This depends on how much experience you already have. If you have some experience in swimming, cycling, and running already, then you won’t need to start from scratch like a complete beginner.
But that doesn’t mean that you won’t have to do a lot of intense training. Triathlons are difficult and are a test of your endurance. So you’re going to need to train a lot to be able to complete one.
You should start training around 12 weeks before the race if you are a complete beginner. If you already have experience, especially in intense sports and endurance, then around 8 weeks should be enough.
Even if you regularly work out and swim, cycle, and run a lot, you still need to have a focused and dedicated training scheme. Otherwise, you likely won’t be able to complete all three parts of the triathlon.
If you are a beginner, start off training around 3 times a week. This should help you to become used to endurance training.
As well as help you to track your progress. Eventually, you should get up to around 4 to 5 sessions a week. But this can depend on the length of the triathlon you will be competing in. It’s best to stick to 3 sessions a week and then ease up to 4 or 5 a few weeks before the event itself.
Don’t push yourself too hard, especially early on.
If you have some experience and regularly go running, cycling, and/or swimming during the week, try to get in around 5 sessions. This should help you to keep up your endurance and track your progress.
Try not to make sure you get in enough rest days. Even for an experienced athlete, you don’t want to over do it and hurt yourself.
How many hours a day do triathletes train?
No more than an hour or two. You might think that people who take part in triathlons, especially such extreme races as Ironmans, would need to be training constantly. But this isn’t the case. Rest is just as important as training.
It’s important not to push your body too far. You don’t want to be injured or overworked before you can even enter the race itself.
Working out too much can strain your muscles, joints, and even cause arthritis. It’s also important to allow your body to rest so that your muscles can recover.
It is while you are resting that your muscles become stronger after being worked during training. Training for more than two hours is unsafe and unnecessary.
How much strength training do you need for a triathlon?
Training for a triathlon is not all about seeing how far and how fast you can swim, cycle, and run. You need to strengthen your muscles in other ways. One of the best ways to do that is through strength training.
But it’s important not to focus on this too much. It’s best to see strength training as supplementing your other training.
Factor in one strength training session every 10 days or so. As you get closer to the event, try to get in one strength training session a week, but no more. More will be unnecessary and cause too much strain on your muscles, and get in the way of other training.
How often should I swim for triathlon training?
When you start training three times a week, try to dedicate each session to a different exercise.
This will help you to focus on the specifics of the exercise, and ensure that you have the correct form. If you try to essentially do a mini triathlon three times a week, then you’re not going to get very far. You might be able to enter the race and finish, but it is unlikely that you will do well.
But, of course, you will eventually need to be able to combine these exercises. So, after a few weeks, start adding in mini triathlons to your training regime.
You can still spend certain sessions focusing on individual aspects of the race, but you will need to focus on combining them all as well. There is as much skill needed to be able to get on a bike after swimming as there is in cycling itself.
Are triathlons dangerous?
Only in the sense that pushing your body in endurance training is dangerous itself. Any kind of exertion has its dangers. And triathlons can be dangerous if you do not properly prepare or push yourself too hard.
Training is absolutely essential as you need to prepare for an intense day of endurance, fatigue, and exercise.
Once you have got to the start of the triathlon, you should be in peak physical condition, with the knowledge that you can get to the end safely. If you do not think that you will be in this position, you need to up your training or wait until another event comes along.
Sports and endurance events are intense and impressive, but they should still have a level of enjoyment. They are definitely not worth risking your health over.
Studies have shown that, over three decades, the number of triathletes who die suddenly or suffer from severe trauma or cardiac arrest was around 1.74 out of every 100,000. That’s 0.00174%. This is definitely higher in comparison to the average population.
And the vast majority of deaths occur due to the swimming portion of the event. Which is unsurprising considering the increased dangers associated with swimming, due to the risk of drowning.
Male triathletes are also strikingly more likely to suffer from endurance sports.
This isn’t because men are more likely to take part, even when compared statistically, women were far less likely to suffer from the same consequences.
So, this is something to consider. Exercise is of course good for you and your body, but endurance training and endurance events are incredibly difficult and put a lot of strain on your body.