Brick workout: two disciplines performed back to back

Use this owner to make the next training decision

A brick workout combines two disciplines in one continuous training block, most often cycling followed by running. Its main job is to practise the transition, pacing, fueling and movement change required by triathlon, not to prove race fitness every week.

Use a brick when the transition itself is specific to the finish line and both parts can be completed with controlled form. Beginners usually need short transition runs before long or intense race simulations.

Apply it in five steps

1. Choose the transition skill to practise.
2. Set the bike effort below the point that ruins running form.
3. Prepare shoes and fueling so logistics are deliberate.
4. Keep the first run minutes controlled.
5. Review pacing, intake and next-day function before progressing.

Hold, progress or adjust

A useful brick finishes with stable movement and a clear lesson about pacing, fueling or transition logistics. If the run becomes survival, reduce the bike dose or transition duration before repeating it.

Progress duration or specificity one variable at a time. Shorten the secondary component when the session compromises technique, normal movement or the next key workout.

General training information cannot guarantee a finish, diagnose a condition or provide medical clearance. Stop for acute illness, severe symptoms or pain that changes normal movement and seek appropriate care.

What a brick workout means

A brick workout combines two triathlon disciplines in sequence, most often cycling immediately followed by running. Its job is to rehearse the transition and answer one pacing, equipment or fueling question—not to simulate an entire race every week.

The first minutes of the run can feel unfamiliar because cycling changes the task immediately before running. Research on bike-to-run effects reports variable biomechanical and physiological responses, so no single brick format is required for every athlete.

Choose the brick by its question

A first brick

Ride at a familiar easy effort, prepare the transition before starting, then run 10–20 minutes conversationally. Record how long the transition took, how the first five minutes felt, and whether any pain or equipment issue changed movement.

Add duration or race specificity only after the simple version recovers normally. The IRONMAN 70.3 training hub can place bricks in the wider build, while the 70.3 fueling planner makes nutrition assumptions explicit.

Common mistakes

• turning every brick into a race;
• running hard because the first kilometre feels awkward;
• introducing new shoes, fuel and intensity at the same time;
• extending the run when bike fatigue has already changed form;
• comparing a short transition split with an open running result.

Stop for chest pain, faintness, severe breathing difficulty, acute injury or pain that changes movement. A brick is training evidence, not a readiness diagnosis, and this page is not medical advice.