• dave
• Feb 2,2009
• In: Health & Fitness, Workouts

Boost Your Cardio by Creating Your Own Triathlon

Whenever I suggest this workout to a friend, colleague, or fellow gym member, they all have the same response, “You want me to do a triathlon? Are you $^#&ing serious?” Every time I look them straight back in the eyes and say, “Yes.”

First off let’s get one thing straight, I have never trained for or competed in any form of sanctioned triathlon so I cannot comment on how much fun they may or may not be. However, I have completed many mini-triathlons and have been crazy ever since reading about them in Men’s Health Magazine. What is a mini-triathlon? A mini-triathlon is a combination of any 3 cardiovascular exercises in immediate succession. Mini-triathlons are bad-ass.

There are many different variations of mini-triathlons to try. Performing different exercises (as in a triathlon) is a great way to increase your overall fitness level by working many different muscles and keeping your heart rate up.

Here a few of my favorites:

The Multisport Tri:

This cardio workout provides all the benefits of a real triathlon, but since you’re not actually competing, you’ll do the swim last, when it’s convenient. No pool? Use a rowing machine instead.

How to do it: Pedal a bike at a steady, comfortable pace — an effort level of 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 — for 10 minutes. Hop down and run outside or on a treadmill for 10 minutes at an effort level of 5 or 6. Finally, head to the pool or rowing machine and do another 10 minutes at the same intensity.

Mix it up: Short on time? Cut the final leg in half and increase your intensity to 8.

The User-Friendly Tri

You can complete this cardio workout in one section of your gym and still challenge your cardiovascular system in new ways.

How to do it: Choose any three cardio machines, such as an elliptical trainer, a treadmill, and a stationary bike. On the first machine, do 10 minutes at an effort level of 5 or 6. Move to the next machine and complete 10 minutes at an effort level of 9 or 10. Finally, do 10 minutes on your last machine at an effort level of 5 or 6.

Mix it up: Change the order of the machines each time you train, so the hardest (middle) segment always provides a new challenge.

The Speed-and-Power Tri

This cardio workout builds speed, power, and lower-body strength.

How to do it: Choose any three cardio machines that allow you to adjust the resistance or gradient, such as a treadmill, bike, or stairclimber. Warm up for 2 minutes at an effort level of 5. Step up your effort to maximum for 30 seconds by increasing the machine’s resistance level and/or incline while maintaining the same cadence. Return to the warmup effort level. That’s one interval. Do three intervals, then move to the next two machines and do three intervals on each.

Mix it up: Instead of raising the incline or resistance during your 30-second bouts, pick up the cadence of your maximum effort.

Mixing up your cardio workout is a great way to shock your body into creating results. The next time you’re in a rut, try one of these mini-triathlons. You won’t regret it. When you finish, you can brag to people that you’ve completed a “triathlon.” Part of being an Alpha Man is doing big things, so we try to use the mini-prefix sparingly in conversation.

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