One of my young athletes and I just ripped a hard Brick session. Here is a little article on the origin of the Brick. We do Brick sessions of different variations fairly regularly in my program. I’ve heard some coaches talk down Brick training but never heard a great explanation. I think most of these ‘anti-Brick’ 😉coaches are working with elites who race 20-plus times per year and feel that they get more out of doing intensity one discipline at a time. For age groupers who are racing a few times per year up to maybe 10 times there is no reason not to be doing Bricks. They can be done in the winter season or base season simply as long rides followed by short runs just to feel it in the legs. I also give my athletes shorter rides with some intervals directly followed by a longer run. There are endless possibilities with Brick training and can enhance your ability to run well off the bike and also be better prepared mentally for what you are going to feel like on the run (if it’s and Ironman the feeling is almost always terrible 😂).
When getting closer to the race season I prefer Brick repeats. We do these at race intensity so if you are getting ready for an Ironman they might be 60-90 min rides followed by 20-40min runs 3 to 4 times. Sometimes we build the intensity as we go and sometimes we hold the Ironman effort from the gun. In a session like this, especially if you do it with a group you can really feel the pain of an Ironman and feel where you are weak or where you might get cramps. Then you can try to do some strength/stability training to try to remedy the issue or adjust your nutrition if you feel the stomach issues. For short distance training we do 5-15min bike rides followed by 3-6min runs or do 30-40 min rides with intervals followed by 5-10min runs with intervals. As I said before the options are limitless and testing yourself in different ways can only make you stronger. As I mentioned above I think these are best done in small groups as you will put yourself in more of a race situation where you have to decide to stick to your pace or chase the others. It will also improve your transitions as you’ll be mounting/dismounting and changing shoes, maybe grabbing some nutrition, visor, etc. as you head out on the run. If you really want to nail your transitions, take a number belt and all the other gear you might have in transition of race day.
