Masters (40+) IRONMAN®️ 70.3®️ Training Plans
"Very well structured and designed to aid you to get a good balance in between training and recovery."
Ignacio Vilas Eguileta - IRONMAN 70.3
Is An IRONMAN®️ 70.3®️ Masters Plan Right For You?
Our Masters IRONMAN 70.3 training plans are designed for athletes over 40 years old. Although plenty of younger athletes love them too.
The workouts are just as tough as with our normal training plans, but with more scheduled recovery days. And more strength and conditioning work, so you stay strong and flexible.
Masters triathletes face different challenges to younger athletes. Families, busy careers and lack of sleep are just a few. That said, not all over 40 triathletes require a Masters-specific training plan. Some find it easy to carry on with a normal training load, while others need to change their approach to training.
- Premium plans with coach support for any level
- FREE TASTER PDF versions of our shorter plans!
When to Consider Choosing a Masters Plan:
- Your training time availability is reduced with work and family commitments.
- You feel sleep deprived from daily stresses.
- Your body has different needs in terms of recovery, strength and flexibility training.
- You suffer recurrent injuries.
- You feel constantly fatigued or overwhelmed by your regular training.
- You keep catching colds and other viruses.
Can I Still Race Successfully?
Yes, you can. In fact, by following our Masters plans, you may well race better than ever. The key to success is training consistently, without missing workouts due to injury, fatigue or time limitations. It’s not always about “who can do the most training?”.
All our training plans adhere to the principle of “Progressive Overload”. Meaning that the stress placed upon your body gradually increases over time. By training consistently with regular recovery periods, you’re more likely to absorb the gradually increasing training loads.
How is a Masters Plan Different?
Rest and Recovery
Strenuous IRONMAN 70.3 training will cause muscle damage. As we mature it can (arguably) take longer for your muscles to adapt and remodel. This decline in rate of recovery will vary according to genetics and training history. Insufficient recovery time can lessen the effect of the workout and leave you more prone to injury. Masters IRONMAN 70.3 plans have more rest days each week (1 or 2 days per week) and a 1:2 ratio of active recovery weeks to hard weeks (this is 1:3 in regular plans). That means you’ll do two weeks of challenging training, and then take an active recovery week (with around half the training stress).
Strength and Conditioning
As we get older, our muscle density begins to decline, and it becomes crucial to counter the effects of age-related muscle loss.
When you choose to follow Phil’s IRONMAN 70.3 Masters plans, you can download the associated FREE Strength and Conditioning plan. These have two scheduled strength and conditioning workouts per week, designed to promote:
- Performance through improved strength and power.
- Increased muscle mass.
- Injury prevention by strengthening connective tissue, muscles, and tendons.
- Flexibility to maintain power through a full range of movement.
- Improved bone density.
- Fat-free body mass (a leaner physique).
All Strength and Conditioning workouts can be carried out at home. There are also alternative exercises if you prefer a gym based workout.
Training Intensities and Volume
Training intensely is the key to success in any sport, regardless of age. Strong performances come from having a solid base and workouts that maximise your anaerobic fitness, speed, power and skill. Evidence suggests that higher intensity work with less volume is beneficial for the Masters athlete, even for IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon. Shorter, more intense workouts will also free up valuable time for recovery and work/family commitments. Masters plans optimise your training time with the right ratio of volume and intensity relevant to each plan.
Approach to Training
As an older athlete with a full life, prioritising is an essential skill. Ideally schedule your week, planning times for family, training, work and sleep. You should also be prepared for the curve balls that cause chaos in your best laid plans. Consistency in training is arguably the most important trait amongst successful Masters athletes. Here are some ideas to help you stick to your regime:
- Use your commute as an opportunity to train.
- Add in strength and conditioning at home, with the kids if necessary!
- If you can’t do a whole session, do part of it, something is always better than nothing.
- Commit to a lunchtime workout.
- Double up sessions if necessary, for example run or bike to the pool or tack your strength and conditioning straight after a bike or run (save showering twice).
- Life will occasionally get in the way and if you need to miss an odd workout, let it go and move on. It happens to us all.
Top Training Tips For An IRONMAN®️ 70.3®️ Triathlon
Swimming Tips
This is most people’s weakest area, and the aspect they are most concerned about. If you’re not a confident swimmer, it’s a good idea to sign up for a series of adult improver swim lessons before you start a triathlon training program. However, swimming is the smallest part of a Half IRONMAN triathlon, and you’ll spend far more time running and cycling.
Once you can swim 400 meters or yards freestyle in a pool without stopping, you can then train on your own more, or in a group. Break up your swim workouts, into smaller chunks with regular rest periods. Slowly increase the duration of your workouts each week, so that you’re eventually able to swim a 2.5km session (with frequent short rests). By this stage you could also test yourself with a 1900 non-stop swim.
We suggest you always know what swim you’re doing, before you get in the pool. You’ll get more out of following a pre-planned workout, than you will by plodding up and down aimlessly. If you follow our training plans, we do all the thinking for you. We also include video swim drills, to help improve different aspects of your stroke.
IRONMAN 70.3 events include an open water swim, so it’s a good idea to practice swimming open water beforehand. It doesn’t have to be every swim you do but aim for at least two open water swims before you race in open water. We include these workouts in our training plans too, in the lead up to race day.
Cycling Tips
Aim to cycle a couple of times per week (or more) and gradually build your longest rides up to 100 km (or 60 miles). This will give you enough fitness for an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon cycle, with a little to spare. Most of your training can be done at chatting pace, but it’s also good to include some harder efforts.
The cycle workouts in our training plans can be exported to platforms such as Zwift, TrainerRoad and devices such as Garmin. This means you can follow your workouts on screen in real time. You can ride outdoors, or on an indoor training. Just make sure you do at least some of your training outside on the bike you intend to use during your triathlon. This ensures you’re used to the feel and handling of your race-day bike.
Running Tips
Aim to run two or three times per week, but be sensible about your speed and distances, to avoid injury. One of your weekly runs should be a long run, where you slowly build up to a distance of around 12-miles in the final weeks before the race. You should also include some runs straight after cycling, just to get used to the feeling. Do most of your running at chatting pace, even if it means you must include some walking. It’s also good to include some harder efforts once per week, interspersed with plenty of easy stuff.
Strength Training Tips
We include two sessions per week in our FREE Strength and Conditioning plans. Not everyone can fit them in around their busy lives, on top of their swimming, cycling and running, but it’s great if you can. These workouts can help improve your strength and flexibility, which leads to more efficient movement patterns and fewer injuries. We suggest you only do strength work in addition to at least two swims, two runs and two cycles per week. Rather than instead of them.
Using A Masters IRONMAN®️ 70.3®️ Triathlon Training Plan
Online training plans are for athletes who don’t feel the need for a personal coach, but who still want the structure and planning of an expertly-written training program. Research has shown that you are twice as likely to reach your goals if you train with a structured plan.
For a beginner who has some recent background in fitness or sport, we recommend you give yourself at least 20 weeks to get fit and ready for Half IRONMAN triathlon. Ideally longer. The sooner you start, the more time you have to build up your fitness gradually. Fitness improvements occur in small increments, over a period of weeks and months, rather than in days.
Compatible with over 100 apps & devices, including:
Compatible with over 100
apps & devices, including:
Head Coach & Founder: Phil Mosley
Why Use Our Training Plans?
Flexible, structured training for any level
Research-backed plans for any experience-level that fit around your lifestyle. From leading endurance coach Phil Mosley.
The world's best training app
We use TrainingPeaks for personalised training zones, trackable progress and so much more - on any major training device.
Certified coach support (rated 4.9/5)
On top of full help-centre & FAQ support (with videos), our coaches will quickly reply to any questions you have about your plan via email!
1. Choose from over 35 plans from 6-39 weeks long
With beginner, intermediate, advanced, masters (40+) and off-season plans – we’ll have the perfect one for you.
2. Activate your free TrainingPeaks™️ account
A flexible calendar, targeted training zones, trackable progress and so much more – on any device.
3. Get your online plan and start ticking off sessions!
Keep motivated with any of your training questions answered quickly by our team of certified coaches!
About Phil Mosley
Phil is a recognised expert with over 20 years of experience, having featured on many endurance sports publications. He founded MyProCoach in 2010 to to offer the world’s most comprehensive range of online training plans, all designed to help you enjoy the same success that himself and his athletes have, while still making sure you have quality time for your family, friends and career.
Masters IRONMAN®️ 70.3®️ Plans (6-39 Weeks)
WITH FREE EMAIL COACH SUPPORT
We use TrainingPeaks to deliver your plan – the world’s most popular endurance coaching platform. Free to use, TrainingPeaks is an online calendar that lets you record, track and analyze your training sessions.
It has a host of great features allowing you to get as in-depth as you like, including the ability to export your workouts to your training devices (Garmin, Zwift, Apple Watch etc) and follow them in real time.
TrainingPeaks enables us to set you in-depth training plans in a way that other formats cannot. Phil Mosley is a Certified Coach and one of the best-selling coaches on the platform.
Whenever you need help with your training plan, we aim to respond to your emails within 24-hours. Our Certified coaching team are on hand to answer any questions during the first use of your plan, plus a bonus three months after its completion.
During checkout, please also share your email so I can send you a series of 5 helpful emails to get you started.
As you can understand, some limits apply (for example, we can’t analyse your data or edit your training plan) but for anything else relevant to your training, we would love to help. You also have full access to our online help centre, with videos and articles to help you train effectively.
We have a huge range of plans that enables you to select one that best meets your goals, schedule and ability. If you’re not sure where to start, read on below for a quick overview.
What type?
Our Standard and Masters plans are designed to get you ready for your target event, while our Off-Season plans are designed to allow you to recover from a tough season whilst maintaining your well-earned fitness. Generally, Masters plans are designed for athletes over 40 years old, although plenty of younger athletes love them too. The workouts are just as tough as with our standard training plans, but with more scheduled recovery days. Some find it easy to carry on with a normal training load, while others need to change their approach to training.
What length?
For the best outcome, count back from your “A” target race date and simply choose a plan to fill that gap (you can still work in other, smaller races during your plan). Note that longer plans start easier and progress more gradually than shorter plans. The body responds best to constant, gradual progression with regular recovery periods, and that’s exactly what our plans are designed to give you!
What level?
Choosing the correct level will help you get the most out of your plan. Generally, if you’ve never done this event before or currently train up to a few times per week, you might consider a Beginner plan. Alternatively, if you’ve done this event many times before or currently train 5+ times a week, you might consider an Advanced plan.
But don’t worry too much – we also let you swap the level for free within 14 days of purchase, if you find it too easy/hard!
Visit the MyProCoach Help Center for further guidance and to contact our Certified coaching team.
Certainly! Our training plans allow you to easily swap a few days around each week to suit your availability. Or you can swap out a session, to attend a similar group workout instead. That’s fine. If you opt for TrainingPeaks Premium (from $9.92 per month) you can even drag & drop your workouts onto different days. We give a few recommendations on how to best do this in our help centre.
And you can also train for multiple events! Our training plans guide you up to your target “A” race, but it’s also good to include some “B or C” races along the way. Our help centre goes through the exact steps you should take to enable you to get full benefit, without detracting from your key focus
Trial Us With Our FREE TASTER Plans! (8- And 12-Week PDFs Only)
- No coach support, personal intensity zones or tracking software
- Standard (non-masters) version only
Beginner (6-39wks)
Perfect in your first season-
Premium, flexible plan
-
Intuitive tracking software
-
Help centre & FAQ support
-
Email access to coach
-
From just $3.49/week!
Intermediate (6-39wks)
For seasoned triathletes-
Premium, flexible plan
-
Intuitive tracking software
-
Help centre & FAQ support
-
Email access to coach
-
From just $3.49/week!
Advanced (6-39wks)
Slash your race-times-
Premium, flexible plan
-
Intuitive tracking software
-
Help centre & FAQ support
-
Email access to coach
-
From just $3.49/week!
Join Over 40,000 Successful Athletes
- Kyle MiersmaIRONMAN 70.3 & 140.6, 2019Easy to follow and great IRONMAN results!! Very structured, easy to follow training plans helped me to some great PBs for Ironman 70.3 and also used Phil's plan to train and finish my first full Ironman distance race!!! He takes the guess work out of it and with the Training Peaks partner, you can upload and swap... >> read moreVery structured, easy to follow training plans helped me to some great PBs for Ironman 70.3 and also used Phil's plan to train and finish my first full Ironman distance race!!! He takes the guess work out of it and with the Training Peaks partner, you can upload and swap dates to accommodate your busy life. << read less01 Sep 2019MartinsChallenge ROTHSUB 10 dream come true For 2nd year in a row I was following IM full distance Intermediate plan Did almost all the sessions prescribed (some skipped due to work and business trips). For the first Year (2018) did IM Austria 10:03 My goal was to go sub 10, I think I failed because of... >> read moreFor 2nd year in a row I was following IM full distance Intermediate plan Did almost all the sessions prescribed (some skipped due to work and business trips). For the first Year (2018) did IM Austria 10:03 My goal was to go sub 10, I think I failed because of weather (was hot day for running) and bit too much elevation gain on bike and nutrition. This Year (2019) I did the same plan 2nd year in a row And was able to fulfill my dream - going sub 10 Did Challenge Roth in 9:36 So thanks for the great training plan 🙂 Also in the process I went sub 3 in marathon (2:53) and two Years in a row was on podium in Latvian nationals in Olympic distance, and I did not do any special training for that, just this full distance plan (I did marathon in the middle of plan) Choose the right plan (that suits Your work, family and other commitments - I have 9am-6pm work and family), follow it and You will be FAST << read less23 Jul 2019David SchwanIRONMAN 70.3 for Masters, November 2019Very Good Plan/Holistic approach Only 5 weeks into the training plan, but love so far. The only addition I would include is a plan that includes power for running and it would be perfect. Pic-Last season, 1st in the age group.15 Nov 2019
"We are grateful for this feedback and are currently researching the best way to... >> read moreOnly 5 weeks into the training plan, but love so far. The only addition I would include is a plan that includes power for running and it would be perfect. Pic-Last season, 1st in the age group.
"We are grateful for this feedback and are currently researching the best way to add power-based run workouts to our plans - My Pro Coach" << read less - Christina RoehrenbeckIronman 70.3 Luxemburg, July 2019Perfect plan for my first 70.3 I used Phil's Novice 70.3 plan (28 weeks) to prepare for my first ever 70.3 in Luxemburg. My goal: finish with a smile. Being a slower athlete (sometimes THE slowest) I always struggled with finding a plan that would fit my needs: it would have to take my slower paces... >> read moreI used Phil's Novice 70.3 plan (28 weeks) to prepare for my first ever 70.3 in Luxemburg. My goal: finish with a smile. Being a slower athlete (sometimes THE slowest) I always struggled with finding a plan that would fit my needs: it would have to take my slower paces into account but still would have to prepare me for a race longer than 7 hours. It actually was my first plan I purchased from Phil. It worked out perfectly for me! Distances and duration, even of the longer sessions, were totally fine for me and when needed paces and the plan itself were adjustable to my needs. Still, I was training for a middle distance so there definetely is some work to do but it was totally managable, also in between my every day life and job. And after some ups and downs on race day I crossed the finish line in Luxemburg. << read less23 Jul 2019Lianne MorissetteSprint Triathlon, August 2019Crushed my goal and plan surpassed my expectations.... This is my first time using an online training plan and was skeptical. I’m focusing on sprint distance due to a chronic injury and my goal was to qualify for ITU World’s next year in the 45-49 ag. My A race was Provincials/World’s qualifier.....not only did I win my ag... >> read moreThis is my first time using an online training plan and was skeptical. I’m focusing on sprint distance due to a chronic injury and my goal was to qualify for ITU World’s next year in the 45-49 ag. My A race was Provincials/World’s qualifier.....not only did I win my ag by 10+ minutes, I placed third female overall! It all came together perfectly and I give most of the credit to my training plan that whipped me into shape in 12 weeks. I will definitely be using another myprocoach plan next season and highly recommend! << read less23 Aug 2019Dan ForerIRONMAN 70.3, May 2020Quality: Intermediate 70.3 Quality Ironman 70.3 intermediate plan. I recommend it! I’m an amateur with 10yrs of competitive Tri and duathlon racing at world level in the past. I’m also experienced in training with no plan and a few extra kgs - this doesn’t work. I’ve trained in squads, on generic plans, dedicated... >> read moreQuality Ironman 70.3 intermediate plan. I recommend it! I’m an amateur with 10yrs of competitive Tri and duathlon racing at world level in the past. I’m also experienced in training with no plan and a few extra kgs - this doesn’t work. I’ve trained in squads, on generic plans, dedicated one-to-one coaching in that time with various approaches from sprint to full Ironman. So I’ve seen a lot what what is out there. This plan is quality. On reading I could tell it was very good. The difficulty as intermediate is well placed. Its suitable challenging for someone with racing background but who’s been out of the game for a short while too. The plan is centred around initial tests to baseline your ability, so in this regard it is personalised to your ability. As the athlete, you must still use your smarts to listen to your body when training but on this plan I felt the fatigue was always well managed. The plan in Training Peaks is brilliant. Full description of each session automatically customised to the required intensity using your previous test results. The plan is also periodised into build and peak phases with a clear distinction in the type of training in each phase with progressive adaptation of sessions within the phases. It’s very well thought out. You are also able to re-use the plan in Training Peaks which is ideal especially when unforeseen events occur like race cancellations and you need to restart or just aim for another race date. The results. I’ve seen significant improvements across swim, bike and run. Biggest gains being on the bike! I’ve also followed the strength and conditioning sessions in the plan so injury prevention and support for better person is handled by this aspect. The team is also very supportive and motivating via social channels. They really take an interest in the athletes who purchase their plans. So be sure to follow myprocoach on FB and insta. I highly recommended this plan, so get it and shift your attention to picking the race now! << read less21 May 2020
- Nick GoldstonIRONMAN 70.3, July 2019Plan Prepared Me Superbly! My race at IM 70.3 Santa Rosa went great! The plan prepared me superbly for it. I felt strong! Thanks so much for your guidance regarding the use of your plans.16 Sep 2019Jesse EnglishIRONMAN 70.3, September 2019A Plan to Trust I've used Phil's Sprint Triathlon plans in the past and loved them. I could always trust that if I followed them (and provided nothing broken down on race day) I'd be able to go out and give it my absolute best on race day. When I signed up for my... >> read moreI've used Phil's Sprint Triathlon plans in the past and loved them. I could always trust that if I followed them (and provided nothing broken down on race day) I'd be able to go out and give it my absolute best on race day. When I signed up for my first 70.3 I already knew I'd be using Phil's plans again and sure enough had the time of my life completing the Eagleman, an IRONMAN 70.3 in Cambridge, Maryland. Not only do you get a fantastic plan, but email access to a professional coach. This has been one of the most valuable tools I've ever used. << read less05 Sep 2019RamunasIRONMAN 140.6, November 2019Sub 10 hour Chose 36 week IM plan for my first IM. Excellent guidance through 9 months of training led me to 9 hours 43 min IM finishing time. It was very motivating to see progress during several first months. The plan kept me disciplined when FTP, CSS flattened, especially in the longest... >> read moreChose 36 week IM plan for my first IM. Excellent guidance through 9 months of training led me to 9 hours 43 min IM finishing time. It was very motivating to see progress during several first months. The plan kept me disciplined when FTP, CSS flattened, especially in the longest training months. Very user-friendly integration with Garmin and TrainingPeaks. Highly recommend Phil’s plan to anyone who does not have a personal coach. << read less15 Nov 2019
A Growing Community Of Athletes
*on average athletes use their plan twice (our plans can be activated multiple times for free)
Kickstart Your Training Today!
Choose your premium training plan, download the TrainingPeaks app and start ticking off sessions!