DIY, AI App or Coach? Choosing Triathlon Training

5 days ago

8 min read

From DIY to coaching, and where AI fits

By Coach Robert, Rapid Snail Racing

Ask a group of triathletes how you should train, and you will probably get enough answers to fill your calendar twice.

Build your own program. Buy a plan. Download an app. Hire a coach. Join a swim group. Somewhere in the conversation, someone will also suggest buying a more expensive bike.

My philosophy is fairly simple: the right approach depends on how much support you need and how much responsibility you want to take for planning, learning, and making adjustments.

Three things help guide that decision:

Your willingness to learn independently. Do you enjoy researching training, or would you rather have someone explain what matters?
Your budget. What level of support can you comfortably maintain?
Your starting ability and fitness. What can you do now, especially in the water?

These options are levels of support, not rankings of how serious you are as an athlete. You can be committed to your goals with any of them.

Option 1: Do it yourself Triathlon Training

For some athletes, researching training is part of the enjoyment.

They like understanding how workouts fit together, comparing approaches, and solving problems. They are comfortable building a schedule and taking responsibility for changing it when something is not working.

If that sounds like you, doing it yourself can be a good fit.

This approach generally has the lowest direct cost for programming, but it asks the most of your time. You are responsible for choosing reliable information, applying it to your situation, and recognising when you need help.

I see this working particularly well for someone with a reasonable fitness foundation and a comfortable swim base. You do not need to be fast, but being able to swim safely and complete suitable sessions independently makes a difference.

The challenge is that finding information and knowing what to do with it are separate skills. A workout can be perfectly sensible and still be wrong for your current ability, available time, or place in the season.

A good fit if: You are a self-starter who enjoys learning and wants ownership of the whole process.

Option 2: Static Training Plans

Option 2a: Training Plan without any Support

You want structure, but you do not need someone managing your training every week.

A purchased plan gives you a progression to follow. Instead of starting with a blank calendar, you have sessions organised around a particular goal, distance, or starting level.

You still need to choose carefully. A plan should match the fitness you have today, the time you can realistically train, and the weeks available before your event.

A plan labelled “beginner” does not automatically mean it starts with learning to swim or running your first uninterrupted kilometer. Read the starting requirements.

This option suits athletes who can train independently but would prefer someone else to design the overall program. You still take responsibility for understanding the sessions and deciding what to do when life interrupts the schedule.

And life will interrupt the schedule. It rarely checks your training calendar first.

A good fit if: You want an affordable framework and are comfortable doing some learning and problem-solving yourself.

You can explore the RSR training plans to see how different starting points and goals translate into structured programs.

Watch: Understand your training week

Choosing a plan is one step. Understanding how its sessions fit together helps you put it into practice. In How to Read a Training Week Without Overthinking It, we explain how to recognise easy, quality, long, and recovery sessions and identify your week’s priorities.

https://youtu.be/3JHL5xznC3Q?si=FR-40CWk7nojR1sa

Option 2b: Training Plan with Support

Sometimes you do not need ongoing coaching. You just need a trusted person to answer a question.

A training plan with email support can provide that middle ground.

You follow the program independently, but you have somewhere to turn when an instruction is unclear or you need guidance about your particular situation.

Perhaps you do not understand the purpose of a session. Perhaps you need help interpreting an effort level. Having a coach explain the answer can save you from sorting through ten conflicting opinions online.

The important detail is understanding what the support includes. Occasional questions about a plan are different from having a coach routinely review your workouts, monitor progress, and rebuild your schedule.

Check the scope and duration of support before purchasing. At RSR, email support is included where it is specifically listed.

A good fit if: You are comfortable training independently but value access to a person who can help you understand and apply the plan.

Option 3: An AI Triathlon Training App

An AI triathlon training app may appeal to athletes who want a program that responds to their training without an ongoing relationship with a human coach.

I have not personally used enough of these apps to give a fair comparison or declare a winner. From what I have been reading, the capabilities appear to be developing, and I would not assume every app offers the same experience.

My advice is to look beyond the AI label and ask what the product actually does.

Does it adjust sessions when your availability changes? What information does it use? Can you tell it how a workout felt, or does it mainly respond to recorded data? Does it support all three disciplines in a way that suits you?

Also distinguish between an app that adapts a plan and one that offers broader guidance. Some products may provide conversational answers about training, nutrition, or race preparation. The ability to produce an answer does not, by itself, establish how reliable or appropriate that answer is for you.

For me, this option fits an athlete who wants responsive structure, is comfortable evaluating the guidance, and does not particularly want the human connection of a coach.

A solid swim foundation remains valuable. Adjusting the distance in your swim session and helping you improve your breathing technique are different jobs.

Consider the ongoing subscription cost alongside the features you will actually use.

A good fit if: You want adaptable programming, enjoy using technology, and are comfortable retaining responsibility for judging when you need outside expertise.

Option 4: A Human Coach

Option 4a: One-to-one remote coaching

With remote coaching, you have a person helping you connect the training plan to your actual life.

Your coach considers your goals, schedule, starting ability, completed sessions, and feedback. As training progresses, those pieces inform adjustments.

The numbers matter, but so does the conversation.

“I completed the run” tells us one thing.

“I completed the run, but I barely slept, work has been exhausting, and the easy effort felt unusually hard” tells us considerably more.

Watch: Your training does not happen in isolation

Your watch records the workout, but work, family, sleep, and everyday demands also influence how you feel. Stress is Stress, Training plus Life explores why that wider picture matters when deciding whether your training needs adjusting.

https://youtu.be/dyfZ7Eh7Shc?si=GiOPGkoan37cq8ms

Remote coaching also gives you a trusted point of contact for questions about training, pacing, race preparation, and fueling within the coach’s qualifications. A good coach recognises when a question needs another professional.

This can suit athletes who want more accountability, less independent research, or help understanding what their training means. You do not have to reach a particular performance level before you deserve that support.

An athlete with less swimming experience can also benefit from a coach coordinating a realistic progression and identifying where lessons or direct technique feedback would help. Remote programming alone does not replace learning the physical skills.

A good fit if: You want an ongoing relationship with a coach who helps you make decisions and adjusts your training around your needs.

For a closer look at this approach, read How Online Triathlon Coaching Can Transform Your Training.

Option 4b: One-to-one coaching with in-person sessions

This adds direct observation and practical instruction to the coaching relationship.

For swimming, that might mean working together on breathing, body position, or confidence. For cycling and running, it could mean addressing relevant skills and technique in an appropriate setting.

Your coach can explain a movement, watch you try it, and adjust the instruction based on what happens.

This approach can be especially useful when you want more help learning the skills, rather than researching and interpreting everything yourself. It generally involves a greater investment and more coordination around schedules, travel, and facilities.

You still play an active role. You practise, communicate, and learn how your body responds. The coach helps you focus that effort.

At RSR, in-person sessions are available on request, subject to suitable locations and availability. We start with a strategy session to discuss what you need and what we can arrange.

A good fit if: You want ongoing guidance alongside practical, face-to-face instruction.

You can add help at any level

You do not need to buy the most comprehensive coaching option to get help with one specific challenge.

You might build your own program and take swim lessons. You might follow a purchased plan and book an occasional technique session. You might use an app for structure and seek coaching support for a skill that needs direct attention.

Swimming is an obvious example, but the same principle applies to cycling and running.

Spend your time and budget where the support will be most useful. If your main obstacle is feeling comfortable in the water, that deserves attention when choosing your approach.

You can also change your level of support. What works for a familiar race distance may be different from what you want when tackling a new challenge.

Training support at a glance

Approach	Best suited to	Your research and planning	Support and adjustments	Relative cost
1. Do it yourself	Self-starters who enjoy learning and have a solid foundation	High. You build and manage the program	You interpret feedback and make changes	Lowest financial cost; greatest time investment
2a. Purchased plan	Independent athletes who want clear structure	Moderate. You learn how to apply the plan	Predetermined sessions; you manage adjustments	Low
2b. Plan with support	Athletes who want structure and occasional guidance	Moderate, with help when questions arise	Email guidance within the purchased support terms	Low to moderate
3. AI training app	Athletes who want adaptable programming without an ongoing coach relationship	Less scheduling work; you still evaluate the advice	Automated changes and guidance vary by app	Varies; often a recurring subscription
4a. One-to-one remote coaching	Athletes who want personalised planning, accountability, and human guidance	Lower. Your coach guides planning and learning	Ongoing adjustments informed by training data and conversation	Generally higher than a plan or app
4b. Coaching with in-person sessions	Athletes who also want direct instruction and technique feedback	Lower, with guided learning and practice	Ongoing coaching plus scheduled practical sessions	Generally the highest investment

Swimming matters at every level. Independent options are easier to manage with a comfortable swim foundation. If you need help with technique or confidence, swim lessons or individual coaching sessions can complement any approach.

Which approach sounds like you?

Use these statements as a starting point:

“I enjoy researching and building my own approach.” Consider DIY.
“I want a schedule I can follow independently.” Consider a training plan.
“I want a plan and someone to ask occasional questions.” Consider a plan with support.
“I want responsive programming and am comfortable evaluating app guidance.” Consider an AI training app.
“I want a person helping me manage training and make decisions.” Consider remote coaching.
“I want that relationship plus practical instruction.” Consider coaching with in-person sessions.

Then check your choice against your real week. A program needs to fit around the work, family, and other commitments you actually have. Our article on balancing triathlon training with work and family life explores that side of the decision.

Find the support that fits

At Rapid Snail Racing, Coach Rachel and I want athletes to have the support they need to train consistently, build confidence, and understand what they are doing.

For some people, that will be a plan. For others, it will be a coaching relationship.

Sometimes it will be a few focused sessions to work through a particular challenge.

Not sure where you fit? Start with an RSR Fit Check. We can talk through your starting point, swim confidence, schedule, and preferred level of support, including in-person options where location and availability allow.

Speed Optional. Fitness Mandatory.

Rapid Snail Racing