Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for strength, resilience, and longevity

Simon Ward and Louisa Edmonston, part 1

Louisa Edmonston - How the “White Witch” performs a bike fit 

For anyone riding a bike competitively, a regular bike fit is a necessity. In the last few years there has been an explosion in the number of people offering a bike fit using a range of different methods, many employing the latest line of computer software and technology. 

Today's guest is a former professional triathlete turned physiotherapist, who uses nothing more than her trained eyes and hands to help a rider find the optimal riding position.

This conversation covers:

• Why a bike fit must include a full head to toe muscle skeletal assessment and lifelong medical history 
• How injuries that occurred when you were a child could impact your bike fit as an adult
• When the information obtained from a bike fit can benefit your run performance
• How a bike fit turned into a 10 minute examination of my jaw 
• The reason why hip flexors are the most talked about muscles in my podcasts
• How a single leg squat influences your bike fit
• Why you should have a bike fit at least twice each year

You can find out more about the Cyclist's Full Body MOT here - www.cspc.co.uk/index.php/services/mot/2541-2/ 

To book your appointment with Louisa Edmonston please contact CSPC, phone 0113 2750606

Website - www.cspc.co.uk

Simon Ward
simon@thetriathloncoach.com
Follow me on Facebook - simon.ward1

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.  

 

Simon Ward and Robin Brew part 2

Elite swim coach Robin Brew returns and the conversation turns to some specific training tips to help  triathletes become better swimmers covering topics such as:

• Why consistency is so important to your development 
• Frequency versus volume - which is best?
• How “speed reserve” influences your race pace
• The importance of pace control
• Why you should be able to comfortably swim at 3 different paces
• Kicking and why it has a place in every swim session

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Robin Brew part 1

This week's guest is Robin Brew, the former Olympic 200m Individual Medley record holder, professional triathlete and head swim coach at Mount Kelly College.

In the first of 2 conversations Robin shares his philosophy on swim training for triathletes including:

• 5 general principles that apply to all swimmers
• How a focussed 6-week mobility programme made a massive difference to his swim performance
• Some simple pre-swim exercises that will help to set up your stroke
• Why it's fine to use fins in your swim sessions
• And much more

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Graham Brookhouse

In this week's podcast there is a slight change of direction as Simon and Graham Brookhouse answer questions sent in by members of Simons Facebook group, “The Triathlon Coach Cafe”.

Simon and Graham provide answers to:

• How to get over fear of open water swimming
• Swim drills that improve breathing in freestyle  
• Useful dry land exercises to improve your swim when you can’t easily/regularly get to a pool
• Best training tips for a ridiculously busy working mum
• The ONE piece of advice for a newbie triathlete
• The answer to training smart
• The best way to improve Ironman running time
• How to get faster on the bike and not hinder your run
• The best training for running faster
• How to stay injury free

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Tom Hughes

Today we have another guest returning to the show. This week it's Dr. Tom Hughes and in this episode we revisit the current hot topic of low carbohydrate/high fat and provide some practical tips on how to integrate it into your daily routine. You’ll discover:

• Sleep low: Why the elites do this anyway and how you can manipulate your training and nutrition to get the same benefits.  How a sleep low strategy can have the same effect as 2-3 hours more training.  What exactly is low energy status training?
• Not all carbs are bad! Why you should consume whole grains. The true meaning of “metabolic flexibility”.
• Why a chicken breast is processed food
• The hidden benefits of nutrient dense foods and how they help you avoid injuries and illness, and why your best performances come when you are healthiest

To find out more about Dr. Tom Hughes go to his website www.trimechanics.co.uk, Facebook at TRI-mechanics, or Twitter @trimechanics.  You can also find his Trimechanics podcast on iTunes.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.

Simon Ward and Paul Cardwell-Hounam

Most triathletes train in the pool to swim in the open water. And yet the opportunities to train in open water for most UK triathletes is limited.

Today's guest is Lanzarote based, open water swim expert Paul Cardwell-Hounam.

He trains lifeguards, teaches surfing and stand up paddle boarding, runs a regular swim clinic in Lanzarote, and he’s an Ironman University coach. 

Basically, if you want some help with being a better open water swimmer Paul is the man to listen to as we talk about:

• Bilateral breathing and why it's a critical racing skill for all triathletes
• The key Open Water drills that you can practice in the pool in readiness for your race season
• Why a faster cadence is better in open water
• Why you should arrive at your race venue at least 4-5 days in advance so that you can gain experience with the local water conditions
• How swimming 20-30 minutes every day before your race can be of more benefit on race day than 1-2 big swims
• What exactly is the “sweet spot” for the number of strokes between every sighting stroke
• Why, if you are racing at Ironman Lanzarote, you should definitely attend the SwimLanzarote workshops in race week 

To find out more about Paul, please visit his website http://www.swimlanzarote.com/, visit his FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/Swim-Lanzarote-1394545770852172/, or email him with questions about training opportunities when visiting Lanzarote info@swimlanzarote.com.  You can also join his swim groups at 9am every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at Playa Grande, Puerto del Carmen (the beach where the Ironman starts from).

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.

Simon Ward and Sarah Pitts

Sarah Pitts likes to do things differently. an injury reversal specialist who eschews traditional foam rolling and stretching for her very own SMARTT mobility system.

In the last 18 months, Sarah has been helping me to work on my mobility and reduce my injury count as I get to that age where it important to stay injury free.  In today’s conversation we discuss…

• How movement reverses injuries
• When the repetitive nature of the training you do to become better swimmers, cyclist and runners could actually be harming your progress
• The hidden benefits of off road and trail running
• Why muscle fibres are spiralled, why training tightens the spiral and why you should move in different directions when you are stretching to ondo this
• The simple way to find 20-30 minutes to fit SMARTT movements into your daily routine without noticing 
• Why SMARTT movements are just like brushing your teeth
• Why Sarah longs for the day when someone thanks her for an injury they didn’t get

To get a free copy of Sarah’s SMARTT head to toe video with 12 movements that you can use for a warm up or a cool down and develop your mobility just visit www.MostMotion.com/super12.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.

Simon Ward and Tim Heming

This week triathlon journalist Tim Heming returns to chat with Simon about some of the recent events in the world of triathlon including:

• A sensible, no bitching discussion about the recent doping incidents to hit the sport
• Should we even have the Commonwealth Games, never mind a triathlon event?
• Indoor vs outdoor training - is athlete safety becoming higher priority than enjoyment of the fresh air?
• The new Kona qualifications for pro athletes
• Simon calls Tim out about his failure to predict even a top 10 finish for Lionel Sanders in Kona
• How to maintain training motivation during the short cold winter days

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.

Simon Ward and Malcolm Brown part 2, Athlete Psychology

Britain’s top running coach Malcolm Brown returns for part 2 as we discuss the role of athlete mindset and psychology in the success of a long term training plan and racing, as well as topics including:

Training

• Why endurance sports requires a long term (several years) approach to training
• Why it's important for athletes not to get too worried about the outcome of any particular single session
• The paradox that means no session is critical, but every session is critical, and why training matters but it doesn't matter
• How reading the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” can help your training
• Why you must be equally enthusiastic about recovery as you are about training

Racing

• Why you should aim to peak a maximum of 2 times per year
• How the best performances come when you are committed physically, mentally, and emotionally

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.

Simon Ward and Malcolm Brown part 1 * How to Run Faster

Malcolm Brown is one of the foremost running coaches in the world.  He knows a thing or two about helping athletes to run faster, and the resume of athletes he has worked with is very impressive - Alistair & Jonny Brownlee, Vicky Holland, Non Stanford, Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe.

In this podcast we talk about the very simple subject - How to run faster!  I can guarantee that this is not what you think it will be, as we cover:

• 3 basic principles underpinning the ability to ‘run fast’
• Why you should measure progress over 12 months and avoid changing the plan until that time
• 2 qualities possessed by all top athletes that you need to succeed
• Why it's better to be a “Steady Eddie” than a “Shooting Star”
• The importance of being able to relish training and just enjoy being a runner
• Lower limb resilience and its influence on your success
• If you want to race faster than before, do this in training year round

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.