Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

Would you do an off-road triathlon? Xterra comes to the UK with Tim Lloyd

Stop the press! In a correction to what we may have said in the podcast, the Xterra events DO NOT allow gravel or cyclo cross bikes. You are only permitted to ride a mountain bike with straight handlebars. Full British Triathlon rules are available HERE.

 

Have you ever thought about doing a triathlon or multisport race in a different format? There are plenty to chose from these days - swim/run, Aquabike, crossTri and Xterra.

 

In 2001 I participated in the first Xterra event to be hosted in the UK, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day out. It’s always been a surprise to me that this format of triathlon has never really taken off in the UK as it’s really popular in the US and Europe.

 

Today I’m joined by Tim Lloyd, founder of Always Aim High. I’m sure you have heard of their adventure triathlon series comprising Slateman, Snowman and Sandman in N Wales as well as a range of other events. And now they have taken over the Xterra license and will be promoting this year's event (and hopefully for many years to come) at Weston Park in Shropshire. Topics discussed include:

• Tim's early years involved with mountain running events
• Fell runners vs triathletes and their very different approaches to training and racing
• Why events like Sandman were created to have a festival atmosphere
• The Xterra concept and what you can expect

If you’d like to find out more about Tim and the Always Aim High races including the Xterra event please use the following social media channels:

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aahevents/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aahevents 

Website: https://alwaysaimhighevents.com

 

YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqUHf1umSDEYtH0QTeEsKkA 

Where you can view some videos from their 2022 Triathlon Events, including:

 

• Slateman Triathlon & Duathlon 
• Llandudno Triathlon
• Sandman Triathlon & Duathlon
• Craft Snowman Triathlon & Duathlon
• Weston Park Triathlon & Duathlon 

 

 

Tim highly recommends the following podcast by one of his favourite cyclists: Geraint Thomas Cycling Club

And also G’s book 'The Tour According to G'

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and 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.

Finding your purpose as an athlete and coach * Non Stanford

At the close of the 2022 triathlon season, Non Stanford retired from professional racing and took up a new post as a coach at the Leeds High Performance Centre where she will be aiming to share her experience with the next generation.

 

And what a range of experiences she has! She was a relative latecomer to triathlon, coming from a successful running background, but she had a meteoric rise to the top. Within 5 years she was Worlds U23 Champion, and she followed that up in 2013 by winning the ITU World Series championship in London. She experienced lows as well, with a horrible 2014 blighted by injury. In 2015 she began the comeback journey, made the GB team for the Rio 2016 Olympics, and finished a fine 4th behind teammate and housemate Vicky Holland.

 

She capped a distinguished career by achieving a team relay silver for Wales at the Commonwealth Games and then shortly after that taking outright victory in the European championships.

 

To find out more about Non you can follow her on these social media channels:

Instagram - nonstanford

Twitter @nonstanford

 

Videos of:

Non winning the European Championships in her last ever ITU race

Non winning the WTS World Series in 2013

 

Non also recommended these blogs/podcasts:

The Real Science of sport podcast

The Physical Performance Show

 

Non recommended the book A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and 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.

Fix your own back pain with Dr. Stuart McGill

If you've ever suffered from specific or non-specific back pain, you’ll know how debilitating it can be. While you might avoid lifting heavy loads because of the risk of putting your back out, cyclists often have sore lower backs from the hours spent on the bike. Today's guest, Dr. Stuart M. McGill, is a distinguished professor emeritus, University of Waterloo in Toronto, Canada where he was a professor for 30 years. Stuart has authored several books (links in the show notes) and his advice is often sought by governments, corporations, legal experts, medical groups, elite athletes, and teams from around the world.

If you want to learn how to fix your own back pain and  enhance both injury resilience and performance you’ll find this conversation very interesting!

 

We cover these topics and more:

• Why do folks suffer from a bad back?
• What are the most common causes for active folks and athletes?
• What percentage of chronic back pain sufferers can take their own steps to improving the situation?
• What steps would he recommend, how often and for how long?
• He outlines the core, which muscle groups are involved and how they impact spinal health
• What are the biggest myths that he observes regarding core training?
• He explains what his "big 3" core exercises are, and why they're so important
• Which common core exercises does he feel have real benefit and which does he advise we avoid?

If you’d like to find out more about Dr. McGill please visit his website at www.Backfitpro.com where you'll find links to his books and courses, all blogs and past podcasts, and also links to clinicians who they have trained. You can also find him on Instagram - @backfitpro

 

Stuart recommended several books:

Stuart McGill books

His book Back Mechanic was written for people with back pain.

Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance is for people interested in training to manage a history of back pain but still train to high levels of performance.

His other books are for strength athletes (Gift of Injury, co-authored with Brian Carroll) and clinicians (Low Back Disorders).

 

Recommended Books

Supertraining  Mel Siff & Yuri Verkoshansky

Power of positive thinking - Norman Vincent Peale - written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life

The quick and the dead - Pavel Tsatsouline - Total training for the advanced minimalist

 

There are many videos of the Big 3 online. This is one that Dr. McGill referenced in the call: Brian Carroll: The Big 3 full breakdown

 

Dr. McGill also mentioned training the fascia. If you're interested in this topic you might like this: Fascia Training Academy

Get started with your 8 week mobility plan 

 

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and 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.

5 stunningly simple ways to halt the ageing process and maintain performance

On a recent podcast I spoke about building easy strength to Become Unbreakable, 2 elements which I feel are crucial to your health, longevity and athletic performance. I also recently wrote a Facebook post where I outlined 5 areas where we can all do a lot to slow or even halt the ageing process. In a recent Facebook poll I asked, "If you are over 50 and as you age, what are your biggest concerns regarding health, fitness, sleep, and nutrition?” The responses were varied but many were worried about increased risk of injury. A handful of folks were also frustrated by the adjustments they had to make to continue with their regular swim, bike and run workouts. Chronological ageing is inevitable, and along with that comes some well documented physical changes, which if left unchecked can lead to deterioration in health and performance. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there’s no reason at all why you can’t continue to enjoy a high level of performance if you are open minded to some small adjustments to your routine.

In this show I’m going to dive into my top 5 adjustments with a lot more detail, and give you some ideas on exactly what actions you can take.

• Lift weights
• Do more movement practice
• Improve your balance
• More HIT and less aerobic endurance work
• Eat more protein

Other podcasts you can listen to where we talk about these topics in more depth:

Strength

Erin Carson - Strength training in less than 10 mins/day

Rocky Snyder - How to realign the body after injury

Jacques DeVore - To be a faster cyclist, forget about FTP

 

Movement Practice

Kelly Starrett - How to be a in the ready state

Louisa Holmes - How to bulletproof your body 

 

HIT workouts

Paul Laursen - All you need to know about HIT training

 

Also a couple of research papers you might enjoy:

Protein

Protein consumption for the elderly

 

Balance

Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals

 

Get started with your 8 week mobility plan 

 

Become UNbreakable 8 week strength plan for endurance athletes

 

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and 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.

 

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.