Brick sessions are a great training session to help develop the neuromuscular system to prepare you for future events (as well as future training sessions). Not only that but you will get a great physiological training stimulus. This session is perfect to build your off season fitness for sprint and Olympic Distance Triathlons.
Each week I will post Monday’s Brick session that you can do to enhance your triathlon performance. For a full understanding of my Level’s intensity system, please read my previous articles about intensity for cycling and running.
The inspiration for this workout comes from a Chris Foster‘s book The Triathlete Guide to Sprint & Olympic Triathlon Racing.
Chris Foster’s Brick 1
- Bike
- 20min WU Level II;
- 3min Level IV- Cad 40rpm, 2min Level I RI;
- 6min Level IV- Cad 50rpm, 3min Level I RI;
- 2x 12min Level III+ Cad 60rpm, 4min Level I RI;
- 6min Level IV- Cad 50rpm, 3min Level I RI;
- 3min Level IV- Cad 40rpm, 2min Level I RI;
- 10min CD Level II;
- Run
- 20min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start on the bike with a twenty-minute Warm Up (WU) at Level II.
There are six different reps, structured in a pyramid formate.
Start with a single rep of three minutes duration at Level IV- (under 95% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)), maintain a cadence of ~40 RPM. Take a two minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level I with a cadence between 80 & 100 RPM.
Next up is a single rep of six minutes duration at Level IV- (under 95% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)), maintain a cadence of ~50 RPM. Take a three minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level I with a cadence between 80 & 100 RPM.
Follow this with two, twelve minute reps at Level III+ (just under 90% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)), maintain a cadence of ~60 RPM. Take a four minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level I with a cadence between 80 & 100 RPM.
Repeat the second rep of of six minutes duration at Level IV- (under 95% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)), maintain a cadence of ~50 RPM. Take a three minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level I with a cadence between 80 & 100 RPM.
Then the final rep is a repeat of the first rep of three minutes at Level IV- (under 95% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)), maintain a cadence of ~40 RPM. Take a two minute Rest Interval (RI) riding at Level I with a cadence between 80 & 100 RPM.
Conclude the ride with a ten minute Cool Down (CD) at Level II.
Transition onto the run and straight into a twenty-minute run at Level II.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
Read more about the benefits of brick sessions here:
I am the Head Coach and Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes in achieving their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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Download the Garmin (.FIT) & Zwift (.ZWO) files for this workout for FREE
The Triathlete Guide to Sprint and Olympic Triathlon Racing will help you discover the speed, thrill, and challenge of triathlon’s most popular race distances.
Not everyone has time to train for long-course triathlons. By pursuing triathlon’s shorter distances, you can enjoy all the total body fitness benefits of the swim-bike-run sport and discover the unique challenges of short-course racing all while enjoying a life outside of training.
This complete guide from former pro triathletes Chris Foster and coach Ryan Bolton shares all the know-how you need to find speed and enjoy successful racing in sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons. Foster, now the Senior Editor of Triathlete magazine, shares his pro advice for how to set a smart race strategy, how to master triathlon pacing, how to execute fast transitions, how to train to improve your weakness and race to your strengths. Bolton offers smart, effective sprint and Olympic triathlon training plans so you can get started right away, no matter your background.
Sprint and Olympic triathlons are triathlon’s most popular distances for good reasons. Experienced triathletes returning to the short course will enjoy a break from long, slow hours of training and rediscover the joy of speed. Active people looking for a new challenge can jump right into triathlon’s most beginner-friendly distances.
The Triathlete Guide to Sprint and Olympic Triathlon Racing makes it simple to get back up to speed in the world’s most rewarding endurance sport.
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