Dry Tri Preparation Program

This 6-week program is all about developing your aerobic fitness and lactate Threshold to enable you to go all out at higher intensities for longer durations of effort.

If the Dry Tri was to be completed individually then the training would be quite boring and the event itself would be far less fun. This is why you will be working in pairs for the Dry Tri! By working in pairs, the ‘workout’ becomes far more anerobic and steps into our second energy system, the glycolytic (lactate) energy system. With adequate training and preparation, you may increase your lactic threshold to be able to hold onto a higher intensity for the duration of the event!

If you have ever completed one of Function Well’s world class Metcon (Metabolic Conditioning) classes then you will have felt the burning, battery acid feeling in your muscles. This is the lactic acid building up in the muscles. This is a biproduct of the glycolytic energy system. As we rest our body attempts to remove as much of the acid as possible but with continued bouts this acid builds up and can seriously slow down your workout. The limit to which our body starts to produce more lactic acid than it is capable of removing is referred to as our Lactate Threshold. The following program is designed to develop and extend this lactic threshold.

Before we get into the Dry Tri Preparation Program, it is important to find out what your lactate threshold is. Many athletes will undergo an intensive test to establish and exact lactate threshold however it is simple to get a predicted lactate threshold through a 30 min time trial – here’s how:

Estimating the Lactate Threshold

This method requires a 30-minute time trial at a sustained high intensity. The main goal here is to find the highest effort that you can sustain and monitor your heart rate throughout the test. This test can be done on any cardio machine or modality of your choosing – be that a run, swim, cycle, ski, or row. My recommendation would be a cycle as this is low impact and easy to replicate for retesting.

You will need:

1. Concept 2 bike erg /ski erg / row erg / assault runner / treadmill
2. Heart rate monitor 
3. Stopwatch (or other device for tracking time intervals)

Method:

1. Warm up: Raise HR to 60-70% HRmax through cardio of your choice + hamstring/quad/glute foam rolling/trigger point + Dynamic hip flexor & hamstring stretches. 
2. Begin your test and work up to your maximum intensity within the first 10 minutes (use this time to guestimate what you will be capable of maintaining for the duration of the test – do not go all out straight away)
3. Record your heart rate each minute for the next 20 minutes of the test
4. Calculate your average heart rate over the FINAL 20 minutes of the test. This measurement is your estimated heart rate at your lactate threshold
5. Cool down: Static stretching

Weekly Program Breakdown

This Dry Tri preparation program has been written by Performance Coaches Jesse O’Sullivan, Lewis Collocott & JP