If you’ve decided to try a triathlon, we have the best triathlon training apps to ensure your success. We’ve reviewed different prospects to compare triathlon training tips, nutritional breakdowns, training session tracking, GPS functionality, and more. Let’s check some triathlon apps.
What is a Triathlon?
Triathlons are multiple sport endurance events featuring swimming, cycling, and running. Distances range depending on the triathlon you sign up for, but a typical triathlon is a 0.9-mile (1.5 km) swim, 24.8 miles (40 km) cycle, and 6.2 miles (10 km) run. There are many different kinds of triathlons catering to anyone from professional athletes to beginners.
A triathlon aims to complete each race as quickly as possible, testing strength and endurance. The most successful triathletes use training and nutrition advice from reliable sources. Enter the best triathlon apps with epic triathlon workouts.
Best Triathlon Training Apps
TRIQ App
With low subscription fees, this triathlon training app is perfect for athletes on a budget who want to track their training data for an upcoming race.
Created in Switzerland by Max Zähringer, the TRIQ app features the latest knowledge of triathlon coaching science. The app’s algorithm adjusts to the athlete’s fitness level to develop training sessions that balance work, life, and family.
To use the TRIQ app, users input their desired weekly training volume. Based on your information, TRIQ plans various triathlon training plans to accommodate your needs. You select the one you like best, and then you are off to the races.
The TRIQ app works for iOS 13 and iPhone 6S and above. It is compatible with Garmin devices to track triathlon training.
Pros:
- It contains personalized triathlon training sessions to accommodate a balance of training, work, and family life based on an athlete’s fitness progression.
- Integrations with GPS fitness trackers
- User-friendly interface for ease of navigation
- Sets goals and tracks training progress
- A supportive community of users
Cons:
- Not many advanced features as competitors
- Subscription fee to access features
- Some reviews complain about glitches and bugs
- Not many customizable options
- Smaller user community than other triathlon apps
Strava
We like the Strava app for tracking triathlon training sessions within a community of users who enjoy competing in challenges. This triathlon app has GPS tracking to follow distance, pace, elevation, and other performance metrics.
Strava requires a strong GPS signal to transmit data accurately. The Strava training app features summaries of personalized progress based on goals input by the user.
Social networking opportunities allow you to participate in challenges throughout your training. A little competition before a triathlon race sounds like a great idea, right?
Pros:
- Performance metrics like distance and pace are accurately tracked
- Summaries on performance allow for tracking progress and learning areas of improvement
- Fun, competitive social networking community
Cons:
- Some features like GPS tracking wear battery life quickly
- Data-sharing with a fitness app is a concern for some user’s privacy
- Some reports of issues with the accuracy of GPS functionality
TrainingPeaks
Dirk and Joe Friel began the TrainingPeaks app in 1999 in Boulder, Colorado. It’s a comprehensive fitness app best for advanced athletes and coaches to manage performance and progress through a data-driven approach.
The app features a TSS, Training Stress Score, every time you upload a workout. The TSS is a number calculated based on the intensity and duration of your workout. The number establishes a correlation between your training and the physiological effects.
In addition to the TSS, TrainingPeaks offers tracking for pace, power, and heart rate data with each workout. It comes equipped with GPS tracking and personalized training plans.
Available via a website or mobile device, the TrainingPeaks app works with fitness trackers to view real-time data during your workout.
Another bonus of this triathlon training app is the nutrition tracking in collaboration with increasing training sessions. Training peaks elicit hunger, and grabbing the proper nutrition is critical during triathlon training. This triathlon app offers tools for coaches and team management, ensuring athletes track their progress and communicate places of improvement.
Things to Consider with TrainingPeaks
- Purpose – Determine what you want to utilize TrainingPeaks for and ensure its features align with those goals.
- Budget – There are multiple plans to choose from with TrainingPeaks. Check your budget to ensure you can afford the one that works for your goals.
- Technology Capability – Make sure the TrainingPeaks app works with your desired device.
- Data Integration – TrainingPeaks is compatible with multiple fitness devices. Make sure you have the correct device that works with the app to track your fitness.
- User-Friendly – If a triathlon training app is challenging to navigate, chances are you won’t use it and its capabilities. Ensure the triathlon app meets requirements with ease of use.
- Functionality – Besides being user-friendly, triathlon training apps should perform well without technical glitches and offer various features to ensure fitness benefits.
- Customer Support – Both online and phone customer support is essential for triathlon training apps in the event of issues.
Pros:
- Free
- Compatible with Apple, Garmin, Wahoo, Lezyne, Hammerhead, TrainerRoad, and Zwift
- Tracks more than triathlon sports, including cross-country skiing and strength training
- Tracks workouts, body weight, sleep, and hydration
- A clean layout for easy navigation
- Training plans available for purchase
Cons:
- This app is not for complete beginners
- No in-app registration or Facebook registration
- Too much information for most people
- Gear like a heart rate monitor and power meter is required for the best results
Final Thoughts on Triathlon Training Apps
Among our list of the best triathlon training apps are bodyweight workout apps like Alpha Training and the Movement Athlete, which we highly recommend for building lean muscle mass, which also helps in your triathlon journey. Stretching and stationary bikes are also available with triathlon apps to propel you to success on race day. Incorporating strength training, stretching, and cardio in your training schedule with daily food consumption tracking is sure to elicit success and have you mastering triathlons in no time.
Kristen holds a bachelors in English from Louisianna university. With a longstanding passion for fitness, she owns and operate her own gym and is a certified jazzercise instructor.
Robert James
Robert is a senior researcher and fact-checker at The Fitness Tribe. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BS), Food Science and Technology from the university of Santo Tomas. He's our expert in all things nutrition and fitness.