Looking to train for first triathlon
 

I am 20 and am currently 271lbs. I was an all county 500m swimmer in high school 2 years ago before i blew my knee out and put on a ton of weight. what is a good training routine to do since i want to lose around 30-50 lbs before i do first tri in the spring. I also swam a 500 for s's and g's last week and did it in 8 min 42 secs and ran 5 k in 39 mins(i know thats bad). I am wondering what would be good speed goals to set since i would be competeing in the clyde group no matter what.

Forget speed goals. Focus on base aerobic training. I have found the Triathletes training bible to be very helpful in building a program.

As for the weight. It will be a by product of your exercise and diet lifestyle changes (or not)

Good luck!

Thanks im deffently going to look into that book. I know the weight will shed since im monitoring my food and nutrition intake and doing much more exercise. Im trying to focus not to eat over 2200 calories in a day.

I'm no nutritionist... and if you've never been to one I recommend it. Don't let calories be your guide only guide. Instead focus on changes that you can implement gradually. Ex. If you drink soda, switch to diet, if you drink diet, stop and regardless focus on hydration (water is a good thing). Eat 5 to 6 times a day. Increase the servings of fruits, veggies and lean proteins you are consuming. I am 5 8, 170 at 11% body fat. The nutrition advice i have received has me focusing on trying to eat 3400 to 3800 calories. I plan my meals in advance (proactive instead of reactive and I keep a diet journal).

on a separate note I need to state up front I have no IDEA what I'm doing. I'm training for my first tri (oly distance in Sept) The reading was helpful, the site advice here is great, but most valuable has been getting involved with local clubs and talking with people who have already been there.

Good Luck!

Mark

your 500 time isn't actually that bad. I'm sure you've been faster, but I think if you start swimming again you'll lose the weight and improve quickly.

I would start swimming first so that you build up your fitness and lose some of the weight. That way there won't be any stress on your knees when you start running. Try just swimming for distance, not speed. Try to start out doing 2500 yards in one hour. I think you'll be able to do that based on your 500 time. If that's too easy or too hard, then adjust accordingly.

I agree with a previous comment..forget speed goals...just focus on endurance and remaining injury free. Get in your base in all 3 sports first.

Yeah Im currently trying to get acess to use a true pool to train in(could be hard due to area i live in). when i was 200 lbs in high school the fastest 500 i ever swam was 5 mins 36 secs my junior year. that was right before my injury. Its kind of good actually that i was a distance swimmer in high school since i already know proper form. Hardest thing will be running since what i learned to do running wise playing tennis will counteract what i want to be doing for tri training. Also thanks everyone for the advice.

Lots of good training and nutrition info at www.beginnertriathlete.com. Also lots of inspiring stories of beginners losing lots of weight and becoming competitive. You've got a huge head start in that you're young and very recently a competitive athlete, so you have a decent fitness base that you will tap into.

Don't try to run train like you swam in HS (lots of short and fast intervals) or you'll just have injury problems. Just run or run/walk slowly. Don't worry about run or bike speed. That will come quickly as your weight goes down.

I'm no expert on weight loss, but what works for me are small and frequent meals (my "in between meals" are usually just apples or bananas at work, but they keep me from being hungry and overeating at regular meals), and no soft drinks!


Good luck!

Brian

Nice web site. I never did intervals when i trained since i was distance swimmer and not a sprinter (lucky me). I just started eating smaller portions spread out throught the day. I do not like pop but can be a sucker for juice at times.My goal is to try and lose around 1 pound a week