Sprint Triathlon Training Plans

4.6out of 5TrainingPeaks rating across every level of the 80/20 Sprint plan.

For beginners and racers alike. About 80 percent of your training stays easy, so the fast sessions count. Four levels, coach support included.

Join Team 80/20 Buy a single plan from $54.95

Every plan and TrainingPeaks Premium, as low as $16.58/month when paid annually. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Coach email support
Free switch to another level
Never expires
Syncs to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, Apple Watch and more

Sprint athletes on 80/20

Four athletes on our Wall of Fame have taken 6 to 18 minutes off their sprint best using 80/20.

“As a result of following my 80/20 plan to the letter, I dropped my sprint triathlon time from 1:27 to 1:09!”
Kurt Phillips
Sprint
“The best year ever! After a few years of sporadic training efforts and competing in triathlons from Sprint distance to full Ironman I decided to look into a more structured approach to training. After looking into the plethora of plans available, I selected a 80/20 Endurance plans. I completed 2 Sprints, 1 Olympic, 3 halves and 1 full Ironman, and setting personal bests at all distances, slicing 2 hours 20 from the full Ironman.”
Mark White
IRONMAN or equivalent
“The training was intensive, but did not burn me out. And I still had enough time for my family and my job!”
Bettina Dorsch
Sprint
“This year I decided to use an 80/20 plan. For the first time, I felt that my training had structure; each unit was part of a whole and it made sense. I was very satisfied with the results.”
Jose Fraile
Sprint

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Read hundreds more athlete results

Choose your plan and level

Pick the level that matches the training you can sustain today, not the one you hope to reach. If it turns out wrong, we switch you to another level at no cost. Still not sure? Try the plan finder.

Best value

Every plan on this page, and every other 80/20 plan

Team 80/20 Gold includes TrainingPeaks Premium and Mind of Matt, as low as $16.58/month when paid annually. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Join Team 80/20

Sprint

80/20 Triathlon

4.6TrainingPeaks rating

The plan most of our sprint athletes choose. About 80 percent of your training stays easy, so the hard sessions count.

12 to 19 weeks · Heart rate, pace and power

Help Me Choose

Which level is right for you?

Norwegian Sprint Triathlon Plan

Norwegian Training

The Norwegian method. Hard work concentrated into controlled threshold sessions, wrapped in easy volume. No lactate meter required.

13 weeks · Heart rate, pace and power

Choose your level

Every plan includes

Every workout on your TrainingPeaks calendar, synced to your watch
Your zones built into each session
Works with a free TrainingPeaks account, no Premium needed
Coach email support for as long as your plan runs
A free switch to another level if yours is wrong
Lifetime access, the plan never expires

Why 80/20 works for the sprint distance

A sprint triathlon is short, but it still hurts, and most athletes train for it at the same medium effort day after day. An 80/20 plan keeps about 80 percent of your training at low intensity, so the fast sessions that build sprint speed arrive on fresh legs. Every session lands on your TrainingPeaks calendar with your zones built in, a coach answers your questions by email, and Team 80/20 includes every plan on this page.

A sprint is short, but it is not easy. As coach Alicia Phillips puts it, sprints can hurt, and the run at the end is no jog in the park. That is exactly why the easy days matter. Keep most of your training easy and the speed sessions get your best effort instead of whatever is left over.

If you are new to triathlon, Alicia's advice is to start short, because you can always build up, and her first-triathlon tips for runners and cyclists are below. Level 0 is where most of our sprint athletes begin. There is more in our triathlon articles.

What a week looks like

Take a typical Level 1 week. Day 1 is your rest day and Day 7 usually carries the longest workout. Between them sit three swims, three rides and three runs, and most of that time is spent in Zones 1 and 2.

Your Running Foundation sessions ask for discipline. Stay in Zones 1 and 2 even when you feel fresh, and save the energy for the faster work a sprint runs on, such as Cycling Cruise Intervals for muscular endurance. Every rest week includes a test, so your zones keep up with your fitness, and every session syncs from TrainingPeaks to most watches and bike computers.

Read the workout code glossary

Sprint triathlon training plan questions

How many weeks is a sprint triathlon training plan?

Our 80/20 Sprint plan runs 12 weeks at Level 0, 16 weeks at Level 1 and 19 weeks at Levels 2 and 3. The Norwegian Sprint plan runs 13 weeks at every level. If your race is closer than that, email a coach before you start and we will tell you where to begin.

How many hours a week do I need to train for a sprint triathlon?

On the 80/20 Sprint plan your weekly training averages 5.2 hours at Level 0 and 9.4 hours at Level 3, and peak weeks run from 6.5 to 12 hours. Matt's rule is to train at the highest volume at which you consistently feel good, so pick the level whose average you can hold most weeks.

Is there a sprint triathlon training plan for beginners?

Yes, and it is the level most of our sprint athletes choose. Level 0 has two swims, two rides and two runs in a typical week, with two days off. If you are torn between two levels, start with the lower one, and if it turns out wrong we switch you at no cost.

Should I train by heart rate or power for a sprint triathlon?

Use whatever you race with. You pick at checkout, heart rate, pace or power for the run and heart rate or power for the bike, in any combination. If you have the choice, make power or pace your main guide and heart rate the check, since heart rate lags behind changes in effort and rises with heat and fatigue.

What if I miss a week of sprint triathlon training?

Pick up the schedule where you are rather than trying to make the workouts up. That holds for a missed session or two when you are healthy. After a longer gap, especially for illness or injury, ease back in over a few days first. If the plan no longer fits, email a coach and we can move you to another level.

Does it include strength training?

Not in the plan itself. Strength comes as a separate Sprint Strength Training Plug-in, matched to your level and to the plan's weeks so the sessions fit around your key workouts. For a fuller gym program there is Sprint Premium Strength. Team 80/20 includes both, along with every other 80/20 plan.