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The Best Beginner Half Ironman Training Plan
The Best Beginner Half Ironman Training Plan
The Best Beginner Half Ironman Training Plan
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beginner half ironman training plan for free.
The free plan focuses on consistently training your aerobic system. Your aerobic system takes a long time to
develop. You will improve your aerobic fitness and do better in your event by training consistently.
Try to train almost every day, rather than neglect workouts during the week and then cram in big workouts on the
weekend to “make up.”
Stay focused on getting your basic aerobic training done, and don’t overdo it in any given workout.
You will experience some fatigue, which is good, but you don’t want fatigue to be excessive. You should feel
recovered enough after each day to complete the next day’s training.
Remember, you only get better when you adequately recover from training sessions. Focus on recovery, sleep,
nutrition, and hydration. If you want help with any aspects of recovery, you can reach out to us at Paragon Training.
Of course, consult with your doctor to determine if you are healthy enough before you start training.
If you have done a few shorter endurance events, such as a 10k run or a sprint triathlon, then give yourself at least 4
months to train for a half Ironman.
If you’re starting from zero endurance training, then plan for at least 6 months to train for a half Ironman.
If you’ve been consistently doing some kind of endurance training 4-5 times a week for 2 months or more, then you
might be able to train for 3 months to complete your half Ironman.
In order to train for a half Ironman in 6 months the most important things you will need are a plan, commitment, and
consistency.
Need help deciding how long to train for your half Ironman? Send us a message or sign up following the link above
to get your first plan for free.
Training for a half Ironman primarily requires training your aerobic metabolism. If you’ve never completed a half
Ironman or you’ve been training for less than 2 years, then you will benefit by improving your aerobic system.
Plan to train 6 days per week with an “off” day each week for additional recovery.
If you stay in the right training zones during workouts, you should be able to handle this load and it will be a
superior stimulus for your aerobic system than only one workout a day or only training 2-3 times per week.
A simple way to estimate your finish time is to take the average speed of your longest swim, longest ride, and
longest run and multiply that by the distance of each leg in the half Ironman race.
For example:
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This plan is designed to help you finish your first half Ironman triathlon.
For every workout, you should start with a warm up and end with a cool down.
Below are suggested warm ups and cool downs for each sport. You can extend the duration of each if you feel
your body needs more time to be ready for the main part of the workout.
Warm Ups
Swim - 5-10 minutes easy swimming, then 4-6x50yd drills with long rests of 30sec
Bike - 10 minutes easy Z1 spin, then 4x30sec moderate to hard effort up to Z3 effort with 1:30min recoveries, then
5min easy spin before main set.
Run - Do the routines in the activation videos (or similar), then 10-20min easy Z1 jog.
Strength - 10min easy movement that may include easy swim, bike, or run before to get your muscles warm.
Exercises
Below are strength, activation, and stretching exercises to do throughout the plan.
NOTE: The videos provided are meant for example purposes and are not meant to replace proper instruction from
a certified specialist. If you feel unusual pain or discomfort at any time during these exercises, then stop.
Strength
CORE
2 rounds of :10 each leg glute bridges
10 each side opposite arm/leg raises from kneeling
20 glute bridge w/ ball squeeze
10 Heel taps (keep lower back flat)
10 each side clamshells
10 adduction/ abduction each leg
GLUTES
Glute Activation Routine to strengthen hip abductors. Use a band around the knees or ankles. Complete 10-
20 reps of each exercise.
TRISETS
-Move through each triset in order, then onto the next triset.
-6-10 Reps each movement
-10-15 seconds between each movement
-Complete 1-3 rounds of each triset.
-Increase weight as you get stronger
-1:00 between ROUNDS
PRE-SET
3 x 5 Squat jumps w/ no weight- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72BSZupb-1I
TRISET A
Reverse Lunge (6-10 reps each side) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1HLhIZCjvI
Bent over row (Can use DB) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2OdaGOmHlM
High plank shoulder taps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKVVi6OYNOY
TRISET B
Hip bridge w/ KB on waist- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j--6WPpsG9o
Push up (add weight Vest if you need to)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-k1CkNGb4U
Pallof press- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H3tHXPSx6g
Mobility
CALF: Stack your opposite leg on top and rock back and forth.
QUAD: Roll hip to knee. Hold on tight spot and bend kee up and down to release.
BACK: Roll mid-back to upper-back w/ arms behind head like a crunch position. Side-to-side between
shoulder blades.
IT BAND: Side of leg stopping before the knee. DON'T roll on the actual hip bone.
FOAM ROLLER: https://amzn.to/378bnyG
STRETCH HIPS
https://www.paragontraining.org/post/half-ironman-training-plan#:~:text=If you're starting from,to complete your half Ironman. 5/25
6/20/23, 8:43 AM The Best Beginner Half Ironman Training Plan
8-12 Minutes doing basic hip mobility and soft tissue work.
One Option- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG9qbvAN3gQ
Another Option- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRmFiQ6lBn4
IT Band Stretches- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cd-gKw7QkA
Swim Drills
You can do any number of the below swim drills as part of your warmup for each swim.
SCULLING- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE_vO6xIBvY
BUTTERFLY KICK ON BACK- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lend_Etd_Gc
8-3-8 DRILL- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K827DM3jb_A
STREAMLINE KICK- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRRKrKAkAT8
FINGERTIP DRAG- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQQQ15NUazc
BUOY DRILL- https://youtu.be/55CSr_Q9_b4?t=10
Ankle band can be used to keep feet together. Use an old bike inner tube and cut it to make a cheap and
effective ankle band.
Cool Downs
Swim
Bike
Run
Strength
Recovery
After each workout, be sure to rehydrate, consume a carb/protein mixture, stretch, foam roll, and take an ice bath if
necessary.
Abbreviations
RPE = Rate of Perceived Exertion
Scale of 1-10 with 1 being very easy and 10 being very hard.
PHASE 1: Base
GOAL: Build a big engine. To do this, train consistently at basic aerobic intensities for at least 80% of all your
training time. Your primary task as a beginner triathlete is to build your basic aerobic engine in all three disciplines.
This will enable you to go harder and faster when the time is right during intervals and in the build phase of the
plan.
Week 1 - Base
Week 2 - Base
Week 3 - Base
Week 4 - Base
Week 5 - Recover
Week 6 - Base
Week 7 - Base
Week 8 - Base
Week 9 - Recover
PHASE 2: Build
GOAL: Fine-tune your big engine. Train more specifically for your event by improving your race pace, threshold,
VO2Max, and anaerobic system.
Week 10 - Build
Week 11 - Build
Week 12 - Build
Week 13 - Build
Week 14 - Build
Happy training! We hope you enjoy your free plan and finish your race with success! Follow us and leave us a
review!