Get Fast Podcast - Triathlon, Ironman & Cycling Coaching Advice · TriVelo Coaching

4 Training Sessions You Should Be Doing (And 4 You Shouldn’t) Pt 1

·41 min·4 clips

Gerard Donnelly reveals the four training sessions you must include and four to avoid for triathlon success.

This episode of the Get Fast Podcast features host Jordan Donnelly and former Australian Ironman champion Gerard Donnelly, who is also the head coach of TriBello Coaching. They aim to identify essential and counterproductive weekly training sessions for triathletes and cyclists. The hosts begin with a personal segment where Gerard expresses gratitude for recently caring for his grandchildren. The first recommended session is a long, steady endurance workout, which Gerard argues builds a critical aerobic foundation many athletes neglect. They advocate for dedicated technique work, such as swim drills or isolated run form intervals, to improve efficiency. High-intensity interval training is their third essential, but they stress it must be properly periodized and not overused. The fourth mandatory session is a weekly strength training routine focused on injury prevention and athletic power. One session to avoid, according to the coaches, is the moderate-intensity, "grey zone" workout that is too hard to be easy and too easy to be hard. They caution against unstructured, open-ended group rides or runs that often devolve into race-pace efforts. The hosts advise eliminating very long, slow distance sessions if they compromise recovery and overall weekly training quality. They also recommend avoiding any high-intensity session performed in a fatigued state, as it yields poor adaptations. A key insight is their view that most age-group athletes perform too much moderate work and not enough truly easy or deliberately hard training. Gerard emphasizes that strength training is non-negotiable for durability, even during the race season. They note that technique sessions are often the first to be skipped when time is limited, which is a major mistake. The conversation reveals that many common group workouts inadvertently promote junk mileage. The hosts share that watching grandchildren provided a poignant reminder of past family chaos and joy. Gerard describes the challenge of consoling a toddler grandson who repeatedly called for his parents. The tone is educational and direct, blending structured coaching advice with casual, personal conversation. Listeners seeking clear, prioritized workout guidance from experienced coaches will find this episode valuable. Athletes who prefer less structured training philosophies or narrative-driven content might find it too prescriptive.

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