A 10-Week Sprint Training Plan for Beginners

This sprint training plan for beginners is perfect for the athlete who only has time for seven hours or less of training a week and one workout per day. Given the amount of time and mileage, the triathlete who completes this plan should expect to finish comfortably but will have room to improve with a more advanced program.

Meet Your Coach

Adam Zucco is the head coach of SuperFly Coaching and is a nine-time Kona finisher. Zucco coached American Ben Kanute to the Rio Olympics and has helped dozens of athletes qualify for Kona.

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Sprint Training Plan for Beginners

Guide

SR: Seconds Rest
MS: Main Set

Week 1: 3:40 Total Time

Monday

REST DAY

Tuesday

SWIM
45 mins
MS: 50 15 SR, 100 15 SR, 200 40 SR 300 60 SR, 200 30 SR 100
Even: Race pace
Odd: Easy

Wednesday

RUN
30 mins
Hilly course w/moderate-effort uphills
Easy everything else

Thursday

BIKE
40 mins
MS: 15 x (30 secs. at 90% effort, 30 secs. easy)

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

SWIM
45 mins
MS: 3 x 100 moderate 10 SR
1 min. rest
3 x 100 moderate 10 SR

Sunday

BIKE
60 mins, moderate

Week 2: 3:45 Total Time

Monday

REST DAY

Tuesday

BIKE
45 mins FTP Test

Wednesday

SWIM
30 mins
Swim test 15-20 mins. warm-up 3×300 for time, 30 SR
Average 100 pace is threshold pace

Thursday

RUN
45 mins. run test
MS: 30 mins. best possible distance

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BIKE
60 mins. endurance

Sunday

RUN
45 mins. aerobic

Week 3: 4:05 Total Time

Monday

REST DAY

Tuesday

SWIM
45 mins. intervals
MS:
5 x 100 20 SR descend each one
1 min. rest
2 x 100 20 SR same pace as #5 above

Wednesday

RUN
40 mins. tempo feel

Thursday

BIKE
45 mins. strength
8-12 x (90 sec. @ 85-100% effort on heavy gear 90 sec. easy spin)

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:15 total

BIKE
60 mins. aerobic to moderate

RUN OFF THE BIKE
15 mins. on feel

Sunday

RUN
45 mins. aerobic

Week 4: 4:30 Total Time

Monday

SWIM
45 mins. speed
MS:
4 x 75 10 SR as 25 fast, 25 slow, 25 fast 1 min. rest
4 x 75 10 SR as 25 fast, 25 slow, 25 fast
6 x 25 fast 30 SR 4 x 50 fast 30 SR

Tuesday

BIKE
60 mins. tempo
MS: 20-40mins. @ 75-85% effort

Wednesday

REST DAY

Thursday

RUN
45 mins. speed endurance
MS: 3 x (1 min. at 85%, 1 min. rest)

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:15 total

BIKE
60 mins. aerobic to moderate

RUN OFF THE BIKE
15 mins. on feel

Sunday

SWIM
45 mins. tempo
MS:
300 mod pace 1 min. rest
3 x 100 20 SR, build by 100
200 moderate pace 1 min. rest
2 x 100 20 SR, build by 100

Week 5: 6:00 Total Time

Monday

RUN
45 mins. aerobic max
80% effort, push uphills

Tuesday

SWIM
30 mins. endurance
continuous, steady

Wednesday

BIKE
40 mins. technique
MS:
5 x (1min. at high cadence, 1 min. easy)

Thursday

SWIM
45 mins. threshold
MS:
8 x 100 20 SR moderate
6 x 50 kick 20 SR moderate

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:20 total

BIKE
1:05 speed strength
MS: 5 x (5 mins. @ race effort, 2 mins. easy)

RUN OFF THE BIKE
15 mins.
Build by 5 mins.

Sunday

BIKE
60 mins. easy spin

Week 6: 4:35 Total Time

Monday

RUN
45 mins. aerobic
MS: 12 x (15 secs. fast, 2 mins. rest)

Tuesday

REST DAY

Wednesday

BIKE
50 mins. strength
Hilly ride, big gear, seated, moderate effort

Thursday

SWIM
45 mins. speed threshold
MS: 6 x 100 @ T-pace from week 2, 10 SR
4 x 50 @ T-pace, 10 SR

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:45 total

BIKE
1:15 steady

RUN OFF THE BIKE
30 mins. steady

Sunday

SWIM
30 mins., endurance
Continuous, steady

Week 7: 5:35 Total Time

Monday

RUN
30 mins. easy

Tuesday

RUN
45 mins. fartlek
MS: 5 x 1-2 mins. faster than 5K pace

Wednesday

BRICK
1:15, tempo

BIKE
60 mins. building effort with 10K final time trial

RUN OFF THE BIKE
15 mins. at 10K pace

Thursday

SWIM
45 mins. speed threshold
MS: 6 x 100 @ T-pace 10 SR 8 x 50 @ T-pace 10 SR

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BIKE
1:30, aerobic

Sunday

RUN
50 mins. build to moderate effort
Build by 5 mins., moderate for last 20 minutes

Week 8: 5:45 Total Time

Monday

SWIM
45 mins. aerobic
MS: 4 x 100 10 SR 2 mins. rest 300 steady kick 6 x 25 relaxed speed 15 SR

Tuesday

BIKE
60 mins. intervals
MS: 4 x (8 mins. race effort, 1min. easy)

Wednesday

RUN
45 mins. recovery run as you feel

Thursday

SWIM
45 mins. speed threshold
MS: 6 x 100 @ T-pace 10 SR 4 x 50 @ T-pace 10 SR

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:30 track intervals
MS:
20 mins. bike moderate
400m run at 10K pace
4 x (BIKE: 2 mins. easy, 3 mins. hard RUN: 800m at 5K race pace)
20 mins. easy bike

Sunday

RUN
60 mins. aerobic
45 mins. aerobic, 15 mins. hard

Week 9: 5:15 Total Time

Monday

SWIM
45 mins. threshold
MS: 10 x 100 at threshold 10 SR

Tuesday

BIKE
60 mins. easy

Wednesday

RUN
45 mins. build
Last 20 mins. faster than beginning

Thursday

SWIM
45 mins. speed
MS: 100 easy, 50 mod, 50 fast 10 SR; 50 easy, 100 mod, 50 fast 20 SR; 50 easy, 50 mod, 100 fast 30 SR; 100 fast, 50 easy, 50 mod 20 SR; 50 fast, 100 easy, 50 mod 10 SR; 50 fast, 50 easy, 100 mod

Friday

REST DAY

Saturday

BRICK
1:15 tempo

BIKE
60 mins. building effort with 10K final time trial

RUN OFF THE BIKE
15 mins. at 10K race effort

Sunday

RUN
45 mins. recovery run as you feel

Week 10: Race Week!

Monday

SWIM
45 mins. threshold
MS:
Even intervals 5 secs. slower than T-pace
50 15 SR, 100 15 SR, 200 40 SR 300 60 SR, 200 30 SR, 100

Tuesday

RUN
45 mins. recovery run as you feel

Wednesday

BIKE
30 mins. race feel
MS: 4 x (90 secs. at race pace, 3 mins. easy)

Thursday

RUN
20 mins. race feel
MS: 4 x (90 secs. at race pace, 3 mins. easy)

Friday

SWIM
20 mins. continuous

OR DAY OFF

Saturday

BRICK
45 mins. pre-race

BIKE
30 mins.
MS: 4 x 30 secs. race-pace efforts, full rest

RUN
15 mins.
MS: 4 x 30 secs. race- pace efforts, full rest

Sunday

RACE DAY! Congrats on completing this Sprint Training Plan for Beginners. Go get ’em!