I've finished two Ironman 70.3s training the way I coach: swim, bike and run built on top of real strength work. Three sports is already a puzzle. Dropping the gym is how the puzzle breaks you.
Most half ironman training plans are meticulous about swim, bike and run volume and vague about everything else. Strength gets a token line ("two short S&C sessions a week") and it's the first thing deleted when the plan gets busy. That's exactly backwards for age-group athletes, because for anyone juggling a 70.3 build around a job, durability is the whole game. The athlete who arrives at race day uninjured beats the one with better threshold numbers who cracked in week nine.
I come at triathlon from the strength and conditioning side, and I've finished two Ironman 70.3s on my own method: the same hybrid structure I race Hyrox and ATHX on, tilted toward endurance. The gym work never left the plan. That's why I made it to both start lines in one piece.
The skeleton is classic and it's classic because it works: base, build, peak, taper, with a de-load roughly every fourth week and volume that grows toward your race honestly, from where you actually are rather than where the plan wishes you were.
The Triathlon programme in the app covers structured preparation up to 70.3 distance at your own pace. 1:1 coaching is the bespoke build: your race calendar, your weekly hours, your limiters, with direct access to me. Apply for the free intro call and I'll tell you honestly which fits, including when the answer is the cheaper option.
You can finish a sprint or Olympic. The half is a different animal, and winging a 20-week build is how it goes wrong.
Every serious build ends the same way: a niggle around week eight that eats the season. The missing piece is almost always strength, programmed properly.
A job, a life, and maybe ten hours a week. Every session has to count, and someone else should be doing the thinking.
Who's writing this?
I'm Moe: strength and conditioning coach, sports science degree, ten years coaching, currently on the
floor at Third Space. I race on my own programming, with a sub-70 in my first Hyrox in the Pro division,
an ATHX Pro World Championship qualification, and two Ironman 70.3 finishes.
More about me →
“Moe built a programme around my touring schedule instead of forcing me to build my life around a programme. I'm stronger now than before I started touring.”
“The Hyrox programme is genuinely built by someone who competes, not someone guessing. Every block had a purpose.”
“Running a company leaves little time to think about training. Moe handles the programming, I just show up and follow the plan, it works!”
In my view, yes, and the research on strength work for endurance athletes agrees: better economy, fewer injuries. Both my 70.3 builds kept the gym in year-round, scaled to the phase. It's non-negotiable in every plan I write.
Builds commonly start around five to six hours a week and grow toward ten to twelve at peak, over roughly twenty weeks for a first-timer with a base. Consistency beats totals, which is why I build the plan around hours you'll actually hit.
Video makes it workable: you film sets, I review and give specific corrections through the app. For a deep technique rebuild, I'll say honestly that a few in-person swim lessons alongside the plan are worth the money.
Sprint through 70.3. I don't currently take on full-distance builds. Up to the half is where I've raced twice and where my method is proven.
Apply for 1:1 coaching and book a free intro call, or start the programme in the app with the first 7 days free. No pressure either way.