Category: Triathlon Training

Articles that are of interest and benefit for people training for triathlons

Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: 3x 6min Threshold Intervals (60min)

Spending time riding at your Threshold will enhance your ability to ride at Threshold. It will allow you to tolerate lactic acid, clearing it more effectively, lifting your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and also moving your Anaerobic Threshold deflection point to the right. Both these things mean you will be a fitter more effective cyclist. This workout will benefit all cyclists – road, mountain bikers and triathletes.

View More Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: 3x 6min Threshold Intervals (60min)
Saturday Swim Session

Saturday Swim Session: Steve Tarpinian’s Olympic Tri Main Set 2iii

Building your ability to sustain your threshold pace in a swim is an important capability for triathletes and open-water swimmers. These sessions further develop that ability by progressing your fitness by completing reps of different distances at different intensities. The session gets tougher, as you work through it. This session will benefit triathletes of all distances, as well as other open-water swimmers.

View More Saturday Swim Session: Steve Tarpinian’s Olympic Tri Main Set 2iii
Fartlek Run

Friday Fartlek Run: The Running Channel’s 5km PB Workout IIT

To run a fast 5km, you need to be able sustain effort as close to your VO2 max as possible. This session is great for developing both your VO2 Max and your ability to sustain your effort at it, due to the very short Rest Intervals (RIs) throughout this workout. Whether you are a runner or a triathlete, targeting 5km or something a bit longer, this workout will enhance your VO2 max and make you a faster runner across all distances.

View More Friday Fartlek Run: The Running Channel’s 5km PB Workout IIT
Dave Scott

Monday Brick: Dave Scott’s Beginner HFH Brick #1

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 includes a number of VO2 max intensity efforts to stimulate your top end speed, as well as a mile at tempo effort at the end which will help you run qwikly off the bike. This session is great if you’ve got limited time but have a bit more than an hour to dedicate to a Brick session.

View More Monday Brick: Dave Scott’s Beginner HFH Brick #1
Smart Training Session

Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: Martin Gibala Intervals XXI

Doing repeated short bouts of exercise at very high intensity develops a number of physiological systems in the body. Predominantly it provides a great training stimulus for the neuromuscular system. Although not specific to endurance events, training the neuromuscular system can bring on your fitness very quickly and is still a massive benefit for endurance athletes especially early in the season or if you are unfit. This workout can be done by beginners or experienced cyclist alike, because a max sprint is all about your level of effort and is likely to be different from another rider.

View More Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: Martin Gibala Intervals XXI

Saturday Swim Session: Denis Cotterell’s 40x 50

Repeated sprints will develop your VO2 max, but with minimal rest the training stimuli from a long set of sprints like this will also give your body a threshold training stimuli. Sessions like this are great for improving lactate tolerance and mental resilience. This session will benefit triathletes of all distances, as well as other open-water swimmers.

View More Saturday Swim Session: Denis Cotterell’s 40x 50

Friday Fartlek Run: Kelly’s Tempo Run Session A

Running at maximum intensity for about an hour will be done at or just below your threshold pace. When an event is longer than this your race pace will be further below threshold at Tempo pace. The best way to prepare the body to handle this intensity is to spend time running at it. This workout is great to include early in your build-up to expose the body to a slightly higher intensity.

View More Friday Fartlek Run: Kelly’s Tempo Run Session A
Ironman 70.3 Brick

Monday Brick: Mike Ricci’s Ultimate Full-Distance Triathlon Brick Workout

Brick sessions develop your ability to complete multiple disciplines in a single event. Transitioning from one discipline to another requires a number of different things to occur in the body but a key transition is in the blood flow from the cycling muscles to the running muscles. For a swim to bike transition, you also go from a horizontal position to a vertical position with a corresponding increase in blood pressure to ensure the blood can easily get to the brain. This workout is a great race simulation that is perfectly aligned for Ironman 70.3 and Ironman athletes preparing for a key race.

View More Monday Brick: Mike Ricci’s Ultimate Full-Distance Triathlon Brick Workout

Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: 3x 5min Threshold Intervals (60min)

Spending time riding at your Threshold will enhance your ability to ride at Threshold. It will allow you to tolerate lactic acid, clearing it more effectively, lifting your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and also moving your Anaerobic Threshold deflection point to the right. Both these things mean you will be a fitter more effective cyclist. This workout will benefit all cyclists – road, mountain bikers and triathletes..

View More Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: 3x 5min Threshold Intervals (60min)

Saturday Swim Session: Steve Tarpinian’s Sprint Tri Main Set 2ii

Building your ability to sustain your threshold pace in a swim is an important capability for triathletes and open-water swimmers. These sessions further develop that ability by progressing the intensity as you work through the workout, but maintaining the Rest Interval (RI). The session gets tougher, as you work through it. This session will benefit triathletes of all distances, as well as other open-water swimmers.

View More Saturday Swim Session: Steve Tarpinian’s Sprint Tri Main Set 2ii