Half Olympic Triathlon Training Program - Novice
The following is an example of a ½ Olympic Triathlon Training program (phase 3) for a novice athlete. Before starting any training, it is recommended you have a medical examination to ensure it is safe for you to do so.
Any application of this training program is at the athlete's discretion and risk.
Key to notations and terms used
| m = metres | k = kilometres | hrs = hours | min = minutes | secs = seconds | Rep = repetition |
| pb = "personal best" time for Triathlon | 5 × 200m = 5 repetitions of 200 metres |
| tpb = "target personal best" time for the Triathlon event |
Phase 3
Each training session should include an appropriate warm-up and a cool down.
Week 1
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | Specific Strength |
Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Swim 100m + 100m transition + Bike 5 mins | tpb | ||
| Wednesday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Bike 15 mins + 100m transition + Run 1 km | tpb | ||
| Friday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Bike 1 min + Run 1 min Bike 2 min + Run 2 min Bike 3 min + Run 3 min Bike 2 min + Run 2 min Bike 1 min + Run 1 min |
tpb | 10 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 2
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | Specific Strength |
Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Swim 200m + 200m transition + Bike 5 mins | tpb | ||
| Wednesday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Bike 15 mins + 200m transition + Run 1.5 km | tpb | ||
| Friday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Bike 2 min + Run 2 min Bike 2 min + Run 2 min Bike 3 min + Run 3 min Bike 2 min + Run 2 min Bike 2 min + Run 2 min |
tpb | 10 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 3
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | Specific Strength |
Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Swim 200m + 400m transition + Bike 5 mins | tpb | ||
| Wednesday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
Bike 15 mins + 400m transition + Run 1.5 km | tpb | ||
| Friday | Specific Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | Specific Endurance & Transition |
5 x (Bike 3 min + Run 3 min) | tpb | 10 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 4
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | Endurance General | Swim - 30 min Fartlek | |||
| Tuesday | Strength Specific & Endurance General |
Weight Training Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek |
|||
| Wednesday | Endurance General | Run - 40 min Fartlek | |||
| Thursday | Strength Specific & Endurance General |
Weight Training Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek |
|||
| Friday | Endurance General | Swim - 30 min Fartlek | |||
| Saturday | Rest | ||||
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Minor Race
In the event of a minor race in this period, then for the week of the race, the training will be as follows:
| Day | Race on Sunday | Race on Saturday |
| Monday | Training as normal | Training as normal |
| Tuesday | Swim - 30 min Fartlek | Swim - 30 min Fartlek |
| Wednesday | Training as normal | Training as normal |
| Thursday | Swim - 30 min Fartlek | Swim - 30 min Fartlek |
| Friday | Run - 8 x 400m @ tpb-5% with full recovery | Rest |
| Saturday | Rest | Race |
| Sunday | Race | Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek |
Major Race
In the event of a major race in this period, then for the week of the race, the training will be as follows:
| Day | Race on Sunday | Race on Saturday |
| Monday | Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek | Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek |
| Tuesday | Swim - 2 x (200m @ tpb-5% + 200m @ tpb) with full recovery | Swim - 2 x (200m @ tpb-5% + 200m @ tpb) with full recovery |
| Wednesday | Run - 8 x 400m @ tpb-5% with full recovery | Run - 8 x 400m @ tpb-5% with full recovery |
| Thursday | Bike - 2 hours easy | Swim - 30 min easy |
| Friday | Swim - 2 x (200m @ tpb-5% + 200m @ tpb) with full recovery | Rest |
| Saturday | Rest | Race |
| Sunday | Race | Bike - 2 hrs Fartlek |
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2007) Half Olympic Triathlon Training - Novice - Phase 3 [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/triathlon/ohnph3.htm [Accessed