Olympic & Sprint Distance Build Plan (Nils Goerke) 12 Weeks is a 12-week triathlon plan. This article combines the actual plan description with a example week from the stored workout entries.
What this plan is built for
In this 12-week Build Plan, the goal remains to increase your VO2max, essentially making the engine bigger. However, the intervals will become longer and increasingly combined with Sweetspot and KA3 intervals. These workouts positively affect your lactate production rate by lowering it. It is particularly important during the high-intensity VO2max sessions that you perform them realistically, meaning not too intensely. Keep an eye on your heart rate; it should not be significantly above your threshold heart rate at the end of the intervals (5-8 beats/min is acceptable). Also, ensure adequate carbohydrate intake before and during these high-intensity sessions. Not every day is the same - on a stressful day, it may be necessary to adjust the intensity downwards during the session. This is perfectly fine and happens even to world-class athletes. The goal is always to complete the session "as best as possible." So it's better to do three blocks with reduced intensity than two blocks and then stop.
In this block, the length of the harder intervals increases, preparing you slowly for the higher speeds in the Peak phase. A race at the end of the block is a good idea to gradually get used to the competition stress and race atmosphere, and to see how the training of the past weeks and months has worked.
As in the previous 12 weeks, consistency is key. This should be ensured by strictly adhering to the 3-1,2-1 structure. So, training on Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, with recovery on Monday and Friday.
Training logic and load
The build phase adds more specific stress while keeping enough easy work to preserve quality week after week. The important part is not upgrading easy days into hidden hard days. The workout data shows which sessions are structured and which ones are intentionally simple.
The plan contains 131 scheduled entries across 12 weeks. The sequence matters as much as the total hours: hard, technical, or long workouts only work when the surrounding days allow you to absorb them.
Example week: Week 2
This week is not a generic template. It is built from the actual training plan entries, and the workout charts use the stored workout data.
Deep Stretch Yoga Routine by Mady Morrison! Mady Morrison offers a variety of videos to follow along with on YouTube, which we highly recommend!
400 m | 6x variable on / 1 min easy | 4x variable on / 1 min easy | 6x variable on / 1 min easy + 6 more steps
400m warm-up swim. 6x50m kick with board: 25m freestyle kick sprint / 25m any kick relaxed.
40 min @ 75% | 6x 0 min on / 1 min easy
The goal is to optimize fat metabolism and to perfect running technique in a fatigued state with the strides at the end.
Ramp from 55% to 80% | 2 min @ 80% | Ramp from 80% to 180%
Ride the ramp for as long as you can! If you need to stop, you can simply continue at an easy pace.
60 min @ 60%
Immediately after the FTP test
Ramp from 55% to 75% | Ramp from 75% to 55%
LIT Training. Rate of Perceived Exertion: 3-4 out of 10 Effect: Mitochondrial biogenesis, improved local oxygen extraction, and an increase in fat metabolism.
15 min @ 70% | 4x 1 min on / 2 min easy | 5 min @ 70% | 4x 1 min on / 2 min easy + 3 more steps
The goal of the hill sprints is to improve your sub-distance performance and enhance anaerobic capacity.
400 m | 4x variable on / 1 min easy | 100 m | 4x variable on / 1 min easy + 5 more steps
Swim 400 meters for warm-up. Then perform the following four times: Use full power for 12.5 meters, then swim 37.5 meters easy.
45 min @ 70%
This run primarily serves to activate and is intentionally run at a relaxed pace in the lower GA1 zone.
Ramp from 50% to 75% | 3 min @ 60% | 3 min @ 75% | 3 min @ 80% + 15 more steps
HIT Decrease Training: 4 x (1 min at 125% / 2 min at 108% of FTP) Perceived exertion: approx.
600 m | 8x variable on / variable easy | 300 m | 6x variable on / 0 min easy + 6 more steps
600m warm-up swim, 8x50m: swim with legs on even lanes, on odd lanes alternate between 25m technique drills and 25m freestyle build-up.
65 min @ 75% | 15 min @ 85%
Calm base run with final acceleration This run primarily serves to optimize fat metabolism, as well as to finalize the development of pace endurance.
How to read the workout charts
The chart is based on the workout data: longer segments take more width, higher intensities sit higher, and harder work is marked with stronger colors. For swim or distance-based segments, the graphic represents the planned sequence rather than GPS data.
Practical execution
What to watch
- Execute the key days precisely instead of making the easy sessions faster.
- Use the plan description as context: equipment, fueling, mobility, and realistic threshold values are part of the training.
- When life or fatigue adds pressure, trim secondary work first and keep the most important session stable.
Training effect
Executed well, the plan improves your ability to absorb the intended stimulus repeatedly. Depending on sport and phase, that means more aerobic stability, better pace durability, stronger technique under fatigue, or more confidence at target effort.