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Coaches Blog

Mixing Up the Systems

Updated: Apr 21, 2022


It’s important to train all of our metabolic systems within our training. This is why we do the long ride, the track sessions and the short rest intervals in the pool. Mixing up these systems up within a training session is a way to make even larger gains, especially for the sprint and Olympic distance triathlete. In these races everything happens quicker and the time gap to make a move or react to others is much smaller and can be much more costly. This means that being able to switch between the different metabolic systems quickly and becoming very efficient at utilizing energy from each system without long transition gaps is crucial.

Below are sample workouts from each discipline that will train your metabolic systems to transition quicker. Do these workouts and you will be better prepared for your next Sprint or Olympic distance race

SWIM SAMPLE WORKOUT:

Warm Up:

200yd Easy 3X50yd (25 Scull/25yd Long Hard Pull) 3X50yd (25yd Fists/25yd Long Hard Pull) 8X25yd (Alternate 25 Build/25yd Sprint

Main Set 1: 3X Thru

400yd (5 Strokes Hard/10 Strokes Easy Entire 400) Short Rest Interval (RI) 100yd Sprint Hard 45sec Rest

Main Set 2: 3X Thru

200yd Tempo Short RI 50yd Sprint 30sec Rest

Main Set 3: 3X Thru

3X100yd Tempo Short RI 50yd ALL OUT 30sec Rest

Cool Down:

200yd Easy Backstroke every 3rd

BIKE SAMPLE WORKOUT:

Warm Up:

10min Easy Spin 3X30sec High Cad (1100/105/110rpm/30ec Normal Spin between 5X10sec Hard/ 30sec Easy spin 2min Easy Spin

Main Set 1: Aerobic/Tempo Intervals

3X5min (1min Aerobic/2min Tempo/2min Aerobic)

Main Set 2: 2X Thru (5min Gradual Build to Tempo Between the two rounds)

8X (5sec Stand Hard/20sec Sit Hard/1min Threshold 1min Easy Spin between Each

RUN SAMPLE WORKOUT:

Warm Up:

10min Jog Dynamic Stretching 2X (200 Aerobic/200 Tempo) 3X100m Strides

Main Set 1:

1200m Tempo (Base Pace) w/ 10sec Burst every 200m 2min Act Recovery 2X800m Tempo (Base Pace) w/ 10sec burst every 200m 1:30 Act Recovery

Main Set 2:

5X (800m Aerobic Pace/400m VO2 Pace) Continuous

Cool Down:

10min Easy Jog

Give these sessions a try and if you have questions, contact me at aaron@teamMPI.com.

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