The Triathlete's Training Bible
by Joe Friel
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Book Reviews of The Triathlete's Training Bible
Book Review: Too heavy on graphs and planning
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book because I was completing my first triathlon (done) and heard that this was a great book for triathletes. Its a big text - almost like a phone book, and the content is similarly weighty. There were some bits here and there that I found accessible and useful (but struggled to find them again buried between reams of complicated schedules). The author is no doubt knowledgeable but I think that this is more for a coach or someone who really likes a lot of rules and structure - for example the general training plans are centered around periods broken into "Pre Base 1 2 3 Build 1 2 Prep Race Tran", each with variable mixes of "endurance force speed muscular-endurance anaerobic-endurance power testing" - do we really need this level of complexity? I'll stick with something a little more relaxed.Book Review: Well worth it! Very valuable, but optimal value will require some work.
Summary: 5 Stars
I could not put the book down when I first received it and started reading it. And I learned a lot in the first 50 or so pages. However, to really get the most out of this book, one will need to do some time-intensive testing and planning. Friel recommends laying out a whole year's training plan - which is awesome of course - and it is to be done step by step, however this has proven to be a really daunting task; one I have not been up for yet. You can still get lots of valuable info from the book by searching for what you want. But, the book really focuses around creating a year plan, looking at yourself and your weaknesses and strengths, doing some testing, and then making the plan. If you have the time and the will, I feel you will really absorb the purpose of this book.Book Review: Absolutely the best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm the kind of guy who will sit down at Barnes and Noble for an hour and speed-read all of the books of a given category before buying, and I did the same for triathlon. This is by far the most comprehensive and well-put-together book in my opinion. As a serious collegiate triathlete, this book has all of the great details that will combine to give me a breakthrough in all 3 triathlon disciplines and a much smarter and structured training plan. Very well organized and not terribly dense. The beginning triathlete with little desire for top-3 age group finishes or better might find that it feels like a college textbook, but it hits all of the right subjects(and all race distances) at just the right depth for me. Worth every penny!Book Review: Way too detailed to be useful
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm new to triathlons and wanted a guide to tell me what I needed to do to complete an Olympic triathlon over 3 months. This book was about as concise and as useful a guide as the "real" bible. Each section begins with meandering paragraphs with unneccessary and conflicting metaphors. There is no chapter that gives you a series of training schedules to choose from. It's about the length and size of a college economics textbook - NOT what I needed.
If you are already very familiar with triathlons and want a lengthy and detailed discussion of the finer points of technique with a HELL of a lot of excess text, this may be useful. I just don't have the time.
Book Review: Excellent training book
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is by far the most helpful book for all people who are looking to start there journey to be a triathlete. This book breaks down nearly every detail of every event. It gives you the idea to start your own training log that fits around your daily life. The book also puts you in the mind set to think like a triathlete and how to mentally and physically be ready for any triathlon. It gives you pointers on how to lift, and also eat. The list goes on and one for how much this book breaks down into detail how to train for a triathlon. I am very please to have purchased this book and I believe this book will be very beneficial for anyone who is just starting out.