You train two or three times a week at the club, do your laps and give it your all. But at the next 70.3, the clock shows the same time as last year. Does that sound familiar?
There are five main reasons why many triathletes fall flat on their faces. The good news is that they are easy to understand and even easier to correct.
1. the “endorphin trap”: always too fast
The most common mistake is training in a group, where 80% of the time you swim too fast. You constantly swim above your breaking point. The result? Your technique breaks down before you can consolidate it.
As with running or cycling, you lack the aerobic foundation – the economization. Yes, you feel great after training thanks to the endorphins, but it hasn’t made you any faster. You have merely learned to exhaust yourself in the water instead of gliding.
2. breaks that are too short: stress instead of strength
In contrast to running or cycling, where short breaks can make sense, swimming training (especially for triathletes) needs space.
- The rule: 80% of your training should be defined by technique and strength.
- Protect your metabolism: Your VO2max is already challenged enough when running and cycling. Don’t tear yourself apart in the pool too.
- Quality before haste: use resistance shorts and paddles at a pace where you can breathe easily in 3 strokes. If you swim intervals, only start again when you really feel like the next lane – not because the clock is stressing you out. This is the only way to keep full control of your style.
3. strength belongs in the studio, not just in the water
Many do endless technical exercises in the water, but they lack the physical basis.
- Core training: You need to know your individual limitations. 3 × 20 minutes per week of concentrated core exercises tailored to you is enough.
- Build up your strength: Twice a week, 30 minutes of targeted strength training will get you further in the water than any additional “token lane”.
4. the fear of open water
Hand on heart: How often do you go to the lake before your first competition of the season? Once or twice? And then you wonder why the navigation fails and panic sets in.
Open water training begins in mid-April. Even if it’s only five minutes in the cold water at first – it counts. Getting used to the elements is a training effect that no indoor pool in the world can offer you.
5. lack of video analysis (the blind spot)
If you only swim by feel, you are swimming past reality. Without an outside view – or even better a video analysis in the swimming channel – how else do you know what you are doing in the water?
Conclusion: Stop training harder. Start training smarter. Less fighting against the water, more work at the base. If you want to know where your personal breaking point is, drop by our channel – we’ll make your mistakes visible.
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