Olympic Triathlon Training Program - Novice
The following is an example of a novice athlete's Olympic Triathlon Training program (phase 1). Before starting any training, you must have a medical examination to ensure it is safe for you to do so.
Any training program application 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 1
Each training session should include an appropriate warm-up before the session and a cool-down after the session.
Week 1
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | General Endurance | Swim - 30 min | tpb+15% | ||
| Wednesday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | General Endurance | Bike - 2 hrs | tpb+15% | ||
| Friday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | General Endurance | Run - 40 min | tpb+15% | ||
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 2
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | General Endurance | Swim - 35 min | tpb+15% | ||
| Wednesday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | General Endurance | Bike - 2.5 hrs | tpb+15% | ||
| Friday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | General Endurance | Run - 50 min | tpb+15% | ||
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 3
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | General Endurance | Swim - 40 min | tpb+15% | ||
| Wednesday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | General Endurance | Bike - 3 hrs | tpb+15% | ||
| Friday | General Strength | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | General Endurance | Run - 1 hour | tpb+15% | ||
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Week 4
| Day | Develop | Session | Effort | Recovery | |
| Rep | Set | ||||
| Monday | Strength General | Weight Training | |||
| Tuesday | Evaluation | Swim - 10 min maximum distance | 100% | ||
| Wednesday | Strength General | Weight Training | |||
| Thursday | Evaluation | Run - Cooper Test | 100% | ||
| Friday | Strength General | Weight Training | |||
| Saturday | Evaluation | Bike - 30 min maximum distance | 100% | ||
| Sunday | Rest | ||||
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2007) Olympic Triathlon Training - Novice - Phase 1 [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/triathlon/onph1.htm [Accessed 10/5/2025]
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