The Competitive Amateur

Turning The Basic Week into a Season Plan

John Hellemans racing in Auckland, 2015

Last time, we laid out a 3-3-3 structure for building a Basic Week for a Recreational Triathlete.

We made the point that the 7-9 hour training week is a good template for Lifelong Health and Athleticism. It’s also a useful template for when a Competitive Athlete wants to place themselves on a maintenance plan.

Today, we’re going to cover three topics.

1. We will lay out a Basic Week for a Competitive Amateur.

2. John will explain how best to implement the week.

3. I will explain how to turn the week into a season plan.

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The Competitive Amateur

We’re assuming you have a job, a family and a desire to keep your life in order.

We’re also assuming you’re already proficient (skill wise) for each sport.

Basic Week Competitive Amateur

The program is 4-4-4 for workout frequency.

The athlete will end up with ~18 hours per week.

Monthly hours will be 55-70, depending on how much, and how often, the athlete needs to step volume down to ensure positive adaptations.

This places the Competitive Amateur in the 500-750 annual hour range.

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John’s Implementation Tips

• Do this type of programme for 6-8 weeks, and you will be ready to race, assuming you have the basic skills for the three disciplines.