The Triathlete's Training Bible (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

by Joe Friel (Author) "Multisport is both amazingly simple and incredibly complex..." (more)
Key Phrases: training objectives, season goals, swimming faster, Journal of Applied Physiology, Human Kinetics, Sports Medicine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This new edition of The Triathlete's Training Bible covers all of the specialized training needs of triathletes, including completely updated nutrition, recovery, and weight training information. The book also contains seasoned advice on the mental aspects of training. Author Joe Friel shows how to achieve greater fitness by examining personal strengths and weaknesses, and devotes individual chapters to planning, racing, rest, and recovery. Appendices include annual training plan worksheets and suggested swim, bike, run, and combined workouts.

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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress; 2nd edition (February 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931382425
• ISBN-13: 978-1931382427
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,138 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #12 in	Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Triathlon
  #18 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Triathlons
  #41 in	Books > Sports > Other Team Sports > Track & Field

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

429 of 431 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best. Period., January 17, 2008

By	Mark - See all my reviews

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!

158 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and scientifically proven, September 6, 2000

By	Thomas Schmierer, see you in 2004 baby (Newport Beach, CA USA (Top of the food chain)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Triathlete's Training Bible: A Complete Training Guide for the Competitive Multisport Athlete (Paperback)

After reading this book, many other books and articles on the sport seem to be poorly written. The author provides the whole picture for his claims by mentioning relevant scientific studies both supporting and nullifying his training method. He does not base any of this book on opinion, but does point out that there is also an art to training that has nothing to do with science.

He gives excellent instruction for all three sports including how to devise a training plan customized for your goals, the special skills required for each sport, and nutrition. It is a very comprehensive book and will take at least a couple of weeks to finish, but the education is priceless. I never raced a triathlon before this book and after reading it, I felt like I had more information in my head on the subject than most seasoned veterans.

The only negative about this book is that there needs to be more on swimming and to truly become a better swimmer you will need another resource; I believe he suggests Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin. Joe Friel's web site is http://www.ultrafit.com/ and you can go there for more tips or to inquire about personal coaching services. I sent him an e-mail questioning something in the book that I didn't understand and he responded the same day. I constantly quote the book to my friends. Maybe that's why it's called the "Bible".

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars informative, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Triathlete's Training Bible: A Complete Training Guide for the Competitive Multisport Athlete (Paperback)

Not being of the multisport athlete ranks myself (I'm a runner)I endeavoured to branch out this year and try a triathlon using the advice given in this book. I found that not only was this book incredibly useful for the novice triathlete, it was also the best book on running I have ever picked up. Advice on training cycles, nutrition, strength training, and racing was invaluable even for runners alone. I would highly recommend this book for any endurance athlete.