If you are looking for a multisport that requires the best of stamina, staying power and endurance, then you have many reasons to choose Triathlon. It is considered to be extremely tough and demanding.
It consists of different sports such as running, cycling and swimming and this for various distances. The winners of triathlon are decided based on overall completion time. Each segment of the various sporting activities have to be completed in sequence.
The transition time required for moving from one sport to another is also included when the overall best times are calculated based on which winners and other prize winners are decided.
This sport is gaining in popularity across the world because it tests the skills across many sporting events and additionally it also measures the staying power, stamina, energy levels, physical and mental toughness apart from showcasing the concentration levels of the participants.
While Triathlon is certainly an exciting sporting event, it cannot be learned and mastered overnight. It takes time, effort and focus to learn this sport properly. Over the next few lines, let us try and get the right answer to the question as to how long it takes to train for triathlon.
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The Sports Has Travelled A Long Distance
There is no doubt that Triathlon has come a long way since 1974. It all started on a modest scale with around 46 participants.
They named it initially as a swim-bike-run event and it was held in San Diego, California. It has grown steadily in popularity and the number of participants also have increased quite impressively over the years. As we read this article, it is possible that there could be around 2 million people who participate in various triathlon events across the globe. The numbers are increasing significantly with each passing year.
While all these are good happenings. It is not easy to become a professional triathlon sportsperson and it takes the right kind of training.
The training period has a gestation period of its own. According to experts, the average time taken to be a reasonably good triathlon professional could be around 12 weeks. However, this could vary from person to person.
Good Training Plan For A Triathlon
In order to become a reasonably proficient and capable triathlon professional, you must make sure that you follow a well-designed training plan. This will help in increasing your overall performance levels by many notches.
You have to bear in mind that you should learn all the three events properly and there is no way you can ignore one event over the other or short-circuit the whole training process and length of time.
Your general health should also be quite good and this is easier said than done.
4 Tips For Setting Up The Right Triathlon Plan
As mentioned earlier, if you are planning to be ready for a complete triathlon at the trial level, you must ensure that you have spent at least 12 week of intense and demanding training.
There could be a slight leeway and the training could be brought down to 8 weeks for those who are physically fit, healthy and also have a reasonably good knowledge about, running, cycling and running.
On the other hand, there are many players who have to start everything from the scratch. For such groups of people it might take around 16 weeks to train properly.
Break Up The Three Events Properly
There is one more important thing that you should keep in mind when planning to complete a triathlon training course successfully. Make sure that you allot the right kind of time for the three events, i.e. running, biking and swimming. Each event should be given attention and you should complete at least two sessions covering each of the above three activities. You also should focus on at least one brick session. A brick session is nothing but the bike and run workout and this has to be completed back to back. You also could choose bike and swimming as one more combination. Some triathlon swimming events are held in open water bodies. If it is so, make sure that your swimming activity is more focused towards training in open water bodies.
Importance Of Resistance training
Make sure that resistance training also is a part of the overall weekly training program. This could follow the routine endurance training. Look for trainers who are able to come up with the right exercises that help in strengthening the core muscles that are required in each discipline. Your resistance training also should focus on exercises that improve stability and mobility and help develop a good range of motion.
As far as swimming is concerned focus on your shoulder, back and arms and improve mobility in the trunk area. For biking focus on glutes, quads, and hamstring apart from improving stability in the chest and trunk areas. Running obviously should focus on the legs. You should also improve mobility in the hip area and trunk and shoulders should be strong and stable.
Importance Of Rest
While the training program is designed for a week, never underestimate the importance of rest. You must aim to take a day or two off because it is essential for recovery. Ideally, plan for the rest days before or after the brick workouts. In case you are planning to take two days off, make sure that these two days fall after or before the brick workouts.
Keep these things in mind
When planning to find the right answer to the question as to the number of days required for training for a triathlon, keep a few more things in mind. Pay attention to the swimming part of the whole event. Often this is the toughest and most demanding, especially for beginners. If you are new to swimming always have a coach or trainer to help you out. This will help you to practice the right way and you also will be able to learn the right techniques. Pay attention to develop the right coordination between your swimming strokes and the way in which you dovetail it to your breathing.
Final Thoughts
While 12 weeks is the average time required for proper training for triathlon, the lower limit could be 8 weeks and for beginners the upper limit could be around 16 weeks.
You also should make sure that apart from a good plan, you also should have the right accessories, tools and other such training equipment. Your overall fitness levels should also be of the highest standards apart from honing the skills as far as the above three events are concerned.
