If the New Year resolutions are proving a struggle then it could be well worth taking a leaf out of triathlon legend Alistair Brownlee’s book.

He is the only triathlete – male or female – to win back-to-back Olympic titles and his all-out style of racing transformed the sport at short distance.

Before his retirement at the end of 2024, he was also famed for his full-on training regime and he gives plenty of insights into that in a fascinating chat with entrepreneur and former reality TV star Spencer Matthews in his ‘UNTAPPED’ podcast series.

Matthews of course has thrown himself triathlon recently with his world-record ‘PROJECT SE7EN’ initiative which saw him take on seven Ironmans on seven continents in just 21 days.

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Not a pro but a pioneer’ – TRI247’s in-depth interview with Spencer Matthews.

Consistency trumps everything

When asked what he thinks are the most common training mistakes and how to remedy them, Alistair had four nuggets which he reckons will help anyone, whatever their current level.

And top of the list is consistency. He told Matthews: “The number one mistake for the average person is not being consistent.

“And that normally happens because your routine is unsustainable. So, I love this concept of building the environment that you need to be sustainable – that is creating good habits, making life easy for yourself, removing the barriers.

“For me, that was making sure I always had the kit ready to go, that I had a bike that wasn’t broken, was without punctures and was ready to literally go out the door. I also had a bike on the trainer ready to jump on.

“So I didn’t have any of those excuses that got in the way. That’s number one.

Sleep so important

“Number two is make it fun – train with other people, try new routes, don’t be afraid to go and run off road or mountain bike or whatever, just to mix it up.

“Number three, have a goal. And that goal doesn’t have to be a crazy event. It can just be to run 5K with your friends or whatever.

“And then four is fuel in sessions and recover properly. Recover after with nutrition and sleep – sleep is the biggest driver of recovery.”

Watch the video for much, much more – including Alistair’s top running shoe recommendation for training, not racing!