From Couch to Sprint Triathlon in 12 Weeks
Some people wonder if they can be a triathlete off the couch. Yes, of course! We actually made a program that will get you from couch to sprint triathlon in 12 weeks. Are you ready to get fit and bid being a couch potato goodbye? Start your triathlon journey using this beginner sprint triathlon training plan!
What is a beginner sprint triathlon?
A beginner sprint triathlon usually involves a 750-m swim, a 20-k bike, and a 5-k run following that sequence.
How do you go from couch to triathlon?
If you are starting to train for sprint triathlon from the couch, you’ll need to build base fitness for a few months before diving into a structured sprint triathlon training plan – whether a 6-week sprint triathlon training plan or an 8-week sprint triathlon training plan. However, in our couch-to-sprint triathlon training program, we make it simple for you! We carefully incorporate progressive swim, bike, and run sessions that will help you build your triathlon fitness in 12 weeks.
This couch-to-sprint triathlon training plan has an average of three to four hours of training sessions per week. It also includes two rest days that you could use for full rest, active recovery, or strength and conditioning exercises.
Whether you are a beginner in triathlon or slowly getting back your lost triathlon fitness, it’s important to always include proper warm-up and cool-down exercises before and after each activity. This is to avoid getting any injuries during training and help muscle recovery afterward.
Here’s our training plan that will take you from couch to triathlon in 12 weeks. We also have a downloadable format of this training plan at the bottom of the page.
Week 1
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Easy swim for 15 min at a comfortable pace | 10 min of static stretching |
| Tuesday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 20 min of cycling at a comfortable pace | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Easy swim for 15 min at a comfortable pace | 10 min of static stretching |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 2 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 20 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 2
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 4 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 2 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 25 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 40 min of cycling at a comfortable pace | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 2 x 200 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 25 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – |
Week 3
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 6 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 2 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 30 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 45 min of cycling at a comfortable pace | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 3 x 200 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 30 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 4
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 6 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 4 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 30 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 30 min of cycling, focusing on maintaining a steady pace | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 3 x 200 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 4 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 30 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 5
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 6 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 35 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 6 x 1-min high-intensity intervals with 2 min of easy cycling recovery | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 2 x 300 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Bike-Run Brick | 10 min of easy cycling | 20 min of cycling at a moderate effort, immediately followed by a 10-min easy run | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 6
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 6 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 4 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 35 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 40 min of cycling, including challenging hills | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 2 x 300 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 40 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 7
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 8 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 4 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 40 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 40 min of cycling, focusing on maintaining a steady effort | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 100 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest, continuous 400 m at a steady pace | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 45 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 8
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 10 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 4 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 45 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 8 x 1-min high-intensity efforts with 2 min of recovery between intervals | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 100 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest, continuous 600 m at a steady pace | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Bike-Run Brick | 10 min of easy cycling | 30 min of cycling at a steady pace, followed immediately by a 10-min easy run | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 9
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 12 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | 15 min continuous run at a comfortable pace | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 50 min of cycling at a moderate effort | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Open Water Swim Practice | – | Swim for 30 min | – |
| Saturday: Bike-Run Brick | 10 min of easy cycling | 45 min of cycling at a steady pace, followed immediately by a 10-min easy run | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 10
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 12 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | Alternate between 3 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for a total of 50 min | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 55 min of cycling at a moderate effort | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 100 m at a moderate effort with 30 s rest, continuous 800 m swim at a steady pace | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Saturday: Bike-Run Brick | 10 min of easy cycling | 45 min of cycling followed by a 15-min easy run | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 11
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 50 m drills, 6 x 200 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | 30 min of easy jogging | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 60 min of cycling, working on maintaining a consistent effort | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Open Water Swim Practice | – | Swim for 30 min | – |
| Saturday: Bike-Run Brick | 10 min of easy cycling | 50 min of cycling followed by a 15-min easy run | 10 min of static stretching |
| Sunday: Rest | – | – | – |
Week 12
| Daily Activity | Warm up | Main Set | Cool Down |
| Monday: Swim | 5 min of swimming easy laps | 4 x 200 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest, 2 x 100 m at a comfortable pace with 30 s rest | 5 min of easy swimming |
| Tuesday: Run | 10 min of dynamic stretching | 20 min of easy jogging | 10 min of static stretching |
| Wednesday: Bike | 5 min of easy cycling | 45 min of cycling at a comfortable pace | 5 min of easy cycling |
| Thursday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Friday: Rest | – | – | – |
| Saturday: Race day! |
Related Reading:
6-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
8-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
10-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
Good luck from Your Multisport Buddy!
We wish that our training plan From Couch to Sprint Triathlon in 12 Weeks will pave your way through the finish line. As you train, remember to take rest days seriously and don’t overtrain. If you feel you’re getting stronger and the weekly training load feels insufficient, feel free to vary the training intensity or duration depending on what your body feels doing. As we always say, no training plan fits all. Listening to your body is key. Good luck!
If you have any questions about sprint triathlon training, feel free to contact us!
