What is S&C snacking? Benefits and how to use it to add a strength program to your training routine

There is no shortage of pressure online to include strength work in your training plan. Some supporters go so far as to say that strength and conditioning (S&C) is so critical that it should trump some of the mileage planned for swim, bike and run.

A comprehensive S&C program involves a lot of components and can take up a significant chunk of time in your weekly training plan. To hit all the major components of a wholistic strength program you would need to carve out time for resistance training to work on power, strength, hypertrophy and endurance, as well as plyometrics, stability, balance, and mobility. That’s a large serving on an already full plate.

An alternate approach is to “snack” on elements of an S&C program. Doing this will only take nibbles out of your swim, bike and run training hours.

S&C snacking refers to designing mini strength sessions that can fit in before a swim, bike or run session. They can double as a warm up, post-session as a boost, or in between as a way of sneaking in some of the fundamentals. This can be a better alternative for time crunched athletes than avoiding the gym altogether. Many of the exercises can be done outside the gym too, making them easier to squeeze in during a break at the office or waiting around at the airport for hours.

What’s on the menu?

The right recipe will depend on an athlete’s specific need for areas of improvement. To determine what strength components you will snack on, first analyze your performance and injury history to decide what the priorities are. If you are prone to injury on the run and it is determined that your run pattern is unbalanced, choosing to focus on single-leg drills that improve balance and stability could take priority over lifting heavy weights in the gym.

Balance and mobility exercises also work well as a warm up. Spend 10 to 15 minutes doing knee drives, leg swings, single leg hopping, single leg deadlifts, toe touches and hip thrusts, to name a, to test your balance and range of movement. If you only have an hour for your run session it could pay off to cut the run to 50 minutes and use the first 10 to “snack.”

If your form is falling apart due to lack of fatigue resistance, then your time may be better spent building strength endurance in the gym. This could be 10 or 15 minutes after your run or bike to boost your ability to maintain form when under fatigue. Whatever ultimately comprises your favourite snacks they should be aligned with what you need to improve on most.

The best snack shops

Where you buy time for snacking can make or break your success at being consistent. Replacing the time within a session with some mini strength work is simple and requires no extra time. Tacking on some exercises at the beginning or end of a session adds a bit of time but is convenient and straight forward. Finding other opportunities during the day is another option if the first two don’t taste good to you.

There are so many small moments in a day that we don’t even notice, in which we can squeeze in a few squats or toe touches.

• Standing around in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew
• Waiting for the bus or train to arrive
• Daily 15 minute breaks at work
• Waiting for dinner to cook
• Waiting for the dog to finish sniffing on a walk
• Catching up on the news of the day
• Waiting for your kid to do pretty much anything
• Just before bed

Appetite is in the eating

You can design the best menu, but if you don’t develop an appetite you won’t engage in the eating.

Now that you have your sneaky snack plan in hand, start executing it with intention every single day. Stick with the routine until it becomes second nature. Soon you will be doing it without thinking, and the person next to you on the train platform will be giving you the side eye.

Only concern yourself with your health and performance goals, not what the stranger nearby is thinking. Maybe they will make up some cool story in their mind about you being a Cirque de Soleil performer.

After months of diligently fuelling your day with strength snacks you will begin to notice huge improvements in how you swim, bike and run with better form and balance, improved strength endurance and better power.