Question:
I would like to get started with
triathlon training. Basically, I
have done jogging: my legs get bigger
and after a while my back hurts.
I have done biking: my muscles get
really really thin, I lose fat from
abs and all (also loose fat from
abs from jogging the way I do it),
and then I get really really skinny
muscles, hard, but skinny.
So now, what
I want to do is add swimming to
it. After swimming, I think my body
will feel kind of heavy and perhaps
I will be able to put on some muscle,
and look as good as all the rest
of the triathlon people out there.
I guess I should also be doing weights
to put on some muscle. It just seems
to me that all the people I have
spoken to that had excellent body
muscle/shape did triathlon, so I
want to join in. The only other
sport that seems to do good for
your arms is paul vault, and I don't
have time for that. So now, down
to the basic question, how do I
train for triathlon:
Someone suggested
one hour three times a week is enough.
So, could anyone please post their
excellent recreational triathlon
workout plan so I can copy your
12 week schedule with #of hours
spent on each of jogging, swimming,
running, and weights, and with a
breakdown of how you partition the
work among these?
Answer:
The training plans are very variable.
The most important factors are your
age and sex, your current fitness
level, your past experiences in
each sport (run, bike, swim), the
climate, the amount of time you
want to commit, etc.
I should
say that using 3 hour/week training
you can not do any triathlons except
sprint distance. And even that is
somewhat farfetched. You cannot
run, swim, bike, weight train in
3 hours/week. But if what you want
is just get into some action then
go ahead and enjoy it without using
some kind of strict plan.
I will share
my last 4 weeks' training as an
example. Keep in mind that I am
training for an olympic distance,
and since it is winter it is hard
to train for bike so I prefer to
run more in these cold months. All
times are with warmup/cool down
included. All my swimming sessions
are concentrated on technique.
Week 1
45 min intervals (run - a.m.) +
50 min. stregth (p.m.)
47 min easy run a.m.
32 min intervals run a.m. + 53 min.
swimming p.m.
56 min swimming
rest
rest due to weather
135 min easy bike a.m. + 50 min
strength p.m.
Week 2
50 min intervals run
45 min easy run a.m. + 55 min swimming
p.m.
34 min intervals run a.m. + 45 min
strength p.m.
43 min easy run a.m. + 55 min swimming
p.m.
rest
102 min easy run
82 min easy bike a.m. + 50 min strength
p.m.
Week 3 (light
week)
rest
55 min strength a.m. + 60 min swimming
p.m.
60 min strength
rest
rest
96 min easy run a.m. + 50 min strength
p.m.
140 min easy bike
Week 4
40 min easy run
50 min run hill intervals a.m. +
35 min swimming (1500 m time trial)
40 min easy run a.m. + 60 min strength
p.m.
rest
38 min intervals run a.m.
