I’m sure most of you agree that brick worouts are helpful for adaptation to the bike-run transition. I’m sure that there are a lot of diverse ways of implementing the workouts. Please feel free to offer your opinions on the following.
LONG: 1hr+ fairly intense bike ride immediatelly followed by a run of at least 1/2 hr
Versus
INTERVAL: 3-4 min intense interval on bike immediatelly followed by 3-4 min run interval; 2 min break; repeat the cycle 6-10 times.
The interval workout would be most conveniently done by having an indoor trainer and a treadmill side by side. The idea behind it would be to do repetitive bike to run transitions.
If I had to suggest one over the other than I’d would say you’d benefit more from the long brick workout than the other. it’s time in the saddle that makes you better and with some intervals thrown in there in that hour with a short run, this mimics racing more than 3-4 min. biking with shorter runs, repeated. all depends too on the distances you want to race.
personally, i haven’t done any brick workouts this year and have had my best year of racing. HIM of 4:40s (2:25 bike/1:35 run) and OLY 2:11(1:03 bike/40:30 run). I’ve only been racing since 2007 and tried the brick workouts the last two years. I found that with every brick run i got my legs back about 10 min. into the run no matter how far I biked. So this year I was going to try something different. I pushed harder on my bike workouts and that was the focus only and my run workouts the same.
I’m sure most of you agree that brick worouts are helpful for adaptation to the bike-run transition. …
I’m not so sure that most of us agree. There was a big thread on this a while back. The biggest advantage to brick workouts is “killing two birds with one stone.” You are already dressed and warmed up…might as well get the run in.
If you are looking to work on transitions, do the intervals. If you are just trying to get two workouts in, finish up with a 30 minute run.
One other advantage I found of brick workouts is Gordo’s 90/30/90/30/90/30 (those are minutes) which is really just a way to get in a 6 hr workout with both running and riding.
I think 3-4 minutes is too short, and 60 minutes too long for the bike. Depending on your effort level of course.
If you do 1 hour @ 100% you should not be doing anything else for a few days IMO.
People preach 2 x 20 on the bike, but I find it really hard to find a spot where I Can hammer for 20 minutes straight without hitting traffic, traffic lights, etc.
This has been discussed like crazy at one time or another.
My $0.02 is that it depends on what you are racing. I personally think that both can have benefits, and it would depend on where you were in your training cycle as to which one I would do…or what race you were ‘peaking’ for.
forget the bike trainer/treadmill intervals - you need to do the real thing and sustained (whether for Olympic or half IM)
get your speed through track intervals
Here’s some that I do (I don’t do ironman; half IMs are my fave distance):
This weekend I did back-to-back 4 hr bricks, all hills all the time:
Sat. - 2:30 bike, hurting up all the hills; 1:30 run, within which is 3 sets of 15 minutes at slightly above half IM race pace (including many hills wedged into them); first 15 min set is right off the bike (you don’t get to ‘warm up’ in a race - this sort of thing is painful but very good for race acclimatization)
Sun. - 3:00 bike, all in big chain ring; 1 hr run, easy except for hammering up the hills (there were only 3 in this one) (kids, don’t all try this one at home in one wknd)
Other bricks:
2hr bike, with 4-6 x 10 min intervals in it (flat course); 1 hr run, first half hard (just under race pace effort), then shift down a couple of gears second half
2-3 hr bike moderate pace; 1:15 run, within which is two sets of 5k at a ‘hard effort’ (for me it’s around 18:15 - 18:30 for both)
Winter: 2-3 hr ski follwed by 60-90 minute run (tough, espy because in cold weather your body needs to work harder)
these bricks are mostly about strength and some speed, and about being able to push yourself alone through them
I’m nearly 46, did 7 half IMs in 10 wknds last yr, and not one bad race; I credit it to strength workouts like these
Here we go… I think brick work outs have several advantages if used wisely. I also think that the longer the better. Dont think that the short intervals will have much advantage here. Better off doing the intervals with either just bike or just a run or just a swim. You are asking for a injury by jockeying back and forth every couple minutes.
I’m not so sure that most of us agree. There was a big thread on this a while back.
I think I recall that thread. There was no consensus of opinion on that issue. As I recall one point was that novices benefited more from the brick workouts.
Wouldn’t which one is “better” (if any) it depend on what distance you are training for?
Yes.
You could apply the same principle to each event, i.e. do 3-4 min intervals for sprint/0ly and longer intervals 6-8 min or more for 1/2 to full IM. Still plan to do at least 6 cycles.
forget the bike trainer/treadmill intervals - you need to do the real thing and sustained (whether for Olympic or half IM)
get your speed through track intervals
I agree that one needs to do long sustained workouts as well as speed intervals, and the trainer/treadmill intervals were not intended to replace them. The purpose is to have a workout focusing on the transition as much as possible. Pre-exhaust the legs by cycling, followed by running. Then repeat the process over and over. Get accustomed to running hard when the legs feel lke lead.
I found that with every brick run i got my legs back about 10 min. into the run no matter how far I biked. So this year I was going to try something different.
It seems that there would be no added benefit for you to running more than 10 min. Why don’t you try 10min bike/10min run and repeat 6 times. If 10 min of cycling is too short for you, you could increase the length of the bike interval to 20-30 min, but then your workout would end up very long.
You are asking for a injury by jockeying back and forth every couple minutes.
Injury is always a possibility with running. It all a matter of pacing yourself and knowing your limitations. I suggest that injuries could be lower going back and forth because you’re running slower after the bike, so there will be less impact.
Was not the whole idea of doing short inrervals to go with more intensity and at a faster pace? If it is then yes it does make injury more likely. I am all for brick workouts and during the winter most of my workouts were bricks. Sometimes all three got done with my bricks. Mainly oly distances and sprint distances. Did these two to three times a week and also did bricks two three to three times a week. I enjoy training and am probably addicted to it like most here on ST.
Were all the bricks to much ?
Most likely yes.
Did it hamper performance and fitness gains ?
After a point I think a bit.
What would be a beneficial # of times a week to do bricks ?
I would say once or twice a week. More you get to fatigued.
Do I have any hard data to back up?
No besides training I have a job and a family. No time to write papers and research the data needed to prove one point or the other. Leave that for the people who get paid to do so. I can tell you with certainty that if you have two people training, what works for one and is most beneficial does not automatically mean that would do the same for the other.
Was not the whole idea of doing short inrervals to go with more intensity and at a faster pace? If it is then yes it does make injury more likely.
Yes and no. Somewhat faster than the initial running phase of a long brick, but also significantly slower than a typical set of running interval at the track. It’s hard to know for sure about the injury risk. It’s not an exact science.
The main purpose was to focus on the transition phase, when the legs are trying to recover from the bike ride. The adaptation time varies from one individual to another. Once the legs are recovered from the bike, you’re not getting as much benefit from the brick. The optimal duration of each interval is probably an individual thing. The shorter interval allows time for repeating the process over and over again. After doing a few of the cycles, each successive interval is going to be harder and harder. The running speed will be significantly slower than doing typical track intervals.
Again, not a replacement for typical workouts. Just a way of mixing things up. Do it maybe 1X/week. I’ve done the workout twice so far. The first time was very hard. Could not go on after 4 cycles. The second time I easily did 6 cycles. Plan to do 8 cycles next time.
In the fall I will give them a go, see how they work. Need to change things up a bit anyhow and if I do get a bit hurt nothing on the line in the fall. Give the muscles a new twist. Peeps at the gym will think put a whole new level to my craziness.
you’re telling us your greatest limiter is the time you lose right off the bike is much greater than your peers
and/or 2. you’re telling us you’re training for a race with multiple bike run transitions.
If those are true, good luck. If not, search Fleck, Show Pony ,et al. and this month’s issue of Triathlete mag. Running off the bike is not a “brick”, it’s not a special occasion… it’s what we triathletes do. You should get the hang of it after about 3 runs. Nothing to it, don’t over think it.
Edit: it just occured to me that if you were an ITU pro you might be concerned about hammering right off the bike, but I assume you’re not an ITU pro.