10 Best Sprint Triathlon Training Plan
Updated on: December 2023
Best Sprint Triathlon Training Plan in 2023
Athlete to Triathlete: The Ultimate Triathlon Training Plan for Sprint and Olympic Races
The Triathlete's Training Bible: The World’s Most Comprehensive Training Guide, 4th Ed.
The Triathlete Guide to Sprint and Olympic Triathlon Racing
Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide: Plans, Scheduling Tips, and Workout Goals for Triathletes of All Levels
Triathlon For Beginners: Everything you need to know about training, nutrition, kit, motivation, racing, and much more
Realistic 10 Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan: By Fully Fit Plans
Your First Triathlon, 2nd Ed.: Race-Ready in 5 Hours a Week
Smoothies for Triathletes: Recipes and Nutrition Plan to Support Triathlon Training from Sprint to Ironman and Beyond (Food for Fitness Series)
Your Best Triathlon: Advanced Training for Serious Triathletes
The Well-Built Triathlete: Turning Potential into Performance
Triathlon Training for Women Can Be as Easy as Following the Right Diet Plan
If you're training for a triathlon, make sure you're following the correct diet plan - these diet tips can help you succeed.
Eat Healthy Foods When Training for a Triathlon - When preparing for a triathlon, women should stay away from high-fat junk foods like burgers, fries, too much chocolate, candy, salads with high-fat dressings or lots of fried food, when in triathlon training. Concentrate on eating a well-balanced diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, whole-wheat foods, fish, chicken, and pulses instead. Your body will function better and your endurance will improve too.
Eat Carbohydrates When Training for a Triathlon - With the current fads about low-carb diets, even women who are on specific diets while training for triathlons sometimes think they should be eating less carbs and more protein. They couldn't be further from the truth. In training for a triathlon women should be eating 60-70% of their calories every day from carbohydrates. Don't eat junk carbohydrates though like cake or high-fat pastas, instead concentrate on eating the healthy carbohydrates. Whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pastas with low-fat tomato sauces or grilled vegetables, lots of fruit and vegetables, beans and healthy cereals.
Eat Enough Calories When Training for a Triathlon - Even women training for triathlons sometimes have the idea that they should be restricting calories (the problem of coming from societies where being super skinny is praised). In fact, the opposite is true. If you're a woman training for a triathlon, you should be getting enough calories for your body to function at optimal level. This means more than the RDA of calories. For most women preparing for a triathlon, they're training several hours a day. The RDA of calories is recommended for moderately active women. A woman getting ready for a triathlon is not 'moderately active', so needs more calories so her body can function correctly. While in training, if you're swimming, cycling or running every day for more than 2-3 hours, your body can quite happily cope with an extra 500 calories above the RDA and still lose fat. In fact, your body needs it because of the added vitamins and minerals too.
Eat Every 3 Hours When Training for a Triathlon - Eating small meals every 3 hours (healthy food!) is much better for your body than eating large meals three times a day, especially when on a triathlon diet. The small meals give your body constant energy, without weighing you down and making you feel too full to move.
Vitamins and Minerals While Training for a Triathlon - Make sure you're getting at least the RDA of all vitamins and minerals, (taking a multi-vitamin every day is a smart thing to do), plus extra vitamin B-complex as the body is under more stress when training for an endurance race. If you're not getting everything your body needs from the food you're eating, make sure you supplement them with high-quality vitamin and mineral supplements.
Taking Calcium and Iron While Training for a Triathlon - Most women don't get enough calcium and iron in normal every day life. Women who are on a triathlon diet should be even more careful about getting the correct amount of calcium and iron. Calcium is needed for strong bones and iron for energy. If you're calcium-deficient, you run the risk of injury or even broken bones. If you're iron-deficient, you'll feel run down and tired. Check with your doctor if you think you're deficient in either, and he can recommend a high-quality supplement that will help your body perform even more efficiently.
Don't Forget Your Calories When Training - If you're going to be training for 3-6 hours a day for your triathlon, don't forget you'll also need to top up your energy reserves while doing so. Carry a couple of energy bars or sports gels (around 200-300 calories each) and eat or drink one at least every hour to hour and a half. This will keep your energy at maximum level and give you an even better workout.
Training for a triathlon is hard work for women just like for men, but being on the right diet plan can work wonders. Eating healthy, low-fat foods often, you'll see a difference in your endurance levels very soon. Also, remember to drink a lot of water as a well-hydrated body is a well-functioning body.
SOURCES: Grrlathlete.com - How to train for a triathlon and To the Next Level.org - Nutrition for Female Endurance Athletes
