The Triathlete's Training Bible [Paperback]

Joe Friel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

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:

• improve economy in swimming, cycling, and running
• balance intensity and volume
• gain maximum fitness through smart recovery
• make up for missed workouts and avoid overtraining
• adapt your training plan based on your progress
• build muscular endurance with a new approach to strength training
• improve body composition with smarter nutrition

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“25 years of active multisport coaching has proven that Joe Friel has an unprecedented understanding of endurance sports. As a multiple triathlon world champion, I would consider Joe as one of the leading figures in triathlon coaching today. Joe’s professional approach and practical understanding of sports physiology has helped many endurance athletes of all abilities reach their full athletic potential.” —Simon Lessing, 5-time Triathlon World Champion

“The Triathlete’s Training Bible is a fantastic guide. You can't go wrong using the advice in this book.” — Scott "The Terminator" Molina, triathlon's winningest pro

“As an athlete with the unique ability to race multiple Ironman races every season, I have always been trouble for any triathlon coach. To coach myself successfully, I needed a reliable and strong tool. I searched all sources carefully until I found the one—The Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel. Whatever my problem, there is always a solution in this book. This book makes my understanding of training, racing, and recovering more complete with every page.” — Petr Vabrousek, professional triathlete

“As a triathlon coach, 2004 Olympian, and former top-ranked triathlete in the world, I’ve used The Triathlete’s Training Bible as one of my key references. Joe Friel’s training books have made the once “crazy” sport of triathlon accessible to the public while also guiding seasoned athletes to their full potential.” — Barb Lindquist

“The Triathlete’s Training Bible is an invaluable tool for every triathlete looking to improve.” — Clas Bjorling, professional triathlete

"The Triathlete's Training Bible is a 'must read' for both athletes and coaches…It captures the essence of multisport training by outlining both the science and the art of the sport in a detailed, yet practical format. It is one of the most valuable resources I have on my bookshelf." —Libby Burrell, USA Triathlon National Program Director

“Joe Friel has spent most of his life in devotion to the understanding and teaching of sport. Joe has managed to focus on the key components to athletic success while weeding out the noise. This book will play a substantial role in helping you take the next step as a triathlete.” — Justin Daerr, professional triathlete

“Whether you’re a beginning triathlete or a seasoned pro, Joe Friel is the leading authority on triathlon training.” —Ryan Bolton, Ironman winner & 2000 USA Olympic Team

“Joe Friel’s wealth of knowledge in triathlon is astounding and he has a wonderful way of sharing that knowledge with all athletes from beginners to elite professionals." —Siri Lindley, Triathlon World Champion

“Joe Friel is among the deans of triathlon coaching and the newest edition of The Triathlete’s Training Bible will be of great benefit to all triathletes interested in performance improvement.“ — George M. Dallam, Ph.D., former USA Triathlon National Teams Coach, co-author of Championship Triathlon Training

"The Triathlete's Training Bible combines scientific research with the experience of a top endurance coach to provide the best training resource book available." —Gale Bernhardt, 2004 Team USA Olympic Triathlon Head Coach

“Joe Friel is constantly enhancing his education in the sport. In his books, Joe uses the information of the athletes he personally trains, the coaches who confide in him, and the large amounts of research he digests from triathlon and other enduranc

From the Publisher

"25 years of active multisport coaching has proven that Joe Friel has an unprecedented understanding of endurance sports. As a multiple triathlon world champion, I would consider Joe as one of the leading figures in triathlon coaching today. Joe's professional approach and practical understanding of sports physiology has helped many endurance athletes of all abilities reach their full athletic potential." --Simon Lessing, 5-time Triathlon World Champion

"The Triathlete's Training Bible is a fantastic guide. You can't go wrong using the advice in this book." -- Scott Molina, triathlon's winningest pro

"As an athlete with the unique ability to race multiple Ironman races every season, I have always been trouble for any triathlon coach. To coach myself successfully, I needed a reliable and strong tool. I searched all sources carefully until I found the one--The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. Whatever my problem, there is always a solution in this book. This book makes my understanding of training, racing, and recovering more complete with every page." -- Petr Vabrousek, professional triathlete

"As a triathlon coach, 2004 Olympian, and former top-ranked triathlete in the world, I've used The Triathlete's Training Bible as one of my key references. Joe Friel's training books have made the once "crazy" sport of triathlon accessible to the public while also guiding seasoned athletes to their full potential." -- Barb Lindquist

"The Triathlete's Training Bible is an invaluable tool for every triathlete looking to improve." -- Clas Bjorling, professional triathlete

"The Triathlete's Training Bible is a 'must read' for both athletes and coaches...It captures the essence of multisport training by outlining both the science and the art of the sport in a detailed, yet practical format. It is one of the most valuable resources I have on my bookshelf." --Libby Burrell, USA Triathlon National Program Director

"Joe Friel has spent most of his life in devotion to the understanding and teaching of sport. Joe has managed to focus on the key components to athletic success while weeding out the noise. This book will play a substantial role in helping you take the next step as a triathlete." -- Justin Daerr, professional triathlete

"Whether you're a beginning triathlete or a seasoned pro, Joe Friel is the leading authority on triathlon training." --Ryan Bolton, Ironman winner & 2000 USA Olympic Team

"Joe Friel's wealth of knowledge in triathlon is astounding and he has a wonderful way of sharing that knowledge with all athletes from beginners to elite professionals." --Siri Lindley, Triathlon World Champion

"Joe Friel is among the deans of triathlon coaching and the newest edition of The Triathlete's Training Bible will be of great benefit to all triathletes interested in performance improvement." -- George M. Dallam, Ph.D., former USA Triathlon National Teams Coach, co-author of Championship Triathlon Training

"The Triathlete's Training Bible combines scientific research with the experience of a top endurance coach to provide the best training resource book available." --Gale Bernhardt, 2004 Team USA Olympic Triathlon Head Coach

"Joe Friel is constantly enhancing his education in the sport. In his books, Joe uses the information of the athletes he personally trains, the coaches who confide in him, and the large amounts of research he digests from triathlon and other endurance sports." -- Wes Hobson, former USA Triathlon National Team member and U.S. sprint triathlon champion

"In his usual upbeat, reader-friendly style, Joe brings to bear a further understanding of the art and science of triathlon." -- Steven Jonas, MD, author of Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals and co-author of Championship Triathlon Training

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Velo Press; Third Edition, New edition, 3rd ed. edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934030198
• ISBN-13: 978-1934030196
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Triathlons
  • #3 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Triathlon
  • #9 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Training & Conditioning

More About the Author

"Joe Friel has trained endurance athletes since 1980. His clients include elite amateur and professional road cyclists, mountain bikers, and triathletes and duathletes located around the world. He has a masters degree in exercise science, is an Elite-level USA Cycling Coach, and serves on the USA Triathlon Coaching Certification Committee.

Joe is the author of The CompuTrainer Workout Manual, The CyclistÂ’s Training Bible, and The TriathleteÂ’s Training Bible. He is a contributing editor to Inside Triathlon and VeloNews and frequently writes feature stories for Performance Conditioning for Cycling. He has written a weekly fitness column for the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper since 1981.

As an age-group competitor, Joe is a Colorado State Masters Triathlon champion, a Rocky Mountain region and Southwest region duathlon age-group champion, and is a perennial USA Triathlon All-American duathlete. A member of several national duathlon teams, Joe is a top five contender in world class events. In addition, he competes in road running and United States Cycling Federation races.

Joe speaks at workshops around the country on training and racing for endurance athletes and provides consulting services for corporations in the fitness industry. For information on coaching, speaking, or consulting services, contact him by email at [e-mail] or fax him at 970-204-4221.

From his home at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Fort Collins, Colorado, Joe enjoys mountain biking in the foothills with his wife Joyce, trail running with friends, and riding with his son Dirk, a professional bike racer."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best. Period., October 25, 2011

By 

Mark - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Triathlete's Training Bible (Paperback)

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 who have shoulder trouble that interferes with their training might also find Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff helpful too. Happy training!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the diehard triathlete, but..., September 25, 2009

By 

Jim Maloney (Shrewsbury, NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Triathlete's Training Bible (Paperback)

I bought this book in preparation for my first olympic distance triathlon and found it a bit too advanced for my needs. I'd highly recommend it for anyone who is in top form for the olympic distance or doing ironmans, but it was so detailed I lost the forest for the trees in trying to make sure I was training effectively.

I was hoping for something a little simpler - "here's how you should think about your training and to know you're ready for the race (for me - that meant finishing without feeling like i was going to die.)"

Those nuggets are in there, but it's clearly directed for people who are competing at an elite level or is there to help people train for ironmans. To that end, the book appears to be superb - very well thought out, and well laid out as well.

Jim

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book! (Especially for Type A's, Planners and Control Freaks!), August 22, 2011

By 

N. Craig "mpnac24" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Triathlete's Training Bible (Paperback)

This is an awesome book. But, it is INCREDIBLY detailed and thorough. It took me a few weeks of reading and taking notes and making plans to get through, but I finally felt like I understood triathlon training and planning a training period...be it a week, 6 months or a year.

Before reading this I would get a training plan online, or from a friend, try to personalize it a bit, follow it and do ok. But, after signing up for an Ironman and not wanting to shell out the $$$$$ for a coach to make sure I got through the year injury free and ready to race, I got this book. It's amazing. It goes through planning the year up to your race in great detail....hours per year, per week, training phases for running, swimming, biking, weight lifting, cross training and resting to make sure that you peak at the perfect time for your race. It has workouts, drills, tips...if you learn well from a book, it's almost like having a coach. He has special sections for women, novices, masters, youth and elite racers; injury prevention and treatment, etc.

That said, this book could be incredibly overwhelming if you've never done a multi-sport race or training before, or if you're not into planning/organizing. If you're more the go-out-and-do-it kind of person, this book isn't for you.

However, as someone who struggles with the "Am I Ready?! Can I Really Do This!?" anxiety, especially on race day, this book has very much calmed me down...I know that on the day, I'll be as prepared as possible and ready to go.