The hour-twenty
training plan
Most
triathletes are grown adults with multiple commitments, family duties, and time
constraints. I have been working with
this population as a coach for almost ten years. I have worked with highly motivated world
class amateur athletes who have careers and families, as well as beginner/intermediates
who do not have nor want competitive goals.
Both types of athletes present different challenges.
My
experiences have led me to believe that the most realistic training plan for a
certain type of athlete is simple and repeatable. The athlete that this particular approach
works for is extremely time constrained and highly motivated, OR not
competitively motivated but wants a healthy and realistic training plan.
I call
this the hour-twenty training plan. It
consists of roughly one hour and twenty minute workouts three to five days per
week and one longer workout with a day off - in essence, do both weekend
workout time slots in one day and take the other day off.
This is a
workout that most athletes can knock out in the AM or the PM with minimal
interference to work or four children.
There are no double days in this training plan. One and done is the approach.
This
training plan is appropriate for sprint to international distance
triathletes. It would not be a viable
plan for anything longer. If you are
very busy or not a triathlon die-hard, there is not much reason for you to race
longer distance. If you plan to race
70.3 to Ironman, you must make time for longer training sessions.
The key
to this type of training plan is that most days will consist of two
disciplines. The weekend workout will be
the major endurance session of the week.
The time allotment to each discipline will vary depending on the
strengths and weaknesses of the athlete.
One hour
and twenty minutes is enough time to work the various training elements in any
training plan aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, lactate threshold,
drills and skills, and power. It is
enough time to burn roughly 700 calories.
It is also enough time to burn off life-related stress and spend a
little time on yourself.
The table
below illustrates a week sample for the motivated and experienced athlete - in
this example, motivated 40 YO female with 10 years experience (distances will
vary depending on athlete skill level, time is the same):
|
Monday
Swim 30
minutes Run 45
minutes 5
minutes transition |
Swim 30
minutes ·
400
easy swim ·
100
easy kick ·
8
x 100 mod-hard on :15 rest ·
100
cooldown Run 45
minutes ·
15
minute easy warm up ·
25
minute comfortable fast ·
5
minute easy |
Swim
muscular endurance Run
aerobic endurance |
|
Tuesday Bike 80
minutes |
Ride 1
hour 20 minutes ·
30
minute easy ·
5
x 6 minute hard (lactate threshold effort) with 3 minute easy between each ·
5
minute very easy cooldown |
Bike
endurance/ muscular endurance / anaerobic endurance |
|
Wednesday Strength
20 minutes Swim 55
minutes 5 minute
transition |
Core
strength workout 20 minute ·
standing
or jump squats ·
pushups ·
planks ·
pullups ·
crunches
or situps Swim 55
minutes ·
600
easy ·
6
x 300 descend 1-3 and 4-6 so 3 and 6 are fast on :45 rest ·
6
x 50 drills on :15 ·
100
easy cooldown ·
|
Power/balance Swim
endurance and muscular endurance |
|
Thursday Bike 60
minutes Run 15
minutes 5 minute
transition |
Ride 60
minute ·
20
minute easy ·
30
minute moderate hard steady ·
10
minute easy Run 15
minute steady effort off the bike |
Bike
muscular endurance Specific
running |
|
Friday Run 50
minutes Swim 25
minutes 5 minute
transition |
Run 50
minutes 15 minutes easy / 10 x 400 on track (or 1:30 on road) at 5k pace
with 200 jog easy between / 10 minute easy Swim 25
minutes easy continuous |
Run
anaerobic endurance Swim
endurance |
|
Saturday |
Day off |
|
|
Sunday 120
minute ride 20 minute
run |
Ride 90
minutes to 2 hours solo or with a group, steady moderate effort Run 20
minutes off the bike steady effort |
Bike
endurance Run
endurance Specific
training |
The total
amount of training time for the example above is about 8.5 hours. Depending who you talk to this is either
quite a bit or a piece of cake. You
dont need to compare yourself to everyone else all the time. This sort of plan is effective and works
well. The Sunday workout could be a
longer run and a shorter ride every couple of weeks.
Table II
illustrates the same approach for a newer or less-motivated athlete - in this
example, a 25 YO male getting back into shape:
Table II. Beginner /
newly-motivated hour-twenty example training plan
|
Monday
Swim 45
minutes Run 30
minutes |
Swim 45
minutes ·
400
easy swim ·
100
easy kick ·
4
x 50 drills on :15 ·
8
to 10 x 100 moderate on :15 rest ·
100
cooldown Run 30
minutes ·
15
minute easy ·
10
minute moderate ·
5
minute easy |
Swim
muscular endurance Run
aerobic endurance |
|
Tuesday Bike 75
minutes |
Ride 1
hour 15 minutes ·
30
minute easy ·
5
x 3 minute hard (lactate threshold effort) with 3 minute easy between each ·
15
minute very easy cooldown |
Bike
endurance/ muscular endurance / anaerobic endurance |
|
Wednesday |
Day off |
|
|
Thursday Run 50
minutes Swim 25
minutes 5 minute
transition |
Run 50
minutes 20 minutes easy / 6 x 400 on track (or 2:00 on road) at 10k pace
with 200 jog easy between / 10 minute easy Swim 25
minutes easy-steady continuous |
Run
anaerobic endurance Swim
endurance |
|
Friday Bike 50
minutes Strength
20 minutes |
Ride 50
minute ·
20
minute easy ·
20
minute moderate hard steady ·
10
minute easy Core
strength workout 20 minute ·
standing
or jump squats ·
pushups ·
planks ·
pullups ·
situps
or crunches |
Bike
muscular endurance Power/balance |
|
Saturday |
Day off |
|
|
Sunday 90
minute ride 20
minute run |
Ride 90
minutes to 2 hours solo or with a group, steady moderate effort Run 20
minutes off the bike steady effort |
Bike
endurance Run
endurance Specific
training |
The plan
above is just under seven hours. If the athlete needed another day off, Friday would be the best one to drop, and
then move Tuesday's ride to Wednesday and make Tuesday a day off (as this plan is written).
There are
many challenges I face as a coach when planning for training and racing.
Helping
motivated athletes avoid injury and
burnout while challenging their limits is their biggest challenge.
Keeping
newer or less-motivated athletes consistent
with a plan that helps to build their endurance, confidence, and ultimately
improve their speed is their biggest challenge.
Each
athlete is different. Each athlete comes
into a training plan with strengths and weaknesses. My purpose in writing this article is to
detail a method for triathlon training that does not require a lockdown on all
your free time while still producing solid results for short to intermediate
distance events.
The
proliferation of 70.3 and Ironman racing, while great for the sport, has many
newcomers and even some veterans thinking that they arent a real triathlete
unless they compete in long distance events or take part in multi-hour sessions
several times per week.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. Sprints and Olympic distance triathlons are
challenging endurance races. You can
suffer greatly and adequately forge your character within the fires of one or two hour races as well
as twelve.
Marty
Gaal, CSCS
One Step
Beyond
Marty has been competing in
triathlon since 1989. He qualified for
and raced the Ironman World Championships in 2005, but really prefers sprints
and international-distance races because he can still walk and talk after. He coaches
both long and short course age group triathletes.