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UNTAPPED with Spencer Matthews
8 Training Hacks from Ironman World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay
World champion triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay reveals the mindset and dedication behind her journey from amateur to elite athlete.
Lucy’s training hacks 👇
1. Marginal Gains Add Up 💪
Lucy describes how her first Ironman took 12 hours, and with more focused training, she improved her time by 4 hours, emphasising the importance of consistency and dedication to training.
2. Fuelling Consistently 🙌
Lucy stresses the need for a balanced diet, never being in a calorie deficit, and always fueling before and after sessions to optimise performance.
3. Clean Carbs 🍚
Lucy gives insight into carb loading before races, particularly focusing on rice for clean carbs, which helps her feel energised without the bloated feeling she used to get from pasta and pizza.
4. Strength Training 🏋️♀️
Lucy highlights the importance of strength training to enhance endurance, particularly for the run, and stresses the value of lifting weights to support muscles and prevent injuries.
5. Train Hard, Race Easy 🏃♀️
She deliberately makes training brutal so race day feels manageable.
6. Don't Panic, Train 🚴♀️
Athletes should trust their training and avoid panic training before races, as it leads to unnecessary stress and injuries. It's all about sticking to the plan and trusting in the work done in the months leading up to the event.
7. Organisation 🤓
From nutrition timing to training blocks, she says organisation is the difference between elite and amateur.
8 Importance of the Bike in Ironman 🚴♀️
Lucy discusses how crucial the bike segment is in Ironman (112 miles), where even small changes in equipment (such as bike positioning, aero suits, and helmets) can lead to significant time savings.
She emphasises the power of incremental progress, explaining how consistent improvement has helped her shave hours off her Ironman time and achieve world-class results. Lucy stresses that elite performance is built through hard work, not natural talent, and highlights how success comes from dedication rather than innate ability.
She also discusses the importance of fueling performance, focusing on nutrition to maintain energy and deliver her best results, regardless of weight or appearance. Lucy talks about setting goals that challenge her and pushing herself to go faster, even after winning four world titles.
This episode dives into the daily grind of elite sport, where hard work, consistency, and the drive to always improve make the difference between good and great.
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