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How To Train For Triathlon Using Compex®

There are those that train for marathons, those that ride their bikes really far and up trails and mountains, and then there are the ones who swim in stormy open waters. Beyond all of these athletes (and we respect and applaud athletes of all variants!) are those that decide to combine all three sports. Choosing to train for a triathlon requires grit, discipline, dedication of time, and preparation. If aspiring to compete in an Ironman race, an athlete cannot simply pick up any one day and participate. The athletes that know the sport - or should we say sports - understand the tenacity and self-discipline required to step up to the start line. Which occurs at the water’s edge, let’s not forget. So if you’re training for a triathlon, how can you take your training to the next level?

In general, incorporating Compex muscle stimulators into your training and recovery allows you to target specific muscle groups - for both pre-workout and post-workout - to make your recovery that much more efficient.

Compex Electrostimulation Training Program for Triathletes

Offseason / Preseason Prep Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 1
Week 1
(static)
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
 
Recovery
Recovery
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
Week 2
Week 2
(static)
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
 
Recovery
Recovery
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
Week 3
Week 3
(add dynamic based on how body feels)
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
 
Recovery
Recovery
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
Week 4
Week 4
(add dynamic based on how body feels)
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
 
Recovery
Recovery
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
Week 5
Week 5
(add dynamic based on how body feels)
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
[Resistance]
Quads and Calves
[Resistance]
Shoulders and Deltoids
[Resistance]
Forearms
 
Recovery
Recovery
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
[Pre warm up or training recovery]
minimum 6 minutes
Tips on how to use our triathlon training program
  • The above plan is a recommendation, but the overall goal is to use the resistance program on each muscle group twice a week.
  • Static means you are stationary in a comfortable position.
  • Dynamic work (body squats or calf raises) should only be done during the season.
  • Remain standing whenever using the resistance program on your calves.
  • During your workouts should be the full workout period of 12 minutes.
  • During the season, use Pre Warm for pre-game and during game sessions. For post-game recovery sessions, use Pre Warm Up or Competition Recovery for a minimum of 6 minutes**. The longer, the better!
  • The plan above is meant for season prep, however, if you continue your workouts in season the recommendation is still 2 times a week per muscle group, but instead of the full 12 minute workout, aim for 8 minutes or less depending on how your body feels.


Triathlete using muscle stimulator to recover

Ways to Improve
My Swimming Time

The triathlon start line: Calls for jumping straight into the water. How does an athlete train adequately for this initial leg of the race? Technique, endurance, and open water skills are the pivotal aspects to focus on for your best water experience. As you set up a training plan incorporating speed and distance, it’s important to prime the necessary muscles to target while swimming.

Compex muscle stimulators can activate specific muscle groups, including the ones that are challenging to target through traditional exercises. This is particularly useful for swimmers who need to engage specific muscles used in swimming strokes. Using muscle stimulator devices like Compex can more quickly target specific muscle groups relevant to your swimming strokes, such as the muscles in the shoulders, back, and core. This targeted approach can help swimmers address weaknesses or imbalances in their muscle development. Another major benefit is utilizing the specific programs that mimic muscle contractions involved in swimming movements. This can help swimmers reinforce the neuromuscular patterns required for efficient swimming strokes. By providing additional resistance during muscle contractions, muscle stimulators can support your goals by building strength and endurance. Swimmers can use these devices to enhance the intensity of their training sessions and improve overall muscle performance.

Triathlete training on his bike

Best Tips for Training For Cycling as a Triathlete

The cycling aspect of triathlons calls for endurance training. Focusing on muscles at work along with challenging time, intensity, and climbs on the bike will prepare you well for race day. When you add variants of short, intense speeds with longer, steadier paces to your training rides, your legs will get the necessary practice to hold onto the race in longer stretches of time. This comes in clutch especially come race day, when you’re pedaling on for miles after swimming.

As for specific muscle group training, cycling calls for building up strength of quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core. To prime muscles for a powered-up ride, use Compex devices to send electrical impulses out and activate your muscles. The stimulation supports your muscle strength and stamina by increasing blood flow, growing strength, and speeding up recovery. Since cycling primarily utilizes slow-twitch muscles, you can use Compex to specifically target these, and suddenly your workouts are that much more efficient. Locate the muscle stimulator tabs on your quad muscles, and then activate the slow twitch muscle fibers. As you build up the strength of slow twitch muscles, you will notice your growing endurance over time. As you’re able to ride longer, you’ll also notice less fatigue. Ride on.

Triathlete running on dirt path

How Do I Get Better at Running?

Once it comes time for the run, as the final leg of your triathlon, this is where the true endurance is called for. Similar to cycling, the run portion will require slow-twitch muscles to pull you through. So, as we’re big fans of efficiency over here, the great part of training adequately for cycling is that it will also prep you for the run. How does Compex set your training apart here from the athletes that aren’t using Compex? As running clearly causes quite increased stress to your joints when compared to cycling, muscle stimulators are the key to differentiating your training from other triathletes. How does this work? Compex signals the designated muscles to contract and relax, which stimulates the muscle without fatigue from exhaustive training or putting stress on tendons and joints. Since running particularly causes repetitive pounding on joints, any strategy that athletes can take to lessen the stress on joints will optimize their muscles in the long term. As the muscle stimulator does the work, athletes can reap the benefits of keeping muscles active without exhaustion from a workout. When you prime muscles this way prior to a run, your legs are that much more fired up to hit the road.

In priming your muscles before a run, consider using Compex muscle stimulators to light up your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. As mentioned, you’ll recognize three of those four from the list that cycling training calls on. In the name of efficiency!.

Practice Triathlon Transitioning

While Compex may not be an assistant to you in the actual transition practice, the more familiar you get with switching from swimming to biking to running, the smoother race day will feel. Once you select your training plan, take note of the combo training days - and be sure to intentionally make Compex recovery part of those days. Because training for more than one activity in one session puts additional strain on the muscles, recovery is key. When you maximize your recovery time with Compex, your body will be primed that much more for optimal training in your next session.

Triathlete using muscle stimulator to recover on the couch

How to Speed Up Recovery when Training for Triathlon

As you wrap up workouts and reach the point of exhaustion, Compex is your next best decision for longevity. Incorporating Compex muscle stimulator tools truly do enhance your post-workout recovery. Of the triathlon aspects, we most recommend making use of Compex after running days - but of course your muscles will reap the benefits after every recharge you treat them to. Compex devices send out electrical impulses that stimulate muscle contractions, and this promotes blood flow while reducing muscle soreness. Using Compex after a workout still targets specific muscle groups that were just trained to exhaustion, but it also aids in flushing out waste products, which speeds up the recovery process.

By ridding the muscles of waste, you’ll notice that you reduce muscle tightness while optimizing flexibility. This will make a ton of difference for your next workout. As any triathlete knows, there is not an abundance of rest time, when it comes to adequate training. Which is exactly why maximizing recovery is so vital - and how Compex elevates yours.

When in routine triathlon training, you’ll notice that ample recovery plays a huge role in stepping into future workouts with amped energy, endurance and power. No doubt, rest time is a requirement, but pairing time off with Compex muscle stimulators brings a new level of efficiency to your recovery time. While the muscles get to rebuild and rest, Compex muscle stimulation grants your tired muscles the chance to strip out toxins and lactic acid. This empowers them to recover quicker - and power up faster for the next workout.

When it comes to training for a triathlon, athletes will take their bodies to new challenges, as they combine dual-sport training days to reach their tri-sport goal. One way to stay ahead of the soreness and get on top of smashing your training is to bring Compex muscle stimulators into the equation. If swimming and cycling and running sum up to a triathlon, adding in the factor of Compex is your key to athletic success.