Product Description

Coach Joe Friel has equipped thousands of triathletes for success in the sport. This new edition of his best-selling book includes all of the latest advances in training and technology. "The Triathlete's Training Bible" is the most comprehensive reference available to triathletes, and it speaks to triathletes of all ability levels, whatever their experience. Friel empowers triathletes with every detail they need to consider when planning a season, lining up a week of workouts, and preparing to race. With a solid understanding of the science behind Friel's proven methodology, triathletes can easily develop a personal training plan and know how to adapt it throughout the season based on their body's response to training. The third edition, now in a two-color format, includes extensive revisions on the specifics of how to train and what to eat. Triathletes will discover how to: build muscular endurance with a new approach to strength training; precisely gauge intensity with the latest in training technology to maximize form and fitness and reduce fatigue; improve economy in swimming, cycling, and running; competently adapt annual training plans over the course of a season; and, improve body composition and recovery with smarter nutrition. As the sport of triathlon continues to boom, it can be difficult to stay abreast of the latest trends and research and even harder to remain competitive. With more case studies to draw from and multiple contingency plans for those times when training doesn't go as planned, triathletes can count on Joe Friel to help them maximize their potential. Two-color interior, illustrations, charts, and tables throughout. Over 170,000 copies sold in all editions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2247 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 386 pages

About the Author
Joe Friel is one of the most recognised names in triathlon coaching and the best-selling author of The Triathlete's Training Bible, Going Long, Your First Triathlon, and The Cyclist's Training Bible, and The Mountain Biker's Training Bible. His clients include professional and amateur triathletes, duathletes, road cyclists and mountain bikers. He is a certified USA Triathlon and USA Cycling Coach and holds a master's degree in exercise science. A successful Training Bible Coaching franchise operates in the UK.

Customer Reviews

The best. Period.
In my opinion, the goal of this book is to give people who want to compete in triathalons a scientific, self-coached training plan. Does it deliver? Absolutely. The book accomplishes this through six, cleanly divided parts.

Part one, "The self-trained triathlete" is concerned with the "philosophical" basis for methodical training. It deals with things such as attitide and commitment, which are as important to me as the physical training.

Part two, "From lab to real world" talks about the scientific foundation of training and goes into the science and priciples of training (i.e. progressive resistance, periodization, etc.).

Part three, "Training with a purpose" seems to pull together parts one and two in which a system of purposeful training is described. This part will help the reader to determine exactly what their training needs are and the best ways to address them.

Part four, simply titled "Planning" is really the heart of the book. Here the book helps you design your own training plan for a season, week by week.

Part five, "Racing and recovering" takes you through the many details of preparing to race and recovering after. In other words, it gives you info on what to do before and after the actual race. This information is essential as many athletes neglect to recover properly before starting training again for the next race.

Part six, "The competative edge" talks about other supplemental aspects of training that can contribute to peak performance. Here the book covers things such as swimming tips, weight training ex's, eating tips, keeping a training diary, etc. I like to think of this chapter as a kind of "tie up the loose ends" section.

Truly a book that lives up to its name, I can't see many readers coming away from this book without picking up much useful information- from the beginner to the experienced. Athletes with foot pain that interferes with their training might also find The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution helpful too. Happy training!

The Triathletes Training Bible
This book is excellent for the novice triathlete willing to learn a bit more technical information. The book is well segmented into easily digestible sections. The writer is an experienced coach and world triathlete so gives confidence in his work.

Triathletes Training Bible
The Triathletes Training Bible 2nd Edition: Joe Friel

Blurb

Coach Joe Friel touts the benefits of creating a scientific, self coached training plan to refine your skills and improve your triathlon performance. You will learn how to train smarter, not harder, and apply proven techniques for increasing endurance without overtraining. Friel equips you with the know-how to build a personal training plan based on your individual needs and goals for the next racing season. In addition to the physical aspect of training, Friel addresses the importance of mental preparation and training, from attitude to zealousness.
Whether you are an amateur, professional, or training for your first triathlon event, you will find comprehensive information to help you achieve your goals and reach your maximum potential.

My Review

When I first bought this book I had only been in the sport of triathlon for a couple of months. During those months I had been swimming twice a week, cycling twice a week, running twice a week and weight training twice a week. My sessions were just endurance based spending say an hour swimming or running or cycling for a couple of hours with the club.
The first thing this book taught me was to make my sessions specific, why I needed speed and endurance sessions and how to tailor them to my goals and needs. I don't do a lot of club training and so being able to turn up at the pool during a public swim session, get in the fast lane and have a challenging and rewarding swim was essential. Before tailoring these sessions training could become boring and monotonous. The inclusion of specific drills and workouts for each sport made a welcome change and my style, especially my stroke in swimming has advanced noticeably.
I always trained with a training plan or diary but I never really knew how to create one properly. The step by step guide in this book has helped me no end and even now I still refer to it at the end of each season to plan the next! Templates are given so the correct format can be obtained for tracking weekly hours, different phases in training, events etc.
Periodization was something I had never employed with my training and again Friel has provided step by step instruction from base to race periods going into detail for each phase as to what workouts should be performed and for how long. Appropriate testing techniques are included to ensure you are always working to your peak potential.
Another section that I found rewarding was that of supplementation and nutrition. Vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, protein supplements etc are all discussed in detail explaining why you need them and what they do, not just `You need them!'. The periodisation of a triathletes diet is also discussed detailing fat, carbohydrate and protein intake throughout the season.

Of course there is no equivalent to one on one coaching from a qualified professional. However this book ensures that you understand your sport and why a coach preaches what he/she does. Understanding how to train and prepare yourself to race is essential if you wish to succeed in multisport. The Training Bible will ensure you reach your race at optimum performance. A book I will never throw away!