Triathlon: Base Period (Winter, Off-Season) Training: 3.75 to 8.25 hrs/wk

Author: Gale Bernhardt

12 weeks - $64.95
Total Hours: 65
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This 12-week plan is perfect for the athlete with time restraints during the week. You are looking to prevent boredom, build some base fitness and increase your longest weekly workouts. You can have a triathlon in mind for one of your future goals, or you might want to simply use multisport training to get yourself into shape.

The goals of this plan include:
- Establish a fitness routine and stick with it
- Build swimming endurance to swim 1500 non-stop
- Lift weights to improve strength
- Build your longest run from 30 minutes to 1:30
- Build your longest ride from 45 minutes to 2:00 to 2:30

This program has the swimming details to help you build swimming endurance without a masters group and without having to dream up your own swimming sets. Swimming is blended into a running and cycling routine that can be accomplished indoors or outdoors.

Weekday running and cycling workouts are used as a warm-up for strength training to conserve on training time. Weekend running and cycling workouts build in length and intensity at just the right pace. Weekly training is manageable, ranging from about 3:45 to 8:20.

At the end of the training block, you can maintain your endurance by continuously repeating the last three to four weeks of the training plan, with the Strength Maintenance weight training routine substituted for all strength sessions. Longer weekend workouts can be repeated or you can get creative and design your own sessions.

Or…maybe you will look for a new set of goals at the end of 12 weeks?

  What do you get with a training plan?

Sample workouts:

Workout #1 : Run

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Run on a flat course - a soft surface would be best (grass, dirt or treadmill) - keeping heart rate in Zone 1.
Workout #2 : Other
Greetings
Hello and thank you for choosing one of my professionally designed training plans to help you reach your athletic goals. My plans are structured to build your overall fitness, endurance, muscular endurance (the ability to swim, ride or run at race pace) and economy (the oxygen consumption required for a given pace.) The plan is designed to help you along the training process so you can successfully cross the finish line and meet your goal. The training plans have been tried and tested by athletes around the world with high levels of success. I want you to be successful too. You can find free downloadable supporting documents in several locations, including the right side of my TrainingPeaks main page here: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans/plan-author.aspx?c=ZL4MKR4J2IGLY&d=all I look forward to helping you reach your training and racing goals. Gale Bernhardt www.galebernhardt.com www.facebook.com/GaleBernhardtConsulting https://twitter.com/GaleBernhardt
Workout #3 : Strength

Planned Time: 0:40:00
Warm up aerobically, running or cycling for 10-20 minutes, then complete 2-3 sets x 15-20 repetitions (reps) of the designated exercises using a light to moderate weight.
Workout #4 : Swim

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Swim the designated number of 50s or 75s in the Zones indicated. Zone 1 = Z1, Zones 1-2 = Z1-2, Zones 1-3 = Z1-3. Take rest intervals (RI) as indicated between each 50.
Workout #5 : Strength

Planned Time: 0:40:00
Warm up aerobically, running or cycling for 10-20 minutes, then complete 2-3 sets x 15-20 repetitions (reps) of the designated exercises using a light to moderate weight.
Workout #6 : Bike

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Ride in Zones 1-2 on a flat to gently rolling course at 90+ rpm. If you're unable to spin 90+ rpm coast and recover until you can.
Workout #7 : Swim

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Swim the designated number of 50s or 75s in the Zones indicated. Zone 1 = Z1, Zones 1-2 = Z1-2, Zones 1-3 = Z1-3. Take rest intervals (RI) as indicated between each 50.
Workout #8 : Day Off

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Relax
Workout #9 : Run

Planned Time: 0:30:00
This level is used for aerobic maintenance and endurance training. Heart rate should stay primarily in the 1 to 2 zones. How much time is spent in each zone depends on how you feel that day. The goal of an E2 run is not to see how much time you can spend in Zone 2. Run a rolling course if possible, with grades up to 4 percent. For reference, most highway off-ramps are 4-percent grade. Changing the grade on a treadmill, for those living in vertically deficient cities, can simulate hills. If you run with a group, inner discipline is necessary to let the group go if they turn a training run into a race.