The Triathlete's Training Bible

by Joe Friel

The Triathlete's Training Bible is the bestselling and most comprehensive reference available to triathletes. Based on Joe Friel's proven, science-based methodology and his 28 years of coaching experience, The Triathlete's Training Bible has equipped hundreds of thousands of triathletes for success in the sport. The Triathlete's Training Bible equips triathletes of all abilities with every detail they must consider when planning a season, lining up a week of workouts, or preparing for race day. With this new edition, you will develop your own personalized training plan and learn how to: The Triathlete's Training Bible is the best-selling book on tri training ever published. Get stronger, smarter, and faster with this newest version of the bible of the sport.

Genres: Sports, Fitness, Nonfiction, Health, Reference, Audiobook, Cycling

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[trivialchemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thinking about runners this morning. The way they look. The way they move.

I don’t mean the champions of distance running. Despite the impossibility of their feats (26 miles at a 4:50 pace, 50 miles a day for 90 days, etc.), the competitors themselves srike me as very real, fundamentally human. Lank simians new-cast in nudity on the savannah, running a gazelle to exhaustion.

But then I think about one of these Olympic track stars. A guy like Usain Bolt. His whole life dedicated to the staggeringly impractical ability to run a mere hundred meters faster than any human being has ever crossed by foot that span.

I mean, have you ever really looked at this guy? He belongs in a DC Comic even more than a Greek pantheon. His last name is Bolt, for God’s sake! This is not the little ape on the prairie any more. This is a physique engendered not of hunting and travail and the fear of starvation, but of something more otherworldy: an emanation from the forge of human potentiality.

And I think of what it must mean to him, that race. Nine seconds, you know? Nine point six-nine seconds. His whole life, a growing crescendo to this one measure in which he will either be validated or he will fail. Nine seconds. It’s a mental burden, to be sure. But the pressure of the moment cannot possibly exceed the trials of the body thereto.

This latter I know – in some tentative way – because I have become something of an athlete myself, in no small part thanks to this book. By “athlete” I do not mean that I am particularly gifted, nor even particularly good, but that improving and competing in a particular sport has become a chief purpose in my life. There is work, and there is training. There is little else that matters.

What Joe Friel offers is the structure that makes this possible.

Because training at or near your peak physiological efficiency cannot be done haphazardly. It requires discipline, it requires obsession, and it requires a whole lot of time.

The more one learns about the theory of peak performance – the further, in other words, that one ventures into the mind of Joe Friel – the more aspects of previously quotidian existence which are subsumed into the training structure.

There is periodicity, to start with. What was once a random affair of going to the gym when you could cements its way into the calendar at preordained intervals. Then there is the principle that workouts should vary in duration and intensity (attributes themselves subject to a separate rubric of periodicity) in a certain specific way. This implies those same workouts must be planned far in advance, and carefully.

Then, of course, enters nutrition, and training suddenly becomes not just how one exercises but how one eats. Every meal is scripted by calorie and macronutrient, then micronutrient and glycemic index. Then come the laws of recovery, which govern sleep, posture, bathing, outside recreation. There are fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers, regulation of glycogen stores, injury prevention, neurological training, sports psychology, cadence regulation, heart rate and power output monitoring; the list, presumably, is infinite.

Soon one’s entire day has pledged fealty to some distant and cruel master, from literally the first seconds that one struggles from slumber and must grab a watch to take a resting heart rate (a good predictor of adaptation to training stresses), to the final collapse into bed as sweet slumber overtakes an exhausted body once more. In between, you must do exactly what Joe Friel tells you.

In short, I cannot conscionably recommend this book to those with a penchant for obsessive compulsions and alpha-male extravagances, unless you are willing to give up your previous ideas of living.

For soon you’ll start looking at a guy like Usain Bolt – and you’ll be realizing that despite everything you do, nothing is enough. Every time you cut a workout 15 minutes short (to get to your desk on time), or run an interval with your heat pumping at one beat per minute too slow (because you got 11 minutes too little sleep the night before), you are falling short of what he is. You’ll realize that even with every free minute allotted to training, the gap between you and a guy like Bolt is far vaster than the gap between you and the average couch potato.

And you just go on struggling, and the starting gun is fired, and there goes Usain out the blocks like some sort of devil or madman, flailing and writhing and then nine seconds is gone. And the impossible is made real in that moment and from where you sit, all those thousands of hours behind those few seconds suddenly attain a significance so clear to you that you could weep. A clarity that is forever denied you, even as your fingers trace the soothing grid lines of your schedule, or Friel’s lactate threshold curves: their numerological tangibility belying the human torment which draws them.

And you just keep on, not daring to hope anymore for that clarity of significance. It doesn’t mean anything any more, nor will it. At some point it just turned into living. You do it because it’s what you do.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is advertised as suitable for people of all levels, but it's definitely not meant for novices. It's too technical and comprehensive for the intimidated beginner, and none of the example training plans are suitable for those just starting out. The most helpful information for beginners is tucked away on a few pages in the final chapter. I'll keep this as a reference, but I now need to get a better novice guide.

[Jenny.p · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think that this book will move from my "currently reading" list for a while.

I purchased it shortly after I registered for my first triathlon--the 2011 NYC Triathlon. I didn't crack it until I was on vacation in Jamaica last February, about my fourth rum-based cocktail in, sitting under an umbrella is a nice beach chair. Looking at the insane work out plan that basically says I needed to start training about seven years ago if I want any chance of finishing this race and will immediately need to start a training program that has me working out 16 hours a week on the "light" side really killed my buzz.

At times his philosophy seems outrageous. And that is the thing about this sport--it is totally possible to become insanely obsessed and there are definitely a certain contingent that are addicted to this sport for that exact reason. But, I have referred to it time and time again as I have trained and realize that he is really right about so many practical things and gives thorough and rounded guidance for how to get through this crazy sport that humans are probably not intended to do.

Bottom line, his book put the fear of God in me that I needed to kick-start my training and get me to a place where I can even think about successfully finishing my race, and it has helped me trouble shoot and problem solve along the way. It definitely can't be the only advice taken throughout the training process, and might be good to take with a grain of salt anyway. But a MUST have for any new triathlete.

[This entire review may be totally null and void after next weekend...]

[Rishav Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can’t afford a trainer and your goal is to run a triathlon of any distance this will act as your trainer.

[Rob Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that could have been written in a third of the words. It does contain some useful insights, though it's a lot of effort to tease them out from the fluff in between.

[Laura Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

De nieuwste editie van dit boek gelezen. Dit boek geeft praktische tips en handige inzichten hoe je kan trainen voor een triathlon als recreatieve amateur (en ook als semiprofessional trouwens). Ik kan nu mijn eigen trainingsschema's maken en zal nog zeker een paar keer het boek openslaan om iets te herlezen. Het enige minpunt was het hoofdstuk over voedsel, dat gaf voor mij een te eenzijdige kijk op de werkelijkheid.

[Katy Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think there was a lot of valuable information in this, some broad and some very nuanced. i wish that there was a book similar to this that took into account being a woman and how like my energy levels and hormones change very often, bc it doesn’t always make sense to plan my workouts the way he does

[Mark Fajet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I feel like I have what I need to plan for and take on any triathlon challenge I dream up for myself.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful information! And now that the pools are closed and there are no races, I finally managed to finish it.

[Janko · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does regularly warn that this book is meant for triathles with experience (at least 3 years). So it is mostly advanced information. Nonetheless for a novice like me, it has helped me to improve my training significantly and learn more about the topic.

[Anon · Rating 4 out of 5]

V. good for reference. Importance of planning, gym wk, & swim technique

[Mert Topcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's kind of the bible of triathlon training indeed.

[Bogdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, will make sure to come back to it for specific workouts and for creating the training calendar for the next season.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as Walt Whitman kept writing and rewriting Leaves of Grass year after year, so does Friel continuously ponder, tinker, and rethink each bit and piece of his advice. Sure, Transcendentalism may have helped a few dudes intuit their way through the world, but triathlon helps them swim, bike, and run their way through it. This new fourth edition contains all the building blocks of the previous three with some added twists; six sections deal with the various aspects of the sport and are labeled broadly (e.g., “Mind and Body,” “Training Fundamentals,” etc.). Throughout each section, Friel drills into specifics about the “how-to” amid the “why.” “Purposeful Training” will, for example, change “going for a run” into teaching your body to run faster. Similarly, “Stress, Rest, and Recovery” clearly explains the difference between “overreaching,” a careful balance of training stress and focused rest, and “overtraining,” a serious condition with symptoms that mirror Lyme disease or mono. New material is incorporated seamlessly and is focused on individualization of training. In the “Muscular Force” chapter, for example, readers learn that the sport isn’t all heart and lungs but muscle, too; it provides exercises, explanations, and illustrations of particularly helpful ones. The end of the book contains several appendixes to help athletes of all levels create workable training plans with periodization (cycles of increasingly intense drills broken up with rest) and various kinds of workouts to develop all-around skill and fitness in each of the sports’ three disciplines. Thus, you’re not just “going swimming,” you’re swimming in any of six various modes in order to get your body to swim faster overall. VERDICT Essential. In fact, it was Whitman who wrote, “Every man has to believe in something. I believe I will go swimming.”

Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Michael Walczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this cover to cover this weekend and it was just the book I have been looking for. I was a bit lost on how to improve my weak swimming skills and maybe a bit misguided in my use of my heart rate monitor. I have taken a lot inspiration and enjoyment from reading running books while training for a race in the past, such as the famous Born To Run, and Eat and Run and Finding Ultra about veganism and ultra-endurance sports. But after last season and while trying to cross over to triathlon, this is the book I needed. I was used to, as a runner, training for one race at a time, sticking to a specific 2-6 month training plan to avoid injury, but while pacing and running around 10 marathon distances last year while training for Rinjani 60k I was a bit lost on how to train to do multiple races year round. This book takes an in-depth look at training planning on a yearly basis. I got tons of great ideas for new kinds of training to build skills and strength in running, biking, and swimming. I guess this book is my first look into the complexities of “sport science”. Each chapter builds upon the last until by the end of the book you have a grasp of the author’s full training philosophy. The book touches on planning your yearly, daily and weekly training plan focusing on six basic skills in each discipline, muscular force, speed skills, aerobic endurance, muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance and sprinting. It reminded me once again that thing that can be all too easily forgotten, that slow and easy training is just important all the while as hard training becomes more important at higher levels. Slow and steady wins the race. I also learned a great deal about the science behind weight lifting that I never knew. I definitely recommend this book for triathlon or developing any sport training plan.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading in the new edition after a long gap.

This is - still - the Bible. Essential for anyone serious about training for triathlon, although not perhaps the best for a complete beginner in endurance sports. It looks like the current edition has undergone a complete rewrite (as opposed to earlier revisions which underwent tweaks and edits between versions).

As with many of his fellow writers in the field (looking at you Matt Fitzgerald…), Friel is pushing his own agenda here a little. Some of his nutrition recommendations are a little left-field but tie into a book his written about the paleo diet for athletes. Overall though he has a scientific approach to training and is unafraid to put his hands up and alter his views on the correct way of doing something when the science proves him wrong.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for anyone interested in endurance sports. The specific focus is on triathletes, but much of the advice and planning in the book can be applied to any endurance sport. This book is extremely comprehensive (as the title suggest). It includes training plans, quizzes about your mental toughness, advice for resting, and everything else you can imagine to help you succeed. Even as a casual/amateur triathlete, I gained a great deal from this book.

[Richard Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depends what you want it for. I'm a fairly "casual" athlete and don't take it to seriously so this was a bit too much for me. This a really serious, scientific, in depth book for people who are very serious about their training. I imagine this would be brilliant for those people but it was a bit too much information for me

[Peter]

Very comprehensive, recommended to triathletes of all age and ability.
I found the self-assessment tests particularly useful, something I have not met in any other book for triathletes.

[Timofey Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Эту книгу стоит читать как следует тем, что готовится к соревнованиям по триатлону или дуатлону и стоит просмотреть тем, кто серьезно увлекается бегом, велосипедом или плаванием.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But there always have been, and probably always will be, five ingredients for success in sport: Purpose: Know exactly what your goal is. Passion: Have a burning desire to achieve it. Planning: Determine how you’ll go about achieving it. Perspiration: Work hard, following your plan to achieve it. Perseverance: Don’t let anything get in the way of achieving it.”

For now I completed the book in one go but probably will come back to it again and again this year while preparing for first full IronMan distance. As also stated in other reviews that this book is not for the novice and to say that it was overwhelming is understatement. I have never optimized my entire training season for one key event or set up an annual training plan which makes it a real challenge, eventually it should be well worth the effort.

“the three most important mental skills for success in endurance sports: commitment, confidence, and patience. Taken together, they form what we typically call mental toughness. Mentally tough athletes are hard to beat.”

“Commitment is simply doing what you said you’d do well after the mood you were in when you said it has passed.”

“Wishes are important; they’re the start of great feats. Wishes grow into dreams when you are able to mentally “see” yourself accomplish the wish. Dreams turn into goals when a plan for attaining them is defined. Goals become a mission when unwavering self-belief and purposeful zeal are realized. Big challenges require mission status. The difference between a goal and a mission is attitude. Passionate commitment is self-evident in successful missions. With the proper attitude, almost anything is possible. What you believe, you will achieve.”

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Training is both science and art.

This book is one I should have picked up before running 10+ triathlons, but approaching this book with the backdrop of an experience-honed knowledge gave me a somewhat different perspective.

Joe Friel's coaching advice angle is a solid mixture of strategies that are time proven, and science backed. He quickly points out the limitations of the scientific data in each area, and also recognizes the the individuality of various training strategies.

The advice here should work for both the pros and the weekend warrior looking to get in shape. He also covers the different strategies for approaching all triathlon distances from sprint to Ironman.

The main strength of this book is also its weakness. It is comprehensive and includes far more information than most people need. He frequently goes into absolutely minute details that you would learn if you just signed up for and did a triathlon. In fact, most of the book matches what I learned in a couple of years of doing triathlons, though it definitely feels geared towards higher level athletes with more time on their hands than a working dad.

This tome has a ton of solid information that would make for a good reference for any triathlete looking to learn more about a specific part of their game.

[Lars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly concise and practical

I have read a lot of high-quality sources about triathlon before picking up this book, but this book still surprised me. Most training books explain the general principles, which are essential, but not very concrete and give a training plan in the appendix, which is generalized and too short to cover an entire season. The author manages to strike the perfect balance between the two and gives a very detailed and clear framework for creating a training plan. In addition to this, he covers all the basics in a very thorough way, including related topics like sport psychology, nutrition and recovery. But he never goes overboard and claims that his approach is the only correct one and instead actively encourages the reader to experiment and try out new things.

This is my favorite book about triathlon training and I strongly recommend any triathlete interested in improving their training to read this. This book is especially great for creating a highly functional system which you can modify to fit your needs, making it awesome for anyone whose training lacks overarching structure.

[Aran Chandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for long term thinking in the sport

If you want to make triathlons a lifestyle choice; past your first attempts; then this book really helps visualize a whole year or season and think about how to structure your life around the demands of the sport and life.

I’m fairly new, with only a year in and still just aiming to finish a race, rather to excel at it and still I found a lot of be learnt here. The whole long goal perspective and layering of improvements over years and the respect given to downtime and recovery, really appealed to me.

This is definitely a book that you’ll want to reread annually as you plan your new season. At time I wished I read this book last year, but I think without the experience of the past year it’s hard to fully grasp a lot of what is being said.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete understanding, not a plan.

If you’re looking for an easy to follow triathlon training plan, this is not it.

If you want to understand the reasons behind building a plan, and understand how much work actually goes into being a coach, than this book is for you. It’s a lot of information, but if read actively with an effort placed towards understanding and retaining what you have read, you’ll learn how to develop an effective training plan for yourself and maybe even others.

Most importantly, you’ll understand WHY you’re doing something vs something else, which in my opinion is far more important for the serious athlete.

Highly recommend.

[Michael Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book which I will refer to throughout my triathlon racing career. It's really not a book you read and then are done with. It's meant for a someone who wants to self-coach themselves on their triathlon journey. One should take this book, and whenever they are developing a new workout plan for the next months, double check what's in this book and help them decide on what's best for them.

If I had some criticisms for it, is is that already I feel it is getting somewhat out of date as running power has become a real thing, and I wish the book would offer more of the science behind the suggestions. But as I'm learning, exercise science is very much an imprecise thing.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally understand Joe Friel! I had tried to get serious with triathlon with a previous edition of the training bible, but it went way over my head. Now with a few more seasons under my belt and especially having followed a simple plan last season, the contents of this book really clicked. I love that he starts with the mental side and systematically dissects all parts of training. A fully scientific way to go about training. Love it! I got a coach this season and this book really helped bring me up to speed and advance my training program with him.

[Bethany Zakrzewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very very necessary.

The only thing that makes this tough to get through is that this is not your personal coach. It is a book of coaching. So the book will speak to a spectrum of people and takes a lot of weeding out the most appropriate recipe for success on an individual basis.

Also if someone is dedicated to a sport to read a book on it's most intricate skills, you're likely already overambitious by nature. It's important to be clear with yourself at which level you are starting and build from there.

But I'm super pumped to start the new year with this guide.

[Adrien Lemaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book would be better off without the author's self-promoting and advertisement of his co-founded service TrainingPeaks.

But it's a good read, and I learned a lot of vocabulary and methods through it. It felt like it was intended for me, starting my 4th year in the sport, but due to recurring injuries (which pushed me to buy the book), I'm better not considering myself as the intended target, and take things a bit slower than suggested.
I will keep it close by throughout my journey in the sport.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but with some dated examples as the version I read is quite old (1998). For example, the cycling computer is touted as something "new" that not everyone might have.... whereas anyone today likely has 2 or 3 computers between their handlebar-mounted cellphone, gps watch, and heartrate monitors.

Some of the training methods are still applicable and it's a good intro read. However the serious competitor (which I am not) probably needs something more up to date.