Half Ironman Triathlon Training Routines

Every aspiring athlete dreams to be somewhere someday, but dreaming is but the start. Before a person even becomes an athlete, he needs to submit himself to rigid training and unfailing discipline.

He also has to instill a sense of competition within him to keep pushing himself and striving to be the best athlete that he can be.

To beginners, joining, completing and winning the Half Ironman Triathlon seems to be the very first step to take.

This is because the competition prepares them for the longer, more competitive Ironman Triathlon.

The Ironman Triathlon is a long distance race that consists of 2.4 miles swim, 112 miles bike and more than 26 miles marathon. The actual challenge comes in with the fact that no breaks are scheduled in between the events.

Since the entire routine proves to be too hard for beginners, the Half Ironman Triathlon came about. This race also has three legs including a 1.2 – mile swim, 56 – mile bike and 13.1 – mile marathon.

The course is shorter but this will be extremely tough for people who are just starting out.

To give you an idea, here are some of the Half Ironman Triathlon training routines these aspiring athletes have to go through.

1. At a minimum the duration of the Half Ironman Triathlon training takes 15 to 20 weeks. Per day, an athlete is expected to dedicate 5 to 6 hours of their day to finish the entire exercise routine. With each day or week, the training progresses in terms of duration and difficulty.

2. Routines may include endurance and strength enhancing activities such as running or biking uphill, swimming and weight lifting.

If you notice, those activities do not exactly have to be done inside the gym. In fact fitness experts recommend aspiring triatheletes to train doing the tasks they are expected to do.

This way, their bodies will get the strength and rhythm they need to get them through the race.

For more resistance, they can make use of ankle weights and heavy back packs while running and biking.

3. The Half Ironman Triathlon training is not all about physical exertions. It is also about mental and nutritional preparation as well.

An athlete must be motivated enough to find the will to train despite bad weather and lazy fits. Plus, they should be disciplined enough to eat lean and healthy meals that will help their muscles develop and keep them in tip top shape.