29 WEEK IRONMAN TRAINING & NUTRITION GUIDE Week-by-week training and daily nutrition advice to get you ready for your race
Getting Started
Change the week below:
Week 1: Getting Ready for Ironman
Welcome to the Ironman 29-Week Training and Nutrition Guide, brought to you by our experts at PowerBar®. As you prepare in the weeks ahead for the ultimate fitness challenge, we will be there with you, providing guidelines and practical tips one week at a time. The Ironman guide offers science-based guidelines that can help you optimize your training, so you can perform at your best when race day arrives.
You have the option to view the Ironman guide week by week, or to jump ahead to view topics of interest at any time during your 29-week training program. The comprehensive content has been developed by our team of experts, including top researchers, sports dietitians, and Ironman athletes, and it is based on research from prestigious organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine.
The Ironman training plan is designed to provide an optimized training approach with daily recommendations. It offers tips from our team of professional trainers and athletes to guide you along your training route and get you ready to race.
You may ask, why is PowerBar® doing this? For years, PowerBar® has been with you as a sports nutrition partner at events and expos, providing top-quality products and expert advice at our booth. We share your passion for sports and provide safe, proven, and superior products and know-how to help you achieve your personal best. If you have ever visited our booth at expos, you probably remember that we strongly suggest that you practice your fueling strategies as you train — “Nothing new on race day!” It is of utmost importance that every morsel and bite you consume on the course should be tasted and tested on a race-paced training bike or run. If you take a chance with something new on race day, you are risking unwanted GI distress, and even a race-ruining experience.
Because of this, it became clear that in order to truly help athletes perform better, we needed to offer sports nutrition guidance that begins as soon as they begin their training. It is only through a system of trial and error that you can develop your own, individualized fueling plan as you train, one that keeps you energized, hydrated, and feeling great. When training and nutrition are in sync, you maximize your performance gains. When training and nutrition are out of sync, you risk not achieving your full potential.
In the weeks to come, you will be training with intense dedication. Our training plan guides you through a specialized training program just for the Ironman athlete and gives you the opportunity to integrate nutrition as the fourth pillar of your training.
This can give you a significant advantage during competition. Whether you are doing a 70.3 or a full Ironman, you’ll find all the information you need to dial in your nutrition plan and achieve your personal best. We wish you the best of luck for a successful Ironman experience.
About PowerBar
PowerBar is committed to helping enhance the performance of athletes by providing cutting-edge sports nutrition products, information, and tools. Backed by decades of sports nutrition experience, PowerBar’s product line includes a full spectrum of great-tasting food and beverage options developed to meet the nutrition, hydration, and recovery needs of athletes. PowerBar proudly sponsors Ironman Triathlon events worldwide. To learn more about PowerBar, go to PowerBar.com
Daily Training by Ian Murray:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Swim 30 min
Swim relaxed and smooth
Run 20 min
Run easy on flat
PRO TIPS
Welcome to double days - you'll have many on your road to Ironman
You can do this swim/run back to back or do one in the AM and one later in the day
Make sure you go into each run with energy and a positive attitidue
Run 30 min
Total comfort the whole way
Focus on a tall, proud posture
Stretch 12' after run
PRO TIPS
Stretch after every workout
Include quads, hamstrings, calves, Iliotibal band (ITB)
Swim 35 min
Swim easy and prioritize technique.
PRO TIPS
Job one is to keep body level at the surface of the water, keep legs from sinking but not via a hard kick
Stay level with a) a deeper head position
Stay level with b) angling the lead arm a bit deeper
Stay level with c) leaning on upper chest
Ride 60 min
After easy warm up, hold steady comfy pace
Make the bike go with a "spin" not a "mash"
"Spin" the bike with higher cadence
PRO TIPS
90 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) is a nice cadence for which to aim
Use easier gears to sustain that spin
Run 30 min, 6 min warm up
Then do 14 min of "fartleks"
Finish with 10' easy
PRO TIPS
"Fartlek" is a Sweedish term meaning "Speedplay"
The fartlek gives you control over interval
You choose how long, how hard you'll go for that brief time
And you can choose the recovery time too
Swim 35 min
Easy short pieces of perfection
Confirm the level body postion
PRO TIPS
Swimming well is ~80% technique and only 20% fitness
Improve fitness on the bike and run for now and swim to improve skill
Ride 2 hours
EASY and COMFORTABLE the whole ride
Keep cadence high at 80-90 rpm
Keep upper body relaxed
Maintain a slight bend in elbows
PRO TIPS
Longer rides require fuel. Bring a bottle of Powerbar Endurance sports drink & a PowerGel
