Training indoors brings a unique sets of challenges. You're staring at the same four walls, wondering why your partner hasn't washed their cup that's been sat on the side since Monday (just me?) and you pine for the great outdoors. 

So, we've asked the team at Precision Fuel & Hydration to help us pass those indoor training hours by giving us their best suggestions for what to watch and listen to when working up a sweat (Andy has even shared his Spotify playlist. We'll let you judge his musical tastes... Selena Gomez though? Really, Andy?).

Hopefully our recommendations provide some inspiration for your indoor training and please do let us know your favourites so we can expand our library by emailing hello@precisionfuelandhydration.com... 

Documentaries

James Phillips (Precision Fuel & Hydration's Customer Service Manager and ultrarunner)

I'm a big fan of sports docu-series when on the trainer - Last Chance U and F1:Drive To Survive have been great for me recently.

Greg Thew (Customer Service Specialist and triathlete)

The best ones I've watched lately are the All or Nothing NFL documentaries and The Test, which follows the Australian Cricket team. Brilliant insight into behind the scenes of some of the world's best sports organisations.

Dave Colley (Marketing Director and runner)

I enjoy Chef’s Table on Netflix as each episode visits a different world-class restaurant or chef and looks at their personal story and how it developed their “food philosophy”. Beautifully shot and scored - foodie porn!

The Defiant Ones. The story of Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine and how they ended up founding Beats. Great insights into the history of hip hop, the wider music industry and an inspiring business story.

And for basketball fans missing basketball: The Carter Effect (Story of how Vince Carter transformed basketball culture in Toronto) and Iverson (The story of Allen Iverson, a talented but troubled NBA star).

Other favourites:

  • The Dawn Wall
  • The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young
  • Eat Race Win
  • Take Every Wave: Life of Laird Hamilton 

TV Shows

Brad Williams (pro triathlete and Team Precision Fuel & Hydration captain):

I've spent a fair amount of time on the trainer in the past, so I've been fortunate to watch plenty of different stuff on Netflix and Amazon Prime, so my overall list is quite long but these are shows I would watch again (and again) if they end up having another season:

Last Chance U, QB1, Narcos, Money Heist and Ozark.

Abby Coleman (Precision Fuel & Hydration Sports Scientist and cyclist)
I don't listen to podcasts (except those that are work/content-specific and I tend to listen to those in the car). I prefer TV shows when I'm on the watt bike and I typically go for a drama - it was The Stranger, now it's BBC's Noughts and Crosses, and I intend to binge-watch Line of Duty next!

Other favourites:
Catastrophe; This Country; Citizen Khan.

Audiobooks

Andy Blow (Precision Fuel & Hydration founder, former elite-level triathlete and swimrunner):
I'm going to recommend The Infinite Game Audiobook by Simon Sinek - I've been listening to it during my easy runs. It's great for anyone with an interest in business ethics and team building and leadership.

Greg:
I tend to listen to a variety of podcasts and audiobooks whilst training. The one I would recommend is Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. It's an audiobook but at the end of each chapter it's discussed in podcast form.

Podcasts 

JP: Podcasts are definitely my 'go-to' medium for easy and long runs on the treadmill (and outdoors). Work, Play, Love; The Morning Shakeout; Clean Sport Collective and Zwift Power Up Tri Podcast are some of my favourites right now.

Sam Cummings (Supply Chain & Logistics Manager + cyclist)

The podcast for me when using TrainerRoad has to be No Such Thing As A Fish - from the QI Elves. It comes out weekly on a Friday and is packed with fun facts and is a genuinely interesting and enjoyable listen.

Dave: I enjoy Slow Burn. A long-form investigative journalism series. Season 1 covered the Watergate scandal, season 2 was the Clinton Impeachment, and season 3 is the Tupac/Biggee Smalls rivalry).

The Rewatchables. A group of people watching old movies and discussing them.

Sean O'Mahony (Head of Business Development, triathlete and swimrunner):

In Our Time from the BBC - you learn something obscure about which you never thought you'd ever be interested. 

STEM Talk - general and broad science discussions.

The Cycling Podcast - great banter about Pro cycling. 

Jonny Tye (Director, swimrunner and runner)

I generally 'cherry pick' episodes rather than listen to a specific show every week, but a few of my favourites are:

Other favourites:

The Drive with Peter Attia (A little dry and heavy but solid medical science, some very good stuff on the Covid-19 situation).

More or Less from the BBC (from the weekend Financial Times columnist Tim Harford).

The Fit File with DC Rainmaker & GP Lama; Tower26; Rip The Fence (open wheel racing podcast); Oxygen Addict Triathlon Podcast; That Triathlon Show; TrainerRoad: Ask A Cycling Coach.

The Precision Fuel & Hydration playlist

Sean: When I'm training, random tempo stuff from Spotify or more specifically I'll listen to BBC Sounds (which you can download as an app and stream stuff anywhere in the world). My favourites are:

  • BBC Radio 1: Radio 1's Dance Anthems with MistaJam on Saturday
  • BBC Radio 6: Now Playing @ 6 Music with Tom Robinson on Sunday
  • BBC Radio 6: Don Letts' Culture Clash Radio on Sunday

And the one you've all been waiting for, here's Andy's Spotify playlist. Andy says, "if you don't shuffle and play it in order, it starts fairly chilled (i.e. the warm up), then it gets going pretty hard for a while, with the odd track where you naturally back off, so it's good for a long unstructured run or turbo session."

Books

Once you've worked up a sweat, it's time to sit back and relax, perhaps with a good book...

Dave: I'm a massive fan of anything by Alain de Botton, but a few good ones for the current times are:

  • The Consolations of Philosophy - each chapter looks at a different human emotion/situation and looks at famous philosophers’ take on dealing with it (the chapter on dealing with Frustration may be useful!).
  • The Art of Travel - a look at why we travel and how to do it right. Something we all took for granted until recently and a “good” replacement for actual travel in the weeks ahead!
  • Shoe Dog - Nike founder Phil Knight’s memoir. For me, the best book of all time and it's a Precision Fuel & Hydration rite of passage. 
  • Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel - a loooonggggg trilogy of novels about Henry VIII’s right hand man, Thomas Cromwell. First two are Man Booker Prize winners, while third one is just out and I’m starting this weekend.

Netflix and chill

That's training done and now it's time to fire up Netflix aaaand chill...

Sam C: I have been known to enjoy an episode or two of Netflix's Sex Education, as have JP and others! Easy watching with a good few laughs here and there.

Abby: For easier spins or generally relaxing, I might mix it up with something more light-hearted like The Great British Bake Off or First Dates!

Other favourites:

  • Inside The Factory
  • Seven Worlds (David Attenborough)
  • Subaru Launch Control (featuring Precision Fuel & Hydration Ambassador David Higgins)
  • FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
  • Inside Bill's Brain

There you have it, the Precision Fuel & Hydration library for indoor training. Let us know your favourite 'go-to' shows for your sessions...