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AnswersWhat is a brick workout?
A brick workout is a bike ride followed immediately by a run, practised so that the strange, heavy-legged first kilometre off the bike is familiar before race day. In a Race Shape triathlon plan, bricks appear in the build and peak phases: a long ride followed by a 15-minute run in the build, and 25 minutes in the peak, at race effort rather than flat out.
Bricks in a Race Shape plan
| Phase | What the brick is |
|---|---|
| Base phase | No bricks — aerobic volume first |
| Build phase | Long ride, 5-minute transition, 15-minute run |
| Peak phase | Long ride, 5-minute transition, 25-minute run |
| Race week | None |
| Run effort | Race effort, no faster than marathon pace |
What it is really training
The first kilometre off the bike feels wrong for everybody: legs heavy, stride short, pace hard to judge. It improves within minutes. The purpose of a brick is less about fitness than about learning that feeling, so that on race day you shorten your stride, lift your cadence, and let it come right rather than panicking or forcing it.
The transition is part of the session. Racking the bike and changing shoes in five minutes or less is practice too.
Common mistakes
- Running the brick too fast. Off the bike, race effort feels hard and a sprint feels possible. The run should be at race effort, not a test.
- Doing bricks every ride. Once a week in the build and peak is enough; more adds run impact without adding much learning.
- Skipping the fuel. The run off the bike is where under-fuelling shows up. Practise eating on the bike in the brick the way you plan to on race day.
- A long run instead of a short one. A 90-minute run after a long ride is a recovery problem, not a brick.
Common questions
How long should the run be?
Short. Fifteen to twenty-five minutes captures most of the benefit without a long run's recovery cost.
How often should I do bricks?
About once a week in the build and peak phases.
Why is it called a brick?
Most explanations point to how your legs feel. Nobody is quite sure.
Sources
- Friel, J. The Triathlete's Training Bible.