Free 8-week HIIT training plan for triathletes
Think high-intensity training isn’t for us triathletes? Well think again, and get ready to smash your race PB with this 8-week HIIT training plan from Dermott Hayes
The concept of using HIIT (high-intensity interval training) as part of a triathlon training schedule may seem confusing at first. But once we understand the benefits of working at such high intensities, we can start to build it into our preparations. This doesn’t mean you should swap all of your long, steady workouts for HIIT – instead, adapt your sessions to include elements of both.
It’s a well-accepted fact that triathlon is an endurance sport. By their very nature endurance sports rely on us, the athletes, being very efficient at using our aerobic energy systems. A potential danger with this is that we can become very comfortable training, or even racing, within comfort zones that don’t require anaerobic energy.
Don’t be put off by those infomercials that claim HIIT will turn you into the Hulk. There is a way for triathletes to use HIIT. How many times have you seen an athlete pass you in a race, and thought: ‘If only I had that little burst of speed to stay with them?’ Well, maybe HIIT can help.
Adapt the HIIT training plan to your needs
This triathlon training plan that follows is based around a Sprint triathlon. So if you want to build this into your training for longer-distance racing, you’ll need to increase the volume of sessions appropriately. You’ll see that each discipline still has training sessions that are classed as ‘Endurance’. In these cases, the HIIT efforts only make up part of the bigger session.
Effective HIIT requires the athlete to work well outside of their comfort zone, achieving speeds and power well above the norm. But these efforts are only sustained for seconds. Long periods of either complete recovery or very easy movement follow. So you need to apply yourself physically. Go into the sessions with a willingness to really dig deep and test your limits.
A word of warning: if you’re new to the world of HIIT, it’s advisable to proceed gradually and build sessions into your regular training as you become more accustomed to this style of training. Also, you must ensure that you’re well warmed up for these sessions, since they involve maximal efforts.
Remember, in order to race faster, you must train faster. This is why run speed work is important for endurance athletes.
Before downloading the plan below, learn why improving anaerobic fitness could be key to faster run times. And find out how to gauge if you’re running aerobically or anaerobically.
Dermott Hayes
