kovaaWeekly hours, beginner16 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 6.4 h.
1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run
Olympic triathlon training plan
A 16-week plan for an Olympic-distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run). If you're intermediate, expect 5–9 hours a week through base, build, peak and taper. Here's how the season is laid out for beginner, intermediate and advanced athletes, with its phases and some of the key workouts.
Updated
16weeks
4–7hours a week
7sessions a week
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–8 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 9–14 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Week 15 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Race | Week 16 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Threshold, Short
A shorter threshold session for days when time is tight.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 12:00 |
| 02 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 6:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 5:00 |
Shorter warm-up, so build into the first rep.
Bike
Sweet Spot, Short
Sweet spot work that fits in an hour.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | Sweet SpotZ3 | 2 × 15:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 5:00 |
Shorter warm-up, so ease into the first block.
Brick
Brick Repeats
Short-course race intensity through repeated transitions.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | Bike + RunZ4 | 3 × 10:00 + 1500 m |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 5:00 |
Fast transitions every time; set your kit out.
16weeks
5–9hours a week
7sessions a week
Weekly hours, intermediate16 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 8.8 h.
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–8 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 9–14 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Week 15 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Race | Week 16 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Threshold Intervals
Builds the pace you can hold for an hour.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | StridesZ5 | 4 × 20s |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 8:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Settle into pace by minute 2 of each rep; don't chase the first 30 seconds.
Bike
Threshold 3 × 10
Raises FTP, the power everything else is measured against.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | OpenersZ4 | 3 × 1:00 |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 10:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Even power; don't start above the range.
Swim
CSS 200s
200s at CSS, so you can hold threshold pace for longer.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 400 m |
| 02 | DrillsZ1 | 4 × 50 m |
| 03 | CSS SetZ4 | 5 × 200 m |
| 04 | EasyZ2 | 300 m |
| 05 | Cool DownZ1 | 200 m |
Every 100 on pace: the first should feel easy.
16weeks
8–11hours a week
8sessions a week
Weekly hours, advanced16 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 10.1 h.
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–8 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 9–14 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Week 15 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Race | Week 16 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Threshold Intervals
Builds the pace you can hold for an hour.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | StridesZ5 | 4 × 20s |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 8:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Settle into pace by minute 2 of each rep; don't chase the first 30 seconds.
Bike
Threshold 3 × 10
Raises FTP, the power everything else is measured against.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | OpenersZ4 | 3 × 1:00 |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 10:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Even power; don't start above the range.
Swim
CSS 200s
200s at CSS, so you can hold threshold pace for longer.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 400 m |
| 02 | DrillsZ1 | 4 × 50 m |
| 03 | CSS SetZ4 | 5 × 200 m |
| 04 | EasyZ2 | 300 m |
| 05 | Cool DownZ1 | 200 m |
Every 100 on pace: the first should feel easy.
Your own plan will look different.
The app builds yours from your race date, the days you can train and your thresholds. The Plan tab shows each week next to what you've actually done, and every session lists its steps and targets before it goes to your Apple Watch.
When your week doesn't go to plan.
- A short night or a low HRVThe hard session turns into an easy one and moves later in the week.
- A missed sessionKey sessions get moved, easier ones get dropped, and the week's load stays in a safe range.
- Sick, injured or travelingTell kovaa and it rebuilds the next few days around it, then eases you back in.
- You get fasterWhen a test or race shows a new FTP, threshold pace or CSS, kovaa suggests new targets.
Questions
How many weeks do I need to train for an Olympic triathlon?
kovaa builds a 16-week plan for an Olympic triathlon if you have that long. With fewer weeks, it keeps the taper, cuts the base phase the most, and trims build and peak to fit. A full race plan needs at least 12 weeks for beginners, 8 for intermediate and 6 for advanced athletes. With less time than that, kovaa gives you a plan to finish safely instead.
How many hours a week does Olympic training take?
Beginner: about 4–7 hours a week. Intermediate: about 5–9 hours a week. Advanced: about 8–11 hours a week. Every third or fourth week is a lighter recovery week. Short on time? The intermediate plan also fits into 5–8 hours.
What happens if I miss a session?
kovaa rebuilds the rest of the week. Key sessions get moved, easier ones get dropped, it won't stack two sessions on one day, and the week's load stays within safe limits. Small changes happen on their own. Bigger ones show up as a suggestion you can accept or skip.
Is this the plan I would get in the app?
Yes, it's the same engine. Yours is built around your race date, the days and hours you have, your thresholds (FTP, threshold pace and CSS) and any injuries, then adjusted every morning from your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate.