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Triathalon Training and Nutrition Plan

June 3, 2011 –

A couple of months ago, I posted an extensive blog  on P90X and Triathalon training. However, between the ASYLUM CHALLENGE and my 10 Mile Race, I had to hold off my training until now.

I have never raced in a triathalon so I am entered into two races this year. The first is on June 26 while the second is on August 28. The latter is the real milestone, the Chicago Triathalon –  Olympic Distance. The former is a quasi-Sprint distance in a Chicago Suburb. (You can see all official triathalon distances HERE.) This will give me a great opportunity to get a feel for the transitions and the general pacing of a triathalon. It is a 700m swim, 14 mile bike, and a 4.5 mile run.  The bike and the run are a little longer than a standard Sprint distance.

I will go over  about 3 aspects of my training plan in this blog: workouts, nutrition, and supplements.



Workouts

Competitive Triatheletes have numerous phases of training throughout the year: Offseason, Preparation, Base, Pre-Competitive, and Competitive. In each of those phases, the Frequency, Intensity, and Timing of each workout is different. Luckily, I have some colleagues who have done triathalons before and a fellow member of Team Right Now has been feeding me some great material. One great article was written by Gale Bernhardt, a Triathalon Expert, on how to get ready for a triathalon in six weeks. Well, I have 4! LOL. However, it is not like I am starting fro scratch. As  I carved out my next 30 days, I took a few things into account.

1) I am training for slightly more than a Sprint distance. This is very doable given the base I have from 18 months of P90X, Insanity, and Asylum.

2) With my 10 mile run completed, I felt I did not need a dedicated day for the run. Given it is 4.5 miles, this can be incorporated into brick workouts (See #4)

3) The (2) areas that I have not spent much time on are bike and swim. I need to focus my cardio days here so I have dedicated days to both of these activities.

4) One of the most important and unique aspects of a triathalon are brick workouts. Bricks are the transition from swim to bike or bike to run. However, most people focus on the transition from bike to run . As you transition from the motion of biking to running, you get a very weird sensation in your legs as your muscles and blood flow adjust. Hence, the term “brick”.

5) I want to keep building my upper body strength and have dedicated 2 days to this.

6) As Tony says, “Don’t…Skip…the Yoga”. You know from my Yoga post, I am a huge proponent of maintaining this in a weekly training routine. If you read articles on triathalon training, you will find that Yoga is high on the list for many triathelete’s training blocks.

7) The “Open Water Swim” is new to me. So although I haven’t included it in my training block, I do have a couple of open water swims scheduled. This will also allow me to get used to the feel of my new wetsuit. (Unfortunately, you cannot use it in pools given the chlorine.)

You can download my 30 day calender HERE. It is under Workout Calenders and entitled “Roberts Hybrid IV – Triathalon, P90X, Insanity, One on One”. You can see a preview below as well.



Nutrition

The second big key adjustment I am making over my next 30 days is my diet. I am a big believer in the P90X Nutrition Plan. Out of all the Beachbody workout programs, I think this is the best laid out plan. There are 3 phases with different P/C/F ratios.

1) Fat Shredder -50 /30/ 20

2) Energy Booster – 40 / 40 / 20

3) Endurance Maximizer – 60 / 20 / 20

If you read my Asylum Nutrition Plan, I had targeted 2400-2500 calories with a 42.5/42.5/15 P/C/ F split. Essentially, I was following the Energy Booster plan.  If you read through my Asylum Results, you know I had to adjust mid way through to 2600-2700 calories with a heavier weighting on carbs due to undesired  weight loss on the program.

For this round, I am going to be burning alot of calories with some long endurance training. I am  looking to increase my Body Fat% from 5% at the end of ASYLUM to 6-7%. Finally, I am looking to try and add some bulk in my upper body. To build mass, it is recommended to decrease your cardio calorie burn However, I am going to give it a try and see my results.

I will be following the Endurance Maximizer Plan, with a slight modification to the P/F ratios.  This is an athletic diet and really needs to be earned. However, my workouts and my goals require this nutritional plan. My P/C/F ratios will be the following:

1) Protein – 25-38%

2) Carbs – 55-60%

3) Fats – 12-20%

I will be increasing my intake to 3600 calories. I can be classified as a  hard gainer who is calorie burning machine. So I need to take somewhat drastic steps in both my caloric intake and P/C/F ratios. I always create a baseline meal plan and that tweak off of then. Here is what I have created:


Meal #1 – Post Workout

I use the word meal lightly here. This is my morning Post Workout Supplement which consists of P90x Results & Recovery Formula. I am using the New & Improved version that uses dextrose and has less sugar. For more on the N&I version, click HERE. I using (2) scoops of P90X R&R formula.

I am on my 1 month of cycling OFF of creatine, so I will not be using Beachbody Strength & Muscle over the next 30 days.


Meal #2 – Breakfast

After my post workout, I get ready for the day which gives the supplements the required 30 minutes to appropriately get absorbed before my next meal.

– Kashi Go Lean Crunch or Tony Horton’s “Get Up and Go” Granola (1 Cup)

Almond Milk with Cereal (1 Cup)

– Flax Seed (1 Tbsp) – Add into whole grain cereal

– Fruit. Could be cantaloupe, cherries, strawberries, etc (1 Cup)

GNC AMP Amplified Mass XXX (2 Scoops) with Unsweetened Almond Milk (1 Cup)


Meal #3 – Morning Snack

I look forward to this around 10:30 – 11:00 everyday! I make this before I go to work and then put it in a 40oz Thermos. It works perfect and keeps my shake just like it was when I poured it out of the blender. You can see me make it below in my You Tube clip.

– 1 Scoop Chocolate Shakeology

– 1 Scoop GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate Whey Protein.

– 1 Scoop Shakeology Boost – The Fiber

– 2 Tbsp PB2 (Don’t know what PB2 is? Wow, are you missing out! :) See my review HERE.)

– 16 oz of Water + 15 ice cubes


Meal #4 – Lunch

For lunch, I have been sticking with an all vegetarian salad. I add beans to give me some good carbs (and protein) along with avocado for some healthy fats. See my creation below. :)

– 2 Cups Lettuce

– 1 Cup Spinach

– My Favorite Veggies (Mushrooms, Zucchini, Squash, Tomatoes, Peppers, Carrots, Cucumbers)

– 1/2 Cup of Beans (Kidney, Garbanzo, and/or Black)

– 1/2 Avocado

– Black Pepper

– Dressing = 2 slices of squeezed lemons

– I am also adding 1 oz. of plain almonds on the side


Meal #5 – Afternoon Snack

Around 3pm, I’ll grab another snack.

– Organic Braeburn Apple (my favorite, although Honeycrisp is good too.) I thank my wife for introducing me to these two varieties!

P90x Peanut Butter Peak Performance Bar. I am now getting the New & Improved version, so there is less sugar. Read more about the N&I version HERE.


Meal # 6 – Dinner

I need to increase my night-time calories, so I have added alot more carbs to this meal. This is the only meat I have during the day.

– 6 oz of lean meat. I have been having skinless boneless chicken.  I am a big fan of the meat at Whole Foods. I have been trying to reduce my intake of meat. So when I do have some, I buy really good meat that is vegetable-fed, no GMOs, locally grown, etc.

– 10 oz cooked (5 oz pre-cooked) of Whole Wheat Pasta. I use Organic Gluten Free pasta when I can. I like Lundburg Brown Rice Pasta. You can see all the details HERE.

– 1 Cup of Organic Tomato Sauce. I use Gluten-Free when I can. I like a brand called Organicville. You can see all the details  HERE. No Sugar Added and 100 calories for 1 Cup.

– 1-2 Cups of Vegetables. Broccoli, Asparagus, Green Bean, etc.


Meal #7 – Post Dinner

For my final meal of the day, I make a protein shake.

– 10 oz water

– 1 Frozen Banana

– 8 Ice Cubes

– 1 Scoop GNC Casein Protein



Supplements

For the most part, I am following my supplement plan I laid out in my video below.

However, there are (2) changes I am making.

1)  I have added  GNC AMP Amplified Mass XXX into my breakfast. This is categorized as a mass gainer. There are significant calories and carbs in this formula. I take 2 Scoops which gives me 375 calories, 25g of protein, 62g of carbs, and 3g of fat. I mix it with 15 ice cubs, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. I will post a more extensive review once I have taken it for 30 days to give you my impressions.

2) I have swapped out my nightly Whey Protein with Casein Protein. Casein is a slower release protein that is ideal right before you go to bed. I use 1 Scoop which provides me with 160 calories, 25g Protein, 11g Carbs, and 1.5g of fat. Many complain on the taste, but with my little banana concoction above, I thought it tasted fine.



Wrap-Up

This was a long blog, but I think it is important to look at the 3-legged stool when you create at a new training block: workouts, nutrition, and supplements. Always remember to start with your goals. Are you trying to burn more fat, gain mass, increase endurance, etc? I have been trying different things for 18 months, so I feel comfortable with the changes I am making given my triathalon goals. If you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Me.

3 Responses to “Triathalon Training and Nutrition Plan”

  1. […] element you not only work primary muscle groups, but secondary and tertiary as well. With all my triathalon training, my legs are in really good shape. However, I still find these types of workouts leave my legs […]

  2. […] so that I could hit Back, Legs, and Abs all in one day. With swimming being a key component of my triathalon training (obviously!), I am working my back twice a week and will incorporate this routine into my next 8 […]

  3. […] go off at 3:30 am on Sunday, August 28. My mind races with the day ahead of me. 90 days of training (See HERE for my nutrition and training plan) and countless hours of discussions with experienced triatheletes culminates into […]

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