Triathlon Training Plans for Beginners & Professionals
Do you really want to improve your stamina during tough triathlon training, including those challenging open water swims? Are you looking for a guide that might help you structure your training activities?
A triathlon training plan will help you achieve your training goals and triathlon competition targets. Triathlon training plans are equally beneficial and helpful for newbie triathletes, as well as professional athletes. If you want to win a distinction, no matter which level you are, training zones or coaching season is a must.
A triathlon training plan will help you structure and organize your activities during the training season, improve your distances and times, let you discover and overcome your weaknesses, and help you get fully prepared for the race day.
So the first and most important step a triathlete should take is to find the best triathlon training plan. However, it is not as simple as it is written. Whenever you google for a triathlon training plan or coaching, you get hundreds or maybe thousands of results. Of course, every plan doesn’t fit you.
For example, a specialized Olympic triathlon training plan would not help the beginners and vice versa. Moreover, there are many factors based on which you can decide which guide or plan is best for you.
Best Triathlon Training Plans
Here are a comprehensive and elaborated guide and best triathlon plans for triathletes of each level.
#1. HALHIGDON Training Program for Sprint Triathlon
This is an eight-week complete training plan for a short distance or sprint triathlon. It is a completely free olympic triathlon training plan available online. This is available under the name “Triathlon 2 Program”.
Although it’s an ideal triathlon program for beginners, some basics are covered in “Triathlon 1 Program”. So if you are entirely new to tri-athletics, you may also need a triathlon 1 program to strengthen your basics. The program will structure your training activities for 8 weeks, with 1 rest and one strength training per week.
#2. Triathlon Training Plan Ironman
It is a free six-month triathlon training plan by Ironman. The plan is a brief structure of training and workout activities. It’s a monthly plan, which does not include any elaborated and explained workout details. This free triathlon training plan will help you cross the finish line of an Ironman Triathlon.
#3. Triathlete Training Programs
“Triathlete” is one of the most well-reputed training magazines. These training plans are created and designed by famous triathlon coach Matt Fitzgerald. There are around 40 training plan for both long and short-distance triathlon.
These programs are highly reputable, and they are specialized for professional athletes, who are ambitious to compete and win in national and international sports events. The cost of these training programs ranges from $45 to $90.
Here is a summary of their few exclusively free and most invaluable triathlon training programs.
3.1. Triathlete Ironman 70.3 Training Plan
Ironman 70.3 or half Ironman is a type of long-distance triathlon, in which the distance of each cycling, running, and swimming segment is half of the original Ironman triathlon. Unlike the sprint triathlon, which is conducted for fun, it is a serious racing contest conducted by the World Triathlon Corporation.
It is a 16-week comprehensive program that will train the triathletes for long-distance racing contests. It’s a self-explanatory program, available online. All the terms are well-elaborated and explained. To get this free triathlon training program for Ironman 70.3, click on the link below
3.2. Triathlete Training Plan For Beginners
This is another triathlete training program that is very similar to a triathlon training program sprint. The program is designed to help newbies who don’t have any prior experience of swimming or cycling.
It’s an 11-week training program that focuses on building up beginner triathletes’ skills and helping them reach the finish line.
3.3. Triathlete Training Plan Olympic
Triathlete training plan Olympic is a 16-week free training program. It is well structured and exclusively explained training program for people who want to finish a Olympic distance triathlon. This weekly plan includes one rest day and 6 workout training day, 2 for each activity.
It is an ideal training plan for beginners, too, as the first six weeks of the plan are focused on covering the basing of triathlons.
#4. PurplePatch Fitness: Tailored Triathlon Training Plans
PurplePatch Fitness program is owned by a famous triathlon Trainer Matt Dixon. It’s one of the most expensive triathlon training programs. It is a customized program, and Matt Dixons designs a triathlon training program according to your skills, fitness level, type of race, and weekly schedule.
For high-budget, professional triathletes, they also provide one-on-one meetings and special training sessions. Coach also answers your queries that might come up during the training plan. The average fee of this customized triathlon training plan is $185 per month.
#5. Incorporating Brick Workout for Triathlon Training
Brick workout is an essential component of triathlon training, and they play a crucial role in preparing athletes for the unique challenges of transitioning between swimming, cycling, and running during a race. These workouts help triathletes adapt to the physical and mental demands of moving from one discipline to another seamlessly.
#6. Triathlon Training Apps
Triathlon Apps allow you to customize your training plan, give you access to training sessions, help you monitor and evaluate your performance and fitness level, and many more. Various triathlon apps will help you make our triathlon programs more effective and fruitful. You can also call these apps your virtual coach.
Here is a brief review of some top-rated Triathlon training apps.
5.1. Training Peaks: The Athlete’s Dashboard
Trainingpeaks is a free triathlon training platform available for both Android and iPhone. The app is engineered with the training requirements of both beginners and pro triathletes in mind. The app is free to download; however, there are various in-app purchases for elite-level triathletes.
For example, you will find many training programs by famous triathlon coaches and branded ironman plans. The training programs designed by Matt Ftzergerlad, founder of “Triathlete” magazine, are also available on this platform. This app monitors and evaluates your training performance with charts, graphs, and other statistical parameters.
5.2. Strava: Your Comprehensive Training Companion
Starva, Run, Bike Ride, Swim workouts is another top-rated triathlon training app. The app helps you analyze your training performance and fitness level. However, various in-app features, like monthly challenges, will help you set and achieve the smaller fitness and training goals.
You can overlay your training routine with famous athletes’ training programs by participating in the App Community.
5.3. Structured Workouts with TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad is another best triathlon training app. It uses science-based technology to train and guide triathletes. The app comprises many structured workouts and provides step-by-step guidance when you practice these workouts. Moreover, the app also analyzes your overall and individual riding performance and presents your fitness and workouts.
#7. eBooks and Triathlon Training Books
Triathlon training eBooks and guides are usually written by triathlon training exerts and Ironman certified coaches.
6.1. MyCoachPro eBook
MyCoachPro.net is one of the most powerful platforms for triathlon training plans. Phill Mosely, an Ironman certified coach, is the founder of the platform and is the author of this eBook.
The ebook guide will help you with the selection of training plan and types of race. It also helps you achieve your fitness and training goals, nutrition, weight, etc.
Get this triathlon training pdf here.
6.2. Your First Triathlon Guide
This ebook comes with various triathlon training plans for beginner triathletes, having no cycling, running, and swimming experience before. This guide will help you complete your first triathlon in 100 days if you properly follow the plans. The book is available on amazon. Shop Now.
6.3. Twelve-Weeks Olympic-Distance Beginner Training Plan
The 12-week Olympic distance triathlon training plan is a free three-month plan, an ideal choice for beginners. The plan is majorly divided into three phases, each of a month. In the first phase, it will help you train strength and fitness. The second phase of Olympic triathlon training plan will help you get speed and endurance, while in the third phase, your skills will be polished for the final race day.
Get this free triathlon training plan here.
6.4. Standard Beginner Triathlon Training Plan
It is free and easy to follow a olympic triathlon training plan for newbie athletes who want to finish the standard distance triathlon race in good shape. It is a 16-week training plan that begins with a soft fitness training session leading to the tough final race day preparations in the end.
Get this free olympic triathlon training plan here.
Conclusion
Let us end the guide with a conclusion that whichever plan you choose, is going to benefit you. Choose Beginner’s plan if you are just getting started because they make you start from the basics and slowly increase your stamina while advanced plans are also there. Advanced ones are meant to further improve your game without talking about basics. You know yourself better, so choose a plan and start today towards your goals.
