- Triathlon is ultimately an outdoor sport,
so the thought of training to do that
indoors can seem a little counterintuitive.
That said, many pros and age groupers
alike actually opt to do at least some
of their training in the comfort
of their home or the gym.
- Yeah, and if you're new to this type of training,
do not fear because today we're gonna be running
you through the pros and cons of indoor training,
covering what you'll need to get
started and also the equipment.
So get ready to get sweaty.
- One of the most significant reasons
triathletes choose to train indoors
is for time efficiency.
You're not gonna waste time cycling
or running to find a venue where
you can do your main session,
and you're not gonna waste lots of time
on putting on all that winter kit.
And talking of winter training,
you don't have to clean the bike afterwards,
which is definitely a plus point for me.
And also, you can be consistent and efficient,
and you're not gonna waste time
where maybe you're going downhill
or you're free wheeling when on a bank.
- Right, you also avoid punctures,
maybe even breaking miles from home
and then needing to get an expensive taxi ride back home.
Also, there's a safety element.
You rarely hear of athletes getting injured
from training on a turbo or on a treadmill indoors.
There's no potholes, there's no mud to slip on,
traffic to negotiate, and so on.
- Depending on where you live,
the weather can really affect
the training that you can actually do.
Especially in a cold, harsh winter,
or maybe even at the other end of the spectrum,
a really hot summer.
But training indoors, the climate does remain
relatively constant, and you can actually,
within reason, replicate the conditions
you might experience in the next race.
- Well, on the topic of weather,
we'll say help save your kit from getting dirty,
keeping it much cleaner,
plus there's the factor of daylight hours.
Other than gym opening hours maybe
that's gonna be a slight constraint,
but otherwise you can train at any hour of the day.
Now for those young families out there,
maybe with a newborn, you can also train indoors
in your home and not need a babysitter.
- Alright, enough talking of why we should do it,
let's actually get started.
- Right then, when we talk about indoor training,
the first bit of equipment that probably
springs to mind is the treadmill.
Now I appreciate not all of us have treadmills at home,
but most gyms, like this one that I'm in today,
they'll more than likely have at least one available to you.
Now, treadmills are great for a number of reasons,
obviously as we go into the winter
and the weather starts to deteriorate,
it allows us to keep our running mileage up.
Also, helps prevent us from perhaps
falling on slippery surfaces outside,
and it also prevents you from developing
any aches and pains from running
on muscles that are cold and tense.
Personally, though, I've found treadmills
fantastic for all year round use,
that's because they're specific for workouts,
but also really efficient with your time.
In fact, let's just show you how.
So you want to start by gradually increasing
your speed from a walking pace
up to a comfortable running pace
to get yourself warmed up.
Now if you are a competent runner
and you're gonna be running at some
good paces during your session,
then research does suggest that you should
set a treadmill to a one percent incline,
and now that's to emulate the feeling of running outdoors.
There is some contrasting research,
but most suggests that this is a pace
in excess of four minute thirty per kilometre,
or seven minute ten per mile.
Personally, though, I would just always
recommend setting a one percent incline,
'cause it really gives that
lifelike feel of running outdoors.
Now on the subject of paces,
this is where I believe treadmills can be really useful,
because once you set that speed on the treadmill,
you are running at that speed whether you like it or not.
Whereas outside you can quite
easily drift on or off the pace,
whether going too slow or too fast.
So on a treadmill you're stuck at that pace.
You can really start to get the quality
out of the session, and really dial into a pace.
Also, we have the incline function on treadmills,
so if do have maybe a hilly race coming up,
then you can start to simulate that course.
You can specifically work on inclines
that match that race that you've got coming up.
And finally, footwear.
Now this may or may not apply to you,
but I know from experience when I run on a treadmill,
I feel the impact a little bit more than usual.
And that's because I predominately run off road
on a softer surface than the treadmill.
Now if you're like me and you do
a lot of your running off road,
then perhaps you've suffered from
run related injuries in the past,
then you may want to make sure
that you're wearing a slightly
more cushioned pair of running shoes.
However, if you do a lot of your running on the road,
that is obviously a slightly higher impact than a treadmill,
so running on a treadmill is actually
gonna be quite forgiving,
so you're gonna be absolutely fine.
- However, the most common method
of indoor training for triathletes is cycling.
All you need is either your own bike and a turbo,
you can do it on rollers, a Wattbike, or a spin bike.
I mean, most gyms will have a static bike of some sort,
but if you've got the choice,
it's best to find a spin bike
that measures power or a Wattbike,
so then at least you can use watts
to help structure your training more easily.
Although I would say the ideal situation
would be to have your own bike set up
on a turbo at home so you've got the convenience
of it being really close and no excuses not to use it.
And for that, if you did have something
like a garage that's perfect,
but all you need is enough space
to put your bike and your turbos down,
and trust me we see all sorts
getting sent in for the GTN Pain Cave.
Other than enough space, what do you need?
Well, a working bike and a turbo, obviously.
And there are so many to choose from,
but to help you out Mark's actually
made a video on how to choose the right turbo,
and you can find that in the link in the description below.
But there are two main options,
one, when you keep the back wheel on your bike
and you mount that directly onto the turbo
and the resistance is provided through the back wheel,
or the direct drive chain mount like this one,
when you take the back wheel off
and the bike is mounted directly onto the turbo.
The advantage to one of these,
actually very accurately measures your power.
So if you don't have a power metre on your bike,
you could then ride to power for your training.
But whatever one you do go for, they are a great investment.
On top of the obvious it's a good idea
to pop a mat under you bike
'cause this helps to catch sweat
and protect your floor if it's a nice carpet for example,
but it also helps to eliminate any sound,
if you are in a flat and you've got neighbours beneath,
they'd probably be rather grateful of you
reducing the sound that comes from some of the turbos.
And, talking of sweat, you will sweat on a turbo,
I hate to break it to you.
So come prepared, make sure you put a towel
or something to at least wipe your face,
and if you are a heavy sweater,
you might want to think about
protecting your bike somehow.
And, obviously, what goes out must come back in
so you need to make sure you've
got enough hydration to hand.
So have your water bottle filled up on your bike
or on a shelf next to you.
And the idea of riding on a turbo
means that you're not gonna have any breaks.
You're not gonna have to stop at traffic lights,
for example, so you also wanna have
all your nutrition to hand,
so maybe pack a gel in your pocket
or have a bar handy so you don't have to stop peddling.
Finally, and for me an essential factor to overcome
when it comes to indoor training is boredom.
Now you are just gonna be sat looking at the same wall,
not going anywhere, no change of scenery,
so it can get tough.
So this is when a structured session
can come in really handy,
and also give you more benefit from the training.
So if you have a session planned,
you've gotta warm up, you've got a warm down,
and then stick some meaty intervals in the middle,
and that'll soon distract you.
You can also play around with changing your cadence,
and also think about practising riding in the saddle
and then doing efforts out of the saddle.
All of this will just spice up your training,
but if you're still finding it really
hard to get over that boredom factor,
then why not crank up some great tunes,
maybe even put a movie on if you've
got a slow, steady ride to do.
Or you could use a Zwift.
Zwift is a computer game where you ride alongside
virtual friends or actual other friends
who've logged in, and you're riding along
real live courses or some made up courses,
and it's just a great way to enjoy your training
and you'll find it can actually become quite addictive.
- Well, we've gone into a lot of detail
about cycling and the running,
but indoor training isn't limited there.
Obviously, as long as you live close to a swimming pool,
a lot of us will swim indoors or,
maybe some of us lucky folk out there
can swim with an open air swimming pool,
but there are a few with the real luxury
of having an endless pool within their own home.
So, essentially, if you have a treadmill
and a turbo trainer at home,
you could do a full triathlon without
actually leaving your front door,
and if you take the likes of Lionel Sanders
and Lucy Charles, at certain times
of the year they'll do just that.
- Yeah, well on top of the obvious swim, bike, and run,
you can also compliment, and sometimes even substitute
most of these sports with a bit of gym work.
Strength and conditioning is important
for staying injury free as well as
getting stronger across all of the disciplines.
And swimming is the one that's often the hardest to do,
especially if you're travelling
or if your local pool isn't quite so local.
There are exercises you can do to at least
help replicate the same firing of muscles
that you'd use in swimming,
but we'll go into more detail
in another video in the future.
- Well, we've gone on about
the benefits to training indoors,
but as with anything, a balance is key.
For instance, if you're doing all your training
indoors then you could be missing out
on some of the valuable skills
that you learn from riding your bike outside,
and also there's your position.
I mean, you get into this perfect
static position on a turbo trainer,
but can you actually replicate that outdoors?
- Yeah, the same goes for running outdoors.
Your body will need to adapt to the change in incline,
or change in terrain underfoot,
all of which helps to fire up those smaller muscles
that support your lower leg and your feet.
And they can actually switch off a little bit
if you are running purely on a smooth treadmill.
- After all, variety is the spice of life,
so if you're doing a block of indoor training,
it could be good to break that up.
Just helps to keep you slightly more motivated.
After all, staring a brick wall for hours on end
can be a little bit demoralising.
And don't forget, you do race outdoors.
- You should now have more of an idea
of how to go about indoor training,
but whether you're new to it
or you're a seasoned indoor trainer,
do take a picture and send it in to us,
'cause we would love to show it
as part of the Pain Cave section on our GTN show.
You can do that by clicking on the link
in the description below for the GTN uploader
- Yeah, and if you like this video,
hit that thumbs up button and to make sure
you don't miss any more videos from GTN,
why not subscribe by just hitting the globe here.
If you'd like to see our How to Choose
an Indoor Trainer video, just click down here.
- And if you are new to running indoors
and want an introduction to treadmill running,
there's a video on that just here.