Book Report: 7 Weeks to a Triathlon

Here's how this works. First person to reply in the comments to this post in the affirmative will receive a free copy of this book - IF - they agree to write a short post on the book to be published here later.

Here's some information on the book.

“Learning the ins and outs of triathlon can be daunting, but 7 Weeks to a Triathlon is the perfect tool to prepare yourself for the sport whether you are a newbie or a professional. Excellent!” 

—Desiree Ficker, Professional Triathlete

BECOME A TRIATHLETE IN JUST 7 WEEKS

Follow the 7-week programs in this book, and you’ll quickly gain the strength and stamina needed to complete any triathlon—sprint, standard, Olympic and even Ironman challenges.

Packed with clear charts and helpful photos, 7 Weeks to a Triathlon has everything you need to know about the ultimate endurance challenge:

• Easy-to-follow progressive training programs

• Pro tips for each discipline—swim, bike, run

• Triathlon-specific cross-training techniques

• Motivational advice on pushing harder and crushing your race goal

Offering field-tested, day-by-day programs and a comprehensive description of how to get through race day, this book has something for everyone, from beginners getting started in the sport to seasoned triathletes looking to take their training to the next level. 

About the Authors:

Brett Stewart is an NCCPT Certified Personal Trainer, a running and triathlon coach, and an endurance athlete who currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. an avid multisport athlete and Ironman finisher, Stewart has raced dozens of triathlons, multiple marathons, and even a few ultra-marathons. This is his fifth book for Ulysses Press. To learn more about his fitness programs, visit 7weekstoFitness.com.

Lewis Elliot is a professional triathlete, coach, model, and actor living in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has raced triathlon professionally since 2002. Prior to that, he was a U.S. National Team Cyclist having won three U.S. National Championships. Lewis has represented the United States in five world Championships, and has been the overall winner in over 150 multisport events.

Comments

[Read Scott Martin]

Yes! (I am sure I am too late though)

[Michael H.]

Seven weeks is enough to do some sharpening of speed and stamina for a race. But to go from couch potato to Ironman in 7 weeks? Not happening.

Hopefully the book is different from what the title may lead readers to believe. Even going from couch to Olympic distance triathlon in 7 weeks would be exceedingly difficult.

[Shawn]

I'd love to give a seven week try to get to a triathlon. Just to see if it's possible. I'm no couch potato, but I'm no slack, either. Looking forward to the review.

[Ds5384]

I've always wanted to do it, the run and bike are easy I need swim coaching the most.

[washcycle]

Read, you are the winner. I'll be in touch.

[oboe]

Ironman would be out of the question. But a "sprint" is like, what? 400m of swimming? And a 5k run? Plus riding your bike for 12 miles?

[Michael H.]

There is no standard format for a sprint triathlon. It can be anything shorter than Olynpic distance. It could be 400m or 800m swim or another distance. The bike could be 10 miles, 12 miles, even 20 miles. The run is often 5K but sometimes it's shorter.

There are also "super sprint" races, which are even shorter than sprint tris. So yes, 7 weeks could be enough to get through a super sprint triathlon. Most of those are held in pools, with either a stationary bike leg or an outdoor bike leg. The run could be on treadmills or outdoors.

Someone who is reasonably fit would be OK with a sprint tri, but that's not the definition of a couch potato. You may be forgetting just how out of shape many adults are. I used to be one of them, although I was never fat. I had extremely little endurance 10 years ago, before I took up swimming and then triathlon. Even 4 years ago, when I first started running as an adult, I was scared of the 5K distance. (I've since become comfortable with 3-hr training runs.)

Someone could probably struggle through a 400m pool swim after 7 weeks of training, but it might be very ugly. I know from experience that technique doesn't come that quickly in the first year. I'd be very hesitant to recommend anyone do an open water tri after just 7 weeks of training, if that person had previously been a couch potato with no endurance sport experience and no swim knowledge. I wouldn't be as worried about the bike or the run for a sprint tri. If someone tires out on those legs, they can coast or walk.

[oboe]

Most of those are held in pools, with either a stationary bike leg or an outdoor bike leg. The run could be on treadmills or outdoors.

Stationary bikes and treadmills?

I'd like to think you're joking, but the other day I saw a minivan with Virginia personalized license plate that read "5KWLKER", so I'm willing to bet it's all true.

[oboe]

I bet even a couch potato could struggle through 400m of lap swimming, so long as they had previous swim experience. Heck, you could probably teach a motivated adult to swim in that amount of time. Open water swimming is a different beast.

[washcycle]

I think, with 7 weeks, you can get the average person to the point where they can finish a tri. We watch the Biggest Loser and after a 3 months they're able to walk a 10k or something - and they're morbidly obese.

[Read Scott Martin]

I will weigh myself before I open the book and submit my review 7 weeks later.

[Michael H.]

Yes, many of the super sprint and sprint triathlons are indoor events. They are less expensive to organize. I've never done any indoor tris, mostly because the idea sounds kind of boring. There's no real accurate way to measure ranking either, because stationary bikes and treadmills are not always calibrated correctly.

It's pretty easy to game stationary bikes too. Just crank up the resistance and the readout tells you that you're pedaling at the equivalent of 35 mph. LOL.

As for the couch potato swimmer, many of them may not have any previous swim experience. I've met adults who are terrified of the water. They won't even go into a 3-ft. pool because of their fear. This can be the case even when these people are well over 5'7", so there would be no risk of drowning in a shallow pool.

Re The Biggest Loser, don't trust everything you see on TV. Besides the fact that the contestants are monitored very closely (a beginner reading a book won't have that benefit), the show has also fudged some of the accomplishments of the runners. In one infamous incident, one of the supposed marathoners actually got a long ride in a van to the finish line and then received a marathon finisher medal.

There's also a big difference between beginner swimming and beginner running/walking. If you can't run a 10K, you can simply walk. If you can't swim, then you drown.

At the very least, I hope the book emphasizes that a 7-week couch-to-triathlon program would only be appropriate for a sprint tri. Even then, I'm not too pleased about the idea of such a short training program.