One Workout, Two Effects

Eric Kenny
For Active.com

With busy schedules, many athletes just don't have enough time to work on all the aspects necessary (intervals, aerobic base, technique, etc.) to reach their full potential, let alone the triathlete who needs to be effective in "all four sports." Therefore, combining workouts can be of great value to your training. I am not talking about a brick workout or double sessions. Rather, I'm referring to maximizing your time. Even professionals who train for a living need to be effective with their time and training.

A great way to do this is by focusing on more than one aspect of your training in one workout. By placing workouts within workouts you get a double whammy out of your training. (If you have one, make sure you consult your coach on the best way to do this within your training plan.)

One of the best ways to combine workouts is to perform technique drills or hard intervals within a longer endurance workout. For example: During your three-hour ride, focus on technique while riding up hills. Keep a high pedal cadence and concentrate on making perfect pedal strokes. Alternate standing and sitting—stand up on one hill, sit on the next. Do fast pedal drills in your long ride or strides in your long run. Don't get lost in blocking out your mileage during a long-distance workout. Use that time to hone your skills.

Another option is to do intervals or some kind of harder effort. If you are looking to increase your power or speed, do your intervals after a solid warm-up. Cool down easily, hydrate and fuel up appropriately, and then continue with a low-intensity endurance workout.

Bike Example:
20-minute warm-up
3x10-minutes in Zone 3 to 4 (3-minute easy spinning rest interval between each)
10-minute cool down
Continue cool down at Zone 2 for two hours

Endurance for Long-distances

Looking to focus on more endurance for that half- or full-distance tri? Do the intervals after two hours of riding in Zone 2. Again, remember to consult your coach or gradually build into doing these workouts-within-workouts, as they are a bit more taxing than your normal training.

There are some "double whammy" workouts that are a bad idea. Working two different maximal-effort zones in the same workout is not effective training. For instance, doing an extended tempo-session, cooling down, then doing one-minute intervals.

However, with the right planning and motivation there is no reason why someone with an already busy schedule can't move up to a longer race distance, be a contender in their age group, or reach their own personal goal. Happy training!