The Triathlon Experts

The XTerra Off-Road Triathlon Series and other lesser-known off-road triathlons are completely different beasts than the traditional on-road triathlons. Where the fast, sleek and finely tuned athletes excel on the road - the tough, flexible, and pain-eating athletes excel off the road.

Off Road triathlons attract a different crowd of people who love the outdoors and love to use the outdoors to challenge themselves differently in every race. Therefore, you need a different training approach to be successful (whether a beginner or expert) in off-road triathlons.

In the “Off-Road Triathlons” category on this site, we will explore the different training techniques and focus areas to help you get the most out of your XTerra experience.

You Need Strength, Flexibility & Threshold Training

With all of the zigging, zagging, plunging, climbing, twisting and pulling that the human body has to endure to get through an XTerra offroad triathlon, it is no wonder that most coaches recommend a diverse training plan that builds on strength, flexibility and training near and above your lactic thresholds.

In a road triathlon, usually the prize goes to the triathlete who can maintain a high level of smooth performance. Not so off road. The athelete that can adapt to changing conditions, power up hills, dodge boulders, and handle high levels of lactic acid in their muscles has the advantage.

So, how should you approach your training? We will be doing a series of posts on this site on different off road triathlon training tips. Start with these tips in mind and look for upcoming posts.

Top Off Road Triathlon Training Tips

1. Train for the Course Features You will Be Racing
   You need to prepare your body for the rigors of the race to avoid injury and to be successful. Study the course descriptions and look for training opportunities close to home. We will be going into detail on ideas for finding these places to train.
2. Get Out On the Trails Now!
   Depending on where you live, you will have some access to trails. Don’t train indoors or on the road all of the time and expect to be able to apply this directly to off road triathlon success. Not gonna happen. Your body needs to learn to adapt to trails, hills, rocks, logs and other obstacles.
3. Cross Trail to Build Strength and Flexibility
   Take part of your training to Gym, yoga studio, or any other diverse athletic endeavor (golf courses may be a stretch here…:) ) to build up strength and flexibility in the muscles you usually don’t train. This will come in handy to save your butt when you have to zig zag on the trail in a different direction than anticipated…not to mention making you more efficient and faster.
4. Work on Your Technical Skills
   Anyone who has decended a steep hill on a mountain bike (even at Granny pace) knows that it takes skill and practice to avoid disaster - let alone making good time. You can’t just translate your road skills to the trail overnight. The more practice you get in actual conditions, the more efficient and fast you will be on race day. Off road triathlons require more technical skill, so don’t leave this important training aspect out. If you are new to mountain biking, check out this comprehensive guide Click Here! .

These tips will give you a framework to build a good XTerra off road triathlon training strategy. Stay tuned, as we will be discussing more details on how to get the most out of your off road triathlons.