Senior Training

Senior Triathlon Training Sessions

The club is operated by its Members on an all-inclusive fees basis. Membership gives access to a wide range of coached and un-coached swimming, biking, and running sessions. Being located in Hampton gives us the opportunity to make use of some of the excellent nearby training facilities such as Hampton Pool, Richmond and Bushy Parks, and the varied biking terrain of the Surrey Hills. We have a team of coaches who are well qualified to British Triathlon Association (BTA) Levels 1, 2 and 3.

Swimming

Swimming is a key part of any triathlon, so we have two coached sessions a week, and 1 non coached session. All sessions are free for members and all senior coached sessions are held at Hampton Pool. We run multiple lanes where you will be swimming with people of a similar ability. Lanes 1 and 2 are very much focused on swimming technique, while Lanes 5 and 6 are the faster lanes with tougher programmes designed to help good swimmers swim faster.

To take part in the swim lessons you must be able to complete at least 100m front crawl to a reasonable standard. If you are a non-swimmer or cannot complete a few lengths of front crawl let us know – we can introduce you to some great swim teachers who will have you ready to join the training after a couple of lessons.

Coached Swim Sessions

Always check the members area of this website for session times, below is our typically sessions

Tuesday (8.00pm-9.30pm winter and 8.30pm-10.00pm summer)

Thursday (7:45pm-9:00pm) at Hampton Pool

Let the reception know you are with Thames Turbo, and they will let you in. You need to bring a £1 coin as locker deposit.

If you’re on a two week trial and wish to start with one of the coached pool swim sessions, introduce yourself to one of the swim coaches at the end of the pool when you get there. They will help you work out which lane will be best for you to swim in. The slower lanes will have more direct coaching.

Un-Coached Swim Sessions

Saturday swimming sessions are also included for full members, it is not included in a two-week trial and you will need a membership card to access them.

Winter: an additional Saturday morning Swimming session at Hampton Pool is included.

Summer: an additional Saturday open water swimming session at Shepperton Lake is included.

Cycling

Cycling is often the longest section in a triathlon, it is also the easiest way of improving fitness. We run two sessions to help improve fitness, a longer Sunday club ride and a Monday Spin Class, triathlon style!

Sunday Club Ride (8:30-11:30ish) Opposite Hampton Pool

There is a weekly un-coached bike ride every Sunday, usually with a turnout of between 10-30 members of varying abilities. We meet at 8.30am in the road just opposite the entrance to Hampton Open Air Pool. Free street parking is available. The ride usually lasts 3-3.5 hours and covers approximately 60 km. We either head towards Windsor or into Surrey Hills. If the group is big enough, we may split into two or even three separate groups of similar riding ability.

You must wear a helmet and bring equipment for self sufficiency - mobile phone, money and spare inner tubes/pump in case of punctures.

Monday Turbo Training (7:45-9:30) on Zwift/Zoom

There is one 90 minute turbo training session, this is similar to a spin session but using your own bike, held on Zwift and Zoom.

You will need to bring your own bike and a turbo. This session is also followed by a special type of triathlon training, the brick run. If you have done your first triathlon, you will know that magic moment when you get off your bike and try and run, “the wobbly legs syndrome”. Looking back it is often funny but many triathletes would prefer to minimise it. Our optional post turbo run will train your muscles to deal with it effectively.

Running

Running is a sport that many of us just do, but improving technique and some speed play can make you faster. Apart from the coached Track session, and Monday Brick Run you will see many Turbos at the Bushy Park Parkrun on Saturdays. Members also organise many more informal sessions between themselves.

Wednesday Track (7.30 - 8.30), St Mary’s University Athletics Track, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham TW1 4SX

Technique and speed work are best done on a track. Our Wednesday track session are designed to give you “free speed” as our head running coach always says.