While swimming, biking, and running form the holy trinity of triathlon, incorporating cross-training into your routine can be a game-changer. By diversifying your workouts, you can enhance your overall fitness, prevent injuries, and boost your triathlon performance.
Why Cross-Train?
Injury prevention: Engaging in different activities reduces the repetitive stress on specific muscle groups, lowering your risk of overuse injuries.
Improved endurance: Cross-training develops your cardiovascular system, increasing your stamina and endurance for those long race distances.
Enhanced strength: Building overall strength complements the demands of triathlon, improving power and efficiency.
Mental refreshment: Switching up your routine can prevent boredom and keep you motivated.
Cross-Training Options for Triathletes
Strength training: Focus on exercises that build core strength, upper body power, and lower body stability.
Yoga or Pilates: Improve flexibility, balance, and core strength while reducing stress and unleashing the power of the breath for training.
Other endurance sports: Swimming, cycling, and running are not the only ways to build endurance. Consider activities like rowing, hiking, or cross-country skiing.
Gym workouts: Utilize gym equipment like elliptical machines, stair climbers, or rowing machines for varied workouts.
Remember: The key to effective cross-training is balance. Incorporate these activities into your routine without overdoing it. Listen to your body and adjust your cross-training schedule accordingly. By combining targeted cross-training with your triathlon training, you'll be well-prepared to tackle any challenge that comes your way.
Have you tried cross-training in your triathlon journey? If not, what's holding you back?
Julia Aimers
CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist
CSEP High-Performance Specialist
Certified Triathlon, Cycling, Yoga and Swimming Coach
USA Cycling Level 2 Coach
Training Peaks Accredited Coach
A year ago I could only tread water and had not run since childhood. With the amazing Virtual Olympic course, support, guidance, and tips from of all the folks at Team Triumph I've ended the season with my first Olympic distance triathlon under my belt and am hooked! Really looking forward to the 2025 season and even to the hard work over the winter to prepare. Karen Houle
I wanted to let you know that the Perth triathlon was a great experience, I somehow placed third in my age group! What a supportive group of participants (including Team Triumph athletes), cheering bystanders and volunteers.
Thanks to your swim lessons, I learned the technical basics and gained confidence to get back in the pool after decades. And it was really special doing this with Ann Laidlaw, my bestie for many years. We did a couple of additional swims with Kevin and Team Triumph people, also a great way to continue learning and practicing good technical form.
I will continue with lane swimming and who knows, maybe there's another triathlon in my future!
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman