Are you looking for abodybuilding program for a triathlon? For this type ofphysical test, it is important to save some time in the gym, but training withheavy weightswill not really help you. It is even possible that it bothers you if it is poorly done.

For your weight training sessions, it is best that you focus onlighter weightsand higherrepetitions2-3 times per week. But what really works is tooptimize your preparation phasesfor each part of thetriathlon, namely swimming, cycling, and running!

Triathlon bodybuilding to improve your swimming

Work on your technique

For theswimming leg of the triathlon, it is important to developgood techniqueabove all else . Indeed, if you train with poor technique and movements, you will only embed these bad habits in yourmuscle memoryand you willperform poorlyon competition day.

We therefore advise you to start slowly and only work on theexecution of your movementsbefore even thinking about performance. Strengthtraining for triathlontherefore helps youstrengthen your armsfor yourcrawl,but also your lower body.

Keep in mind that your legs arebig, powerful muscles. Properly trained, they can provide you with a fair amount of forward thrust. It is therefore useful to learn how tobalance the forcesof your body.

Train in the water

Training in the water seems obvious, but sometriathletesunderestimate this part. Adaptedstrength training for triathlonis not enough, because it does not integrate certainwater factors: temperature, current, etc.

You need to start by knowing whatlength of triathlonyou are going to participate in. Indeed, some triathlons may have a swimming phase of a few hundred meters, while some will have more than 3 kilometers.

Generally,good swim trainingwill involve sprints as well as slower strokes. Here is an example :

• Warm upwith 100m of slow freestyle and 100m of slow breaststroke.
  
• Practicewith a 50m freestyle sprint and 25m slow freestyle, repeated 3 times. Respect a rest period of 2 minutes between each circuit. Repeat as many rounds as your level allows.
  
• Recoverywith 50m of slow freestyle, 50m of slow breaststroke, and again with 50m of slow freestyle

Adjust the intensity as you go

Your technique is a key point in thisswimming routine, but also be particularly careful when going slowly after a sprint: you will be tired, and therefore you will be more likely to relax your movements.

If you find it difficult to maintain proper form, you can putpaddleson your hands or use akickboardto focus on yourstrengthandtechnique. Over time, you can lengthen your sprint distances.

In thisstrength training for triathlon, remember to hydrate yourself well. Just because you’re in the water doesn’t mean you don’t sweat!

Triathlon strength training adapted to cycling

Adjust training to the type of triathlon

Thecycling portion of the triathloncan be considered rest time if you are moving as efficiently as possible. Indeed, just like your form in swimming,cycling correctlycansave you large amounts of energyand accelerate your progress in the triathlonwithout making you more tired.

Again, depending on the length of your event, you will need to adjust yourtriathlon weight trainingsessions . The main thing in cycling is togetyour bodyused to long distances, to avoid suffering too much from back pain, for example.

Start with short 5-kilometer runs, then build up as you go toacclimate your body and muscles to the effort. It would be a shame to have a cramp on D-Day!

Add sprint periods

One of the keys to getting good results andmaking rapid progress in terms of performance and timing is totrain in the form of sprints. This is calledsplit sessions. Cycling at afast cardio-intensive pacefor several miles is tough.

Sprints will teach your heart to spring into action quickly, while teaching your muscles tooptimize their oxygen cyclemore easily forfaster recovery.

In your triathlon weight training sessions, don’t forget to incorporateresistance differences;: it’s especially easy if you train on agym bike.Otherwise, do not hesitate to train in various weather conditions to get out of your comfort zone.

Train effectively

Atypical 80km bike sessionfortriathlon strength traininginvolves a few miles of occasional warm-up, followed by a riding pace that you can maintain over the distance at asteady cadence.

Once you’re at yourcruising speedand feel comfortable, sprint for one minute at about 85-95% effort. When done, return to your previous pace for about 5 minutes, then do another sprint. Continue until there are approximately 16 km to go.

Then, depending on how you feel and how tired you are, continue for another 5 miles or start agradual recovery. It’s best not to risk overstraining yourself on long trips, because if you overestimate your abilities and you’re still 40 km from your destination when your body starts to shut down, you’re going to be in physical trouble.

Triathlon bodybuilding to run efficiently

Avoid injury

And again,proper formwill not only help youavoid injury, but will also preventearly burnout. It is particularly important to pay attention to the quality of yourtriathlon weight training sessionsfor the running part, because it is a high impact sport.

There are many methods on the internet tooptimize running, but it’s important not to try to mimic something that doesn’t feel natural to you. Running should be afluid movementthroughout your body. If something goes wrong while you’re running, you probably need to reevaluate yourrunning form.

Train over long distances at a constant pace

If you are training forlong distances, it will be important to exercise your body from the start. You can start by focusing onlong runs at a comfortable pace: it’s still hard, but it doesn’t get your heart pumping like a jackhammer.

As your body adapts and you gainendurance, you can begin to move on to othertypes of cardio. Yourtriathlon strength trainingshould generally revolve around three basic types of runs:

• Choose a distance and run as fast as you can, rest a bit, then run back.
  
• The tempo runs: this is probably the most difficult part to do. Run at a fast pace (85-90% effort) for a medium-distance run of around 5-8 km.
  
• Distance runsteach your body to become more enduring, your feet to ignore the swelling associated with long runs, but also to move continuously. The distances covered are generally between 10 and 25 km.

Adopt a relevant training program

Yourspecial running triathlon weight training sessioncan look like this (to be adapted as you progress):

• Warm-up phasewith a 1km run at a light pace.
  
• Training n°1in the form of sprints: 4 x 50m, 2 x 100m, 2 x 400m, 1 x 800m, 2 x 400m, 2 x 100m, 2 x 50m.
  
• Training n°2in the form of sprints: 1 x 50m, 6 x 800m, 1 x 50m.
  
• Training n°3in the form of sprints: 1 x 400m, 1 x 600m, 1 x 800m, 1 x 1000m.
  
• Recovery phasewith a 1km run at a light pace.

In summary: bodybuilding for triathlon

Pureweight training sessions for triathloncan be useful, but they are not the most effective way to improve your performance on D-Day. Do not waste your time lifting heavy weights thinking of increasing your strength; : you must train appropriately with swimming, cycling, and running sessions. If you develop your muscles, but they are not trained to the effort required, you will quickly become disillusioned on the day of the event!

You need to practice good movement execution, coupled with split sessions toimprove your endurance and strength. If you follow the tips outlined in this article, you’ll see that you don’t need a detailedtriathlon weight training program tosmash your times!