Ironman triathlon is an ultra-endurance race. Training for it is notoriously difficult and can easily consume a lot of time. Also getting to the level of fitness that will see you through an Ironman finish line will take at least a year for a lot of people. 


In my experience, completely novice athletes will need 6-8 months of training to have a fair go at the half Ironman which has a distance of 1.9 km swim – 90 km bike – 21 km run. There is a cut off of 8.5 hours for this. On the other hand, athletes aiming to do the full ironman should begin their prep at least 12 months in advance to make sure they are ready for the grueling race. The full iron distance consists of a 3.8 km swim – 180 km bike – 42 km run to be completed under 17 hours.


Now how do you assess that if you’re ready for taking up this project or not?? Firstly there are no qualification criteria to attempt the Ironman. That said, you will however need to have some basic fitness in order to start training for triathlons. 

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I have devised a simple 7-day test to assess your fitness level. If you can do even 60%-70% of this, you are ready to undertake IRONMAN Training along with the help of a coach. 
Please note – You should be able to swim non stop for at least 25 meters before starting an Ironman training regime. 

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What will you need?

  1. Bicycle (indoor or outdoor)
  2. Running shoes
  3. Pool or open water Access 
  4. Swim Gear 
  5. Stopwatch or fitness tracker


  • Day 1–
  • Swim – 30 mins
  • Run – 3.5 kms under 30 mins


  • Day 2 –
  • Bike – 1 hour
  • Run – 20 mins


  • Day 3 –
  • Swim – 30 mins
  • Bike 1.5 hours


  • Day 4 –
  • Run 40 mins
  • 1 hour of HIIT leg work
  • 5-7 Sets of
  • 20 Squats
  • 20 Lunges
  • 20 Sumo Squats
  • 20 Lateral Squats
  • 1 min Squat hold
  • 1 min rest between exercises
  • 3 min rest between sets


  • Day 5
  • Suryanamaskar x 12-20
  • Easy 30 min Bike


  • Day 6
  • HIIT Upper Body Session
  • Each Exercise 20 seconds on and 10 sec break


  • Set


  • Push ups
  • Plank
  • Mt Climbers
  • Superman Hold
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Crunches


  • Rest Between 2 sets 1 min Max


  • Total 6 sets
  • Swim – 30 min


  • Day 7
  • Bike – 1 hour
  • Run-Off the Bike (Brick) – 30 mins


This 7-day routine will give you a good idea about what it is like to train like a triathlete. 

The bike sessions can be done indoors on stationary bikes as well. In case there is no pool access, it can be replaced with a small 15-20 min run/ jog. If you can do this and find that you can do much more then you are more than ready to start a properly structured plan that will take you through this whole journey of becoming an Ironman. At PowerPeaks we shall be using a very scientific approach towards training where the training will be customized to one’s own Heart Rate (HR) zones (post a max HR test). This helps in training at your own pace and get better with time. 


Power Peaks has a holistic approach to training where all aspects of Triathlon training are covered including Nutrition, BikeFits and FTP tests for better cycling technique, Swim Analysis, Gait Analysis for Better running technique, Race planning, and strategy, Mock Ironman Races, Triathlon Training Camps, Open Water Swims, Technical Workshops, Sourcing of the right Triathlon Equipment, Strength and conditioning, etc. 


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