triathlon training I also have a gym membership. I haven’t actually been to the gym since getting right into other training. I do plenty of core work at my tri club but none of the other exercises that you mention in your article (single leg squats, chin-ups, push-ups, etc).
Do you think I will benefit greatly from incorporating these into my routine? How often would you suggest I do them? Also how many reps/sets would you recommend?
Thanks for your time!
Dave -
Dave-
The exercises I mentioned in my article are the basic movements for athletic foundation. You must master these exercises. They should constantly be apart of your routine. Do not get too fancy with your exercise selection. Building function is mastering chin-ups, push-ups, single leg squats, plank variations, split squats and pressing movements. Your technique needs to be flawless. Do not settle for sloppiness in the gym. The movmements become more efficient when done properly.
When endurance athletes ask me how many days they need to be working out the answer all depends on the individual. If you are already good in the gym and have been working out with weights for a few years then you need 1-2 days to supplement your triathlon training. If you lack strength and lack stability, then you need to focus on your strength training 2-3 times a week. Your program needs to be balanced. So if you have 1 pressing movement (push-ups), you need 1 pulling movement (chin-ups).
The sets and reps, again all depends on where you are at in your season. If you are more in an off season you need to work on improving your strength and power (3 sets of 6-10 reps). During the season it is all about maintenance and staying injury free. That is a big goal of your strength training routine is reducing injury in your sport.
Use the weight room to build function, balance and stability. Bicep curls and crunches do nothing for a triathlete. Make your time in the gym efficient and you will see your skills in the water and on the roads soar.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Keep up the good work.
-
Hi All,
Justin has been nice enough to provide us with a great article on strength conditioning. To read this article go to:
http://talktriathlon.com/2009/04/14/corrective-exercises-that-triathletes-need-to-do/
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. -