However new you are to triathlon, you’ve probably heard the name Lucy CharlesBarclay. Perhaps as the three-times runner-up in the Ironman World Championship or the ‘fastest swimmer in tri.’
For 2021, we can add the most versatile triathlete, competing from super-sprint to long- course racing, and becoming the Ironman 70.3 world champion after a fairy tale performance in Utah, where, as they say in the States, she was in a different zip code.
Plus, there was a memorable Leeds World Series debut, an impressive hit out at the 1,500m GB Olympic trials in the pool, and some explosive Super League action – both indoors and out.
Fans of the sport might also know that the 28-year-old narrowly missed Olympic selection for 2012 as an open-water swimmer, but might be less aware that post those Games, Lucy and her then boyfriend, now husband and fellow pro triathlete, Reece, were both personal trainers for four years – giving them an understanding of the importance of strength and conditioning to tri, and a love of working out all year round.
“The biggest thing is injury prevention,” Lucy says. “Triathletes can be prone to injury because of the load we put through our body. But I also believe the extra percentage you can gain on your performance is bigger in the gym than through a run session.”
As we delve deeper into the off-season in the UK, here Lucy shares her 15 top strength and conditioning tips for triathlon…
1 CONCENTRATE ON YOUR CORE EVERY DAY
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Esta historia es de la edición February 2022 de 220 Triathlon.
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How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing
ZWIFT RIDE
£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment
GAMES AT THE GAMES
After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...
WHERE EAGLES DARE
With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"