Creating the perfect triathlon training plan isn't about copying what Kristian Blummenfelt does or following the latest periodisation trend. According to Olav Bu, coach to Olympic champions, it starts with understanding the gap between where you are and where you want to go — then building a sustainable process that matches your commitment level and motivation style. He laid out the whole framework on How to Create the Perfect Triathlon Training Plan on the Roadman Cycling Podcast.
Key Takeaways
• Start with psychology, not physiology — understanding an athlete's motivation determines training plan success more than their VO2 max numbers • Define Point A to Point B precisely — use GPS-like thinking to map current fitness against realistic goals and available commitment • Quality over volume at every level — whether training 3 hours or 30 hours per week, precision requirements increase exponentially with volume • Focus on ROI, not weaknesses vs strengths — invest training time where you'll see the largest improvements, regardless of conventional wisdom • Regular reassessment is crucial — like business accounting, you need quarterly check-ins to optimise where energy is being invested • Avoid the weight-loss trap — chasing watts per kilogram through weight reduction often decreases absolute performance capacity • Pattern recognition accelerates learning — consistent microcycle structures help athletes identify what's working and adjust faster
The Psychology-First Approach to Training Design
Most coaches start with lactate tests and power profiles. Bu flips this completely. "In order to reach peak human performance, you basically need to have both athletes and coaches that all have the same determination, the same goal," he told me during our conversation. But before you can align on goals, you need to understand what actually drives the person.
Bu uses what he calls a "pull versus push" motivation framework. Athletes who feel pulled toward training — who can't enjoy their evening unless they've trained that day — have a fundamental advantage over those pushing themselves out of bed each morning. "When we feel there is a match between what we want and the process, then it's much easier to be pulled out of that bed every morning," he explains.
This isn't touchy-feely coaching speak. It has real physiological implications. An athlete who finds joy in the process will execute each session with higher quality than someone grinding through discipline alone. They'll be more consistent, recover better, and ultimately adapt faster to training stress.
When Bu works with new athletes or coaches, he spends significant time understanding their current approach and motivation before suggesting changes. "I rather have to see then I have to understand more okay, in order now to bridge that gap... it's more about making small steps in those places that maybe feels most rewarding in the beginning."
The practical application? Before designing your next training block, honestly assess whether you're intrinsically motivated by the process or just grinding toward an outcome. If it's the latter, you might need to adjust your goals or find aspects of training that excite you.
The Gap Analysis Method for Training Planning
Bu uses what he calls a "reversed GPS analogy" for training design. Just like your car's GPS, effective training planning requires three data points: where you are now (Point A), where you want to go (Point B), and the most efficient route between them.
"We know what time is required to win in Kona," Bu explains. "We can look at statistics over the last five to ten years. When you have defined that, you can start to look at how fast you are today and now you have a percentage difference there." This isn't just for elite athletes — the same principle applies whether you're targeting a local sprint triathlon or Kona qualification.
The key insight is that you're not committing to a goal — you're committing to a process. "What you really are buying into is the process and methods that is required to get there," Bu emphasises. This process commitment becomes the foundation for everything else.
Bu's approach involves regular "gap assessments" — similar to business quarterly reports. You can't just analyse your weaknesses once per year and build a plan around that snapshot. Physiology changes, life circumstances shift, and your response to training adapts over time.
The most common mistake he sees? Athletes (and coaches) getting married to a specific periodisation model instead of staying flexible based on where the biggest returns on investment lie. "For me the strategy is more... which tactic do you decide to employ in order to maximise the likelihood that you will be able to reach your goal."
This might mean focusing on a weakness one block, then switching to developing a strength the next, based purely on where the data shows you'll improve fastest. If the bike leg is your gap, our guide to building a triathlon cycling training plan is a practical place to start.
Rethinking Training Load and the Calorie Conversation
One of Bu's most contrarian takes challenges the watts-per-kilogram obsession that dominates endurance sports. "When you are inducing or reducing your kilograms, yes potentially then the watts per kilograms goes up... but you have already started a down spiral because you are now starting to inhibit that growth."
Bu has consistently observed that when athletes chase relative power gains through weight loss, their absolute VO2 max decreases — often faster than their weight drops. "You can imagine okay fine, maybe we can sacrifice a little bit on absolute VO2 max, but as long as weight comes down more that will give you a higher relative VO2 max — but that's not the case." It's a useful corrective to the way most age-groupers think about cycling power to weight.
Instead, he advocates thinking about training load in terms of calorie expenditure rather than just distance or time. "There's no velocity without power, there's no power without calories," he states bluntly. "The body is a battery... it's just a matter of time for how many times you can do that before your battery is empty."
This calorie-centric approach explains why Bu prefers slight caloric surpluses during training blocks. Organic growth requires energy input. When athletes chronically under-fuel, they may see short-term improvements in relative metrics, but they compromise their long-term development potential.
For practical application, this means tracking total energy expenditure across all three sports and ensuring adequate fuelling to support adaptation. Swimming allows the most precise calorie calculations due to controlled pool conditions, while running and cycling introduce variables like terrain and weather that affect energy costs.
What This Means for Your Training
Start your next training plan with an honest conversation about motivation. Are you excited about the process, or just grinding toward an outcome? If it's grinding, either adjust your goals or find aspects of training that create genuine pull motivation.
Next, define your gaps precisely. Don't just say "I want to get faster" — quantify where you are now versus where you need to be, and in which disciplines. Use recent race results and training data to establish baselines, then research realistic benchmarks for your target events.
Avoid the common trap of thinking one periodisation model fits all situations. Stay flexible and reassess every 4-6 weeks. Ask yourself: where am I seeing the biggest improvements right now, and where should I invest my limited training time for maximum return?
Finally, resist the temptation to chase watts per kilogram through weight loss during training blocks. Focus on absolute power development and proper fuelling. If body composition changes are needed, address them during dedicated periods, not while trying to build fitness.
Remember Bu's fundamental principle: precision requirements increase exponentially with training volume. Whether you're training 8 hours or 25 hours per week, every session should have a clear purpose that connects to your larger process goals.
If you've defined the goal but can't see which gap is actually holding you back, that diagnosis is the hard part — and it's what the Plateau Diagnostic is built for. It looks at your training, recovery and progression together and shows you where the real limiter sits. Three minutes. Free.