Our triathlon training plans have been used to prepare athletes around the globe for their winning performances, but up until now they have only focused on one-third of the triathlon equation: cycling. This is all changing, starting with our new Base triathlon training plans, which include comprehensive swim, bike and run instructions.
Overview
Our original Triathlon Specialty Blocks were designed for athletes who would be swimming and running in conjunction with their on-the-bike training. Our Base and Build plans, on the other hand, were more general. While they weren’t designed specifically for triathletes, the lower volume options still served as fantastic plans for triathletes that wanted to get faster. That said, we knew we wanted the triathlon training plans we offered next to be fully comprehensive from start to finish. Now they are just that.
Our new Triathlon Base training plans (revamped Build and Speciality tri plans coming soon) have been designed from the ground up for multi-sport athletes. With workouts for swim, bike and run disciplines, our goal is to help triathletes get as strong as possible for all aspects of their event.
Chad Timmerman, our Level I USAC and USAT certified Head Coach who designs TrainerRoad’s training plans and workouts, uses RPE as the method of measurement for all his prescribed swim and run workouts. Specifically, the swim workouts use RPE and distance to quantify each interval and the running workouts use RPE and time.
With nearly a decade of coaching experience and large amount of research under his belt, Coach Chad has designed four Base-specific triathlon training plans. Take a look at each new plan below.
Sprint Triathlon Base
Sprint triathlons require a very different approach than the increasingly common Half- and Full-Distance triathlons. The short duration of these events generally requires a high-level of intensity — something to start training for from the beginning.
Sprint Base Low Volume
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Swim volume: 33-44 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 89-127 TSS/week
- Run volume: 50-60 minutes/week
Sprint Base Mid Volume
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Swim volume: 93-109 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 170-230 TSS/week
- Run volume: 105-130 minutes/week
Sprint Base High Volume
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Swim volume: 130-210 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 219-332 TSS/week
- Run volume: 177-200 minutes/week
Olympic Triathlon Base
Effectively managing your training time begins to get difficult when you step into the Olympic distance. It is crucial for athletes competing in this international distance to develop their threshold power in all disciplines, since this is where they will spend most of their time on race day.
Olympic Base Low Volume
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Swim volume: 46-61 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 126-152 TSS/week
- Run volume: 70-105 minutes/week
Olympic Base Mid Volume
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Swim volume: 92-116 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 154-208 TSS/week
- Run volume: 125-175 minutes/week
Olympic Base High Volume
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Swim volume: 161-191 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 231-359 TSS/week
- Run volume: 155-195 minutes/week
Half-Distance Triathlon Base
Athletes training for half-distance triathlons need to build a broad aerobic base while paying attention to intensities at or above threshold. Whether you are a time-constrained athlete, or somebody looking to PR your next event with plenty of available training time, these plans will effectively build your endurance in all three triathlon disciplines.
Half-Distance Base Low Volume
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Swim volume: 84-123 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 186-298 TSS/week
- Run volume: 85-160 minutes/week
Half-Distance Base Mid Volume
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Swim volume: 99-132 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 216-394 TSS/week
- Run volume: 135-190 minutes/week
Half-Distance Base High Volume
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Swim volume: 146-204 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 258-442 TSS/week
- Run volume: 160-225 minutes/week
Full-Distance Triathlon Base
Although full-distance triathlons are considered an endurance event, the low-volume variation of this plan still gives you the fitness you need in the always-critical Base Phase. Ranging from 4-5 days of training per week, this plan will take 12 weeks to establish a lasting and reliable base of aerobic fitness.
Full-Distance Base Low Volume
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Swim volume: 95-154 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 186-372 TSS/week
- Run volume: 90-215 minutes/week
Full-Distance Base Mid Volume
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Swim volume: 103-179 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 196-452 TSS/week
- Run volume: 150-250 minutes/week
Full-Distance Base High Volume
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Swim volume: 158-243 minutes/week
- Bike volume: 278-565 TSS/week
- Run volume: 170-285 minutes/week
As mentioned above, our new Build and Speciality triathlon training plans including swim, bike and run instructions will also be available soon. Keep an eye out. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
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How many weeks will the full distance builds and specialty plans consist of? Would be helpful to know for planning purposes. Really enjoy your service. Thanks.
My question is the same as Anthony’s.
How long will the build and specific plans last? Trying to get the timing right for my next big race.
The base plans look very good and looking forward to getting stuck into the high volume half plan.
Ditto. Some indication of duration for subsequent plans would be appreciated. Important to know for planning.
Glad to see you guys moving in this direction. Keep it up!
P
Hey guys,
Here’s the plan (pardon the pun):
Build
• Sprint: 4 weeks
• Olympic: 6 weeks
• Half: 8 weeks
• Full: 8 weeks
Specialty
• Sprint: 8 weeks
• Olympic: 8 weeks
• Half: 8 weeks
• Full: 8 weeks
We’re actively working on the build plans and the specialty plans are next in line. No ETA on these, but they compose the entirety of Coach Chad’s focus right now.
Did anyone figure out the acronyms for the swim workouts? I would appreciate your help.
F = Fins
K = kick
CU = Catch up
F&T = ?
SK = ?
BB = ?
K&R = ?
FS = ?
SC = ?
SA = Single Arm?
Here’s all the info you’ll need on that Jan-Ivo:
http://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/206870716-Base-Triathlon
Catch-Up (CU) – Your lead arm will remain fully extended in front of you until your working arm completes a full stroke. The working arm now becomes the lead arm and remains fully extended in front of you until your working arm completes its full stroke and “catches up”.
Half Catch-Up (HCU) -This abbreviated catch-up will bring the full catch-up drill closer to your actual freestyle stroke. Instead of waiting until your working arm reaches your lead arm, start pulling with your lead hand a little earlier, when your working hand is even with your lead arm’s elbow.
Fingertips & Thumbs (F&T) – During your normal freestyle stroke, keep your elbows high and lightly drag your fingertips across the water as your working arm recovers. Then, as your working hand exits the water on the release, lightly scrape your thumb against your thigh. These two actions can be done individually or combined.
Fists (F) -Swim with clenched fists and focus on rotating your shoulders and bending your working elbow during the catch such that you create a pull that’s nearly as powerful as one done with an open hand.
Single-Arm (SA) -Restrict yourself to one arm’s use for an entire pool length by keeping the opposite arm extended in front of you or at your side (advanced). If necessary, perform this drills using fins until you improve to the point that you can eliminate them. Try to use a moderate kick and normal body positioning, rolling into your working arm.
Front Sculling (FS) -Stretch your arms out in front of you, fingertips pointed forward, arms no more than shoulder width apart and use both hands to propel yourself forward by “sculling” in a figure-eight pattern as you simulate the catch over & over. Use a minimal kick and do this with your head up or down.
Chest Sculling (CS) -With your chest facing down, bend your elbows and point your fingertips down while keeping your elbows high. Make the same figure-eight patterns with both hands in order to propel yourself forward, effectively repeating the center of the stroke.
Back Sculling (BS) -Keep your arms at your sides and point your fingertips back toward your toes as you propel yourself with those familiar figure-eight movements without moving your hands any wider than shoulder width.
Sighting (S) -Instead of turning your head to the side to breathe, raise your head to look forward and “sight” a landmark toward which you’ll swim. Breathe just as you would when turning to the side by inhaling before lowering your head, exhaling underwater, and learn to disrupt your stroke as minimally as possible in the process – eventually not at all.
Kicking (K) -Swim facedown using only your feet to propel you as you breathe just as you would during a freestyle stroke by rolling to the side and turning your head to catch some air. Focus on “pushing” your chest down while keeping your legs & hips up toward the surface as you practice balance & kicking technique.
Side Kicking (SK) -Swim on your side with your lower arm extended ahead of you and the upper arm resting against your side. Rest your head against your shoulder and look down keeping your head completely submerged while using only your kick to propel yourself. Rotate your head slightly when inhaling and try to keep your hips & legs high throughout as you swim a full pool length before switching sides.
Kick & Rotate (K&R) -Begin kicking on your side for 3-5 seconds then rotate onto your belly and “catch up” to your leading arm with the other arm bringing both arms out in front of you. Pull with the arm that was leading as you roll onto your opposite side. Kick for 3-5 seconds on this side, catch up with the other arm and immediately pull the previously leading arm and rotate to the opposite side. Over time, try to spend only 2 seconds at a time kicking on each side.
Stroke Counting (SC) -Target your stroke efficiency by trying to reduce the number of strokes you use to reach the opposite side of the pool. Count your strokes on your first trip across, then try to reduce the number of strokes during the next 2-3 trips across the pool by taking longer, more powerful pulls, rotating more & gliding a bit longer.
Bilateral Breathing (BB) -Swim your regular freestyle stroke while breathing during every third stroke forcing yourself to discover and improve your weaker side. If this is challenging & uncoordinated at first, hang in there – your clumsy side will improve with practice.
Hi,
I’m 20 weeks out from my A race Sprint Triathlon (European Age-Group Champs). I’ve been training consistently so far over Winter doing a mixture of easy rides and sweet spot type sessions (3-4 rides a week). I’m looking at using the Sprint Triathlon plans with TR but see that the base and build phase plans for sprint are only 4 weeks long. What is the reason for this (others are 6-8) and what should I do for my race as 4+4+8 leaves me 4 weeks short? Should I repeat the build plan twice?
Chris
Hi Chris,
I made the sprint plans shorter because this is a distance a lot of newcomer triathletes gravitate toward and that implies a lower level of fitness and intended race intensity combined with their low-level or “no-level” experience. But I also recognize that not all sprint triathletes are beginners and some race these very competitively and at very high intensities & levels of fitness.
For those triathletes, I recommend repeating either the base or the build phase (potentially both if time permits) following an FTP reassessment, or breaking up the specialty phase by reassessing and repeating the first 4 weeks of it, i.e. weeks 1-4, 1-4, 5-8 = 12 weeks of specialization (with lower-priority events woven in, ideally at the end of each rest week).
This goes similarly for the Olympic-distance triathletes and their 6-week base/build plans, though a little more care has to be taken with regards to recovery week scheduling. This approach is intended to afford training schedule flexibility based on background and racing goals in both of these potentially beginner-friendly distances.
In your case, you’ll have 16 weeks covered by the 4 weeks of base, 4 weeks of build & 8 weeks of specialty, so you can double either your base or build or you can repeat weeks 1-4 of your specialty. I prefer that athletes with more training experience repeat their build or first half of their specialty training and that less-experienced or new triathletes repeat the base phase.
I am doing my second ironman, and want to place in my age group. What would be a more beneficial biking base plan for me? The bike specific high volume sweet spot base one & two. Or the new full distance high volume training plan? Thanks and love the program.
Hey Adam,
Good to hear you’re going for that PR! I’d definitely recommend the new Triathlon specific plans. They were created in the context of multisport training, meaning that they will take into account the other disciplines of your training and give you high-quality workouts for each discipline.
Hi coach:
I just finished a half ironman and plan to rest well for 2 weeks. That leaves me only have 20 weeks for training of another full distance, what would you suggest to adjust the base-build-specialty plan? which part could I cut to fit the restrained time period? Thanks!