It\u2019s not just age-groupers who have reaped the benefits, with superstar pro triathletes Lucy Charles-Barclay<\/a><\/strong>, Jan Frodeno<\/a><\/strong> and Alex Yee<\/a><\/strong> all regular visitors to Watopia, with the Zwift platform even hosting events \u2013 see the Super League Tri Arena Games<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 that blur the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n But how can you find a clear training focus for your indoor training sets? What\u2019s the ideal indoor training setup? And what about comfort and recovery? Beyond Zwift\u2019s \u2018Fun is Fast\u2019 ethos, there\u2019s a wealth of data and customisable training options to maximise your riding and running gains. Let\u2019s find out how you can provide structure to your training to make you a fitter, happier and more productive triathlete with winning advice from the elite orbit\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u201cZwift has had a huge impact on my training,\u201d says British triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay, the 2021 Ironman 70.3 world champion<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cIt gives me a way of training to a variety of intensities that can be planned in advance and aren\u2019t open to outside factors, such as weather conditions, punctures and traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also a really fun platform that still provides Strava segments, challenges and other people to ride with. The levels of consistency and intensity Zwift offers me have made great improvements in my training, and this seems to be affecting my race results very positively.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Charles-Barclay is just one pro who uses Zwift for a deep dive into her data, with the post-workout analysis presenting athletes with power output readings, calories, duration and more.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cZwift is a very effective way to build your fitness,\u201d adds Jan Frodeno, Germany\u2019s multiple Ironman world champion. \u201cThere are plenty of structured workouts and even programmes to guide you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These include the \u2018Build Me Up\u2019 bike power training plan, the TT Tune-Up to maximise your aerobic power, and the 5K Record Breaker on Zwift Run. \u201cYou\u2019ll without a doubt be physically very well prepared, but make sure you don\u2019t race every night!\u201d the German tri superstar suggests.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUse whatever space you can find that\u2019ll fit a turbo trainer or a fan,\u201d says Rick Velati, a national coach with British Triathlon\u2019s World Class Programme. \u201cThis can be living rooms, kitchens, garages, conservatories, but you\u2019ll need to be online and a decent internet connection to hook into Zwift.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to be doing more heated sessions to prepare for hotter races, then a smaller room that heats easier than a bigger room is ideal or use a conservatory in which you can trap heat inside [as seen with Jonny Brownlee ahead of the Tokyo Olympics].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Try Zwift now<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cReplicate race situations by setting the same bike and body positions for key efforts,\u201d says Charles-Barclay. \u201cUse the same data readings as you would in a race such as power (watts) and heart rate (HR), as this\u2019ll help you replicate it on race day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUnlike being on the open roads, you can be very specific about planning your efforts and building interval sessions targeting improvements in your power outputs and consistency of delivery. This is sometimes very hard to do outside of this platform, especially through the winter, so make sure you maximise what you achieve from Zwift.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The platform\u2019s own workout library contains a vast array of workouts, but you can also create your own custom workouts or sync with Training Peaks or Today\u2019s Plan and have your coach push workouts directly through to Zwift for you to enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do anything from an hour to 3:30hrs on Zwift depending on the session,\u201d says Frodeno, who won the Zwift Tri Battle Royale against Lionel Sanders in 2021. \u201cVO2 Max intervals, for instance, are just much easier to ride on a turbo trainer, but my training is completely varied.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Far from just showing up to race your mates around the Makuri Islands on Zwift (not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that), there are 1,000+ structured workouts on the platform, as well as the chance to build your own custom workouts.<\/span><\/p>\n Music has long been shown to have positive impacts on training and racing, with<\/span> Dr Costas Karageoghis stating in his book <\/span>Inside Sports Psychology <\/span><\/i>that high tempo beats can increase your endurance by up to 15%. And yet it doesn\u2019t have to be just EDM or Idles providing the beats for your Zwift sets.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, dance music or rock is common, but some athletes actually go in the other direction,\u201d offers Velati, a man who has worked with the cream of British tri for 16 years. \u201cSome of our pros either use no music at all or, if they\u2019re not wanting to affect any hormone or heart rate levels, they listen to classical musical that creates a deliberately calm environment. But for Zwift races or harder workouts, keep it individual or whatever gets you motivated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Try Zwift now<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe British Triathlon team have got a lot out of Zwift racing or connecting rides together,\u201d states Velati, with the Brownlee brothers both converts to the platform. \u201cWhether it\u2019s on the turbo or rollers, you can control the zone you\u2019re riding in or power output a lot compared to riding on the road. The classic workouts of FTP or 20min power zones all provide enough bang for buck.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can warm-up for 15mins and you then can get into the nuts and bolts of producing hard and controlled riding in your HR or power zones, as pretty much all of our team are using power now. Zwift offers a chance to go into a zone and work on that power, so 5-6mins in that zone and 2mins recovery. The team find that really motivating as they can individualise the workout that they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The lack of airflow and often higher temperatures of indoor training will obviously change your level of sweat rates and nutritional needs. \u201cWhat you lose in the electrolytes in your sweat can have a knock-on effect and subsequently a negative impact on your riding,\u201d suggests Velati. So are there ways to gauge your altered electrolyte state?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of sweat rates, weighing yourself before you start and when you finish the workout can give you a really good guide on basic fluid loss. If you were sweating more, then some of the lessons the British Triathlon team take onboard is ensuring you have an electrolyte balance, while just drinking plenty of water ensures that your calcium levels are not getting depleted by riding indoors and sweating more over an hour or 90min session.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe beauty of Zwift is that you can achieve every session you can imagine and make them very realistic,\u201d states Charles-Barclay. \u201cMy sessions will range from short, power-focussed efforts \u2013 i.e. a 2 x 20min effort at power levels well above my Ironman power output.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOther sessions will be four, five or even six-hour sessions more focused around conditioning of my body to hold an aero position and deliver consistent power outputs. If I\u2019m focusing on a specific race then I\u2019ll also try to replicate certain conditions. Before the Ironman Worlds in Kona, I do these sessions in a very hot environment, which can\u2019t often be achieved on the roads in the UK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Try Zwift now<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The nature and dynamics of indoor riding means that you\u2019ll be spending more time in the saddle, increasing the likelihood of both sore bottoms and stiff backs. Yet there are simple measures that can boost your riding comfort and performance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur team simply get out of the saddle every five minutes to break an hour or longer workout,\u201d adds British Triathlon\u2019s Velati. \u201cMaking sure your bib-shorts\u2019 chamois pad goes well with your body and looking at chamois creams are also basics you should have in place. And, if you\u2019re on the turbo for a longer period of time, then treat it like a road ride and have an energy bar or a snack to hand that you can eat every 20mins or so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, riding indoors can lead to some particularly hot and sweaty sessions, so don\u2019t underestimate the role that airflow plays in evaporative cooling. Unless you\u2019re conditioning for warm weather events, <\/span>at least one good fan is recommended<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRecovery wise, especially as you aren\u2019t getting out of the saddle as much, make sure you\u2019re spending five or six minutes stretching out the key areas of the lower back and hip flexors particularly,\u201d suggests Velati.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs you\u2019re in a hunched position and not changing it as much, especially your movement in the lumber area, pay more attention to stretching and mobility work when you\u2019re jumping off the turbo. There\u2019s a real benefit to your own time management with indoor riding, but it\u2019s worth knocking five minutes off a session to perform a proper recovery linked to both rehydration and mobility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cZwift riding makes it easier to see the data for indoor riding with no random spikes due to sudden changes in gradient or traffic conditions,\u201d believes Velati. \u201cThe data is more clinical to analyse and you can track progress. Most of our athletes all the way into the academies use Zwift with Training Peaks, which is a useful tool, especially as the athletes are riding using power.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe thing I\u2019d want age-group athletes to take away is you can get a lot out of indoor workouts by making it simple and achievable, with the intensity of the workout dictating what you get from it. So put some music on and take yourself out of your day-to-day work and focus on producing a bike workout in a safe and efficient way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n1. Take control of your training<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Structure your sessions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""2021_07_18_TriBattle_Bike__DSC7746_fullres"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2021\/07\/2021_07_18_TriBattle_Bike__DSC7746_fullres-0d1a817.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C930"\" "\\"\"2021_07_18_TriBattle_Bike__DSC7746_fullres\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>3. Building your indoor setup<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Add an event focus<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Keep it varied<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Jan\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2021\/07\/2021_07_18_TriBattle_Run_5J1A5924-Fullres-3574160.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C414"\" "\\"\"Fotograf:\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>6. Vary your tunes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Feel the power<\/strong><\/h2>\n
8. Electrolyte balance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
9. Body conditioning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Lucy\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2021\/09\/lucy-charles-barclay-collins-cup-5cb21a4.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C414"\" "\\"\"lucy-charles-barclay-collins-cup\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>10. Indoor comfort<\/strong><\/h2>\n
11. Post-ride recovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n
12. Track your progress<\/strong><\/h2>\n