Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

Polarised training revisited with Stephen Seiler

Stephen Seiler has been a guest on the podcast 3 times now and is one of our most poplar guests ever. He also holds the record for our longest podcast, over 2 hours!

 

In 2018 I was fortunate enough to listen to Stephen speak at the Endurance Coaching Summit hosted by TrainingPeaks in Manchester. His talk on polarised training had me hooked, and I’ve been a convert to this type of training ever since. I can personally vouch for its role in helping me to stay fit and healthy through the pandemic and remain relatively injury free. Something I cannot say about my training methods in my 30’s and 40’s.

 

Since this podcast, polarised training and Zone 2 training have continued to grow in popularity. There's no doubt in my mind that while there may be other approaches to developing fitness for endurance events, this one offers the most sustainable long term benefits for both health and fitness. You may have heard my previous podcasts with Dr Phil Maffetone, Dr Dan Plews and Prof Paul Laursen. Each of these eminent coaches have spoken of methodology that has polarised training at its heart.  This is a loooong podcast, almost 2 hours, and the time absolutely flew by. Stephen has such a great message, it’s easy to listen to his stories and experiences. I have absolute confidence that you will find so much value in this conversation, and that it will benefit your own training or coaching. Please enjoy this show as we talk about:

• The ‘holy trinity’ of monitoring intensity and why you must learn to use all three
• Why 95% of endurance athletes can thrive using just three training zones
• The simple, three step method for determining training zones without visiting a sports science lab
• How the African distance runners use internal measures of intensity for much of the time and only use pace when preparing for races
• What the 80/20 numbers really mean and how they apply to you
• Why the principles of polarised training are even more important if you have only 8-10 hours to train each week
• Hierarchy of Training Needs - what should come first when developing your fitness

Stephen Seiler posts a lot of good information on Twitter. You can follow him on:

Twitter and YouTube where has some great instructional videos.

Here are links to some of the references in our discussion:

Hierarchy of Training Needs: This is the diagram on his Twitter account representing this theory

The first Seiler paper that I read, "Intervals, Thresholds, and Long Slow Distance: the Role of Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training”

Stephen Seiler TEDX talk - How "normal people" can train like the worlds best endurance athletes

 

Get started with your 8 week mobility plan 

 

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

 

Stephen Seiler posts a lot of good information on Twitter. You can follow him on:

Twitter and YouTube where has some great instructional videos.

Here are links to some of the references in our discussion:

Hierarchy of Training Needs: This is the diagram on his Twitter account representing this theory

The first Seiler paper that I read, "Intervals, Thresholds, and Long Slow Distance: the Role of Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training”

Stephen Seiler TEDX talk - How "normal people" can train like the worlds best endurance athletes

 

Get started with your 8 week mobility plan 

 

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

 

Become UNBREAKABLE with easy strength

This week I'm re-visiting a topic shared back in November 2021. In recent weeks I've been talking a lot about the benefits of mobility and strength and in this episode, I outline why mobility and strength play such a key role in human and athletic performance. I also have a few tips on how you can incorporate both into what probably feels like an already packed schedule.

Specific topics covered include:

• How to avoid being an active couch potato
• The importance of daily movement practice once you hit 40 and beyond
• Simple options for busy people (TIP: it’s not that hard to find time)
• How improved mobility can lead to faster times in the pool
• Strength training to build resilience and better consistency with your swim, bike, and run training
• Key benefits of a year-round strength programme
• How to build strength in less than 60 minutes each week

Other podcasts on mobility:

Kelly Starrett - 'How to be in the ready state

Louisa Holmes (a.k.a The White Witch) - 'How to bulletproof your body'

Sarah J Pitts

Shane Benzie - ‘Better movement equals better running'

Shane Benzie book  "The lost art of running"

Alison Rose podcast on running injuries

My most recent strength workout on Facebook 

Blog post 'Are you an Active Couch potato?'

The Stand-Up desk that I use for at least 4-5 hours every day

Paul Check article including the phrase “you can’t fire a cannon from a canoe”

 

Get started with your 8 week mobility plan 

 

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Joanne Murphy - The Irish voice on the IRONMAN finish-line

If you completed an Ironman event in the UK during the last few years, there's a good chance that my guest today will have called you across the finish line. In May of 2022, Joanne Murphy became the first ever female announcer at an IRONMAN World Championship. Joanne Murphy is one of the best race day announcers in the world and her brand of boundless enthusiasm and wit coupled with her lovely Irish accent have welcomed thousands of athletes to the finish line and entertained the finish line crowd while they wait for their loved ones.

 

An active member of Galway Triathlon Club and Galway Bay Cycling Club, Joanne is a keen advocate for Women in Sport and has been an IRONMAN Women For Tri Ambassador for a number of years. She has raced at all distances of triathlon and holds the Irish cycling record for the Race Around Ireland (2017) and the race record for the Donegal Ultra 555k (2018) for a four-person female team with the Galway Baybes. In 2022 she completed a 24-hour bike race with the Cycling Ireland Women’s Commission. She also enjoys gravel biking and open water swimming, seeking the opportunity to find fun and adventure in every day, a mantra that she tries to embrace in her daily life.

 

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

 

To find out more about Joanne you can find her on these social media channels

Facebook Tri Talking Sport

Instagram Tri Talking Sport 

Twitter @joanneMurphy_

Linkedin Joanne Murphy

 

Joanne is also the host of the popular Tri Talking Sport podcast which you can find here: www.tritalkingsport.com

 

We ask all of our guests to recommend a book which you might enjoy, and here is Joanne's recommendation: The Burnout Solution by Siobhán Murray

 

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

C1 Spinal Cord Injury - THE FIGHT GOES ON!! * Nathan Ford

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I am sometimes guilty of overlooking the joy and pleasure that I get from some of the simple things in life, actions that we take for granted like being able to walk in the woods, ride a bike with friends, even something so simple as having our own independence. Sometimes we need a reminder not to take things for granted. Today's podcast guest experienced this in the most dramatic way possible, and while this is a shocking story it is also one of grit, determination and hope.

 

Nathan Ford was an elite age group athlete used to finishing at the pointy end of the race and posting times that most of us can only dream of hitting. Until something happened during a race in Scotland and his whole life changed. In this conversation Nathan and I are going to chat about what happened and how his life has been since. It's a hard hitting interview and Nathan is very open and frank.

 

***We do touch on topics about having dark moments and suicidal thoughts.  If you feel impacted by the subjects which may be triggering for you, please remember that self care and your own well being is the most important thing.

 

If you’d like to find out more about Nathan or reach out to him please do so via Instagram @nathanfordtriathlon 

 

As you heard in the conversation, there have been some remarkable fund raising efforts to help Nathan with his recovery. If you’d like to make a donation, please use this link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=custome

 

Nathan also recommended the following book which he says, "I can relate to this, as he suffered mental health issues.”

Tyson Fury - The Furious Method

 

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas special (live from the pub)

This is the final podcast for 2022, can you believe it?

During the last 12 months, we've had 126,100 downloads (so far, and there are still a few days left!) 53 amazing guests including several Olympians and world champions as well as experts and thought leaders from a whole range of different fields, all with the goal of sharing knowledge to help you improve your own human performance. 

Whether you’ve listened once or to every podcast, I’d like to say a huge thank you. I really appreciate you tuning in especially with so much choice out there. In 2023 I’m going to continue the search for more great guests to help you continue your pursuit of the best health and performance you can achieve.

 

So, today’s guests! They haven’t been on for a while but they are back today for a Christmas special. Yes, it's the Grumpy Old coaches (Marc L & Steve L) for one last time in 2022. If you can remember back to the one we did last year, we all set some challenges for ourselves so we chat about how those actually turned out. With race entries dropping we talk about the start of the triathlon industry and we all have a jolly good rant about Ironman and their recent announcement about the future venues for the Ironman World championships. Also, Marc tells us about his new bike shop. 

We hope you enjoy the chat.

You can find more information about Steve Lumley HERE.

Marc Laithwaite runs The Endurance Store, an independent running and triathlon store in West Lancashire, and B-spoke cycles (currently based in Aintree, Liverpool) which is moving to a new home in Croston, Lancashire, just down the road from The Endurance Store! Epic Events organise swim, cycle, run, and triathlon events throughout the North West. 

Www.theendurancestore.com 

Www.b-spokecycles.com

Www.epicevents.co.uk

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Strength training for triathlon in less than 10 minutes per day * Erin Carson

In 1995 I wrote my first article for 220 triathlon magazine about strength training for triathletes. My approach has changed a little since then, but over the last 27 years, I have remained a strong advocate for triathletes to make strength training a staple part of their training.

My guest today is a woman who works with many of the top long-distance triathletes including the top 3 female athletes at the recent 70.3 World Championships: Taylor Knibb, Paula Findlay & Emma Pallant Brown.

Erin Carson is based in that other triathlon Mecca, Boulder, Colorado and she is going to share with us her thoughts on why this is such an important part of your programme and how you can incorporate mobility and strength work into what I’m sure is an already busy schedule.

Erin is very much hands-on with her clients and seeks to find realistic solutions to keep them interested and engaged.

When an athlete like Mirinda Carfare tells you that she wants to get stronger but not build muscle, it’s important to have a few other tools in your bag.

Erin was super enthusiastic as you might expect from someone speaking about her favourite topic as we chatted about:

• Why strength training will make swim, bike and run workouts easier
• How to accomplish a meaningful strength workout in less than 10 minutes
• Why the pace of long-distance triathletes drops in the second half of the run
• Why ankle stiffness is important for running fast and why it is different to tightness
• The benefits of ‘foundation training’ and breathwork in developing the core
• Essential equipment for your home gym
• The benefits of breath work
• Why the posterior chain is so important

To find out more about Erin and the work she does, please check out these links to her social media channels:

Rallysport website

EC Fit Strength

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter 

 

Erin mentioned the following as great resources. Please check them out:

Any Question 

FoundationTraining.com

Peter Attia - a big advocate of strength training for longevity and host of an awesome podcast The Drive

 

For your home gym:

The Viper 

MX select adjustable dumbbells

 

We also talked about breathing and Erin mentioned this book, Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown. Patrick was also a previous guest on this podcast and if you're interested in practising your breath work you can find out about all of that HERE

BOLT test

 

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

One MASSIVE tip for your race day nutrition (and lots of smaller ones) with Andy Blow from Precision Hydration and Nutrition

Whenever I ask triathletes about nutrition I’m always fascinated when they're more focussed on what happens on race day than they are on their general day-to-day nutrition.

Having said that, one of the biggest factors leading to athletes falling short of their race day expectations is poor nutrition and hydration strategy.

In today's podcast, I’m chatting with Andy Blow from Precision Hydration and Nutrition about this exact subject. You may think it's an odd time when races are so far away. However, you'll understand more when Andy shares the key fact that you need to actually practice your race day strategy well in advance of your event.

The second issue for athletes is that either they have no real strategy, or they use the same strategy for each event regardless of changes in duration, intensity, weather, or course.

In the conversation, Andy will share some of the lessons he and his team have learned from over 100 case studies with athletes at a variety of different events in the last 2 years, and how you can apply these lessons at your next big race.

 

—>>>Book a free one-to-one video consultation:  https://www.precisionhydration.com/book-a-video-consultation/

 

To follow Precision Fuel & Hydration please use these social media links:

Instagram: @precisionhydration
Facebook: @precisionhydration
Twitter: @thesweatexperts
YouTube:  www.youtube.com/c/precisionhydration
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/precisionhydration

Here is some other cool stuff you might be interested in:

Free online sweat test: https://sweattest.precisionhydration.com/pages/why-personalise-your-hydration-strategy
Quick carb calculator: https://www.precisionhydration.com/products/precision-fuel-sample-pack/#thecarbcalculator
Athlete Case Studies: https://www.precisionhydration.com/athletes/case-studies/triathlon/

Some specific sports nutrition guidance for you:

Blog: How much carbohydrate do athletes need per hour? 
Blog: Why sodium is crucial to hydration and athletes performing at their best
Video: Why do athletes suffer from cramp? 

Andy has a new book to recommend which is:

‘Quit:The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away' by Annie Duke. 

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Key lessons learned from a career as a pro triathlete * Will Clarke

I don’t have as many elite athletes on this podcast as some, but when I do I make sure they have a good story to tell! This week's guest is Will Clarke who I got to know when he was a young man just starting out on his triathlon journey. Since then he has enjoyed a full career as a professional triathlete, representing Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics before turning his hand to racing 70.3 and Ironman events. Will is now a full-time triathlon coach and it was really interesting to chat with him about this journey and how his experiences have shaped his current occupation.

It’s a normal Wardy conversation as we disappear down some rabbit holes and cover plenty of topics including:

• Training as a young athlete and what you might do differently if you had the chance
• How hard is it to make a living as a pro triathlete?
• The biggest misconceptions AG’ers have about being a pro
• How do athlete experiences shape the way you coach?
• How does a retired pro triathlete stay in shape?

Will Clarke can be found on:

Personal Facebook Page

Instagram

Twitter

 

RIOT Racing Club

Website
Club Facebook page

Instagram

Twitter

 

Will also recommended the following book by Steve Magness: Do Hard Things

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Just don’t think about your age * Linda Ashmore, 75-79 ITU AG World Champion

I am always inspired by our older finishers at Outlaw events. Not are they defying the ageing process, but they do so with such spirit and enthusiasm. From their everyday ‘can do’ attitudes, to the energy with which they come up to collect their awards after the event. It’s something to which we call aspire which is why it always gives me great pleasure to chat with them. Today's guest is Linda Ashmore, one of the oldest ever female Ironman finishers, and the oldest ever female to swim the English Channel. Just a few days ago Linda won her age group at the World Triathlon Series Standard Distance final in Abu Dhabi, having qualified to race all four world championship distances in 2022 at the ripe young age of 76. I’m exhausted just thinking about all of this so it’s probably best if we hear the full story from Linda herself. Listen in as we discuss:

• Teaching scuba diving, and having a passion for the water
• Growing up - wanting to run competitively and being told that you can’t
• The oldest lady to swim the English Channel
• Ironman
• Dealing with and surviving breast cancer
• How to stay fit and manage the ageing process

To find out more about Linda check out these social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda.e.ashmore

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaashmorecoaching

Website: http://www.lindaashmorecoaching.co.uk/

Blog: http://www.lindaashmore.uk/

 

Linda also recommended the following books if you are looking for inspiration:

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Linda couldn’t/wouldn’t even run up a slope before she read this!)

The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown (I recorded a great podcast with Patrick McKeown in Dec 2021 which you can listen to HERE)

Breath by James Nestor (easier to read)

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

The ONLY two ways you can become a faster swimmer * Josh Spencer

Right, swimming! It’s probably the discipline that frustrates triathletes most. It takes years of regular pool time to make even small gains. There is so much noise out there that choosing the right path for yourself is a big task. I’m fortunate to be at the front end of the triathlon swim, but everyone needs help which is why I turned to this week's guest, swim coach Josh Spencer, to help me understand why my shoulder was hurting after each swim. Josh highlighted some technical flaws and gave me some drills to help correct the problem. On chatting with Josh it turns out that we're pretty aligned in our approach to helping swimmers improve, and I really wanted to share some of his knowledge with you in this episode. There are many topics covered, including some you might find contrary to popular belief:

• There are only two ways to get faster in the pool
• Why swimming backstroke will improve your freestyle
• If you want to be a better swimmer you might need to up your mobility, not your volume
• The polarised approach to fitness works really well for swimming
• Sometimes you have to forget about the clock
• Even a 5-minute pre-swim warm-up can make a big difference to your pool session
• The YES or NO round - Josh’s thoughts on popular swim tools

Josh doesn’t do social media but if you would like to contact him about swim coaching then please email him.

We talked about the swim stroke of Alexander Popov. Please watch this video, there are some really good technical points from 13 minutes onwards.

This is a great video. Probably the best ever men's 200m freestyle race (Athens Olympics 2004) - Thorpe v Van de Hoogenband v Phelps. Just watch the underwater footage of the catch. Almost perfect!!

 

Josh also recommends the following books:

The Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance by Adharanand Finn

Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To by David Sinclair

To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful.  Please click here to support the HPH podcast.  Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.