Triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders admits Age Groupers train BETTER than most pros

Canadian star Lionel Sanders believes high-performing Age Group triathletes are much better positioned to give training advice than professionals.

In recent weeks, posting on his YouTube channel, the 37-year-old has been explaining a number of changes he has been making to his own training regime in order to contend once again at the top of the sport.

And in his latest video, embedded below, the two-time IRONMAN World Championship runner-up took aim at his fellow professionals for being unable to balance the necessary endurance output with maintaining a happy life.

AGs much closer to the truth

“Age groupers have a much better perspective then professionals when it comes to training,” admitted the Canadian superstar.

“I would much rather consult with age groupers on how to train, because they are balancing family, careers and then still performing at a high level, so I would say they are much closer to the truth.

“Like say a Kona top 10 age group finisher is much closer to the truth of training than many pros in my opinion, because they have boiled it down to what really matters, and they’ve understood how to balance all these things and still perform well.”

Sanders jokingly interluded his initial comments in the video with short snippets comparing his recovery days with those of fellow professional Sam Long, with the Canadian lounging in a hot tub while his American rival continued to swim, bike and run.

“That is the essence of what it takes to reach your potential, that balance and enjoying your life. If what it takes is me not being present for my son and hating my life, then I’m good, I don’t want to do that.

“When you are enjoying your life, you’ll have the motivation to train crazy hard.”

The art of recovery

Sanders has appeared to completely change his philosophical approach to training for 2025, and launched into a scathing tirade of his methods over the past few seasons.

“You know how many off days I took last year heading into IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside? Zero! I trained until I was totally dead. Miserable, a miserable existence, I hated my life, because I was bought into the idea that is how it had to be, you have to hate your life.

“When you’re training like s**t, stagnant, no growth, no progression, perhaps even regression, no presence because I’m so tired all of the time, irritable, and just not really having fun, but always justify it in those moments that, you know, this is what it takes, this is commitment….blah, blah, blah.

“I would disagree wholeheartedly with that philosophy of training. If you are not loving life then I don’t think you’ll be the best athlete you can be.”

The Canadian has taken complete control of his preparation ahead of the new campaign, both in training and when it comes to what he eats, as he detailed in his last YouTube offering

“Now my brain is functioning again, I wholeheartedly disagree that is what it takes. I believe in fact that those are all signs and signals that you are doing it incorrectly. In order to achieve your very best, it’s a holistic process, you have to enjoy doing what your doing, you have to be coming into sessions so energetic and motivated in order to provide an adequate stimulus for change.”

Thinking for himself

“Training is not complicated,” Sanders continued, “although some people are maybe making it seem like it’s complicated. Provide stimulus, recover from stimulus, get better – otherwise you are just exercising, I don’t get paid to exercise, this is about winning, that’s all it’s about at the professional level.

“I thought for myself for a good portion of my career, then as I became more connected I was intrigued by different training methods, but something you have to appreciate is that I was pretty darn close to my capacity, to have led a World Championships means your were pretty close to your capacity.

“Instead of appreciating that, and making just little adjustments, I made massive changes for whatever reason. The beauty of time and experience is at least you can look back and see those behaviours and mistakes you were making and hopefully correct them.”