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Brownlee Brothers 6 Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan

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Brownlee brothers: 6 week sprint triathlon training plan

Whatever your ability or experience, follow our six week Brownlee brother's triathlon training plan and catch the triathlon bug.

"We’ve had a good start to the 2013 triathlon season and are working hard preparing for our next races. Since the London 2012 Olympics, we have noticed a massive increase in interest in what we are doing, with more media coverage in the sport and more people trying triathlon for the first time. Most people take part as a personal challenge, then find they get hooked as they constantly want to beat their PBs. The first triathlon that we both completed as young lads was a sprint distance. So if you are contemplating or have signed up to do a sprint triathlon , we thought we would give you a suggested 6 week sprint triathlon training plan to see you through to race day".

Choose Your Training Plan

Beginner Training

  1. PHASE 1/2 ▼
  2. PHASE 2/2 ▼

Race Specific Training

  1. PHASE 1/3 ▼
  2. PHASE 2/3 ▼
  3. PHASE 3/3 ▼

Race Training

  1. Taper Down ▼

Start Your Training

Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 300m choice, 4 (50m hard, rest 15 sec), 6 (200m hard, descending 1-3, 4-6 rest 45 sec), 3 (100m hard, rest 30 sec), 8 (25m very hard, rest 20 sec), 100m cool down. Total distance: 2,300m Notice the change of pace on the 200m set. Try to start comfortably and swim each 200m faster than the one before.
Tuesday 40 min steady on spin bike/turbo or out on the road. Try and avoid areas with lots of traffic signals so that your ride is a constant effort level.
Wednesday 12 min easy, 8 min medium, 8 min hard.
Thursday Warm up: 200m front crawl, 200m choice, 8 (25m hard, rest 15 sec), 10 (100m, rest 30sec), 4 (50m hard, rest 20 sec), 100m cool down. Total distance: 2,100m
Friday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Saturday 30 min easy/steady Keep it off road here if you can. Nice and steady. Enjoy your surroundings!
Sunday 90 min as 50 min steady, then 2 (10 min hard, 5 min easy), remainder (10 mins) easy.
Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 400m choice, 4 (50m hard, rest 15sec), 6 (200m hard, descending 1-3, 4-6 rest 45sec), 6 (100m hard, descending 1-3, 4-6 rest 30sec), 16 (25m very hard, rest 20sec), 100m cool down. Total distance: 2,700m Note descending set also applies to the 100m set now too.
Tuesday 50 min Steady.
Wednesday 15 min easy, 8 min hard, 2 min easy, 8 min hard, 5 min easy.
Thursday Warm up: 200m front crawl, 200m choice, 8 (25m hard, rest 15sec), 12 (100m, rest 30sec), 8 (50m hard, rest 20sec), 100m cool down. Total distance: 2,300m
Friday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Saturday 30 min as 10 min easy, 5 (3 min hard, 1 min easy), 5 min easy.
Sunday 2.5 hrs, as: 60 min medium, 40 min medium/hard hills, 20 min hard, 30 min medium. On the hill section you're looking to maintain control hence the medium/hard. London is a quite a flat course but this should help you control your effort throughout the race as well as strengthening you.
Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 100m back, 100m front crawl, 4 (50m hard, rest 15sec), 3 (400m descending 1-3, rest 90sec), 4 (75m hard, rest 30sec), 200m cool down. Total distance: 2,500m The focus of this session is the 400m set. Make sure you descend them - looking for about a 10sec drop each time.
Tuesday 60 min as 12 min warm up, 20 (1 min hard, 1 min easy), 8 min cool down. This is a tough set so make sure you have fuelled appropriately.
Wednesday 10 min warm up, 30 (40 sec very hard, 30 sec easy), 10 min cool down Very hard here has to be looked at subjectively. The target pace is around the pace you would look to run 3km at which will be quite close to the 2 x 8 min efforts you did last week. Better to build into this session.
Thursday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 4 (2 (100m very hard, rest 30sec), 1 (200m hard, rest 45sec)), cool down: 200m choice. Total distance: 2,200m The emphasis here is on bringing the speed and the lactic acid produced in the 100s to the control of the 200m. This is similar to how the race will unfold - you will set out quite quickly with the adrenaline caused by the mass start but then need to maintain your pace in a controlled fashion later in the swim.
Friday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Saturday 60 min as 20 min easy, 30 min medium, 10 min hard. This is your first brick session (Bike to Run), so don't get over excited on the 30 min medium effort section. OFF THE BIKE: 10 min as 5 min out, 5 min back. When you come off the bike look to achieve a high cadence but keep your effort as comfortable as you can. Work like this for 5 min and then on the return trip pick up the pace, aiming to finish ahead of the 10 min time.
Sunday 2 hrs as 30 min medium, 6 (7 min hills hard, recover on the descent), remainder medium Find a hill that will take you around 7 min to climb. Don't worry if it's slightly over or under but work it hard and again keep the effort constant throughout.
Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 100m back, 100m front crawl, 4 (50m hard, rest 15sec), 3 (400m descending 1-3, negative split too, rest 90sec), 4 (75m hard, rest 30sec), 200m cool down. Total distance: 2,500m Note change to 400m set - you need to try and negative split each 400m as well as descend through the set. This means the second half of the 400m needs to be faster than the first half.
Tuesday 60 min as 15 min warm up, 4 (1 min medium, 1 min easy), 10 (2 min hard, 1 min easy), 7 min cool down
Wednesday 10 min warm up, 20 (60 sec very hard, 30 sec easy), 10 min cool down. As per last week. Don't go out too fast!!
Thursday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 4 (2 (100m very hard, rest 30 sec), 1 (200m hard, rest 45sec)), cool down: 200m choice. Total distance: 2,200m
Friday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Saturday 60 min as 20 min easy, 30 min medium, 10 min hard. OFF THE BIKE: 1 (10 min as 5 min out, 5 min back), rest 4 min, 1 (5 min as 2.30 min out and 2.30 min back), 5 min cool down.
Sunday 2 hrs as 30 min medium, 6 (7 min hills hard, recover on the descent), remainder medium. No change to last week.
Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 100m back, 100m front crawl, 4 (50m hard, rest 15 sec), 3 (400m descending 1-3, negative split too, rest 90sec), 4 (75m hard, rest 30 sec), 200m cool down. Total distance: 2,500m 400m set, descending and negative splits.
Tuesday 60 min as 10 min warm up, 5 (1 min medium, 1 min easy), 7 (3 min hard, 2 min easy), 5 min cool down.
Wednesday 10 min warm up, 20 (60 sec very hard, 30 sec easy), 10 min cool down. No change to last week.
Thursday Warm up: 400m front crawl, 4 (50m rest 15 sec), 8 (100m rest 30 sec), 4 (200m rest 45sec), 4 (100m rest 30 sec, 200m cool down. Total distance: 2,800m This is your biggest set. You have the fitness for this now. Take confidence from it, you've come a long way in a very short timeframe. Well done.
Friday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Saturday 1.5 hrs as: 30 min easy, 2 (20 min time trial, rest 5 min easy), remainder easy. Try and find a flattish route to do the TTs (time trials) on. Work powerfully but consistently. This is now prepping you for race day and will give you an understanding of what pace you can push. OFF THE BIKE: 2 (10 min as 5 min out, 5 min back, rest 4 min), 10 min cool down Remember, high cadence on the way out, but always in control. If you can, try to run further on the second 10 min effort than the first. This will help you with your pacing on race day.
Sunday OPEN WATER: 10 min warm up, 4 (1 min hard, rest 30 sec), 15 min hard, 5 min cool down. In open water quite often the distances are not measured that accurately if at all. Therefore the 15 min represents a 750m swim. To find some open water that is safe to swim in, look at the British Triathlon Federation website and find a club that is close to you. They will be able to give you the best advice of where to go.
Day Swim Swim Remarks Bike Bike Remarks Run Run Remarks
Monday Warm up: 300m front crawl, 2 (50m hard, rest 20 sec), 750m hard, rest 5 min - include an easy 50m, 200m very hard into 200m very easy cool down.
Tuesday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Wednesday 20 min as 10 min easy, 5 min race pace, 5 min easy. Remember the level you pushed to on Saturday 2 (20 min time trial), this is how hard you ride on the race pace section here. 10 min warm up, 6 min at race pace, 5 min easy. Nothing above race pace.
Thursday REST REST REST REST REST REST
Friday REST REST REST REST 10 min gentle jog. To get some nervous tension out of the legs.
Saturday RACE DAY!! Remember to enjoy the experience. The more relaxed you are the better your performance will be. Go well, and if you've got a sibling racing too, make sure you beat them!!
Sunday REST REST REST REST REST REST
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