Hawaii From Home: Brick Workout #2

Join us for Hawaii From Home—one week, 140.6 miles. Swag, prizes, training tips from coaches, bragging rights. Get all of the details at triathlete.com/hawaiifromhome. Each week we’ll be providing four key workouts (one swim, one bike, one run, and one brick) that you can work into your overall training plan.

Most people think of brick workouts as a bike session with a run off the bike, but there are huge benefits to doing “non-traditional” bricks—and you’ll see this pattern emerge throughout the six weeks of training for Hawaii From Home. Too many athletes get bogged down in doing long, slow, steady brick workouts that do little to boost their fitness. All of these workouts incorporate some element of HIIT work (high intensity interval training) and also see you switching from run to bike and back to run. There are a number of physiological and psychological reasons as to why I prescribe brick workouts in this way, which we’ll delve into in more detail below. This is also a tried and tested format I’ve used with pros and age-groupers alike with great success. It’s also a lot of fun!

There are two workouts below, one for the more advanced/seasoned athlete and another for a more novice athlete. Both workouts involve a run-bike-run with a variety of intensities. This week’s workout combines several segments at Functional Threshold Power (FTP) or Lactate Threshold (LT) on the bike and LT on the run. If you know your FTP,  dial this in on the suggested segments. If you have no idea, you’ll see some notes below on how to use speed or heart rate instead. 

Similar to the Week #1 workout, you’ll see there are more HIIT segments with the short Anaerobic Endurance (AE) repeats as well a longer HIIT at Lactate Threshold (LT). These LT segments are woven into the entire workout allowing adequate recovery, however, the cumulative fatigue from both types of intensities will catch up to you at the end of the workout! 

Along with the AE and LT repeats, I’ve injected a few more specific variables on the bike with different gearing loads, plus some seated and standing work. Recognize that these changes in position and intensities will create optimal adaptation—and remember that within these bricks some of you may experience an entirely new level of fatigue, so be mentally ready!

The run segments can be done on an undulating/hilly course that includes gradients ranging from 3% to 8% and don’t forget to use the downhills as part of your training for the brilliant eccentric load. If you’re on a treadmill, the total time of all hills should not exceed 30% of the HIIT segments.

Hawaii From Home: Brick Workout #2

Experienced Athlete

Part 1: Run, 5 miles
Warm-up
10 min. easy 

Main Set
3 rounds of:
3 min. @ LT or 7/10 RPE
1 min. rest
2 x 45 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE
1 min. rest
3 min. easy after each round.

Part 2: Bike – 80 min. total ride
Warm-up
6 min.  

Main Set
Repeat this block 4x through:
75 sec @ AE or 7/10 RPE – include 20 sec. standing in a bigger gear holding a cadence of around 70 RPM, insert as desired.
1 min. rest
4 x 35 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE – include 20 sec. standing in a bigger gear holding a cadence of around 70 RPM, insert as desired.
1 min. rest
4 min. @ LT/FTP or 7/10 RPE – include 3 x 30 sec. in a lower gear holding 100 RPM+
1 min. rest
4 min. easy after each block

Part 3: Run
Main Set
2 miles including 3 x 30 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE, rest 45 sec. between each. In the final 5 min. hold 3 min. @ LT. 

Beginner Athlete

Part 1: Run – 3 miles
Warm-up
10 min.

Main Set
Repeat this block 2x through:
60 sec. @ AE
1 min. rest
2 x 25 sec. @ AE
1 min. rest
2 min. @ LT
1 min. rest
3 min. easy at end of block and then repeat. Run aerobically until the total distance is complete.

Part 2: Bike
60 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE – include 20 sec. standing in a bigger gear holding a cadence of around 70 RPM, insert as desired.
1 min. rest
2 x 25 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE – include 20 sec. standing in a bigger gear holding a cadence of around 70 RPM, insert as desired.
1 min. rest
3 min. @ LT or 7/10 RPE
1 min. rest
Repeat 3x 

Part 3: Run
Main set
1500m, include 2 x 25 sec. @ AE or 7/10 RPE taking 1 min. rest between each.
Final 2 min. hold LT.
Remainder is easy.

Cool-down
5-10 min. easy as needed. 

Notes on how to use speed or heart rate in these workouts instead of power:
Experienced athlete – bike: Use your best estimate for a 40-minute time trial. This is typically faster than FTP or LT, so deduct 5% from your number. For example, a 40-minute TT = 200 watts minus 5% = 10 watts, so your FTP/LT = 190 watts.

If you don’t have a power meter, you can also use speed as a measure of intensity, using your average speed for a 40-minute TT—or heart rate, using average heart rate for the final 15 minutes of a 40-mile TT. 

Experienced athlete – run: Use your 10K time for LT. If your time is 45 minutes or faster, add 3% to your time for LT. If your run is over 50 minutes use this pace as your LT.

Developing athlete – bike and run: Use your best estimate for a 20-minute time trial and add 5%. Using watts or speed will be your determinate for the remaining workouts. If you’re using a heart rate monitor and the test is done in mild conditions (under 70 F degrees / 21 C and under 70% humidity) use the final 10 minutes and take your average heart rate. If you just want to use RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) then aim for 7/10. 

Dave Scott is a master coach and six-time Ironman world champion who became the first person to be inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame. He has coached scores of pro and age-group athletes to PRs and podiums based on his decades of training and racing experience. He writes a free newsletter twice monthly which covers a range of topics including training, aging, and diet—you can sign up for the next issue here. You can find out more about his Dave Scott Tri Club here and his training camps and clinics here.