Rethinking Brick Workouts: How Much Do You Really Need?

24 hours ago
2 min read

If you’ve trained for a triathlon, you’ve probably heard the same advice over and over: do your bricks. The classic bike-to-run session has long been seen as a cornerstone of triathlon training, helping your legs “learn” how to transition from pedaling to pounding the pavement.

But what if we’ve been overdoing it?

After structuring much of my training last year around a weekly brick workout, I’ve started to rethink just how necessary they really are—and whether there’s a more effective way to spend that time.

My Approach Last Year

During my last training cycle, I stuck to a pretty traditional structure:

One brick workout per week, usually on the weekend
Gradual progression of both bike and run distance and intensity within each training block
A focus on building endurance while layering in speed work over time

This approach worked well. I felt strong on race day, and my body adapted to the bike-to-run transition as expected. But like most athletes trying to improve, I started asking: Is this the most efficient way to train?

What Recent Research Suggests

More recent thinking in the triathlon space is starting to challenge the idea that long, frequent brick workouts are essential.

The key takeaway?

You don’t need long runs off the bike to adapt to the “jelly legs” feeling.

In fact, research and coaching insights suggest that:

Just 10–15 minutes of running off the bike is enough to simulate and adapt to the transition
The awkward feeling in your legs is neuromuscular, not purely endurance-based
Your body adapts to that sensation relatively quickly with minimal exposure

So instead of grinding through long, fatiguing brick sessions every week, you can get the same benefit with a short, intentional transition run.

The Bigger Opportunity: Run Faster, Period

Here’s where it gets interesting.

If your goal is to run faster in a race, the most effective way to do that might not be through bricks at all—it’s by improving your run fitness independently.

Think about it:

A stronger, faster standalone run = a stronger, faster run off the bike
High-quality run workouts (intervals, tempo, long runs) are often compromised when done after a hard bike
Fatigue from long bricks can actually limit your ability to hit key run paces

In other words, you may be sacrificing quality for specificity.

How I’m Adjusting My Training

This year, I’m experimenting with a new approach:

Scaling back to shorter brick runs (10–15 minutes) just to maintain that transition feel
Prioritizing standalone run workouts to build speed and efficiency
Continuing to progress bike and run volume independently within training blocks
Being more intentional about when and why I include a brick session

The goal is simple: arrive at race day with a stronger run overall, not just a well-practiced shuffle off the bike.