Join Us for the #BetterYouBenchmark Winter Challenge

It’s that off-season time of year, when we’re all trying to regroup, take a break (depending on our training, racing, stress, and fatigue), evaluate our goals for next year, and then look for something to get us going—some inspiration.

Enter Triathlete’s Benchmark a Better You winter challenge.

To help you lay a foundation for the 2021 season and to keep us all motivated during the cold, we’ll be focusing on each sport—one at a time—with a month dedicated to every leg. We’ll do a test at the beginning, have top coaches guide you through the month, and then test again at the end. Why do a sport-specific block? 1. It’s fun, 2. It gives you a chance to really dedicate the time and energy needed to improve in that specific sport and lay a foundation for the new year.

Here’s how the Benchmark a Better You challenge will work:

• Each month is dedicated to one sport:
  • January – Run month
  • February – Bike month (yes, it’ll be primarily indoor-focused with outdoor options)
  • March – Swim month
  • December – Strength month — We’re including a prologue now for those of you ready to get a jumpstart on 2021 and for those of you who want to lay a strong foundation to prevent injury and be ready for the new year. Strength month starts this week!
• We’ll start each month with a benchmark test. What’s a benchmark test? It’s a standard test set you do throughout the season to see how you improve over time—FTP tests are a popular benchmark, as are solo time trials. For example, run month will commence with a 5K TT.
• A top coach will then lead you through a month worth of 3-4 sport-specific workouts per week. (Yes, you can and should fill your other days with recovery workouts in the two off sports—depending on your experience level and desire.) Here’s who will be coaching you through the Benchmark A Better You challenge:
  • Run month: Bobby McGee — one of the sport’s top running coaches, has coached several Olympians and top ITU athletes
  • Bike month: Karen Smyers — the legendary ITU World Champion and Hall of Fame triathlete, known for her cycling prowess
  • Swim month: Lauren Brandon — Ironman champion, top swimmer, and routinely first out of the water
  • Strength month: Kevin Purvis — top strength coach who keeps many of the sport’s best pros healthy, strong, and ready to swim-bike-run their fastest
• We’ll then test again at the end of the month. Did you improve?

At the start of each month we’ll share the test set and upcoming workouts. Stay tuned tomorrow for the start of strength month. We’ll then post the workouts throughout the month on Triathlete’s website and will link to them here.

Join us in the Triathlete Strava club to share workouts or in the Triathlete Challenge Facebook group to ask questions, share with other Better You Benchmarkers, and let us know if you improve on your test from the start to the end of the month. #betteryoubenchmark

Strength month:

• Get started with these tests
• Week #1 workouts
• Week #2 workouts
• Week #3 workouts
• Week #4 workouts
• Week #5 workouts

Run month:

• Get started with a 5K test or benchmark set
• Week #1 workouts
• Week #2 workouts
• Week #3 workouts
• Week #4 workouts

Bike month:

• Get started with a test and week #1
• Week #2 workouts
• Week #3 workouts
• Week #4 workouts

Swim month:

• Get started with a swim test and week #1