SportPlan
Ironman 70.3 training plan — beginner
Triathlon · Ironman 70.3
A 16-week Ironman 70.3 training plan at beginner level — designed around 7 hours per week across 5 days. Polarised intensity distribution: most volume at easy aerobic effort, two quality sessions, one long session.
This is the representative template. The real SportPlan plan rebuilds every day from your Garmin and Strava data — HRV trend, Training Status, recovery, race calendar. The structure stays the same; the adaptation day-to-day is what changes.
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Preparation length
16 weeks
Hours per week
7 h
Days per week
5
Quality sessions / week
1
Total time
6.3h
Sessions
5
Quality sessions
3
Mon
Rest day
Full rest. No training. Sleep priority, normal eating, light walking only if you want.
Tue
50 min
Target zones
Z2 aerobic swim
Why today
Technique compounds over time. Aerobic stress is low; this is mostly skill work.
Session details
Warm-up 200m. Drill set: 8×50m alternating drill/swim. Main set: 6×100m at moderate pace, 20s rest. Cool-down 200m.
Wed
63 min
Target zones
Sweet spot (88–94% FTP)
Why today
Highest sustainable training intensity for cycling — efficient FTP building per unit of fatigue cost.
Session details
Warm-up 10 min. 3×12 min at sweet spot (88–94% FTP) with 4 min recovery between. 10 min cool-down.
Thu
55 min
Target zones
Z4 threshold (~88% MaxHR)
Why today
Lactate clearance. Raises the pace you can sustain for an hour. Foundation of half/marathon performance.
Session details
Warm-up 15 min easy. 2×15 min at threshold pace, 3 min easy recovery between. 10 min cool-down.
Fri
Rest day
Full rest. No training. Sleep priority, normal eating, light walking only if you want.
Sat
126 min
Target zones
Z2 endurance (55–75% FTP)
Why today
Glycogen depletion + slow-twitch fibre recruitment. The single most important session for endurance events.
Session details
Long endurance ride at conversational pace. Fuel 60g carbs/hr + bottle of mix per hour.
Sun
84 min
Target zones
Z3 bike → Z3 run
Why today
The bike-to-run transition is its own skill. Bricks teach pacing and leg-turnover under fatigue.
Session details
60 min Z2 bike + 15 min Z3 run off the bike. Run starts at slow pace; settle to race effort by minute 5.
Polarised intensity distribution: roughly 75–80% of weekly volume at easy aerobic effort, 15–20% at quality (threshold, intervals, tempo), and 0–5% at race-pace. This split is the most-supported intensity distribution in the published endurance-training literature.
Quality sessions placed Tuesday and Thursday with full recovery between. Long session on Saturday (running / cycling) or Sunday brick (triathlon). Rest day Monday or Friday depending on your days-per-week.
Each session in the engine comes with a one-line 'why today' explanation. In the real adaptive plan, that rationale is anchored to your HRV, Training Status, and recent load — not the static template you see in this sample.
Connect Garmin or Strava, complete a 60-second onboarding, and your real plan rebuilds every day from your actual data. See your first week before you pay. €9.99/month, cancel anytime.
Ramon Curto designed SportPlan's endurance-training methodology from exercise-physiology principles. SportPlan applies it autonomously to the information you enter and the data you choose to connect; it is not ongoing one-to-one coaching or medical care.
Last revised July 2026