How to Leverage Brick Workouts in Your Triathlon Training

In our sport of triathlon, there are 3 sports on race day: swimming, biking, and running. One way we can be stronger and more prepared on race day is by combining two sports back to back. 

The most common way of going about this is doing a workout that is a bike session straight into a run session. This type of workout is called a “Brick” While it is easier to say “Brick Workout” instead of “Bike into run session”. 

The term brick doesn’t really translate to what the session is all about. I am on my 15th year of racing triathlons and my 11th year of coaching and the best answer I have ever come across is Bike and Run In Combination. While the spelling is one letter short, I feel this illustrates the session’s purpose.

Importance of Brick Workouts for Triathletes

Brick workouts help athletes perform race-specific sessions. These types of workouts help us prepare both mentally and physically for the challenge of transitioning from one sport to the next. A brick could be a swim-to-bike session, yet by far the most common brick workout for triathletes is a bike into a run. 

The reason the bike-to-run session is the most common is because of the two transitions in a triathlon, this is the toughest for the body to deal with as we are late in the race, fatigue has set in and we are moving from the non-weight bearing activity of cycling to the weight bearing activity of running.

When you come off the bike your legs often feel heavy and slow for the first couple of minutes, another reason some believe the session is called a brick. In triathlon repetition is key and consistent practice will improve how our body responds to the change. 

Implementing bricks in training will help the the body get used to the transition from bike to run, prepare us mentally, and are a very efficient use of time for busy athletes. 

How Often Should You Incorporate Brick Sessions?

Athletes often question how often bricks should be included in their training, not wanting to overdo it or waste time with extra bricks, while also ensuring they come into race day prepared. 

I have found that one brick is sufficient in the base phase of training. Adding in this weekly frequency helps the body get used to the transition from biking to running. 

I add a shorter run off of the weekly long bike session. This run off the bike is often prescribed with a steady effort that is shorter in duration (duration relative to the distance of race the athlete is training for). 

During the build and peak phases of training adding in a second brick can be beneficial if the session can be fit into the athlete’s life. I find adding a second shorter brick is beneficial for intensity training and a great time saver with the stacked sessions.

Types of Brick Workouts

As touched on earlier, bricks can come in all types of durations and intensities, on top of that I like to separate bricks into “Soft Bricks” and “Hard Bricks”. 

A soft brick is where the transition is not rushed from the bike to the run. For these types of bricks, I suggest that athletes not rush from the bike to run. If you need a minute or need to grab a snack, go for it. 

Then there is a hard brick, these bricks are closer to that of a race simulation. Before starting your workout you want everything laid out for the transition of the bike to run so the move from cycling can be as seamless and quick as possible. 

This includes all of the running gear you will need including running shoes, possible change of clothes, nutrition, and hydration needs. For these hard bricks, the goal is to be as efficient as possible from bike to run and simulate race day.

Examples of Key Brick Workouts

Here are a few different brick sessions, laid out with zones and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). If you are not training with zones, check out this article on how to set zones for swimming, biking and running. 

If you are unfamiliar with rating of perceived exertion, it’s a scale of 1-10. For example, an RPE of 1 is a walk, an RPE of 4 is similar to an effort you could hold for hours and an RPE of 10 is all out, an effort you can only hold for a couple of seconds.

Beginner/Short-Course Brick Session

New to triathlon training? Here is a perfect brick to get you started!

Bike:

• Warm Up: 15 minutes (starting in Z1, ramping to low Z2/ Starting at RPE 2 and ramp to low RPE 4)
• Main Bike Set: 30 minutes (Z2-3/RPE 4-6)
• No cool down straight to the brick run

Run:

• Main Run Set: 10 minutes: Run at Z2/RPE 4, very steady
• Cool Down: 5 minutes at Z1/RPE 2

Long-Course Brick Sessions

Training for long course triathlon? Here is a brick to help with race pacing.

Bike:

• Warm Up: 15 minutes (starting in Z1, ramping to low Z2/ Starting at RPE 2 and ramp to low RPE 4)
• Main Bike Set: 3 x 30 minutes (Z2-3/RPE 4-6); 10 minutes (Z1/RPE 2)
• No cool down straight to the brick run

Run:

• Main Run Set: 10 minutes (Run at Z1-2/RPE 3-4, very steady); 20 minutes (Run at Z2/RPE4)
• Cool Down: 5 minutes (Z1/RPE 2)

Time-Crunched/High-Intensity Brick Session

Tight on time? Here is a quick and intense brick session.

Bike:

• Warm Up: 10 minutes starting in Z1, ramping to low Z2/ Starting at RPE 2, and ramp to low RPE 4
• Main Bike Set: 3 x 10 minutes (Z4/RPE 7); 5 minutes (Z1/RPE 2)
• No cool down straight to the brick run

Run:

• Main Run Set:
  • 5 minutes (Z1-2/RPE 3-4, very steady)
  • 2 x 5 minutes (Z4/RPE7)
  • 5 minutes (Z2/RPE4)
• Cool Down: 5 minutes at Z1/RPE 2

Brick Training Takeaway

When getting into triathlon, brick training can sound daunting. Yet with each brick session you bank, they will start to feel more and more fluid. 

As the sessions start to feel more fluid you can add in more duration and intensity. In the end, these sessions will have you more mentally and physically prepared for race day!