SWIM vs BIKE vs RUN: Study Discovers The Most Important for Triathlon

[@The_classicnoob]

The swim is a commute to the start line.

[@zac1672]

Nah swimming’s the best

[@Ari-ot1dp]

A commute/warm up for the race for sure.

[@Milly_JRT]

I just did my first sprint triathlon this past Sunday. My 500m was 10:20~ and I was NO WHERE near the front. I was at about 17th place out of the water and ended up in 3rd place men’s ,4th overall, 1st in AG

[@chetranqui]

Nice! Congrats on the win! Sounds like an exciting time!

[@myvvideoz3525]

That's awesome. Congrats.

[@harry-ky3mx]

I thought sprint was a 1000 meters swim?

[@Milly_JRT]

@@harry-ky3mx Sprint Id 500 , Olympic is 1200ish

[@acsmith1975]

my perspective on it is that since I'm not competing to win a triathlon, my motivation focus is different. My knees are bad, so running (and at times biking) is hard so I typically maybe spend more on swimming to keep aerobic capacity while saving my knees a bit. second thing for me is since starting from nothing, I not love swimming. I can spend hours in the pool, and that enjoyment is a good tradeoff for maybe a worse finish time than maybe I could otherwise achieve.

[@pauliuszasciurinskas9302]

well i think swim is one of most important training, because : 1. it is easy to do swim in the morning and run/bike in the evening without burning out. 2. it helps to improve running form a bit and overall strengh 3. good for aerobic base 4. recovery time short 5. if you swim bad is very easy to overheat at the start of the race

[@richardlajoie5912]

Getting faster is not the focus of many. Staying healthy and having fun is. So, keep it simple, do all three disciplines in the manner that keeps you motivated and having fun.

[@krukarlukasz3834]

I think swim might be least correlated mainly due to the fact that at this stage fatigue plays the most minimal role. Also, it is common to overdo yourself while swimming, hence "good swimming time" cost us a later in the race. For that reasons, I think that data might be somewhat misleading.

[@steezmonster92]

Just decided I was going to train for a triathlon a week ago. After watching 5 of your videos you always bring so much value and help. Subbed!

[@Cyyhjiyffree]

How’s training going?

[@OBoile]

The problem with this analysis, and the analysis in the studies, is that you don't get the same return wrt speed vs power in cycling and running. In cycling, because the main resistance is wind, speed is proportional to the cube of your power output (roughly, there are things like tire friction, drivetrain losses etc. but these are small). In running, the main resistance is gravity so improvements in speed are close to 1:1 with improvements in "power". Thus, for a similar improvement in power output, you will see a far larger relative improvement in running speed than cycling speed.

[@mikexhotmail]

fair enough

[@daniel.3603]

Me: ** Watches Taren’s videos while taking a break from school and homework** Taren: “let’s analyze these academic studies and review the data analysis from the reports!” Me: 🤦🏻‍♂️ 😂😂😂

[@RamaSivamani]

The argument I could see for doing more swimming and biking is that the risk of injury is lower so you can train with more volume in those two modalities without increasing your injury risk as much whereas running does have a high risk of injury as you increase your volume.

[@mikedaknight8854]

Without watching and knowing my own shortfalls. The bike is a big one. Being 2mins faster in the water is meaningless when you get dropped in the first 20mins on the bike, and then your run sucks as your legs will be shot 😂

[@DublinDapper]

lol

[@Trev12345]

Great video, lots of insight. I was thinking also the people who have more left in the tank to attack the run probably were just more fit in general over those who were gassed at the run

[@willishuang3660]

Good stuf f by Taren for sure. There are just a few other things to keep in mind as well. One of the studies used world cup (elite) athletes at Oly distance, which is a totally different level of performance than the typical AGer and where they are all amazing swimmers to start with (you can't even do ITU if you're a non-elite tri swimmer). The other study primariliy focused on long-course (Ironman) which massively de-emphasizes the swim, which is 1hr of a 10-17 hr race for most AGers. So these 2 studies don't really address the big AGer question, how important is the swim for ME at the race distnace I do. The answer varies a lot, but in most cases, it's a lot more important than you think, unless you have a strong swim background.

[@chetranqui]

You've got a good point about length of races evaluated in the studies. That said, even though typical local triathlons are shorter, the ratio of swim-bike-run should still be inline with the longer race's ratios. How I understand what he said: learn proper form and practice swimming once a week or so, but focus your full energy on the bike and run, edging more toward bike than run. Swimming once a week should lead to some pretty solid swim skills along the way if ya ask me!

[@andreg1860]

Hmmm thanks for the verification... I was just going through that decision and at this time swim took the hit.. I have to focus on Bike and running which I'm horrible at and I refuse to give up my 3 strength sessions a week.. ill get back to swimming later

[@csaba675]

I think this correlation makes sense and follows the swim-bike-run in the reverse order: run with highest correlation. As the race progresses the psychological pressure kicks in and provides extra boost. This for me explains to see more correlation towards the end of the race.

[@MissMikaelaIt]

Hey, can I get the DOIs for the studies referenced in this video? I want to check out the primary sources.

[@TLooP]

I think it depends on the distance. Short course the Swim & Run are everything! Long course you can make a lot back in the bike. But if one or more athletes can gap you on the swim and can still ride & run fast your done. I used to race In the ITU and I could swim about :20flat and we were in the 3rd pack just trying not to get lapped out. The swim is critical in my honest opinion in all distances. In an age group race you can get out and be chased and if you can run well it can also set you apart. It better to be chased then be chasing is my experience. Now I can get out In the top 3 in my wave as a 40+age grouper and back in my itu days that would have been last so it’s been a game changer. I’d recommend swim & run as it can set you apart. 😊

[@constantintrudel3756]

Loved the video and loved the information shared!!! Thanks for the great content

[@runninggirl5077]

Thank you Taren! This gives me motivation to think that maybe one day I'll try a triathlon. I AM mostly focused on running 🏃 🏃😃 💜🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[@KristianeLim]

Hey Taren! Great video! Just wanna ask, what gym workout do u recomend for triathletes when race season is close or already in full swing. I generally do a lot of deadlifts and squats during the offseason, but what sort of gym workout should i do if races are near. Thanks!

[@DublinDapper]

One of your best videos..good stuff man

[@darthjohn0]

Cyclists are probably getting faster because bikes are getting better: lighter, more aero, etc. And more amateurs are buying better bikes.

[@jamiegracie2458]

Not really. The difference between a mid-level bike and super-bike is probably a few minutes over a 70.3 distance.

[@justinmiller7083]

A few minutes is a lot of time just buy buying tech.

[@felipemachado724]

Shoes are also faster and run times are not improving. The better bike gear also would not explain the run times getting slower.

[@jamiegracie2458]

@@felipemachado724 yeah exactly. Pushing harder on the bike and or being in a more aero (less comfortable) position would explain the run times as well.

[@jamiegracie2458]

@@justinmiller7083 and yet a good cyclist would put 20 minutes on an entry level bike over an average cyclist on a super bike. It's the engine that gets the results

[@vkleisner]

how many days a week do you train? if you swim, bike and run 2 times a week + yoga + strength trainning?

[@TheEightRain]

"My run was only a 1:33" - lol, I wish my runs where there. Your times are really impressive!

[@chetranqui]

#Science Love it man, ty for sharing what you're learning. I'm just now starting over on my fitness journey (running injury during a half marathon in 2015 pushed me into biking for 2016 and 2017..then... nothing). I'm now running 6 miles a week and just found a local set of connected bike trails that lead to a 26 mile ride today! It's so exciting to be back on course... and really freeing to know that I'm working on the two most important aspects of my future Ironman goal! LETS GO!!!

[@MatthewBoydPhysio]

Just wondering what paper you were referencing regarding the older athlete benefiting more from strength than more endurance work? I’d be very interested to read it. Great video as usual Taren 👍

[@RamaSivamani]

What about for non drafting sprint distance triathlon? The studies you referenced only talked about ITU drafting and ironman non drafting. If your focus is to get better at sprint distance non drafting races how correlated are the times in each individual discipline vs overall time?

[@Primetime_dads]

I’m trying to find info on swimming vs cycling for fitness. Does anyone have any info or links to this. The adaptations and everything that comes from exercise

[@louisem9487]

Im thinking about trying to train for my first triathon (sprint as im new) but im unfortunately not a good biker. Im good at indoor bike but outside not. Any tips? Running is my strong point and im reasonbly okay at swimming

[@Shevock]

In the US, the best women have been recruited from university swimming programs. The best men have been recruited from track. However, the US men are not the best in the world, whereas US women are as good as any nation if not better. Of course that's usually for Olympic distance triathlons, not Ironman. I think more amateurs should do their local sprint and standard triathlons every year, rather than bucket listing an Ironman and never doing triathlon again. But that's beside the point. The point is I think there's something to the swim workouts that build up your fitness in a way that helps with the bike and run because it's full body. So, let's say you have time to do 7 sessions a week and it's the off-season, it may be best to bike twice, run twice and swim three times (in addition to strength training). To get good on the bike needs far too many hours (like 4 hour bike sessions that you'd never even consider doing in the pool or running).

[@trepidati0n533]

Not sure...the lowest overall time is the lowest overall time. For most AG's building the aerobic engine is a dominating factor for building performance. There is just too much deadtime with pool workouts (e.g. travel, changing, etc). Even a 45 minute pool slot will take at minimum 100-120 minutes of real time. So what would give me more performance as an AG athelete....a 45 minute swim or another 90 minute of bike (10-20 minutes of dead time)? Heck would that 45 minute swim slot be better spent in the gym doing strength work? I get the swim. If you really want to be proficient at the swim and that is your goal...then do that. But if your goal is to PB or podium then correlations matter as Taren indicated. Personally I will be doing serious work on the swim after this season just because I want a better "feel" in the water regardless of what it does to my overall time.

[@Shevock]

@@trepidati0n533 I live 5 minutes from the Y where I swim and do my strength work so that proximity likely influences my feelings. But for me bike fitness doesn't seem to transfer well. From 2000 to 2011 I gave up swimming and just biked. I didn't mind the many hours I spent on the saddle because I wasn't married and didn't yet have kids. 4 hours cycling after teaching was the norm. I couldn't run a mile off of all of that bike fitness. I could, however, in high school when I was on the swim team and swimming 5 days a week. But none of that is scientific. Just what I experienced.

[@ln5747]

Almost everyone recruited into tri has a youth swimming background, men and women. Many swimmers are also runners in their youth. They may be runners when they are recruited but swimming is typically the essential skill.

[@Iamluischavarriaga]

THANKS!!! GREAT INFORMATION,,

[@jeffbrunton3291]

The correlation doesn’t surprise me, because the swim is a shorter period of time in most triathlons. Isoman is a type of triathlon that sets the time spent on each leg roughly equal to the world record in each leg, ideally doing around 2 hours each leg Works out at 7 mile swim, 61 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run.

[@TheSnifmister]

This was a great video taren thanks

[@SleepyGonzales]

I pretty much came to the same conclusion. I did 11,000km on the bike and got a Kona spot for the first time. I also had my second fastest run even though I ran less km than before

[@rg7035]

Quite surprising to hear about the swim being the least important in ITU races. I always thought it was vital to keep in the first pack so you don't need to spend extra energy on the bike. Kind of obvious for Ironman as the swimming leg is only a very very small portion of the race.

[@theflorentine5047]

Triathlon is supposed to be an individual effort. I think the rules do need to change so as to not give any advantage to drafting- 20 meters min. Also this allows people to pass as they progress thru the bike course and use the bike strength they have. imo

[@ln5747]

Triathlon as a time trial would be interesting.

[@uscfroadie]

Perhaps your best video to date.

[@triathlontimmy]

I agree, more videos like this. I'm a numbers guy.

[@pascalwerlen]

Not at all, remember the video were he talked about overtraining, 10 months ago, great video ☺️🙏🏻

[@pascalwerlen]

"Why i am gaining weight an not training"

[@stevendaddyrue8026]

I could have sworn in the hundreds of times I’ve done his core 1 routine that you said don’t tell your body your getting older?

[@EMI8207]

The explaination I ever had!

[@jobanski]

This is good for people like me who sign up for a race that’s less than 8 weeks out. 😂 Don’t worry it’s just a sprint, but knowing what to prioritize helps calm my anxiety. 😂😬

[@fabianrares]

September 2020, first sprint triathlon, wet suit 30£ water temperature 16° May 2021 second sprint triathlon, wet suit 130£ water temperature 13°, 100m in I had to quit.. could pace, couldn't settle my breathing, panic, restricting wetsuit? Water temperature? I can't work it out what happened, now I'm concerned of my ability

[@fabianrares]

Aa first completed, first wet suit was from aldi, second is zone3..

[@Shevock]

If these are the only two you've done, you could try one with a pool swim and see if that helps.

[@larissadueck2643]

Wait...there's races happening??? Zero races here in Canada

[@Shevock]

@@larissadueck2643 Oh no! Still? Here in Pennsylvania over 70% of people are vaccinated so we're pretty much back to normal. Even the new variant they have in England is stopped by the vaccine 90% I thought Canada was doing better through.

[@mikedaknight8854]

I used to do hours in the pool. The first race I ever did I only went in the open water 1 week before and was a right state. Paraphrasing Taren, it's all about getting comfortable in the cold water. Get in on the late winter early spring with your wetsuit on and maybe just the first few visits just get was it or neck deep and just get a feel for it

[@boeyalam9048]

Well said. Spot on!

[@markmcfadden7428]

Good info, thanks

[@Nessunego]

The most important part of triathlon are combinations and transitions. In other words how to go from swimming to biking to running with ease. Biking after swimming and running after biking and swimming are very different from any of these sports taken alone. Too many athletes think about triathlon as a sum of three sports. That's not triathlon. Triathlon is another sport.

[@krukarlukasz3834]

I remember when I was doing my first Olympic. I did some T2 bricks, but barely T1 brfore. I was so dissy after I got on the bike I thought I' m gonna fell off :)

[@stevebzz839]

Triathlon is 5 disciplines.. swim, bike, run, transition & nutrition..🤷‍♂️😂

[@larissadueck2643]

Cycling is, arguably, my weakest link 😩

[@mohabi544]

Nice video , thanks a lot

[@RyanCL140]

There’s just not enough hours in they day with tri training and full time job

[@dekik.979]

GTN has 10h/week Ironman program video. Look it up

[@cicirunner]

@@dekik.979 LOL that's not enough time. Training 10 hrs/week is barely enough for a half ironman.

[@thelordmanell869]

@@dekik.979 I train 20-30 h/week for sprint triathlon distance

[@radiantmind]

​@@thelordmanell869 That's just stupid.

[@diegow.3997]

@@cicirunner lol that's different for everybody. I trained 8-10h a week for 3 months for my first ironman. No need to do more. Everybody in decent shape can do a half ironman

[@bravesirmick8463]

What if you're a weak swimmer, are a poor cyclist and have a weak run leg?

[@gengar678]

Then you have to focus on the transitions....

[@darnellhenderson2170]

Great video!

[@ducks28]

Still sounds like the conversation should be more about energy levels Than speed. The ability to complete the swim with leg conservation moving into the bike with fresher legs would be super important.

[@mariatooker3475]

Great content, very valid points for average joe age grouper.

[@johngoddard7852]

ITU data not strongly correlated to AG athletes...

[@derkong7114]

Great video...

[@bozoldier]

Correlation isn't causation. That means that you should not make training decision out of these studies. To show causation one should design a study focusing different groups on the 3 different sports...

[@arianrajh1151]

The longer the event, the more important cycling becomes for the race. Running is the most important for supersprints and sprints, I guess.

[@arianrajh1151]

Very useful video, great stuff.

[@karlosfandango6637]

Bike is most important to me. Why? I work and have a young family, so cycling is hard to fit in. So when I do a triathlon, I burnt out after the bike. I'm a natural runner and swimmer. I can swim easily without training and running is just as easy. Bike miles are rare for me.

[@royfr8136]

The most important is the one you're not good at

[@davidellis2696]

Big difference if drafting is allowed.

[@NoxiousNoodles]

This provides strong support for 2 things. First, the swims need to be longer: 5km minimum for an Ironman. The IM distance swim is an easy paddle and not truly long enough to separate out the chaff. Second, the 3:5 wetsuits should be banned. No other piece of race day equipment benefits someone shit at one of the disciplines more than someone good, except for those wetsuits. Basically they amount to cheating.

[@triathlontimmy]

I agree. The swim is too easy and short. Especially for an Ironman. I'm worst at swimming, yet I still think its the easiest because its so short.

[@minem23]

The swim is deceptively easy and short. It's the most technical out of the three. It's very important for the shorter races, less so for half and full Ironman. But I'd like to point out one other thing - I love swimming and my body enjoys mixing the trainings. Doing more cycling or running would wreak havoc on my body.

[@FunkZoned]

V helpful

[@jakeszoszorek8383]

NO SWIMMING this past year. Swim time is the same...bike and run are way faster. Over all time is faster in the spring distance. I put in all my time biking and running

[@dekik.979]

So: 1.Strength training 2.Bike suffering 3.Running suffering 4. Swimming long

[@shastacat6841]

Me having a strong swim, decent bike, and horrible run D:

[@blaquaman1739]

I only do sprint triathlons so I don’t have to train swimming at all 😆

[@timob12]

I try to run as little as possible when training. The chance of injury from running is just too high, majority of people bodies will break down running.

[@Milly_JRT]

Probably because they don’t train for it and decided they’ll figure it out on race day ...

[@laurabartha606]

sad news for me...naturally weak runner, but kinda ok in swimming and cycling.... :D

[@markscott2259]

Not sad news, just news to work on running :). Now go kick some assphalt !

[@absmit5394]

Races should go back to road bikes like 10+ years ago - that’s where the real racing was at…. Not everyone wants to spends thousands on TT bikes to remain competitive!!!

[@larshinkel7542]

First Swimmingpool After a verry Long time. Horrible... i sah dogs That Swim better than i did😂 and usualy im Not That Bad at siwimming.

[@TheSgkerr123]

Long course, bike is obvious.

[@the1gofer]

So work on what you aren’t good at.

[@nvcn86]

niples.

[@relikvija]

2nd