Rock Your First Olympic Triathlon with This 16-Week Training Plan

This simple Olympic triathlon training plan is the perfect mix of swim, bike, and run to help you cross the finish line with a smile on your face.

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Use this 16-week Olympic triathlon training plan to crush your race from start to finish. (Photo: Mike Stobe)

This is your bare-bones Olympic triathlon training plan — the minimal training you need to do to complete such as race without suffering inordinately. It is well suited to beginning triathletes who want to start with an Olympic-distance race, and to any triathlete who wants or needs to prepare for such a race with a low-volume training plan. Because of its versatility, this plan is Triathlete‘s most popular Olympic triathlon training plan. There are only 6 scheduled workouts a typical week: 2 swims, 2 rides, and 2 runs. In weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8, a 10-minute transition run is tacked onto the end of Saturday’s bike ride. In weeks 10 and 14, a bike-run brick workout replaces Sunday’s run.

The Olympic triathlon training plan is 16 weeks in length. The base phase is six weeks long and the build and peak phases five weeks apiece. Weeks 4, 8, and 12 are recovery weeks and the final is a taper week. An optional tune-up sprint triathlon is scheduled for week 12. If you don’t have the opportunity to do one, do a brick workout instead. It begins with 1,600 yards of swimming, 1 hour of cycling, and 50 minutes of running in Week 1. It peaks with 3,000 yards of swimming, 3 hours and 5 minutes of cycling, and 1 hour and 41 minutes of running in Week 15. And then it’s your big race day – and you’ll be ready to rock it. Happy training!

Haven’t picked out a race yet? We can help! Check out Triathlete’s Guide to the Best Sprint and Olympic Races in the U.S.A.

Understanding the terms in your Olympic Triathlon Training Plan

You will find the workout descriptions of this Olympic-distance training plan self-explanatory for the most part, but the intensity and pacing guidelines require some explanation. Here’s a key to understanding them:

Your 16-Week Olympic Triathlon Training Plan

Week 1

The first 6 weeks of this Olympic triathlon training plan are known as the “base phase” of training. The primary objectives of this phase are to build your aerobic capacity and endurance and prepare your body to handle the high-intensity training to come in the build phase.

Week 2

Week 3

Olympic Triathlon Training Plan: Week 4

This week is a recovery week in your Olympic triathlon training plan: your training is reduced to enable your body to fully absorb your recent training and prepare for the harder training to come.

Week 5

Week 6

Olympic Triathlon Training Plan: Week 7

The next 5 weeks of this Olympic triathlon training plan constitute the build phase. In this phase you will continue to develop your endurance with longer weekend workouts while boosting your aerobic capacity and resistance to high-intensity fatigue with workouts at threshold intensity and above.

Week 8

This week is a recovery week.

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Olympic Triathlon Training Plan: Week 12

The final five weeks of this olympic distance triathlon training plan are the peak phase of training. In this phase your training gets more race-specific with tempo workouts in cycling and running, longer workouts generally, and bike-run brick workouts (and an optional sprint triathlon in Week 12).

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Olympic Triathlon Training Plan: Week 16

This week is a taper week in your Olympic triathlon training plan: your training is reduced to ensure you’re rested and ready to perform on race day.