A triathlon, which consists of a swim, bike, and run performed back to back, can be thought of as the holy grail when it comes to endurance sports, so entering the world of triathlons can be as daunting as it is exciting.
However, what’s great about the sport is that, much like running races, there are beginner-friendly triathlons with shorter distances for each leg of the race.
For example, while a full Ironman triathlon involves 140.6 miles of self-propelled travel (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run), a sprint triathlon requires right around 16 miles of exercise.
Of course, if you’re new to the sport, a sprint triathlon is still a huge challenge and an accomplishment to be proud of, and one that you can absolutely train for with limited fitness.
An 8-week beginner sprint triathlon training plan can help build your endurance and competence in each of the swim, bike, and run disciplines and prepare you to finish your first sprint triathlon.
Ready to become a multi-sport athlete? Keep reading for our 8-week sprint triathlon training plan for beginners.
We will cover:
- What Is a Sprint Triathlon?
- How to Follow the 8-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
- Format of the Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Plan
- Then we’ll share our 8-Week Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Plan
Let’s get started!
What Is a Sprint Triathlon?
Like other triathlons, a sprint triathlon is a multi-sport event that involves a swim, followed by a bike ride, which is then immediately followed by a run.
Although casual, local sprint triathlons may adjust the distances of each leg of the race somewhat based on the availability of safe routes and courses.
The usual distances for a sprint triathlon include the following:
- Swim: 750 m (0.5 miles)
- Bike: 20 km (12.4 miles)
- Run: 5 km (3.1 miles)
How to Follow the 8-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
Our beginner sprint triathlon training plan is designed for novice triathletes who have an interest in the sport, some familiarity with each discipline, but not a lot of current training or fitness built up in any one area.
If you do have an aerobic base from cycling workouts, or you’re a runner who’s looking to migrate to the sport of triathlon, you’ll be all the more prepared.
If this is the case, you can feel free to modify our 8-week sprint triathlon training plan by either skipping a few weeks into the program after the intensity has increased, or you can pick and choose which of the written workouts you do and which ones you substitute with a more challenging workout that you are capable of.
For example, in the case of a runner who can already run 3-5 miles or more without stopping but hasn’t been doing any cycling or swimming, can swap out the run/walk workouts at the beginning of the sprint triathlon training plan for their usual distance runs.
Then, follow the training plan as written on swim or bike workout days.
Similarly, when you are training for your first sprint triathlon, it’s best to focus on your weakest areas.
Our sprint triathlon training plan for beginners includes five workouts per week and two rest days.
Because there are three disciplines (swim, bike, and run) and you are only working out five days a week, there is usually one discipline per week with only one dedicated workout, while the other two get two workouts.
If you have a background in one sport and are much stronger in that discipline, consider substituting the workout that appears on the Thursday/Friday slot for that discipline with another in the area of your weakness.
Format of the Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Plan
This 8-week sprint triathlon training plan for beginners follows a similar format every week:
- Monday is a run workout
- Tuesday is a bike workout
- Wednesday is a swim workout
- Thursday and Sunday are always rest days
The workouts on Thursday and Friday vary from week to week. One week you might have a run on Thursday and a bike ride on Friday, and another week you might have a swim on Thursday and a run on Friday.
As you get into the second half of the sprint triathlon training plan, you will start trying a few brick workouts, which involve sequencing two of the disciplines back to back with no break in between.
Brick workouts are typically considered to be the bike/run combination and are said to be so named either to denote the hybrid of the bike and run or because your running legs can feel like bricks off the bike.
The latter descriptor couldn’t be more true, which is why brick workouts are critical for triathletes.
They help prepare your body for the physical demand you’ll experience in the race and allow you to rehearse your transitions for race day.
Download The 8-Week Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Plan
Ready to get training for that sprint triathlon? Here we go!
- Open the Google Sheets version of this plan
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| Week 1 Focus: Establishing a triathlon workout routine | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: Warm up: Brisk walk for 5 min Workout: 8 x 2 minute run/1 min walk Cool down: 5 min walk | Bike: 20 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 10 x 25m taking 30 seconds of rest after each length | Rest | Run: Warm up: Brisk walk for 5 min Workout: 8 x 3 minute run/1 min walk Cool down: 5 min walk | Swim: 10 x 50m (1 full lap) with 45 seconds of rest | Rest |
| Week 2 Focus: Building your base | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: Warm up: Brisk walk for 5 min Workout: 4 x 5 minute run/2 min walk Cool down: 5 min walk | Bike 30 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 5 x 100m (2 full laps), taking 60 seconds of rest after each | Rest | Run: 2 miles (3 km), taking walking breaks as needed | Swim: Easy distance: 10 minutes without stopping | Rest |
| Week 3 Focus: Starting to add some speed | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: Warm-up: Brisk walk for 5 min Workout: 1 mile (2 km) without stopping Cool down: 5 min walk | Bike: 45 min at an easy effort | Swim: 10 x 50m in zone 4, with 60 seconds of rest | Rest | Run: 1.5 miles (2 km) without stopping | Bike: 40 minutes total: 5 minute warm-up then 10 x 2 minute intervals in zone 4 or about 85% of max heart rate, 1 minute of recovery, 5 minute cool down | Rest |
| Week 4 Focus: Recovering from the work you’ve been doing and try a Brick workout | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: 2 miles (3k) at an easy effort | Bike: 50 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: Easy distance: 15 minutes without stopping | Rest | Run: Warm up: Jog for 5 min Workout: 10 x 1 minute hard (zone 4) with 1-minute easy jog (zone 1) Cool down: 5 min walk | Swim/Bike Brick Workout: Swim 10 minutes without stopping and then immediately bike for 45 minutes (zone 3) | Rest |
| Week 5 Focus: Ramping up your training now that you’re getting fit | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: 2 miles (3k) at an easy effort; 4 x 50m strides | Bike: 60 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 2 x 300m in zone 3, with 90 seconds rest | Rest | Swim: Easy distance: 20 minutes without stopping | Brick workout: Bike 30 minutes and then immediately run for 10 minutes | Rest |
| Week 6 Focus: Preparing for the race experience with a race simulation | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: 2.5 miles (4 km) without stopping; 4 x 50m strides | Bike: 70 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 2 x 400m in zone 3, with 90 seconds of rest | Rest | Swim: 600m easy effort (zone 2) | Race simulation: Swim 500m, Run 2 miles, Bike 10 miles | Rest |
| Week 7 Focus: Building confidence for the race and feeling fit | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: 3 miles (5 km); 4 x 75m strides | Bike: 75 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 2 x 400m in zone 3, with 90 seconds of rest | Rest | Brick workout: Bike 45 minutes (zone 2) and then immediately run for 15 minutes (zone 3) | Bike: 40 minutes total: 5-minute warm-up, then 5 x 3-minute intervals in zone 4 or about 85% of max heart rate, 1 minute of recovery, 5 minute cool down | Rest |
| Week 8 Focus: Get ready to have an awesome sprint triathlon! | ||||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Run: 2 miles (3k) at an easy effort; 4 x 75m strides | Bike: 30 minutes at an easy effort | Swim: 10 minutes easy (zone 2 effort) | Rest | Bike or run easy for 15 minutes | RACE! | Rest |
Feel free to modify this beginner sprint triathlon training program as needed, listening to your body and focusing on your needs, and have a great race!
If you are already a runner, and would like to dabble in triathlon, we have a runner to triathlon transition guide just for you!
