This week, Debbie sits down with Erin Carson to discuss her experience coaching Timothy O’Donell and Mirinda Carfrae for the recent Kona Ironman triathlon. She talks about the need to be thoughtful and careful about strength training, including the need to be careful so that participants don’t put on too much muscle or bulk before their competition. She also discusses the importance of changing it up during the off-season. Not only is it important to give your mind a break from heavy training, it is even more essential that you give your body a chance to rest and recover during off-season.

Finally she spends time talking about different kinds of strength building exercises, and the value of certain exercises to build specific kinds of strength without necessarily increasing the amount of muscle that an athlete is carrying.