10-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan For Beginners

Swimmers in the 2015 Woburn Abbey Half-Iron
(Image credit: tri for life)

Signing up for your first triathlon can feel like a big leap into the unknown, but rest assured the sprint distance is actually quite manageable. We enlisted endurance coach Steve Whittle to create three plans, one for the sprint distance, then an Olympic triathlon training plan and half Ironman triathlon training plan. And now you know what you’re doing for the next three years.

“This 10-week plan is designed for beginners looking to take part in their first ever event,” says Whittle.

How long is a sprint triathlon?

Although these vary slightly from event to event, as a rough guideline you can expect to have to complete a 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run.

10-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan

To keep things simple, all the sessions in these plans are measured by duration rather than distance, ensuring that your body gets used to running, cycling and swimming for sustained periods of time without you having to stress about exactly how much ground you’re covering. Knowing exactly how long you’ll have to spend on the road and in the pool each week will make it a lot easy to schedule your training around work and social commitments, too.

Week 1

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MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 30min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 30min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 2

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 45min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 30min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 3

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 45min
TuesdayBike 45min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 45min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 4

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 30min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayRest
SaturdayBike 45min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 5

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 45min
WednesdayRun 45min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 30min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 6

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 45min
TuesdayBike 1hr
WednesdayRun 45min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 45min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 7

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 1hr
WednesdayRun 45min
ThursdaySwim 45min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 45min and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 8

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 30min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayRest
SaturdayBike 1hr and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 9

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 1hr
TuesdayBike 45min
WednesdayRun 45min
ThursdaySwim 30min
FridayBike 45min
SaturdayBike 1hr and run 30min
SundayRest

Week 10

Swipe to scroll horizontally
MondaySwim 30min
TuesdayBike 30min
WednesdayRun 30min
ThursdayRest
FridayBike 10min and run 5min
SaturdayRace Day
SundayRest

Nutrition Tips For Your Training

Good nutrition starts long before race day. Get the process right in training and stay strong to the finish.

8 weeks out

“Keeping your body well fuelled throughout your training and recovery will help you get you through the race,” says Toby Garbett, a two-time world champion British rower and a competitive triathlete. Most athletes do well on a 40:20:30 split of carbs, fat and protein, but experiment to see what best fuels your effort.

48 hours to go

“With two days to go, it’s worth making sure your glycogen reserves are topped up,” says Garbett. “Fuel with slow-release carbs, including sweet potatoes and vegetables.”

2 hours to go

“On race day, stick to what you’ve used for your extended training efforts,” says Garbett. “There are plenty of gels out there, but I once ran an entire Ironman race fuelled by peanut butter and jam sandwiches and diluted orange juice.”

On the bike

“For any endurance effort longer than an hour you should take some extra fuel along the way,” says Garbett. “This could be squash or diluted orange juice in a sports bottle.” Remember to drink it while on the bike – if you leave it until the run, it’ll be too late to get the effect.

On the run

“On the run you might want a final drink, gel or snack – maybe just 100 calories to get you to the finish,” says Garbett. Have it as you hit the road. Hot day? Chuck another bottle over your head – in a 2012 study, “external cooling” beat actually drinking the water for efficiency.


More Great Triathlon Training Advice

Ben Ince

Between 2010 and 2016, Ben was the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness UK, which predated, and then shared a website with, Coach. Ben also contributed exclusive features to Coach on topics such as football drills, triathlon training plans and healthy eating.