The sport of triathlon requires a specific and specialized training program. The ultimate triathlon training program will balance all three sports according to your strengths and weaknesses, and also with the time constraints you have, to give you the most results in the least amount of time.
Since many triathletes have never been athletes before, or come from a single sport background, it is important that they understand how training for a triathlon differs from simply exercising.
Popularity
Triathlon is increasing in popularity, with more and more people discovering the fun and challenge of multisport events. According to USA Triathlon, there are more than 130,000 triathletes in the United States, and growth continues to climb every year. As most triathletes have families and careers to balance with their training, it is vital that they make the most of their training time. The ultimate triathlon training program will make the most of whatever time each individual has available.
Training Hours
Before you begin your ultimate training program, you must set a realistic amount of time aside that you have to train. Set your maximum number of hours with the understanding that you will only be training for that number of hours a few weeks out of the year, with the rest of the weeks being less than that. This allows you to periodize your training, meaning that you build up your volume or intensity over the course of a training cycle leading up to a race. According to triathlon coach Andrew Dollar, a USAT coach in Nashville, Tennessee, periodization allows an athlete to build up to his best fitness while avoiding injury through proper recovery.
Balance
All triathletes need to learn how to balance their training across three sports in order to maximize the results they can get with the time they have available to train. That does not mean that you spend the same amount of time at each sport.
Many people are stronger in one leg of triathlon than the others, and make the mistake of spending too much time on what they are already good at. For example, a runner may be spending 50 percent of his time running when he actually needs to focus on swimming and cycling while maintaining his running fitness with minimal mileage.
Identifying your limiters, therefore, is an important step in prioritizing your training time. The same runner may only spend 25 percent or less of his training time on running, and a full 50 percent to 65 percent of his training time on cycling.
Varying intensity
Many new triathletes make the mistake of always working too hard all the time. The ultimate training program needs to include workouts at different intensities, which can be measuring by RPE, or rating of perceived exertion, heart rate, using a heart-rate monitor, and power meters on the bike. The goal is to make your easy workouts easy, and your hard workouts hard, instead of all workouts being the same.
New athletes will spend almost all of their training time working on endurance, which is accomplished by exercising at an RPE of under 4 on a scale of 10, and a heart rate at 83 percent of max or below, according to Dollar. As an athlete moves on to her second season of triathlon training, she can have some hard workouts and some easy workouts each week, in each sport.
Recovery
An ultimate training program must take recovery seriously. An athlete makes all of his gains in fitness not while he is working, but while he is recovering from the work, according to "The Triathletes Training Bible" by Joe Friel, a worldwide expert in triathlon training. Some ways to maximize recovery are to sleep at least eight hours a night in a very dark room, and to eat a diet higher in protein. You should get 1.2 to 1.8 grams per pound of body weight, says the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Include healthy fats such as avocado, fatty fish such as salmon, and olive oil in your diet for their anti-inflammatory effect. Limit soreness and recovery time with tools such as foam rollers, ice baths, and regular visits to a chiropractor or massage therapist.
Training Plans vs. Coaching
Most people train for their first triathlon on their own, but if they decide to do another one, they begin to seek out more options. There are many free training plans for all race distances available on the internet, including at the usatriathlon website. These will help focus your training efforts but are not customized to the individual athlete.
A triathlon coach can help an athlete create a plan that fits his individual lifestyle and time constraints while providing feedback and monitoring of his progress. A good triathlon coach usually costs between $120 and $250 per month.
Bottom Line
A triathlon coach is the best way to create your ultimate triathlon training program. A triathlon coach provides knowledge, analytical skills and accountability, which are keys to success in triathlon.
However, with some research and planning, you can create a great program on your own. Understanding some training basics like periodization, intensity, and recovery are vital if you want to create your own training program or be able to analyze your training effectively.
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