THE TRAINING PLAN YOU'RE FOLLOWING WASN'T WRITTEN FOR YOUR BODY

The gun fires and two hundred athletes hit the water together. Some of them weigh 155 pounds. Some weigh 240. Chapter 1 of The Clydesdale Protocol starts from a simple question: how much of the training advice you've been handed was built with the heavier athlete in mind?

A Division the Sport Recognizes

USA Triathlon has weight-based racing divisions. To race Clydesdale, men must weigh in at 220 pounds or more; Athena is for women who weigh in above 165 pounds. Athletes weigh in at packet pickup to be eligible for those awards, and racing in the division is optional.

The book's argument is that most general training material doesn't discuss how body weight should change the numbers. Pace calculators, watt-per-kilogram tables, and sweat-rate estimates are presented as if they apply to everyone. The book's view is that for an athlete carrying 220, 240, or 260 pounds, those numbers deserve a second look rather than a straight copy.

The Clydesdale athlete is not a failed version of a lighter athlete. That framing does not help anyone train better.

Impact Load

Most general triathlon guides discuss running economy through cadence, ground contact time, vertical oscillation, and stride length. Far fewer discuss body weight as part of the running load.

The book's point is about absolute load. A heavier runner carries more mass through every stride, and a percentage-based progression rule like the familiar "increase weekly mileage by no more than ten percent" doesn't account for that. The book treats the ten percent rule as a reasonable starting point that a heavier athlete should apply more conservatively, and treats cumulative impact, not just weekly mileage, as the number to manage.

Fueling

The same question applies to nutrition. A 240-pound athlete generally uses more energy per hour than a 160-pound athlete at the same pace, and body size affects sweat volume and electrolyte loss. The book's argument is that a fueling plan copied from a lighter athlete may not match a bigger athlete's needs, and that the mismatch tends to show up late in a race rather than early.

Equipment

Bikes, wheels, and components carry manufacturer rider-weight limits and pressure recommendations. The book's advice is to check those specifications for your own weight instead of assuming a component was designed with you in mind.

The Protocol Mindset

High-performing systems in military, athletic, and medical settings rely on protocols: repeatable procedures that are carried out the same way regardless of mood, weather, or circumstance.

This is not a mindset argument. It doesn't ask you to believe in yourself or visualize the finish line. It asks you to follow a system: fuel for the work you're actually doing, manage your early-run pacing, and treat training as inputs and outputs. It replaces the vague instruction to train harder with a specific question: what does training correctly look like for a body built like mine?

The Protocol

Before you change a single workout, check the assumptions underneath them:

• Don't scale volume by percentage alone. Progress more conservatively through build phases, and manage cumulative impact, not only weekly mileage.
• Build your fueling from your own body weight and sweat, not from a plan written for a lighter athlete. A sports dietitian can help you measure it.
• Check the rider-weight limits on your equipment. Wheels, frames, and saddles carry manufacturer specifications. This is a specification question, not a preference question.
• Don't treat your size as the problem to solve first. The book's view is that you can train intelligently and race at the weight you are right now.

You have already done the hard part: you showed up. At 200 pounds, 220, 240, or more, you chose to compete. Now do it with numbers that fit you.