80 20 Triathlon

A breakthrough program for triathletes — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — showing how to balance training intensity to maximize performance — from a fitness expert and elite coach. Cutting-edge research has proven that triathletes and other endurance athletes experience their greatest performance when they do 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the remaining 20 percent at moderate to high intensity. But the vast majority of recreational triathletes are caught in the so-called “moderate-intensity rut,” spending almost half of their time training too hard—harder than the pros. Training harder isn’t smarter; it actually results in low-grade chronic fatigue that prevents recreational athletes from getting the best results.

In 80/20 Triathlon, Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden lay out the real-world and scientific evidence, offering concrete tips and strategies, along with complete training plans for every distance—Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman—to help athletes implement the 80/20 rule of intensity balance. Benefits include reduced fatigue and injury risk, improved fitness, increased motivation, and better race results.

Author Biography

Matt Fitzgerald is an endurance sports writer, nutritionist, and author of more than twenty books. He is a coach and spokesperson for PEAR Sports and former senior editor at Triathlete and Competitor. Fitzgerald has contributed to Men’s Health, Outside, Runner’s World, Shape, and other publications. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Nataki. David Warden is an internationally recognized endurance coach and author. Owner of a successful independent triathlon coaching business, David is also a co-head coach of Team IronCowboy. His current and former clients include a duathlon age-group world champion, a Guinness world record holding triathlete, and multiple full and Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifiers. David’s personal athletic resume includes thirty-four triathlon and duathlon victories and the top American finisher at Ironman Mallorca 70.3. David lives with his wife and three children in Utah.