The best indoor training kit

£399

Many portable treadmills are only useful for walking on, but this fold-up, more affordable unit from Domyos allows runners to reach 13km/h for low-intensity workouts. There’s a 10% incline and 10 pre-set programmes.

Buy from www.decathlon.co.uk

02 TIGER TAIL TIGER BALL

£28

The Tiger Ball is designed to eliminate knots in your back, legs, shoulders and more. The ball slides up and down the rope to help you find the exact position of the ache and should stay precisely where you want it to. 

Buy from www.tigertail.co.uk

03 TACX BOOSTER

£219

The Booster is the most powerful ‘basic’ turbo out there, and offers a beginner-friendly intro to turbos as you don’t need to mess around with cassettes. Tacx’s Speed and Cadence Sensor (£45) will give you access to a host of training apps via ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart. 

Buy from www.bikeinn.com

04 WATTBIKE ATOM

£1,599

Those who’ve used a Wattbike gym trainer will find the Atom functions far more like an actual bike. There are clickable gears, drop bars and tri-bar extensions, and a moveable seatpost,  all built on a solid alu frame. The lack  of screen means you’ll need a tablet or phone to use it with the Wattbike app or a third-party offering.

Buy from wattbike.com

05 TRX HOME 2

£169.95

This suspension-weight training system from TRX offers huge versatility. It can be set up on door frames and garden trees for triathlon fitness and strength gains over the whole body.

Buy from store.trxtraining.co.uk

06 COMPRESSPORT POSTURAL AERO

£85

For both indoor cycling and outdoors, the Postural Aero offers superior breathability and back support thanks to the compressive weaving. The fabric is ultra-light, thin and stretchy, and nothing stretches too far in the TT position.

Buy from www.runnerinn.com

07 TORQ MANGO

£29.25 (for 15)

Torq’s bar delivers 144cals from mainly carb sources (127cals), all topped off with a hint of protein (8cals) and fat (just 9cals). This combo of fast and slow-releasing carbs is ideal for high-intensity turbo sessions. Its texture is chewy and has just enough water to avoid that claggy feel. 

Buy from www.tweekscycles.com

08 OPEN WATER, MIKAEL ROSÉN

£26

Translated into English, Swedish swim coach Mikael Rosén’s superb book takes in open-water swim history, technique and theory in a hardback that’ll be a must for swim geeks and those seeking aquatic gains. 

Buy from www.amazon.com

09 ELITE SUITO

£649

Weighing in at 14.5kg, the Suito is relatively light for a direct-drive turbo and also has a useful carry handle. An 11-speed Shimano cassette out the box saves time and money, a front wheel block is included, and there’s a cadence sensor, accurate power measurements and inclines to 15%.

Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk

10 THERAGUN G3PRO

£549

The Theragun is named as ‘percussive therapy’, which combines frequency (2,400rpm), torque and amplitude (16mm) via its pulsing and repetitive arm to encourage increased blood flow and flush out lactic acid. The benefits? Muscle relief, tension reduction and pain alleviation. 

Buy from kitbox.co

11 MUC-OFF CLEANING KIT

From £9.99

Muc-Off’s indoor training range includes Sweat Protect spray and Antibac Cleaner, plus a mat. It’s designed to keep your bike clean and free from corrosive sweat and dirt, while the Antibac is a handy way of keeping things clean. 

Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk

12 HUUB DESIGN CORE BIBS

£99.99

These bib-shorts have been our training staple for the past couple of years, more so in this turbo-heavy 2020. Breathability is heightened by the mesh inserts, the pad is dense and the anatomical cut gives tri-bar comfort. 

Buy from huubdesign.com

13 TRI SERIES BOARD GAME

€40

Hit the wall with Disney+? Then this tri board game could be just the ticket for self-isolation boredom. Divided into two phases, you build fitness and wellbeing in the first phase then take those skills into triathlon race day.

Buy from afterracegames.com

14 FABRIC TRI RACE FLAT

£79.99

Fabric make some of the best, most affordable tri saddles around, and buying now will give you time to bed-in your position for race season. The Tri Race Flat has titanium rails and weighs 232g, and it’s grippy to keep you in position. 

Buy from www.bikeinn.com

15 PUSH UP SWIVEL BARS

From £10

Push up swivel bars target your chest, shoulder and back muscles, with the rotation providing a greater range of motion and are easier on the wrists. Seen here are Opti from Argos, but Decathlon do home deliveries if Argos can’t deliver to your local Sainsbury’s.

Buy from www.argos.co.uk

16 TACX NEO 2T

£1,199

Tacx have nailed their smart turbodesign with the Neo 2T. There’s even more motor power (with the option to run it wirelessly), greater stability and a neighbour-friendly level of noise. Power accuracy is spot on, and you’ll really notice the superior quality of the ride feel.

Buy from tacx.com

17 ACTIVBODY ACTIV5

£119.95

The Activ5 is a Bluetooth-enabled device that comes loaded with a whole host of exercises, performed by you squeezing it in various different positions to provide resistance. Just download the app, pair with your phone and there’s over 100 different workouts at your disposal. 

Buy from www.amazon.co.uk

18 HEALTHSPAN ELITE VEGAN

£24.99

This recovery powder from Healthspan Elite offers the textbook 20g of protein per serving for enhanced recovery. It also contains a blend of amino acids and multi-vitamins. 

Buy from www.amazon.co.uk

19 UP FOAM ROLLER

£19.99

Soothing your turbo aches and pains is this budget pick from Ultimate Performance, a solid, lightweight (660g) and portable roller that’ll improve flexibility and core strength. 

Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com

20 ZWIFT SUBSCRIPTION

From £12.99 Zwift, Sufferfest… indoor triathletes have never had it so good in terms of fun and competition. A Zwift subscription starts at £12.99 per month, and for that you’ll get training plans, group rides, races and more on 80+ routes.

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Buy from zwift.com