Read time: 5min.
By Coach Yan Busset
Real Training for Real People
Social media, magazines, and interviews are filled with stories about pro triathletes and their intense training regimes. For many age groupers, these stories can be inspiring, providing a glimpse into the training weeks of elite athletes. The problem? Age groupers trying to mimic these routines without realizing that there’s a massive gap between pro life and real life.
And here’s the kicker: many pros don’t even share their typical training weeks. Instead, they’ll post about their biggest, toughest training blocks, making their routines look like superhuman feats, sometime to troll other pros. It’s a little like watching a highlight reel and thinking that’s the whole game. If you try to keep up with that, you’ll hit burnout faster than you can say “FTP.” But here’s the good news: effective training is about balance, progress, and making it work for your life, not theirs.
The Key Difference: Recovery Capacity
One of the biggest secrets behind a pro’s success isn’t just how hard they train; it’s how well they recover. Pros have entire lifestyles built around rest; they’ve got time to nap, and maybe even a massage therapist on speed dial. For age groupers, it’s a different story. Training has to stack up alongside real-life commitments: work, family, hobbies, maybe even social life (remember that?).
The body doesn’t care if your stress comes from an intense workout or a demanding workday; it all adds up. Without enough recovery, you’ll find that your “brilliant new high-volume plan” quickly becomes the fast track to fatigue, plateau, or worst: injury. Progress that lasts only comes from sustainable training, and that requires balancing effort with realistic recovery.
Avoiding the Comparison Trap
It’s not just the pros who can make us feel the pressure. Platforms like Strava have turned training into a social sport, making it easy to spy on friends and rivals. Suddenly, someone’s weekend ride looks like it’s right out of a grand tour, and you’re left wondering why you’re not putting in as many miles. But let’s be clear: comparing yourself to others is a race you’ll never win. Even Pros themselves compare to each others and burnout trying to mimic some of their peers.
Each of us has our own limits, priorities, and commitments. The goal should be to improve on your personal best, not to chase someone else’s standards. Set goals that are achievable and meaningful for you, and you’ll find the process a whole lot more satisfying.
Learning Selectively from Pros: The Formula 1 Analogy
Now, I’m not saying you should ignore everything the pros do. There’s value in learning from the best. Think of it like Formula 1 racing, some of the innovations eventually make their way into the daily cars we drive, but you don’t need an F1 engine to make your commute to work. Similarly, some training methods or hacks from the pros can be beneficial if adapted wisely.
However, it’s crucial to keep these practices in perspective. For instance, if an athlete wants to increase their volume, it must be done progressively and with careful monitoring.
Working with a coach, age groupers should track recovery markers, like sleep quality, recovery heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), weight, and perceived effort. Monitoring these metrics helps determine if the body is absorbing the increased workload, ensuring that any adjustment made is sustainable. Regular feedback and gradual increases, rather than drastic changes, are the keys to making pro-level insights work for real-life training.
The Relative Nature of Pro Metrics: Power, Speed, and Zones
Another thing that can feel intimidating? The raw numbers pros are putting out. Whether it’s power output, pace, or heart rate zones, pro metrics are often in a different stratosphere. For example, Tadej Pogacar’s Zone 2 ride probably looks like most people’s dream FTP! But here’s the catch: t’s his Zone 2, meaning it’s hardly even taxing for him. If you’re trying to match that, you’re likely pushing yourself far harder than he is in that same workout.
Focus on what makes sense for your physiology, not someone else’s power meter numbers. Your body, your rules.
Avoiding the Gear Obsession Trap
And then there’s the tech. We’ve all seen these ceramic bearings, aero tires, or carbon plate shoes: it’s true that for a part and especially on the bike you can "buy speed" and if your budget allows it to you then what not? But for most age groupers, those marginal gains aren’t always worth the cost. For example, a pro riding at 50 kilometers per hour might benefit from marginal aero gains, especially if the difference between first and second place is 2seconds. But for most age groupers, these marginal gains are less impactful at lower IRL speeds. You’re probably better off investing in tools that actually support recovery or save time.
Think of it this way: a week at a training campl will likely do more for your performance than on a few grams shaved off your bike. Focus on the gains that matter, not the bling bling.
Training for Real Life: Balancing Quality, Consistency, and Recovery
Instead of following a pro’s high-volume routine, aim for something realistic and sustainable. Here are take away key principles to keep in mind:
Consistency Over Intensity: Slow and steady wins the race. It’s better to have a routine you can stick to than to constantly feel burnt out.
Quality Over Quantity: Focus on workouts that target your specific weaknesses, whether it’s improving technique or building endurance, rather than chasing hours.
Practical Recovery: Find ways to recover that fit your lifestyle. Short, low-stress sessions and active recovery days can go a long way in keeping you refreshed.
A coach can provide a helpful perspective here, tailoring your plan to suit your personal life and training goals. They can separate the noise from the valuable trends, ensuring your energy is directed where it’ll have the biggest impact.
Staying Focused on Your Own Journey
At the end of the day, triathlon is a personal journey. It’s not about matching someone else’s stats or copying a pro’s routine; it’s about discovering what works best for you. Embrace your own path, and remember that improvement doesn’t mean chasing someone else’s numbers. The real satisfaction comes from knowing you’re becoming a stronger version of you, at a pace that fits your life.
Celebrating Real Triathlon Training
Training like a pro sounds tempting, but for most of us, real progress comes from balancing ambition with practicality. Real training for real people means finding a rhythm that works within your life, embracing consistency, and knowing when to ease off. You don’t need to be a pro to see results, but you can think like one: you need to be smart, adaptable, and committed. In the end, it’s about making the sport something sustainable and rewarding, a journey toward the best version of yourself. not a pale imitation of someone else.
Thank you for reading, and as always, if you have ideas for future blog posts, feel free to send me a DM; I really value your feedback. As always, stay strong, fast, and furious, train hard but smart and see you next week!
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