Want to Improve a Specific Triathlon Leg? Tackle a Sport-Specific Month
Whether you're looking to improve swim, bike, run, or mobility we've got a month's worth of workouts that will help you become a more well-rounded triathlete.
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To help lay the foundation for the 2021 season, we recruited some of the best coaches in the sport and came up with our winter Benchmark a Better You challenge. The bad news is you’ve missed the challenge. The good news is that we’re sharing all of the structure and workouts here so you can replicate each of the month-long challenges at home. You can do them in the order presented, pick your own order, or pick and choose which sports you want to focus on. In addition to run, bike, and swim, we also included a strength month to help you lay a strong foundation to prevent injuries.
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 upcoming season.
RELATED: Why You Need Benchmark Testing More Than Ever
Some of the details:
- Each month starts 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 commences with a 5K TT.
- A top coach will then lead you through a month worth of 4-5 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.)
- 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
- Repeat the test again at the end of the month. Did you improve?
Strength month with Kevin Purvis:
- Get started with these tests
- Week #1 workouts
- Week #2 workouts
- Week #3 workouts
- Week #4 workouts
- Week #5 workouts
Run month with Bobby McGee:
- Get started with a 5K test or benchmark set
- Week #1 workouts
- Week #2 workouts
- Week #3 workouts
- Week #4 workouts