Lucy Charles-Barclay knows a thing or two about training for an Ironman triathlon. The 26-year-old is currently sitting second in the world in the gruelling discipline, which involves a 2.4-mile [3.86km] swim, a 112-mile [180.25km] bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile [42.2km] run. So her fitness regime is clearly paying off.
Despite her races taking place outdoors, Charles-Barclay does the bulk of her training indoors. She spends hours inside what she lovingly dubs her “pain cave”, a fitness den at the bottom of her parents-in-law’s garden. Here she reveals just how she does it – and offers tips on how you, too, can up the ante of your training while staying at home.
For around seven years, since the beginning of my triathlon career. When I started triathlons in 2013, a lot of my training was indoors because it was more convenient and would save time. I’d do spin classes, swim in an indoor pool and hit the treadmill. I didn’t have much experience on a bike back then and, since I live in quite a busy area near London, I would use an indoor bike for safety reasons.
You train in your “pain cave”. What exactly is that?
I’m lucky to have a great gym set-up in my husband Reece’s parents’ house. It’s like a little outhouse at the bottom of their garden. This is where we initially set up a personal training business, but it has evolved into our training pain cave. We spend a lot of time training there on our own.
Reece’s dad used to be a professional boxer and it still has the boxing ring in the middle. We’ve gradually added bikes, cardio equipment and weights to it over the years. We have an endless pool in there, and even a toilet and shower.
I’m really lucky to have an endless pool – it’s an amazing bit of kit, and works like a swimming treadmill. Reece and I helped dig out the pit for it to go in – it was a real team effort getting it installed. It replicates swimming in open water far better than if you were in a pool because you’ve got a turbulent current coming at you to swim against.
Discover the inspirational story of triathlete Tim Don by listening to the below episode of the How to be Superhuman podcast.
How long would you swim for in the pool, and how fast?
Typically I’d swim for 60 to 90 minutes, but that won’t be continuous. I normally set it at a set pace of 1m 15s per 100m. Then I’ll up that speed for shorter intervals. So I often swim a 10-minute block at 1m 15s, then an eight-minute block at 1m 14s. The fastest it goes is 1m 1s at 100m, so I usually aim to do one minute at that pace – it can be quite tough to hang on! As the reps get shorter, the time gets faster and the pace gets harder. I normally stop, catch my breath and have a drink between reps.
Is there any other kit you can recommend for swim training without using a pool?
You can use a swim bench. It’s like a rowing machine but it replicates swimming. You lie on your front. It’s a great way to boost muscular endurance and cardio needed for swimming without actually getting wet. I sometimes do an hour-long continuous session on there, changing the pace for harder intervals. Using a swim bench is also a great way to warm up for an upper-body strength session.
Reece and I have our bikes side-by-side, with two TVs in front so we can do Zwift sessions, which is like cycling in the virtual world. You can also organise group rides and races with your friends or people from around the world. You can talk to each other as you ride. You can make it into a game, too, which helps with motivation. My goal is to reach level 50, which is the highest level. I’m on level 43 so I’m getting there!
You can use a swim bench – it’s like a rowing machine but it replicates swimming
How long do you spend on your indoor bike each day?
My bike training is the most varied in time and intensity. In the lead-up to the World Championships, I’ll do up to six hours on the bike indoors. Those really long rides inside are the most mentally challenging part of my training. But I also do shorter rides, around one hour long – they're much more intense with harder intervals.
We have dumbells, barbells, squat racks, a bench press – everything you could imagine for weight training. Olympic lifting has helped reduce injury for me. I can squat and deadlift 80kg, but I’d only do three to five reps with this weight. I also do power training – like cleans and snatches – to mix it up.
We’ve been experimenting with bench pressing cans of baked beans
I live near an amazing forest, so when I can get outside, I like to do my longer runs on the trails there. But most of my run training is inside – the treadmill takes a bit of a pounding! I’ll do up to 36km on the treadmill leading up to the World Championships. Adding in intervals makes the session go quicker because you have different things to focus on. I also do track reps on the treadmill if I can’t get to the track.
It’s psychologically harder to run indoors, but then that can turn into an advantage during a race because you feel mentally tougher and better able to handle an Ironman. We try to bring the outside in by keeping the door open. Having Reece there also makes me feel like I’m not totally isolated. I appreciate doing runs or rides outside with others so much more having done most of my training indoors.
Most of your competitions are outdoors. Do you think you can prepare for them sufficiently by training solely indoors?
For swimming and running, yes. But it always helps to get on the bike outside. When I started, my bike-handling skills weren't good enough and I needed to practise outdoors. If the course is a simple out and back, then as long as you can keep yourself upright on a bike you’d be fine. But some courses are technical and you need to reccy them first.
How can other people bring their training indoors with limited resources?
The biggest benefit for triathlons is having a strong core – and a lot of core work doesn’t require any equipment at all. You can do simple bodyweight exercises – like plank, side plank, press-ups and glute bridges – without any kit.
Find more strength training tips from Lucy in the video below:
2 minLucy Charles running tips: FitnessFitness training tips from triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay.
Look around you at the things you have in your house and get creative. We’ve been experimenting with bench pressing cans of baked beans and seeing how many reps we can do. We’ve also got a massive bag of dog food, so we’ve done squats with that on our back. It’s all about being inventive!
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