Scotts-
What you're talking about doing is very similar to what I did last year this time. I was 6'3", 240lbs at 13% bodyfat and all I did was lift. No cardio, so I could gain size quicker.
A friend of mine told me about how he did a 'sprint' distance triathlon. I was pretty interested in a change of pace after lifting for 10 years, so I decided to see if it was something I could do. So I went out and could barely run a mile...it killed me! Well the challenge was on!
I knew that I was going to need to drop weight and train like crazy if I was going to do this. I started July '04 and my first tri was October 15, 2004. I just signed up and went for it! At the time of the event , I was 220 lbs and 12% so I lost some of the size I had gained, but even at that weight, it was still a struggle. But I finished and was totally hooked.
So over the winter, I trained and trained and am now 192 lbs at 10% bodyfat. I've got my 6th event of this year coming up this Saturday. I feel better than ever before, even though I am now wearing Large size shirts, where last year my arms could stretch an XL. Pretty disappointing to put on my favorite shirt, that my chest used to fill out, and have have my wife tell me it looked like I was wearing a sheet.
But believe me, dropping the extra size is going to make it a hell of a lot easier to train and finish the races. As long as you keep your protein up and do 1-2 days a week of lighter lifting, you should end up looking a lot better than you did before.
Okay, so here's what I did and the web site I'd recommend for all the beginner info you'd ever want to know.
Go to
www.beginnertriathlete.com and sign up.
This site is awesome for what you're doing! You can keep track of your workouts with the 'training log' that they offer. Best of all...it's totally free! I check in every day and record my workouts and my times if I did an event.
I swim 2-3 days per week, bike 2 days per week, and run 2-3 times per week. The best way to get prepared for triathlons is to train 2 of the parts per workout if you can. Like I'll do 1000-1500 meters in the pool, and get out and go run 2-3 miles outside. Or what's really tough to get used to is the BIKE - RUN transition. They call this type of training doing a 'BRICK' - Bike Run ICK..cause that's how you feel trying to run after murdering your quads during the bike. Practice this at least once a week and you'll be rewarded later on in the races you do.
Another great site to find triathlons is
www.trifind.com
I wish you luck! And don't be afraid to drop some size. Remember that your going to be getting in better shape than you ever were lifting weights. Your heart will be healthier and you'll be surprised how swimming and biking both will wake up muscles you never knew you had.
Let me know how it goes. - Jason
I am new to this sport
