8-week Sprint Distance Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners and First-Timers

Approachable and easy-to-follow plan that will get you race-ready!

I am new to triathlon training this year, and when I signed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon, I knew that I would need to follow a training plan to prepare for the race. Finding a solid, science-backed training plan seemed to be a sensible approach to training for this race. It helped me to hold myself accountable and took the guesswork out of me trying to figure everything out on my own how. After following the training plan for 8 weeks I was race-ready!

I found the Beginner Olympic program to be an approachable, easy-to-follow training plan that is appropriate for athletes who are new to triathlon training. If you stick to this plan, you should have no problem completing an Olympic distance triathlon.

From just exercising to training with thought and precision

I used the Beginner Olympic plan to give me guidance to train for the Olympic distance. I wanted a structure that would push me and use my time well.

The plan was great! I benefited a lot from the structure of having a plan. The way the workouts progress each week is great. I was just exercising before I started using the training plan and once I began to use the plan, I was training with thought and precision.

I went from being stuck around 210 lbs for the longest time in my life to dropping down to 200 lbs after completing the 8-week Beginner Olympic Distance plan. My blood pressure improved and I feel amazing!

Before I started this plan I found some online 8-week program geared towards getting you ready for a triathlon. The problem that I found out was the fast free online plans are too generic. There is not enough direction on the pace you need to be pushing yourself.

Since starting this program I am injury-free and pain-free and feel like this plan is a personal plan based on my own pace/heart rate. There is no guess-work. You know what you have to do and the only thing you have to do is stay disciplined.

I have only good things to say about the plan so it gets a big old 5 stars out of 5 from me.

Kept me organised and focused!

Your plan kept me very organized and focused through the 12 weeks. It was a good fit for my level. Not too easy, with too short training distances like so many other training plans I looked at, but not so daunting as some of the 12-15 hrs/week plans.

I have another race coming up, so I plan to restart the plan next week to prep for it. I would highly recommend it, 9 out of 10.

One of the best training plans I´ve ever purchased!

The progression of the plan was very good. I felt lot stronger after the training and I also liked that the Training Peaks version of the plan has the Structured Workouts feature so they can be easily downloaded to Garmin devices. I sincerely think that it has been one of the best training plans I´ve ever purchased. Worth every penny!

I got consistent with my training and trained with purpose

I got structure to my training program and more variety in my training. This allowed me to stay consistent and train with purpose. I highly recommend signing up so you can train to train with structure and purpose towards your goals.

Amazing result! I'll use the plan again next season

Previously, I had no structure or plan... every day I made up a workout and as long as I felt sufficiently winded at the end, I thought it was a good workout. With the Intermediate Olympic training plan, I didn't have to think about what to do each day. Everything has been figured out for me and I just have to go out and execute. I really liked the detail and structure of the workouts, and that they were based on my personal bike power, run pace and swim pace thresholds.

The end result was amazing! I ended up improving by 6 minutes on both the Sprint and the Olympic distance. This is the value of structured training vs. non-structured, haphazard training. I intend to use the plan again next season and follow it even more rigorously. Highly recommended, ten out of ten!

 1 hour 11 minutes for my first sprint triathlon!

My training was haphazard before starting to use the Beginner Sprint distance plan. I didn't know what to focus on or how to structure my week, although I almost did not buy the plan since I was arrogantly thinking I should know better and should know how to structure training myself. With the plan, I found I was much more consistent and had much more structure, and ended up doing 1 hour 11 minutes total time for my first sprint triathlon, beating my target time of 1 hour 15 minutes.

Significant time improvements in races, and swim went from mediocre to good!

Before getting started with Mikael's training plans, my training was all at the same pace and I didn't see any progress. I also found it difficult to stay motivated. But with his help, my program transformed and I really started progressing. My Olympic distance times improved significantly, and my swim went from mediocre to good. I highly recommend making this investment. It will transform your training and triathlon progress.

Always a clear purpose

The Intermediate Sprint plan has helped me stay consistent and avoid doing random of training - it's nice to always have a clear purpose. Plus, it saves me time from having to plan my training myself. I just needed to stick to the plan, have faith that it would improve my fitness, and it did!

I would definitely recommend this plan. Everything is explained very well and Mikael is available and willing to help when required.

Follow this plan and you will be prepared for the race

This was my first Olympic distance race, and I was able to complete it. I don't think I could have done so without the Beginner Olympic plan.

The instructions for what to do each day were specific and detailed. It helped to prepare me well for the race, and go from just exercising to training. The plan was well worth the investment. Follow it and you will be prepared for your race.

Made my training much more efficient!

With this training plan, my training changed to be more systematic. Each session has a clear target for what you're trying to achieve - not just "going for a run".

I haven't previously trained using training zones, and this made the training much more efficient. I've improved my run pace nicely (and it was my strongest discipline before) and really improved my cycling.

Finally, having this plan makes it harder to skip workouts, so it helps you stay consistent. If you're considering purchasing it, just go for it! It helps immensely.

A personal plan based on my own pace/heart rate

Since starting the 8-week Beginner Olympic Distance plan I am injury-free and pain-free and feel like this plan is a personal plan based on my own pace/heart rate. There is no guess-work. You know what you have to do and the only thing you have to do is stay disciplined.

I also went from being stuck around 210 lbs for the longest time in my life to dropping down to 200 lbs, my blood pressure improved and I feel amazing!

15 s/km faster 5k time, 15 s/100m faster swim, and my best sprint triathlon time - 1:07!

I think there's no better way to improve than having a well-balanced plan. This training plan gave more structure to my training and introduced me to new types of workouts. And the results were fantastic! I got a 15 s/km faster 5k time, 15 s/100m faster swim, and my best sprint triathlon time - 1:07! Ten out of ten!