Online triathlon coaching for beginners can feel counterintuitive. Surely they need someone to be there with them to help them improve? Isn’t online triathlon coaching for experienced athletes?
It’s true that for beginners, having someone analyse their swim stroke is of critical importance, and there is no replacement for having a coach on poolside who can watch them carefully, give feedback, watch them again and give positive reinforcement or further feedback
Limitations of in person triathlon coaching
Unfortunately, while in person coaching is the king of technique development, it comes up short in just about every other area.
If you attend a group session then that session won’t be tailored to you and your goals, which will stunt your development. The community that these sessions create is powerful, but not many triathletes need a drill sergeant on poolside barking at them to excel in training.
Most triathletes will be training at unusual (or sometimes outright antisocial) times, and be incredibly driven in their own right. If they can turn up to the pool with a personalised swim set that their online triathlon coach has written them, then that’s all they really need. A big mistake newer triathletes make is only swimming as part of a group session, which holds their development back in a big way.
A good coach can guide someone through a session for an hour, but what about the rest of the week?
How long will their long rides/runs be?
Which intervals should they be doing?
Which order should they need to do session in?
What should they be eating during longer workouts?
How do they progress their training over time?
What’s the best way to integrate strength training?
How can they reduce the risk of injury?
This is only a handful of considerations that need to be made.
Where beginners go wrong
Many aspiring triathletes are full of energy and enthusiasm. They are inspired by the sport, and have taken a big leap. They are motivated and driven. This is how they are going to make a fitness routine actually stick. The mixture of the variety of training and a very clear goal stick a rocket up their backside. It’s time to make the magic happen.
However, this enthusiasm, while commendable, often comes back to bite them. They push their body too hard, too soon, and end up injured of burned out.
Online triathlon coaching is the solution to this. Good triathlon coaching is much less about pushing someone to their limit, and much more about reining them in. Helping athletes get out of their own way.
The key to triathlon performance
High performance in triathlon comes from a mindful, carefully constructed approach. Not a passionate, random series of workouts which leaves you feeling brilliant after, but broken for days afterwards.
Instead of only looking one week ahead at a time, we need to think about the long picture, and how what we do now influences our most important events.
It’s about patience and efficiency. It’s about building training in a mindful manner so we’re enthused and energetic on race day. Not bemoaning an injury we picked up due to skipping strength training. Or feeling empty because we peaked three months ago.
It’s about choosing how and when you want your endorphin kick. Do you want to go all out several times a week digging yourself into a hole of fatigue? Or do you want to cross the finish line of your event in a time you could only have dreamed of, feeling on top of the world?
Getting started
I can help plan build around you from the ground up. Hold you accountable. Answer your questions. Give you someone to lean on when things get tough. An expert to help you adjust course when life gets in the way. Ensure you are making the best possible use of your time. Help you pick out the right equipment for optimal performance, without throwing money at products which won’t help.
I have been coaching since 2016, and helped hundreds of athletes like you achieve everything from their first sprint triathlon finish to qualifying for the Ironman World Championships. You can read testimonials from athletes like you here.
To learn more, check out my bespoke coaching here or email me at Simon@phazontriathlon.com
