Triathletes guide to cross-training with Fenella Langridge

Words by Laura Markwardt. Photography by Billy Harris and Guillermo Fernandez.

A smooth, efficient transition from one sporting discipline to another defines the style of leading triathletes like Fenella Langridge. In competition, she switches seamlessly from swim, to ride, and then run, with the fastest [Ironman] finish in the field.

Cross-training is defined as athletic training in sports other than an athletes’ mainstay discipline. Think: Runners who ride bikes or swimmers who row to boost their endurance. Cross-training can build balanced strength, up training volume for endurance sports and help athletes avoid burnout. It stands to reason then, that mastering multiple sports, while staying strong and injury-free is a practice that Langridge has worked with her coach to optimize. 

Between endurance races, Langridge keeps her training volume high, but factors in additional strength and conditioning into her cross-training plan, “I'll train up to 30 hours a week. Triathlon is multisport, so you don’t have to do too much additional cross-training in the racing season. That said, strength-training, yoga or stretching are most complementary.”

When pro athletes train to compete on a global stage, every session has a specific purpose. For Langridge, the role of integrating cross-training exercises, “is for strength, flexibility and better recovery.”

The role of your cross-training routine may be to build your holistic fitness and endurance, but it may also be to connect you to new movement communities or to maintain your motivation, whether you race competitively or you’re a beginner to exercise. And if you are a beginner, cross-training doesn’t need to be complicated. Cross-training isn’t the same as HIIT (high intensity interval training), but some athletes may factor in interval work into their cross-training plan. 

Langridge begins each morning by building simple awareness and routine into her every day, 

“Every morning I do some kind of mobility and activation that's just to assess how my body’s moving, and to get my muscles firing up in the right patterns. Then I'll do a proper gym-based strength and conditioning session twice a week, during my longer blocks of training."

Her advice for people looking to start training for competitive triathlons, is not to overlook cross-training, but to start small in terms of how much time you can dedicate to quality activity.

“Assess what you can do realistically and set yourself small, attainable goals.” Langridge advises. “Be consistent. Manage your time and your expectations and that will keep you turning up – plus, you'll be less likely to get injured,” she says. “You’ll probably be able to absolutely smash it out of the park. But just be controlled with your energy.”

Langridge acknowledges that it’s common to start a new sport by doing too much too soon, without considering cross-training and recovery time. “If you want to up your regular training and focus on one sport specifically, it’s worth joining a class, training group or seeking professional coaching. There’s self-coaching guidance on places like YouTube, but the rise in activity intensity has to be really gradual. The worst thing for your body – and mind – is to end up getting hurt.”

Langridge’s active upbringing was all about having fun, and the gym environment offers everyday camaraderie that contrasts with clocking up solo miles out on the road. Despite her impressive endurance medal collection – including gold at 2023’s Ironman Oceania, making progress in the gym brings her more joy than cardio.

“I love strength-training, and I prefer the gym to cardio,” she says. “Every time you go to the gym, you can see yourself improving, even if it's by a single rep or lifting a few more kilograms. In the pool or out running, those gains aren’t always immediately obvious.”

It helps that the gym at the University of Bath, UK, [where Langridge usually trains] is a sociable, supportive space, “The performance squads and students in the gym are all there cross-training because they want to get better at their sport, whatever it is. It's a motivating environment to be part of, and that helps me enjoy it more.”

No matter how much you love the gym, whether you can do too much cross-training comes down to the individual. Knowing when to focus on your mainstay sport, when to cross-train and when to press pause on activity, comes with personal experience, or the guidance of a qualified coach.

If you have a tendency to overtrain in a single discipline, then cross-training gives you the option to take that intensity down a notch and reduce the risk of repetitive injuries. By introducing lower-impact cross-training activities – think easy, breath-focused swimming over track running – you can still satisfy your active streak. Langridge advocates for listening to what your mind and body really needs,

“If you’re training for a triathlon, any excess energy would probably be better spent getting a massage or literally just sitting down, and doing nothing.”

Examples of cross-training workouts can be tailored around your mainstay exercise modality. Langridge keeps it simple, “it’s just about trying to move in different planes,” she says.

Her personal choice of movement in the off-season or winter months, “where I have more time to play” are whole-body adventure activities that tap into a flow state through physical problem-solving.

“Cross-training in activities like rock climbing can be good for a triathlete off-season because climbing’s such a whole-body activity. It works your shoulders and your arms, and engages different muscle groups that you need to use when swimming, for example.”

Langridge’s advice is that you should choose a bilateral cross-training activity that you enjoy, and that complements your fitness in your primary movement of choice,

“Because, everything I do in triathlon is a forward plane of motion, it's quite good to do other movements. In the racing season, I can't do too much cross training though. I’m especially avoidant of cross-training in sports that can increase my risk of injury – like football or skiing.”

And this is where the goals of an elite athlete and an everyday runner or gym-goer align. A considered cross-training plan includes exercises designed to keep you strong and injury-free longer-term, so that you're best conditioned to train – and dial up the tempo come race day – when you really need it. 

Langridge’s triathlon and cross-training kit

Swim: The most important thing is a swimming costume with a comfortable fit that gives you confidence. This might look and feel different for everyone. It’s worth feeling good before you dive in.

Bike: Make sure you’ve got some thermal bib tights and a lightweight, waterproof jacket. You only need one, but it will save you during all your long rides in the winter.

Run: Besides your race running shoes, get some trail shoes for ‘off days’. In the spirit of cross-training, running off-road between races, mixes things up and keeps things fun. 

Extras: SPF 30+ sunscreen, a nutribullet blender for post-training smoothies, and trigger point ball to boost circulation and ease muscle tension. Cross-training gym shoes, like the Cloud X 3.