Mark: One of the best bits of advice I have ever been given in terms of triathlon training
is that consistency is key. If you're training for your first triathlon or for the Olympic
Games, I really believe it matters just the same. Today, I thought I'd run through some
of the key things that you want to think about when you're planning and structuring your
training around work, life, and other commitments to really make sure you're getting that consistency,
and every ounce you possibly can out of your training. Let's get planning.
[music] Now when I used to coach athletes, one of
the first things that I would do with them is make sure that I understand a few fairly
basic but incredibly important things, one of which is their current level of fitness.
Also, their background within triathlon or just sport generally, their goals and ambitions,
and most crucially, their current commitments within life, family, work, et cetera. You
need to make sure that you do this, you assess this yourself before planning or structuring
any training because otherwise, that consistency that I mentioned earlier will go totally out
the window within just a couple of days of starting. I know this sounds incredibly geeky,
but I'd actually suggest making a physical note of this writing all down so you can easily
just refer back to it if you need to. I'd also suggest actually writing out a diary
or making a spreadsheet where you can list out your commitments during the week, and
then you can quite visibly and easily see where that free space and time is so that
you can do your training. That's sort of forms the basis of how you can start planning and
structuring your training. With that done, you can then move into the day-to-day structure
and the content of your sessions. I'm actually going to split this up into six main tips
starting with the end date. [music]
Now I know we're starting backwards here, but you ultimately need to know what you're
working towards. Is it a 5K, a marathon, a sprint distance triathlon, or an Ironman,
because quite obvious, but that is going to drastically change and depict how you plan
and structure your training. It's also going to give you a physical end date, something
to build your training towards and focus on, as well as also just reminding yourself of
why you're doing this. [music]
With that sorted, now let's get stuck into the nitty-gritty. Using that diary spreadsheet
or something similar, like I discussed before, we can start allocating time to train and
also the volume rather than just plucking any old training plan out from the internet
and trying to force it into our lives and making it work. Before we get stuck into and
delve into the details of the workout, it's actually best to start planning how many workouts
we want to do in a week. Basically, you want to start off with something that's comfortable
and achievable and then build on from there. [music]
On the whole, this is quite simple. I suggest going for an even split between three disciplines.
For instance, if you can do six workouts per week, you do two swim, two bike, and two run.
Pretty straightforward really, if obviously, it doesn't quite work out and even split with
how many workouts you plan doing in a week, maybe just prioritize those weaker disciplines,
you can do an extra workout there. Then if you like using that spreadsheet or diary,
you can then start working out where those workouts fit best into your week around your
work and day-to-day commitments, making sure you don't forget things like getting to a
swimming pool and the travel time that's involved in them.
[music] Now let's talk about the frequency and the
duration of your workouts because if you're new to triathlon, it's actually better to
do shorter duration workouts but more frequently. There's never that much time between each
of your workouts. The same applies if you have a particular weakness, such as swimming.
If on the other hand, your limiting factor is your endurance, or maybe you've entered
a long-distance event such as an Ironman, you may want to focus more on the longer workouts
less frequently. Whichever route you decide to go down, the most important thing is that
you keep track of your volume. You're never progressing more than 10% in terms of your
volume, week in week out. On top of that, I'd also suggest only doing
two sessions per day as an absolute maximum. Anything beyond that, you tend to just see
the consistency tail off as you're trying to just cram workouts in and around your life
and other work commitments. [music]
Following on from that, you want to make sure that each of your workouts has a purpose and
a goal. This is so important. I can't stress the importance of this enough because so many
people just head out and aimlessly cycle or run without really having any understanding
of what they're trying to accomplish, and how that fits into their week. Whereas, if
you really want to improve as quickly and efficiently as possible, you want to be focused
on those sessions and really nail what that session is after.
Now, it doesn't mean that every session needs to be hard, because actually, an easy aerobics
swim is still focused on good quality. You just want to make sure that you've got a good
mix within your training that is well focused. That means that in you're swimming, for instance,
you may have an easy aerobic swim, you may have a speed swim, you may have strength swim,
be arriving at each of those, knowing what you need to achieve, why you're doing that
session, and really nail it. [music]
That leads us on to recovery, and I don't think I really need to explain the importance
of recovery yet so many of us, myself included, are terrible at doing it. If you really want
to improve and perform, you want to absorb and adapt all that hard train you've been
doing. What I normally suggest is that after every third week, you take a recovery week,
and that would normally start with perhaps a day off and then a much lower and easier
week in terms of volume and intensity. If you like, you can also take a day off each
week. I know many people that do that, and that just allows them to keep the consistency
there. Then day to day, you do just want to make sure that you're not backing up hard
workouts that are working similar muscle groups, particularly with the cycling and running
because not only you're not going to get the quality out those workouts but you could end
up digging yourself a bit of a hole. [music]
Finally, be prepared to adapt and change your training plan and structure. Just because
you laid your training plans out, maybe a week or so in advance, does not mean that
they're set in stone. So many top pro athletes are continually adapting and changing their
training plan and structure to make sure that you get the most out of it. I mean, you may
have suddenly a last-minute thing come up with work or some family commitments just
pop up last minute, don't just simply accept that you're going to have to miss your sessions
and move on and carry on with the rest of your training plan. In some cases, you may
be able to quickly adapt and change your training plan. Still get perhaps a key workout in,
or the quality there in some way or some form. I hope that has helped today. If you have
any questions, maybe they're personal questions for yourself, drop them in the comment section
below. If you've enjoyed today's video, make sure you give it a like, and if you are not
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