Brick sessions are a classic part of triathlon training. Swim-to-bike or bike-to-run combinations have long been seen as essential to race preparation. But the truth is, you don’t need to do them nearly as often as most people think.
For many athletes, brick sessions serve one key purpose: confidence. They remind you what it feels like to run on tired legs, to find your rhythm after transition, and to reassure yourself that you can handle the switch. That’s valuable, but it’s not something you need to practise every week.
Physiologically, you don’t get a huge training advantage from frequent bricks. Your body adapts to each discipline best when it can recover between them. If you’re constantly stacking sessions, you risk training fatigue, poor technique, and limited adaptation.
Instead, use brick sessions sparingly and strategically. In the final race block, one or two short bike-to-run sessions can be enough to sharpen your transitions and regain that familiar feeling of heavy-legged running. The goal is not to build fitness — it’s to refine execution and confidence.
The real key is what happens between your sessions. Allow time to recover, hydrate, and refuel properly. You’ll absorb more training benefit and arrive at race day fresher and stronger.
Brick sessions have their place, but they’re not the foundation of performance. Train smart, trust your preparation, and save the bricks for when they really count.