Lionel Sanders, the charismatic Canadian who, at 36 years old, has decided to rethink his training model for the next season.
Known as “Mr. No Limits” for his desire to excel, he now chooses to limit his training hours and reinforce the quality of each session.
At first glance it sounds paradoxical, but in his own words, “it is illogical to expect to perform in a race with loads that do not reproduce the demands of competition.”
With over 194.000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Sanders has published his latest video, talking about whether it is efficient adjust training volume to prioritize quality.
So his new mantra “train smarter, not harder” is making waves.
Balance between victories and disappointments
During 2024, Sanders He experienced an up-and-down year on the circuit.
He achieved victories in tests such as IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside, IRONMAN 70.3 Mont Tremblant y IRONMAN Canada —where the test did not include a swimming section—.
However, not everything went well for him. During his participation in HOMBRE DE HIERRO Lake Placid, he got on the podium, but then he had a bad performance in the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.
An “illogical” past in the spotlight
In his recent statements, Sanders He confessed that for years he copied training plans designed for other athletes with very different objectives.
In fact, he mentions that he has been carried away by the routines of road cyclists who compete several days in a row at very high intensity.
For him, that doesn't fit with what a triathlete needs when competing in races like the Ironman, where the wear and tear is great but focused on a single day.
The Canadian admits that he went too far in replicating volumes and prolonged efforts, thinking that “more” would always be “better.”
Now, with this transformation in his mentality, he wants to “do what is necessary to not be tired when the key day comes.”
The key: training for race day
"If I'm going to compete for four hours at a zone three pace on the bike and then I'm going to run in zone three as well, what's the point of training five hours a day at the limit?" he muses. Sanders .
Similarly, he stresses that if a triathlete wants to perform at their best, they must accurately visualise what pace, volume and type of challenge they will face during the race.
For this reason, the experienced athlete focuses on the so-called “specificity”: if he is looking for a target time or a specific intensity, all his training should be aimed at reproducing those sensations in the correct measure.
“Rather than copying someone else, I want to personalize each session so that I don’t arrive punished on the big day,” explains the Canadian, while emphasizing that his only real goal is to reach his best version.
Towards 2025 with clear goals
Despite the criticism that has arisen regarding his change of tactics, Sanders reiterates that a specific and focused plan is the key.
He has been clear: his intention is not to complete a meaningless “X hours of training per week”, but to exhibit outstanding performance when the starting gun is fired.
