Training Plans & Workouts

Free training plans and a full workout library for every event Cal Tri offers: triathlon, running, and cycling. Pick your goal, follow the plan, use the workouts.

Find Your Plan

Choose Your Goal Race

Each plan is built around a specific event distance. New to triathlon? Start with the Sprint. Already a finisher? Step up to Olympic.

Swim, Bike & Run Workouts

Use these workouts to fill out the training days in your plan. Each workout is coded (S for swim, B for bike, R for run) so you can match them to your weekly schedule.

Select a workout to expand. All yardages are in yards. SR = seconds rest.

12 × 50 — 600 yds

6 × 100 — 600 yds

3 × 200 — 600 yds

6 × 100 — 600 yds

12 × 50 — 600 yds

Total: 3,000 yds

Take 10 seconds rest between each repeat as you work up and back down the ladder.

10 × 100 w 10s rest — 1,000 yds

500 [250 slow, 250 fast] w 20s rest — 500 yds

10 × 100 w 10s rest — 1,000 yds

500 [250 slow, 250 fast] — 500 yds

Total: 3,000 yds

2,000 race pace w 120s rest — 2,000 yds

10 × 100 w 10s rest — 1,000 yds

Total: 3,000 yds

This is a race simulation workout. Pace the 2,000 exactly as you would in competition — comfortable, efficient, and sustainable.

10 × 50 — 500 yds

4 × 100 — 400 yds

2 × 200 — 400 yds

1 × 400 — 400 yds

2 × 200 — 400 yds

4 × 100 — 400 yds

10 × 50 — 500 yds

Total: 3,000 yds

5 × 100 at race pace w 10s rest — 500 yds

5 × 100 [rp+10s] + 10s rest — 500 yds

5 × 100 [rp+5s] + 10s rest — 500 yds

5 × 100 [rp] + 10s rest — 500 yds

5 × 100 [rp−5s] + 10s rest — 500 yds

5 × 100 [rp−10s] + 10s rest — 500 yds

Total: 3,000 yds

A great workout for dialing in your race pace. rp = race pace. The descending paces at the end should feel strong but controlled.

50 slow, 50 medium, 50 fast w 15s rest — 150 yds

50 sprint, 50 slow, 50 medium w 15s rest — 150 yds

50 fast, 50 sprint, 50 slow w 15s rest — 150 yds

50 medium, 50 fast, 50 sprint w 15s rest — 150 yds

Repeat all 5× — 600 yds per round

Total: 3,000 yds

200 sprint + 100 slow + 300 race pace + 60s rest — 600 yds

1,000 race pace + 60s rest — 1,000 yds

200 sprint + 100 slow + 300 race pace + 60s rest — 600 yds

1,000 race pace — 1,000 yds

Total: 3,200 yds

Simulates the chaos of a race start — sprint off the line, settle in, then hold race pace. Use this in the final weeks before your event.

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

10 min warm down

Focus entirely on proper form. Speed is irrelevant in drill sets — do them slowly and correctly.

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

100 yd swim — record time to compare and show improvement with future swims

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

4 × 25 normal swim with focus on stroke

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

4 × 50 w 15s SR — focus on proper stroke

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

2 × 100 w 20s SR

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

300 easy and relaxed — focus on proper technique

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

8 × 25 w 15s SR — strong effort sprints

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

3 × 100 w 15s SR — focus on proper stroke

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

6 × 50 w 15s SR — swim easy the first 25, then sprint the second 25 back

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

8 × 50 w 10s SR

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

2 × 200 w 15s SR

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

100 for time — record time and compare

12 × 25 w 10s SR — elevated effort, but be mindful of proper stroke

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

5 × 100 w 15s SR

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

10 × 50 w 15s SR — focus on proper stroke

4 × 25 w 15s SR — sprints

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

6 × 100 w 15s SR — focus on maintaining good form and technique

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

5 × 100 w 10s SR

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 fingertip drag, 50 6-beat delay, 50 fist — 15s SR

3 × 200 w 15s SR

10 min cool down

10 min warm up

150 yds drills — 50 catch-up, 50 superman kick, 50 fist — 15s SR between each 50

3 × 100 w 10s SR

8 × 25 w 15s SR — lots of rest, very strong effort

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

5 × 100 w 10s SR

6 × 50 w 20s SR — very strong effort

10 min warm down

10 min warm up

400 at comfortable pace — think race pace, relaxed and efficient

6 × 25 w 10s SR — very strong effort sprints

100 yds drills — catch-up, 6-beat delay, fingertip drag & superman kick

10 min cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

5 × 100 w 15s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

3 × 200 w 15s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

4 × 50 normal swim with focus on stroke

200 for time — record time to compare and show improvement with future swims

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

8 × 100 w 15s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

8 × 25 sprints w 15s SR

4 × 100 w 10s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

600 easy and relaxed — focus on proper technique

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

8 × 75 w 10s SR — easy first and last 25, strong effort middle 25

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

10 × 75 w 15s SR — first and last 25 at easy pace, sprint middle 25 of the 75 yard repeat

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

6 × 125 w 10s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

10 × 100 w 10s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

12 × 25 sprints w 10s SR — not max effort, but strong focus on speed and stroke

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

4 × 200 w 15s SR

8 × 50 w 15s SR — odd repeats are easy and evens are at strong effort

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

200 for time — compare against previous timed 200

4 × 100 w 10s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

10 × 75 w 15s SR — first and last 25 at easy pace, sprint middle 25 of the 75 yard repeat

8 × 25 w 15s SR — hard effort sprints

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

6 × 200 w 10s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

2 × 400 w 20s SR

6 × 100 w 15s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

8 × 25 w 15s SR — lots of rest, strong effort

4 × 200 w 20s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 catch up, 100 fist

4 × 200 w 20s SR

10 × 50 w 15s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — 100 6-beat delay, 100 fingertip drag

12 × 25 w 15s SR — lots of rest, strong effort

2 × 400 w 20s SR

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

2 × 500 w 20s SR

6 × 50 w 20s SR — very strong effort

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

200 drills — catch-up, 6-beat delay, fingertip drag & superman kick — 25 of each and repeat

16 × 25 w 15s SR — strong effort, but relaxed and focusing on proper technique — stay long and focus on catch

3 × 100 w 15s SR — descending: first 100 is slowest and last is fastest — hint: pace well on the first 100

300 cool down

300 yd warm up

2 × 250 w 20s SR

300 warm down

300 yd warm up

500 at race pace — comfortable and relaxed, the pace you can hold for 1 mile during a race

300 cool down

Use this the week before race day to stay sharp without accumulating fatigue.

Indoor and outdoor cycling workouts. All zone references are heart rate training zones — see the zone guide.

Warm-up: 20 min easy spin

15 min at Zone 3

5 min at Zone 4

Cool-down: 20 min easy spin

10 min easy spinning to warm up

5 min very hard effort — to upper Zone 3

10 min easy spinning to cool down

10 min easy spinning to warm up

5 min very hard effort — to upper Zone 3

5 min easy spinning to recover

5 min very hard effort — to upper Zone 3

10 min easy spinning to cool down

1 hour of spinning — push into Zone 3 after 20 min and focus on holding a steady and constant pace

15 min easy spinning to warm up

15 min spinning in low Zone 3

5 min easy spinning to recover

10 min spinning in Zone 3

5 min easy spinning to recover

10 min very strong effort — push to upper Zone 3 at end

15 min easy spinning to cool down

Bike: 60 min spinning in Zone 2 — think about the pace you can hold on the bike for 8 miles and still have "legs" left to run 5K. Stay relaxed and focused on pacing.

Run: Immediately after the bike, transition to a 15 min run. Start off very slowly and hold that pace for 5 min. After 5 min at the easy pace, pick it up to a pace you feel you can hold for a 5K.

Cool-down: 5 min walk and light stretching

Brick workouts train your body to run off the bike — one of the most race-specific sessions in triathlon training.

10 miles easy Zone 2 spinning

5 miles very hard effort pushing into upper Zone 3

5 miles easy Zone 2 spinning

10 miles easy Zone 2 spinning

10 miles pushing effort into Zone 3

10 miles easy Zone 2 spinning

5 miles very hard effort pushing into upper Zone 3

5 miles easy spinning to recover

5 miles very hard effort — hitting Zone 4 for the last 30 seconds of the effort

5 miles easy Zone 2 spinning

Bike: 40 miles of easy spinning in Zone 2

Run: Transition immediately to the run and run for 15 min at a very relaxed and comfortable pace. Your pace should feel easy and slow — you will have time later in a race to pick up the run pace, but starting too fast can cause failure later on in the run.

Pacing is key. This brick teaches you to resist the urge to hammer the run off the bike.

30 miles of spinning in Zone 2 with Fartlek

After 10 miles of warm up — pick up the pace 6 times during the last 20 miles of the ride for 30 seconds. Those efforts should be very strong and 85–90% of max effort. Recover back into Zone 2 spinning before the next Fartlek effort.

Bike: 20 miles of moderate effort spinning in Zone 2/3

Run: Transition immediately to the run and run for 20 min at a very relaxed and comfortable pace. Start slowly and pick up the pace after 10 min to an effort you feel you can hold for 10K.

30 miles — easy spinning for the first and last 10 miles. Middle 10 miles ride at a pace you can hold for 24 miles and still have "legs" left to run 10K. Stay relaxed and focus on pacing.

20 miles of Fartlek — easy spinning for first 5 miles

Middle 10 miles — spin up to Zone 3 effort 5 times for 2 min each spin-up

Last 5 miles easy spinning to cool down

Warm-up: 5 min

9 min Zone 3 + 1 min Zone 4

8 min Zone 3 + 2 min Zone 4

7 min Zone 3 + 3 min Zone 4

6 min Zone 3 + 4 min Zone 4

5 min Zone 3 + 5 min Zone 4

Cool-down: 5 min

This workout gradually increases the work from "comfortably uncomfortable" to just plain uncomfortable and is a fantastic threshold test. Can be done for 60 minutes or increase the sets and see how far you can go.

Track and road running workouts. All zone references are heart rate training zones — see the zone guide.

Warm-up: 1 mile easy

Main set: 10 × 800 — convert your marathon goal (hours:minutes) into an 800m pace (minutes:seconds). A 3:30 marathon goal = 3:30 per 800. Take equal rest between each repeat.

Cool-down: 1 mile easy

Example: if you can complete 10 × 800 in 3:30 with 3:30 recovery, this workout predicts a 3:30 marathon.

Warm-up: 1 mile easy

200 jog → 200 sprint

400 jog → 400 sprint

600 jog → 600 sprint

800 jog → 800 sprint

600 jog → 600 sprint

400 jog → 400 sprint

200 jog → 200 sprint

Cool-down: 1 mile easy

Warm-up: 800 easy

6 × 1 mile at marathon race pace — run the first minute of each mile at 10K pace, then settle into marathon pace for the remainder

Cool-down: 800 easy

The surge at the start of each mile teaches your body to handle pace changes — critical for the run leg of a triathlon.

Warm-up: 1 mile easy

12 × 400 at 5K pace with 200 jog recovery between each repeat

Cool-down: 1 mile easy

Warm-up: 1 mile easy

2 miles at 10K race pace

Cool-down: 1 mile easy

10 min Zone 2 jog to warm up

10 min strong effort — Zone 3

10 min Zone 2 jog to recover

A simple but effective aerobic threshold session. Zone 2 = conversational pace. Zone 3 = comfortably hard, controlled breathing.

30 min run — start in Zone 2 and hold that pace for 10 min, then push the pace into Zone 3

Hold a steady and comfortable Zone 3 pace for the last 20 min of the run

10 min easy jog to warm up

20 min strong effort — pushing well into Zone 3

10 min slowing down into easy jog to cool down

1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

1 mile Fartlek — run easy in Zone 2, but 4 times during the mile speed up for 50 yards to a faster pace. Stay smooth and fluid, no all-out sprinting.

1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

Fartlek means "speed play" in Swedish. The goal is playful acceleration — not sprinting — to build leg turnover and comfort at varied paces.

1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

2 miles of Fartlek — running easy in Zone 2, but 4 times during the 2 mile portion speed up for 100 yards to a faster pace. Remain in good form — smooth and fluid.

1 mile easy jog in Zone 2

Fartlek means "speed play" in Swedish. The goal is playful acceleration — not sprinting — to build leg turnover and comfort at varied paces.

3 mile run — pushing into Zone 3 after mile 2 and holding that pace steady and relaxed for the last mile

1 mile Zone 2 warm up

3 miles strong effort — pushing into Zone 3

1 mile Zone 2 cool down

5 mile run in Zone 2 — start slowly and time the first 2.5 miles

Pick up the pace for the last 2.5 miles and try to negative split — run the second half faster than the first

Negative splitting is the gold standard of race pacing. This workout trains that discipline by forcing you to start conservatively.

Coach's Note on Walk/Run Intervals

If running the suggested distances is an issue, alternating periods of walking and running is highly effective. Intervals are described as run/walk (e.g., 1/2 = 1 minute running, 2 minutes walking). Progress from 1/2 → 2/2 → 2/1 → 3/1 over time. Highly individualized. Every athlete finds what works best for them.

Technique First

Swim Drills

Swimming is the most technique-dependent triathlon discipline. Use these drills to build an efficient freestyle stroke. Some of the best swimmers commit up to 30% of training time to drills.

Catch-Up

Swim normally, but do not begin the pull with one arm until the other arm reaches full extension in front. Forces full extension and slows turnover so you can focus on proper pull and recovery of each arm individually.

Trains: Full extension, stroke timing

Finger Drag

After the pull exits at the thigh, keep the elbow high and drag your fingertips along the water surface all the way through recovery and into entry.

Trains: High elbow recovery, proper hand entry

Fist

Swim with hands balled into fists. If you're not executing a proper "catch," you'll have almost zero forward motion. Forces high elbow and efficient catch mechanics.

Trains: The "catch," elbow position

Superman Kick

Both arms extended in front at shoulder width, 4–6 inches underwater — like Superman flying. Kick from the hips with toes pointed. Breathe by lifting your head forward.

Trains: Starting position, kick mechanics, open-water sighting

6-Beat Delay (10-Beat Kick)

Swim normally, but pause with one hand at the thigh and the other fully extended, and kick 6–10 times before recovering the arm. Repeat on the opposite side.

Trains: Kick engagement, full extension, slower turnover

Ear Touch

After exiting the pull at the thigh, touch your ear and pause slightly before recovering. Forces high elbow recovery and proper hand placement for efficient entry.

Trains: High elbow recovery, entry technique