Are you planning on running a triathlon of some kind? Whether you are an athlete, a dabbler or a complete beginner you should consider having and using expertly crafted triathlon training plans. It is the best way to properly prepare for the event and can help prevent injuries and improve your comfort level as you race and how you perform. A part of those plans is your key workouts. These are workouts that are hard enough for you to improve your overall fitness, not just purely focused on improving your triathlon skills. Here is a closer look.
Key workouts are different for each of us
What you do is different from what your friend might do or what someone with more experience or better fitness might do. You also should make sure that your key workouts in your triathlon training plan are varied. Change up their intensity, change the length and keep things different and challenging. Push your body but not all at once. Push it a little more each time, make sure it does not ‘get used’ to something. Raise your fitness even more by challenging yourself with the workouts, their types and intensity. What also makes them more effective is making sure after each training session you rest and that the plans include some recovery time. This is the best approach for your energy levels, health, training success, race success and to keep yourself motivated!
Scheduling the workouts
Scheduling your key workouts in your triathlon training plans should ideally be done with the help of a professional coach with experience in triathlons. It is more than making sure you can swim, cycle and run! Most people have at least one area they are less strong in that they need to work harder and earlier on. Then there are also things like the changeovers to practice and improve on. Work hard on your swim strokes, but especially after already doing something that makes you tired as you will need to maintain your form even when you are fatigued.
For people who are in good shape and who have a good grasp of each discipline, you would be okay with starting from the race date and working back from there so two weeks before you spend 8 weeks training. The two weeks are for a big tapering as you need your energy for the race itself.
Conclusion
Getting yourself a triathlon training plan and some professional help is something you can really benefit from, even if you are already a fit individual, perhaps with some skill in the three disciplines. Whether you are looking to raise money for charity, want the challenge of doing something new, or just want to find a good reason to exercise regularly, triathlons are a lot of fun but they are hard work and you need to prepare your body and your mind for them, even the ones at shorter distances.
