No, Strength Training Won’t Make You Too Big or Hurt Your Endurance
Recently I heard a recruiter was mad at one of my clients for lifting weights, thinking that the lifting would make him big and slow when he needs to be lean and fast. There’s always an exception, and if you look for an example of someone that got big and slow from lifting, you can probably find one.
That’s not the rule though.
Training for muscular size is HARD. Eating for size is even harder, especially if you’re doing even a few days of conditioning a week. Bodybuilders spend decades putting on their size, often at the rate of only a few pounds per year. And that’s with completely dialed in nutrition and tons of extra calories, hours in the gym training exclusively for size, and often pharmaceutical assistance.
A strength program (lifting in the 3-6 rep range using barbell exercises) will make you more resistant to injury, improve your metabolic health, and more able to do your job. Here’s my favorite analogy: your buddy is injured and needs to be carried out of harm’s way. He weighs 200 pounds. It doesn’t matter how fast your 2 mile is or how good you are at bodyweight circuits. If you can’t pick up 200 pounds and move him while having enough energy left to still be able to keep situational awareness and defend yourself, you fail.
Maximal strength raises your threshold for what you can handle sub-maximally. This means that someone with a 400 pound deadlift is going to have an easier time moving the 200 pound guy than someone with a 250 pound deadlift, everything else being equal. He’s going to have more gas in the tank to defend himself and his buddy. In other situations, he’s going to have more strength to subdue a combative suspect without resorting to tools unnecessarily. He’ll be able to handle heavier loads of gear more easily. He’ll hold up to all-day training events more easily and be less likely to develop soft tissue overuse injuries.
Getting stronger will also make you more explosive, up to a point. Increase your squat, and your vertical jump and short-distance sprint speed will improve. Heavier bench pressing will give you longer med ball throws. Better pullups give you better muscle ups.
Is there an upper limit to this? Sure. You don’t need to have a triple bodyweight deadlift or a 35” vertical jump. But I very rarely start working with someone who is “strong enough” at first. You can always be a little better than you are. Even if your primary goal is to pass a PT test or make it through a training program, a little bit of supplemental strength work will help you be more resilient under tons of physical stress.
Finally, will strength training hurt endurance? Only if you aren’t doing your conditioning. More than likely, you’re slacking off conditioning in favor of lifting rather than training both at the same time. At the highest levels of strength and endurance sports, yes, you have to focus on one over the other, and something will suffer. Natural body size also has an influence – the 6’3”, 225 pound athlete may not be able to run as well as the 5’4” 140 pound athlete. This is obvious.
We aren’t talking about outliers in size or sport though, we’re talking in averages. I know several guys that can knock out 6 minutes miles AND squat and deadlift 400+ AND do sets of 15-20 pullups. This should be more normal. You can fill in your own gaps and be a more well-rounded athlete, no matter where you’re starting from. Stop making excuses and get to work.
Putting together a tactical fitness program is tough. There are a lot of variables, needs, and individual differences between tactical athletes. My 10-8 training programs are built to help you succeed with your tactical fitness goals, regardless of ability level or available equipment. 10% of all proceeds are donated to help first responders in crisis.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me