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The High Performance Human Podcast is for anyone who wants to live a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life. Hosted by coach Simon Ward, each episode explores how to optimise your training, nutrition, sleep, mindset, and recovery—especially if you’re an athlete in your 40s, 50s or beyond. Whether you’re chasing PBs, finishing your first Ironman, or simply staying fit for life’s adventures, this podcast will help you stay Battle Ready all year round. Guests include world-class coaches, athletes, scientists, and everyday high performers who share practical tips and inspiring stories. Subscribe now and join a growing community of High Performance Humans.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Can you believe it's been 6 long months since the Grumpy Old Coaches recorded a podcast? We're back today, and this time we're discussing some of the biggest mistakes triathletes make leading up to their ‘A’ races.
Marc, Steve, and I did a rough tally of the number of Ironman races we had completed and it came to well over 50, spanning a cumulative total of over 50 years of racing. As coaches, we’ve also amassed a similar number of years and helped thousands of athletes to hit their race day goals. BUT, there have been mistakes and disasters along the way (as well as a few funny moments).
In this podcast, we share some of the most glaring errors to provide you with a few laughs but more importantly to try and help you avoid the mistakes that we (yes coaches get things wrong as well) and others have made, including:
- What happens when you don't write a checklist
- Don't do anything new on race day
- How often do you really need to visit the expo?
- What could go wrong with ramping up your training 7 days before the event?
- Have you written a race morning timetable?
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.
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.
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
This week it’s a solo cast so you just have me for the whole show. It's been a while since I did one of these and this week I have chosen to answer some awesome questions sent in by members of my tribe.
I’ll be talking about:
- The best bang for buck investment for a triathlon newbie
- How an injury-prone runner can get faster and avoid more injuries
- Sensible daily nutrition habits
- How to successfully manage life, work, and training with a busy schedule
- Strategies for improving your weakest discipline
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.
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Dan Bigham started out as an aerodynamicist in Formula 1 working with the Mercedes team. He mentions that he was responsible for designing wing mirrors. In recent years he's made a name for himself in cycling and triathlon, firstly creating the disruptive track cycling team you might know as HUUB Wattbike, helping cyclists and triathletes in their relentless pursuit of speed with his retail business Wattshop, and more recently having a big involvement with the sub-7 project as a bike pacer for Alistair Brownlee. On top of that he’s currently working with Ineos Grenadiers and preparing for his own tilt at the world hour record. If that's not enough, he has a book out called "Start at the End” which we will be referring to frequently. Basically he’s been a very busy lad!
Whether you geek out on how to save watts, or you just have an interest in the tech side of cycling, you'll find this a very engaging conversation as we chat about:
- Team HUUB Wattbike, 1hr record, being a disrupter
- Principles of reverse engineering
- How to use reverse engineering to improve your triathlon performance
- Best watts per pound investments for you
- Why slower riders benefit more from investment in aero
- Shaving legs or wearing aero calf guards - which is best?
- Dan’s #1 way to save watts for all riders
To find out more about Dan you can find him on these social media channels:
Website - Wattshop - Relentless Pursuit of Speed
Facebook - dan.bigham
Twitter - @Watt_shop
Instagram - wattshop
Book - ’Start at the end’ by Dan Bigham
Some cool stuff you might want to check out
Behind the scenes of Dan Bigham hour record attempt
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.
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Wednesday May 25, 2022
If you've ever had an injury that's kept you from training and competing, you’ll know it is painful and frustrating, not to mention expensive if you have good physio support. Once you've recovered it's not just a straightforward journey back into training. There is often a gap between pain-free and returning to competition. This is the space where today's guest, Rocky Snyder, does his magic. In his book Return to Center, Rocky takes a refreshing approach to improving human performance without the drawbacks of pain and reduced mobility. This new methodology bases each programme on the individual, their posture, and their unique gait pattern. No two people have identical lives, so why should they have identical programs?
As usual, we get into a lot including:
- The perils of sitting too much
- How you spend your day and why the body adapts to the position it finds itself in most of the time
- Why pain and tightness is a lifestyle, not an ageing issue
- 'Issues in the tissues’ and why most pains in the joints comes from muscle tightness
- The multitude of benefits from breathwork and movement, especially walking
- Strength training to realign the body
- Why conventional strength training is unconventional for sport and health
To find out more about Rocky, please visit the following channels:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocky_snyder/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocky.snyder.77/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocky-snyder-cscs-cafs-podcast-host-a77a091/
Website: https://www.rockysnyder.com/
Rocky also has a very well stocked YouTube channel
YouTube Channel (over 600 videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOKlD9-wKvavzfw_WSH_aw
Rock Fit Files Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rock-fit-files/id1521946026
Zelos Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zelos-podcast/id1537401143
Rocky recommends this book "What the Foot?" by Gary Ward
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.
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
In keeping with the theme of helping you to refuel and recover better, today we're joined by Sports Medicine specialist Dr. Eva Carneiro. Dr. Carneiro has extensive experience working with elite athletes. She worked for Chelsea FC from 2009 to 2015 where she was the first female doctor to sit pitch-side in Champions League, Premier League, and Europa League competitions and the only woman to become Assistant Medical Director in a football club internationally. She now works as a Specialist Consultant in The Sports Medical Group. Today we disappear down a lot of rabbit holes but the key topics covered include:
- The best way to measure recovery, and the best recovery promoting approaches
- The benefits of listening to your body
- Sensible approaches to nutrition
- Why we should all consider Zinc, Vitamin D, and Vitamin C supplements
- The benefits of collagen supplementation
You can find out more about Dr. Eva Carneiro and her sports medicine consultancy by visiting her website: http://www.thesportsmedicalgroup.com
To find out more about TRR nutrition and especially their range of collagen supplements please use these links:
Instagram - trr_nutrition
Facebook - @trrnutrition
Dr. Carneiro recommended this book: 'Becoming a True Athlete' by Lawrence Halsted
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.
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Today's High Performance Human podcast guest is David DiFrancesco. David teaches average human beings to become Living Warriors by helping them to 'live fearfully’. By recognising that life is an inherent unknown, and knowing that we will feel uncomfortable at times, rather than avoiding feeling vulnerable we can develop the strength of resilience and a knowing confidence that we can handle what comes our way. David has learned this from Russian, Israeli, and US special forces soldiers who have the fitness and mindset of elite athletes. Thus, the lessons that he shares in this conversation can equally be applied in your life or in your pursuit of athletic goals. Topics covered include:
- Why the most physically prepared soldiers often fail the special forces selection process
- Fear - recognising that it exists and how to deal with the fear of failure and fear of success
- Appreciating that sharing vulnerability builds resilience
- Healing stories about yourself
- Developing the ability to experience and live in the unknown
- Learning to do what we are NOT good at
- Dealing with change when it is forced upon us
To follow David, please use the following social media links:
Website www.terrainfunctionalfitness.com
Email David if you have specific questions thelivingwarrior@gmail.com
Warrior Workout Youtube channel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddifrancesco/
Some other cool links to check out:
Thomas DeLauer Nutrition - How to time coffee/caffeine for best results
Better Ideas by Joey Schweitzer
David particularly liked this book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers
'How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World' by Harry Browne
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.
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
The Marathon des Sables is billed as the toughest footrace on earth. If you are crazy enough to take on the Ironman challenge or a 100k ultra run then you may also have thought about entering this race. Trust me when I say that if you do, you will have a life-changing experience. I use the word ‘experience’ for a reason. It's not just about 250km on foot in some of the harshest conditions you can experience. You will also meet amazing people, see places that are way off the tourist map, sleep and eat in conditions you never dreamt of, punish your feet like never before and enter a world where phone signals, noise pollution, and light pollution are non-existent.
Today's guest, Andy Slater, is a member of my SWAT Inner Circle and has just returned from experiencing the Sahara desert for himself. He completed the race and in this podcast, we will chat about his adventure including:
- Why he chose this challenge in the first place
- Resilience gained from having the race postponed 3 times and having to renew his enthusiasm each time
- How he adapted his triathlon training for the event
- Choosing kit and nutrition for the event
- The daily challenges of the race
- The real reason why people pull out
- How fit do you have to be to finish
Andy doesn’t really do social media, but here are some other cool links about the event:
Official MdS website
Andy’s video montage with some race photos
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.
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Imagine that you are an apparently healthy human being with a newfound love for triathlon. You've even completed the full Outlaw distance of 140.6 miles. Then you start feeling a bit off, but nothing that you can put your finger on. After a continued decline in your health and a bout of pneumonia, you get diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, an incurable and terminal disease.
Rather than feeling sorry for yourself, you decide to make every day count, starting your own charity to raise much-needed money for research into the condition.
Then you decide to have ‘One More Tri’ at finishing the Outlaw half.
But then more hiccups. COVID stops racing for 2 years and it looks like you won't get the chance. Fortunately, after an initial rapid deterioration, your condition stabilises, racing is back on and so is the challenge.
That's how life has been for today's High Performance Human podcast guest Sam Perkins who will take on the Outlaw half on May 15 with help from his extensive support crew.
If you have never listened to one of my podcasts previously, please, please listen to this one. It is both inspiring and emotional. While Sam may argue that he is anything but a High Performance Human, I would disagree. He has a solid goal, focus, and above all a winning mindset.
I hope you enjoy the podcast. (TIP: have some tissues ready)
If you would like to read more about Sam, and make a donation to his fundraising, please visit justgiving.com/onemoretri.
You can find Sam at:
Instagram handle @standagainstMND
Twitter handle @standagainstMND
Other links that Sam recommended: Random but if anyone has never seen Jim’ll paint it, it’s worth 5 minutes for a giggle https://jimllpaintit.tumblr.com/
He also recommended these books:
Sapiens: A brief history of humankind - Yuval Noah Harari
Not normal behaviour - Stuart Staples
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.
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Sports nutrition is a minefield. There are so many products out there you could use during your next triathlon and even more noise on social media about which one is the best. This is highly individual, so even guidance from well-meaning individuals might not work for you. And even when you think you've found the right solution, it may only be appropriate in specific circumstances. Fortunately, there are some nutrition companies out there who don't just want to sell you their products, they also want to educate you about understanding your own unique requirements. That's where Andy Blow and his team at Precision Fuel and Hydration come in.
In today's podcast Andy doesn’t just explain recent product developments, he also takes us behind the scenes as we chat about:
- Sometimes it is just mixing ingredients in the kitchen
- When your mates do the ’taste testing'
- Making sure the product you use meets anti-doping requirements
- Why educating the athlete is so important
- How to place an order (you can 15% off your first order using the discount code below)
- Sponsorship - how does that all work - pro athletes or ambassadors. What works best?
- PTO - what exactly happens when you're a partner of a race series?
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/
Book a free one-to-one video consultation: https://www.precisionhydration.com/book-a-video-consultation/
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?
As you know, we ask our guests to recommend a book that has inspired them. This is what Andy offered up:
"Authentic" - the Vans story by Paul Van Doren
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.
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Are you a yoga convert like me? Maybe you’ve fleetingly considered some yoga classes to improve your flexibility, and maybe you’ve decided that you just don’t have time with all the swim, bike and run you’re already doing. That was me, but I am now a yoga disciple! What I didn’t realise until I started to invest some time in this aspect of my wellness is that yoga is so much more than just a “bit of stretching”. That’s what we’re exploring with today’s High Performance Human podcast guest, Kirsten Steffensen. Kirsten is the life partner of my former business partner, Jack Maitland. You may have heard her Scandinavian tones before in a previous podcast about the vegan approach to nutrition (along with Jack, and Louisa my physio, aka The White Witch), which you can listen to here. Kirsten has a very committed tribe of followers at her yoga and breathing classes (details below). In today’s conversation we’ll be talking about:
- What is yoga?
- Benefits of yoga
- Different styles, and when you might choose one over the other
- Getting started, do you need to go to a class or is online yoga just as beneficial?
- What to expect in your first class
- Is it better to do a few classes each week, or 15 minutes each day?
- How will yoga benefit your triathlon performance?
- Integrating yoga into a busy schedule
- What are the best yoga poses?
Social media links for Kirsten:
- www.sportsashram
- Twitter: @TheSportsAshram
- Instagram: @thesportssshram
- Facebook: The Sports Ashram
Athlete Yoga classes that Kirsten runs each week with Jack
- Wednesday 7-8pm on Zoom £6.50 book via (https://thesportsashram.com/product/zoom-athlete-yoga-wednesdays)
- Thursday 7-8pm in Adel, Leeds £6.50 book via (https://thesportsashram.com/product/live-triathlon-yoga-thursdays)
Breathing Classes
- The Breathing School, a 25-minute class where students are either seated or lying on the floor, and Kirsten guides them through a sequence with a breathing exercise and deep relaxation.
- Learn breathing to manage: stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression and pain in the physical body
- The class is on Monday and Thursday 10.35-11am in Horsforth, Leeds £3.00 book via (https://horsforth.clubm.mobi/Portal/Booking/Forthcoming)
Books Kirsten recommends
- The Book of JOY by Douglas Abrams a conversation between Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
- The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma
- The Bhagavad Gita (Indian philosophy probably the most important texts of Hinduism and easily the best known) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita
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.