Time Efficient Triathlon Training Book Review

Time-Saving Training for Multisport Athletes, by Rick Niles, is my favorite triathlon training book.  Indeed, it would be excellent to read for understanding training in any sport, but especially for the three it covers for triathlons:  swimming, biking, and running.

• Information is concise, yet distinctly descriptive.
• The book’s page count and size is on the short side compared to many, but the presentation is thorough.
• The author writes in a friendly, encouraging way, while still providing lots of material for challenging all athletes to work toward a satisfying level of performance.

The theme of time is used in a clever and useful way.

• Each chapter name is built on the theme, predicting insights and plans about smarter training that takes LESS time and is more rewarding than you might think.
• He starts with some basics about physiology, moving right into how the athlete can effectively use this knowledge to overcome threshold limits that may have seemed insurmountable.
• Charts are few and simple, but directly pertinent to the discussion.

His ideas about schedule include suggestions about how to emphasize aspects of training to the best advantage.  His advice about form is given in a way that makes it straightforward to apply to individuals without getting bogged down in detailed analysis.  He even has a good understanding of swimming form.

I applied a lot of what I read in this book to my training for my second outdoor sprint triathlon adventure.  It helped me relax about the process, because I could see the progress.  When I had to deal with an injury, it was easier on me mentally because of his overall approach.  The book can be read quickly and was enjoyable.  I am also looking forward to studying it again and applying it to next triathlon season.