This is the list I send my athletes when they ask what to buy. Only things I use or use with them; nothing is here because it pays better. The links go to Amazon and leave me a small commission without changing your price; depending on your country, Amazon redirects you to the store that ships to you or shows the import cost before checkout.
This is the meter I use with my athletes. 0.8 µL sample, result in 10 seconds, ships with 50 strips and the code chip. Every strip batch comes with its own chip: set it on the meter when you open a new box or the readings are off. You don't need it to train well; you need it if you want the resolution a field test can't give.
I wear the HRM Pro Plus; the 600 is the current model. A chest strap is the one sensor every athlete needs: wrist heart rate lags and drops out on hard efforts, and your zones are only as good as the heart rate underneath them. Pairs with any watch or bike computer over Bluetooth and ANT+, not only Garmin.
For anyone who hates the chest strap — many of the women I coach. Optical on the upper arm is far more accurate than the wrist and close to a strap in steady running; it loses a little on short sprints. Works with any watch, not only COROS.
Step on and forget: weight goes to Garmin Connect by itself and from there to the apps linked to it, so the trend is there without typing anything. Weight is a trend number, not a daily verdict; the body-composition readings are noisy, the curve is what I read.
My daily trainer: a plated shoe soft enough for the easy days and quick enough for tempo, so one pair covers most of the week. Save the carbon racer for races.
I ran in Pegasus from the 27 to the 40 before moving to plated shoes. Still the shoe I point most athletes to first: durable, neutral, fairly priced, and it takes the mileage without complaint.
My marathon race shoe. Carbon plate and the full stack: the benefit is real at race pace and in the last 10 km; it is not a training shoe. Race day only, and race in the pair you did your long-run rehearsals in.
I wore a Forerunner 935 for years; the 970 is its descendant. A running watch's job is to run the workout from TrainingPeaks and record it cleanly; everything else is a bonus. On a tighter budget, a 2xx-series Forerunner does the same for training.
The handheld I take on long runs with no water on the route; the soft flask collapses as it empties so it never sloshes, and the pocket takes a gel and a key.
Stay hydrated with the ExoShot and ExoDraw 2.0 Handheld Flasks, designed for convenience and ease of use. These flasks function as a runners water bottle, offering a comfortable grip for carrying water during runs. Suitable as a waterbottle for adults, they provide a reliable option for staying hydrated during hiking, running, and other activities. Whether used as a water bottle for hiking or for daily exercise, these flasks make it simple to carry water on the go. Care Instructions: Hand wash cold with mild detergent, line dry. Do not use bleach or fabric softener. Do not iron or dry clean.
The ones I ride. Power is the number I train and test by on the bike, and a pedal meter moves between bikes in minutes: road, TT or trainer bike, one meter for all of them. Dual sensing reads each leg and shows left/right balance — useful coming back from injury or to spot asymmetries. Rechargeable; Garmin sells SPD and Look Keo bodies if you swap the spindle.
Same pedal, measures the left leg only and doubles it. You lose left/right balance, nothing else; for zone training it does the same job for a lot less. If you want dual later, Garmin sells the right-side upgrade pedal.
I ride an Edge 830; the 1050 is today's replacement. The bike computer is where power, heart rate and the workout live while you ride: the structured session from TrainingPeaks shows up on screen and you follow targets instead of guessing. Any current Edge does this; the 1050 adds the big, bright screen.
The trainer I ride. Direct drive, quiet, accurate power with no calibration; the indoor session is where intervals get done exactly as written, and on rainy days or dark mornings it keeps the bike plan alive. Works with Zwift, TrainingPeaks workouts and any app over Bluetooth or ANT+.
The current Neo. Same drive, adds side-to-side movement that makes long sessions easier on the body. If you are buying new today, this is the one; the 2T does the same job for less.
A mat under the trainer: catches the sweat, kills the vibration your neighbours hear, protects the floor. Mine is another brand; this is the one on Amazon. Any trainer mat does the job.
I wear ROKA, which Amazon does not sell; the Radar EV is the equivalent I recommend. What matters in a sports lens: light, stays put on rough roads, covers the eye in the aero position. Works for the bike and for running.
The big road lens: more coverage than the Radar, no bottom frame, lower price. Same logic: light, stays put, full field. Between the two it comes down to face shape and taste.
A ventilated road helmet with an aero profile, the one I would buy for road and training rides. Fit matters more than brand: try the size before you commit.
I train with a fēnix 7 and the 9 Pro is the one I will jump to. A Forerunner does the same with less weight; the fēnix adds battery, metal and solar charging. For most runners the Forerunner is the better buy; the fēnix is for anyone who wants one watch for everything, Ironman-length battery included.
The generation before the 9, same job done: Ironman-length battery, solar charging, metal case. If you find it discounted, it is the smart buy.
The between-the-arms bottle I did my three Ironmans with. 35 oz on the aerobars, refillable from a standard bottle without sitting up, so you drink on a schedule instead of when you remember. For any long-course bike leg.
An aero helmet for the TT bike: the cheapest speed you can buy after the position itself. The Bambino is the short-tail design that forgives head movement; try it with your position.
The middle ground: a road helmet with an aero shape, for anyone racing triathlon on a road bike or who does not want a TT helmet. More ventilated than the Bambino, faster than the Protone.
I race in a Roka suit that is not sold on Amazon; the Orca Athlex is the comparable one here. One piece for the whole race: a pad thin enough to run in, pockets for gels, sleeves for sun and aero.
The women's version of the race suit: one piece, thin pad, gel pockets. What I point the women I coach to when they ask what to wear on race day.
For anyone who prefers two pieces: the tri short with the thin pad you can swim, ride and run in. Pairs with any sports top.
The tool I use most with swimmers who struggle: the shorts lift the hips the way a wetsuit does, so you feel the right body position and work on the stroke instead of fighting the legs. For a weak swimmer this is the first thing to buy; wean off once the position holds without them.
The goggles I swim in: wide field for sighting in open water, low profile that does not leak under the cap. Pool and open water.
Non-negotiable for open-water training: boats can see you, you have something to rest on, and a dry pocket takes the key and the phone. Tows behind you without drag you will notice.
My wetsuit. The buoyancy sits where it helps, legs and hips, so the body lines up without fighting; flexible shoulders keep the stroke the same as in the pool. Size by Orca's chart, not by your T-shirt size.
The women's suit closest to mine on Amazon: extra buoyancy for swimmers whose legs sink, which is most runners and cyclists starting triathlon. Not the exact model; the fit logic is the same.
My marathon gel: small, 22 g of carbs a packet, and it works. In a race the reference is up to 60 g/h running, a gel roughly every 20 minutes; on the bike you get higher with carbs dissolved in the bottles. The gut trains like the legs: start at 60 g/h in training and build up. Buy the assorted box to find the flavours you still tolerate at hour three.
For trail and ultras, when after hours a gel will not go down: chews you can eat in small doses and that change the texture. Same carbs, another way to carry them. I use them in long mountain races.
My everyday carb source: far better value than gels per dollar and it goes in the bottle, which is how you reach 100–120 g/h on the bike. One scoop per bottle and the gels stay for the run. The single-serve packets are the same product for travel or race day.
Sodium separate from energy: one tablet in the water bottle and the carbs go elsewhere. That way you adjust salt to the weather without touching the food — the reference is about 200 mg every 40 minutes, more in heat, less in cool weather or at altitude. I use it mostly on the bike.
What I drink after the long or hard sessions: protein and carbs together in the first 30 minutes, when you do not feel like eating. It does not replace the meal afterwards, it brings it forward. The single-serve packets are the same product for the training bag.
The long bands the strength sessions in the members area use: assisted pull-ups, rows, hip work and anything a gym would do on a cable. A set with several resistances covers mobility through heavy work, and fits in a backpack for training on the road.
The mini bands for activation and glute work: lateral walks, bridges, monster walks before a run or ride. Fabric, not latex, because latex ones roll and slip by week two. Five resistances; start with the middle one.
Foam roller, massage ball and a band in one box: everything the mobility and recovery tools in the members area ask for. Brand does not matter here; this set is complete and cheap.
Massage gun for after the session and for travel. Calves, quads and glutes, a couple of minutes each; it is a comfort tool, not a substitute for the easy day. The three-speed Relief is enough.
The version with the heated head and more force. If you will use it daily or have calves that never let go, this is the step up worth paying for; otherwise the Relief does the job.
Wireless compression boots, the entry model: 20–30 minutes with the legs up after the long sessions. The evidence for recovery is modest; the evidence that you will actually sit still for half an hour is strong.
The same boots with heat and vibration added. For anyone who has already decided boots are part of the routine; to start, the Prime is enough.