Avoid These Common Triathlon Training Plan Mistakes
Are you using the wrong plan?
Triathlon training should deliver real results, not just look good on paper. The wrong training plan can waste months of effort, leading to missed goals or even injury. Too many plans leave athletes frustrated, wasting time and effort without meaningful improvement. These plans often focus on a single "magic bullet" approach, rely on overcomplicated periodisation, or ignore the fundamentals of strength and biomechanics—factors that determine race-day success.
The problem? Bad training plans don’t just fail to improve you—they actively hold you back.
At Sense Endurance, we believe in simplicity, progression, and real-world application. If your training plan isn’t making you stronger, more efficient, and more confident on race day, it’s failing you. For more on this, check out our blog post on the importance of strength-focused triathlon training. By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to spot (and fix) a bad training plan before it derails your progress.
1. Say No to One-Size-Fits-All Plans
❌ Red Flag: The plan assumes every athlete needs the same structure, ignoring individual strengths, weaknesses, and available training time.
✅ Better Approach: A well-designed plan adapts to your progress, fitness level, and lifestyle.
Some common training gimmicks that fail:
- "Zone 2 Only" Plans – These plans are popular because they promise steady, low-stress improvements in endurance, which appeals to athletes trying to avoid injury or burnout. Athletes who follow Zone 2 exclusively often plateau, struggling to maintain race pace during longer events. However, without efficiency at higher efforts, you won’t be race-ready.
- "Polarised Training" Plans – Advocates for 80% easy, 20% hard training. Yet, most triathlons require efforts in the middle range—ignoring that is a recipe for underperformance.
➔ Key Takeaway: If a plan claims it has found "the secret" to triathlon success, run the other way. Learn more about how to avoid gimmicks in your training. A smart plan blends different methodologies and adapts as you progress.
2. Why Zone 2 Alone Won’t Cut It
❌ Red Flag: The first 6-8 weeks of your plan are just slow, steady endurance work with no biomechanical focus.
✅ Better Approach: Strength, efficiency, and biomechanics should be prioritised from the start.
What to Change:
- Add swim strength work early (paddles, band-only swimming). For example, start with 10x50m swim intervals using paddles to build strength while maintaining form. to improve stroke power and efficiency.
- Introduce low-cadence strength training on the bike (e.g., sustained 5-10 min efforts at 55-65 RPM).
- Incorporate running under fatigue early instead of waiting until race-specific blocks.
➔ Key Takeaway: Long-distance racing requires endurance, but if you don’t develop strength and efficiency first, your endurance won’t be useful. Read our guide on how to develop the strength to crush your races.
3. Skip Rigid Periodisation: Train All Energy Systems Year-Round
❌ Problem: Your plan follows a strict base-build-peak model, assuming linear adaptation.
✅ Better Approach: Endurance, strength, and intensity should be trained consistently throughout the season, not in isolated blocks.
Why Rigid Periodisation Fails:
- Assumes fitness builds in neat phases, but real-world adaptation isn’t linear. For example, life interruptions like illness or work deadlines can disrupt training cycles, while race-day demands often require blending efforts developed across different phases.
- Ignores the need to maintain all energy systems year-round, especially for long-distance events.
- Overlooks race specificity, which should develop progressively—not just in the final weeks.
Better Alternatives:
- Train all intensities consistently rather than separating them into rigid blocks.
- Introduce sustained efforts and race simulation workouts early on.
- Use real-world feedback rather than arbitrary training “phases” to adjust workload.
➔ Key Takeaway: You should always be training endurance, strength, and race-specific effort—not just one at a time. Explore our tips on balancing energy systems year-round.
4. Choose a Plan That Fits Your Lifestyle
❌ Red Flag: A training plan that doesn’t align with your mindset, lifestyle, or motivation will lead to inconsistency.
✅ Better Approach: A successful plan should resonate with you, making it easier to stay engaged and committed.
What to Change:
- Choose a training philosophy that aligns with your personality—whether structured or flexible. For example, data-driven athletes who thrive on precise metrics might prefer a more structured plan, while those who value adaptability and intuition may excel with a more flexible approach. Ask yourself: Do I feel overwhelmed by rigid schedules, or does flexibility leave me unfocused? Your answer will help guide the right plan. For example, data-driven athletes who thrive on precise metrics might prefer a structured plan, while those who value adaptability and intuition may excel with a more flexible approach.
- Be realistic about whether you enjoy data-driven training, intuitive pacing, or a mix of both.
- If a plan feels like a burden rather than a challenge, reassess if it’s the right fit.
➔ Key Takeaway: A training plan isn’t just about structure—it has to feel right for you. Discover which one of our plans is right for you.. If you don’t believe in it, you won’t follow through consistently.
How to Fix a Bad Triathlon Training Plan (Without Starting Over)
If you’ve realised your training plan isn’t working, don’t panic. You don’t necessarily need to scrap everything—most bad plans can be fixed with a few key adjustments. Here’s how to cut the clutter and get back on track:
1. Cut the Junk, Add Purpose
❌ Problem: Your plan is loaded with unstructured "easy" sessions that don’t develop strength or efficiency.
✅ Fix: Every workout should have a clear purpose—building endurance, improving efficiency, or training race execution.
What to Change:
- Instead of long, slow rides with no structure, add big-gear, low-cadence work to build bike-specific strength.
- Instead of "just run for an hour," include sections where you focus on running at controlled effort under fatigue.
- Instead of swimming endless laps, do strength-based swim work with paddles and a pull buoy.
➔ Key Takeaway: If a session doesn’t build endurance, strength, or race execution, skip it.
2. Strength Starts Early
❌ Problem: The first 6-8 weeks of your plan are just slow, steady endurance work with no biomechanical focus.
✅ Fix: Prioritise strength, efficiency, and biomechanics from the start.
Examples of Strength Integration:
• Swimming: Use paddles and a pull buoy for short intervals like 20 x 50m to build upper body strength and maintain proper form under resistance. Gradually increase distance or resistance as your strength improves.
• Cycling: Incorporate low-cadence hill repeats or big-gear work on flat terrain. For instance, 6 x 5-minute efforts at 55-65 RPM with 2 minutes of easy spinning in between can develop leg strength while preserving aerobic capacity.
• Running: Introduce strides or hill sprints early to strengthen key running muscles and improve biomechanics. A session like 8 x 20-second uphill sprints with walk-back recovery is a simple but effective way to build explosive strength.
Why Start Early?
• Starting strength work early lays the foundation for more race-specific efforts later in the season.
• It reduces injury risk by improving muscle resilience and stability.
• Strength-focused sessions provide variety, keeping training engaging and sustainable.
3. Tailor Training to Your Life
❌ Problem: Your plan is built for an elite athlete with unlimited time, not a busy age-grouper.
✅ Fix: Adapt the plan to match your actual availability and recovery capacity.
How to Make Training More Sustainable:
- Swap long midweek sessions for shorter, high-quality workouts (e.g., a 45-min run with sustained efforts instead of a 90-min slow jog).
- If life gets in the way, drop aerobic filler sessions—but keep the strength and intensity.
- Build training weeks based on YOUR life, not what a spreadsheet says.
➔ Key Takeaway: A plan that doesn’t fit your schedule isn’t sustainable. Adjust it so you can be consistent.
Conclusion: Build a Smarter Training Plan
Fixing a bad triathlon training plan isn’t about drastic overhauls—it’s about identifying weak points and making small, impactful changes. For example, replacing junk miles with purposeful sessions or introducing strength work early can transform your progress without overwhelming adjustments. Remember, the smartest athletes aren’t those with the most time—they’re the ones who train with purpose. Make your time count. For example, replacing junk miles with purposeful sessions or introducing strength work early can transform your progress without overwhelming adjustments. A great plan should:
✅ Develop endurance, strength, and race execution simultaneously.
✅ Adapt to your lifestyle and availability.
✅ Eliminate junk miles and unnecessary complexity.
Is your training plan failing you? Sense Endurance can help you build strength, endurance, and race confidence. Use our plan finder or chat with us about bespoke coaching options to help you nail this season.
