Looking for some brick work? You can pair today's session with run workout 3. Progressive Tempo, or run workout 2. Full-Distance Specific VO2 Max.
This session is designed to improve the aerobic threshold, which for most people is around full-distance pace. However, to make this session as specific to long-distance triathlon as possible, there are some specific 30-second bursts to induce extra fatigue before settling back into full-distance pace. Moreover, this variable intensity has been proven to be effective at pushing thresholds up. This session also allows you to become more proficient at removing lactate and using it as a fuel during the the lower intensity efforts.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Due to its lower training demands, expect a lower level of strain from this session, which is ideal for days where you aren’t fully recovered.
The combination of both strength/endurance and threshold riding makes this session very challenging. With the change in specific cadence between the sets giving this workout a unique context. This session is great to work on specific strength, and threshold power, with the changes in torque throughout really helping to push up your FTP. This session is great when done in Erg mode.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although the middle part of this session is at 100% of FTP, the duration of each rep is short. This means you can likely still manage this session, even on days when you’re not fully recovered.
Looking for some brick work? You can pair today's session with run workout 3. Progressive Tempo, or run workout 2. Full-Distance Specific VO2 Max.
This session is typically known as an up-and-under session, where you perform periods of time slightly over and then slightly under 70.3 race pace power. This is a great way to get more comfortable at your 70.3 pace, while also improving that number. Here, you will be doing 8-minute reps — two rounds of 2 minutes above (around 90% FTP) and two rounds of 2 minutes below (around 80% FTP) 70.3 race pace. From a physiological perspective, these sessions help promote fat oxidation and structural changes at a muscular level.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. These up-and-under intervals have great training impacts with a lower level of strain, which is ideal for days that you haven’t had decent recovery.
Short intervals are great for adapting the anaerobic and aerobic systems as well as having a high neuromuscular component. Moreover, by specifically manipulating the work-to-rest ratios, we are able to specifically target each of these three factors to a greater extent. This session includes all the classic short intervals, from 30/30 to 30/15 to 40/20. We'll then be gradually shifting toward a more aerobic component. These sessions are great for improving your VO2 max and anaerobic capacity, and should be included early in your training season.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These FTP intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day
By now you should have already been through several short intervals, so now we're getting into long intervals. Typically, long intervals include anything where the reps are greater than 1 minute in duration. Compared to short intervals, the intensity typically isn't as high as short intervals — though it's still higher than FTP. In such intervals, the neuromuscular system is targeted to a lesser extent, with more focus being on anaerobic and particularly aerobic systems. For triathletes, these are the sessions you should be including in your main preparatory block before a competition. Make sure you have fresh legs and are ready to go for this one.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These FTP intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.
Just like in cycling, working on specific strength in running is a great way to improve your efforts off the bike, specifically in long-distance triathlons. This session is fairly lengthy, working around the aerobic threshold, but by altering the gradient of the treadmill, the emphasis changes to include strength endurance. Running on gradients has many benefits to the triathlon improvement, including improved leg-muscle strength and faster stride rate.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although there is added training stress through the elevation, the pace isn’t too high. Only slightly above the aerobic threshold. This makes this session ideal for days where you aren’t fully recovered.
This workout focuses on running at around long-distance pace with fatigue. However, this is also a great chance to see how much the middle portion of the workout exhausts you, as you get the opportunity to go back to faster running after the full-distance pace effort. It's a great session to hone in on your full-distance pace, building your efficiency and economy — critical for long-distance triathlon success.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although there are faster aspects of this session the total work is manageable. This means you can likely still manage this session, even on days when you’re not fully recovered.
As we get more tired in running, one of the first things to deteriorate is running form. A great skill to train is maintaining form at high speed with some fatigue. This session is designed to help train this skill. An ascending pace tempo session, this workout aims to progressively progress the pace every 6 minutes to just above threshold pace. Efficient and fluid running is key during this session as you change pace.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. This session looks easier on paper, than it is in reality. The continuous and progressive nature of this session results in a high strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.
This session gives you the opportunity to build top end speed, with some fast 1min reps, surrounded by endurance based 1.5min reps. This faster paced running is great for improving your neuromuscular coordination and mechanics. You should expect these sessions to have positive downstream effects related to improved movement economy, critical for full-distance race pace.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. The faster pace of this session will challenge your physiology and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day
The aim of this session is to develop your threshold running — longer repetitions of 8, 6, 4, and 2 minutes. However, as a little surprise, the pace gradually gets faster going from just below to just above threshold pace. This further stresses your physiology and pushes up your threshold speed. Threshold is the point at which the powerhouse of the muscle cell (mitochondria) can no longer produce energy (ATP) aerobically. As such, threshold training is performed at a high intensity, somewhere around 7 or 8 out of 10 in terms of perceived intensity. Be sure to have your legs tip-top before getting stuck into this session! PS. It's also a great session to do off the bike.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These threshold intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.
Just like in cycling, working on specific strength in running is a great way to improve your efforts off the bike, specifically in long-distance triathlons. This session is fairly lengthy, working around the aerobic threshold, but by altering the gradient of the treadmill, the emphasis changes to include strength endurance. Running on gradients has many benefits to the triathlon improvement, including improved leg-muscle strength and faster stride rate.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although there is added training stress through the elevation, the pace isn’t too high. Only slightly above the aerobic threshold. This makes this session ideal for days where you aren’t fully recovered.
This workout focuses on running at around long-distance pace with fatigue. However, this is also a great chance to see how much the middle portion of the workout exhausts you, as you get the opportunity to go back to faster running after the full-distance pace effort. It's a great session to hone in on your full-distance pace, building your efficiency and economy — critical for long-distance triathlon success.
For WHOOP users — This workout is good to do on a Yellow or Green Recovery day. Although there are faster aspects of this session the total work is manageable. This means you can likely still manage this session, even on days when you’re not fully recovered.
As we get more tired in running, typically one of the first things to deteriorate is running form. A great skill train is to maintain form at high running speed with some fatigue. This session is designed to help train this very skill. This is an ascending pace tempo session, which aims to progressively progress the pace every 3 minutes to just above the threshold pace. Efficient and fluid running is key during this session as you change pace from 95% to 101% of thresholds speed over 15 minutes, changing pace every 3 minutes.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. This session looks easier on paper, than it is in reality. The continuous and progressive nature of this session results in a high strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.
This session gives you the opportunity to build top end speed, with some fast 1min reps, surrounded by endurance based 1.5min reps. This faster paced running is great for improving your neuromuscular coordination and mechanics. You should expect these sessions to have positive downstream effects related to improved movement economy, critical for full-distance race pace.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. The faster pace of this session will challenge your physiology and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day
The aim of this session is to develop your threshold running — longer repetitions of 3, 2, and 1 minute. However, as a little surprise, the pace gradually gets faster going from just below to just above threshold pace. This further stresses your physiology and pushes up your threshold speed. Threshold is the point at which the powerhouse of the muscle cell (mitochondria) can no longer produce energy (ATP) aerobically. As such, threshold training is performed at a high intensity, somewhere around 7 or 8 out of 10 in terms of perceived intensity. Be sure to have your legs tip-top before getting stuck into this session! PS. It's also a great session to do off the bike.
For WHOOP users - This workout is ideally done on a Green Recovery day. These threshold intervals will challenge you and result in a higher strain score. If you aren’t well recovered, get some rest and come back to this workout on another day.