A lifetime in sport inevitably leads to injuries, especially if you play contact sports. Rugby was my game until my mid-twenties, by which time I had dislocated both shoulders at least once and broken my collar bone once. Minor concerns compared to some players, but nonetheless it's these injuries that caused me to take up triathlon more seriously. I broke the other collar bone more seriously in a bike crash in 2015 (so much for avoiding injuries!). It’s fair to say my shoulders have had...

As you continue your journey as an endurance athlete you might occasionally think that life is messing you about. There are always obstacles to be navigated - work and family challenges, illness, injury, world events beyond your control. It may even cross your mind that these only seem to happen to you and that other folks have smooth paths to their chosen events.   Rest assured that everyone has challenges, including today's podcast guest, Flight Sergeant Scott Hill from the RAF Regiment. As...

Since we started the podcast, I've introduced many of the UK triathlon legends, ranging from our Olympic champions to coaches who helped them there, and the folks who were around right at the start of triathlon in the UK. Today's guest, Mark Kleanthous, competed in UK triathlons since the very first event in June 1983. And he has kept on going for 41 consecutive years. Completing an impressive 535 triathlons in more than 20 countries, including finishing the Hawaii Ironman World...

Who says you can’t get stronger as you get older? Today, Strength and RunForm Coach Matt Pendola is back and this time he’s accompanied by one of his clients, Michael ’Stoke’ Stoker, one member of a small group who Matt affectionately refers to as 'The Silverbacks’.   73 year old Stoke joins us to speak about how his 20 years of work with Matt has enabled him to continue powder skiing well into his 70’s, and build his strength up to the point where he can now do 7 full pull ups using the...

Our podcast guest this week is Menachem Brodie, the National Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Israel National Track Cycling Team. He has his own consultancy business, Human Vortex Training, and has also written two books, Strength Training for Cycling Performance, and Lift Heavy Shit (links for both are below).   We've heard from numerous swim and run coaches recently about how technique can make a real difference to performance in their respective disciplines. Now it’s time to adjust...

You may have wondered about my choice of the phrase High Performance Human. It doesn’t relate to athletes who perform at the top of their age group. The concept of high performance can be described as a measurable state where an individual consistently performs at a higher level of operational success compared with most of their peers within the same environment at a particular time. High performance is not absolute, but relative.    Thus, a high performance human is someone who optimises...

LISTENER: There were some pre production audio issues. Apologies for this. Please stick with the podcast as the sound quality improves during the conversation.   The name Dr Stacy Sims is probably familiar to many of you, especially if you are a female. She's written two very popular books. Her first was ROAR in 2016 (recently updated and revised). Her second book, Next Level, is about kicking ass and crushing goals through menopause, and was published in 2022. As a result of these two books...

Today's guest is Margaret Sills. I met Margaret about 20 years ago when she asked me to coach her. During the time we worked together she represented GB triathlon as an age grouper and also qualified for Kona twice. I can still remember waiting at the finish line for her to complete her first Kona (which she mentions in the conversation). She had some struggles on the day but she made it and as she crossed the line I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.   The reason I invited...

This podcast is called the High Performance Human podcast for a reason. It gives me the opportunity to showcase individuals who excel in their chosen sport, but also in many other areas of their life, while still focussing on basics such as sleep and nutrition.   Next time you take a flight, think about what you would like to know about your pilot - skills at their job (obviously) but also that they prioritise health and fitness, turn up each day having slept well and eaten the right foods...

You might have noticed a theme with some recent podcasts, as I've been searching out inspirational older athletes to share with you just what the future might hold if you have the enthusiasm and adjust your approach in the right way for you. I've struggled to find other coaches who specialise in working with older athletes, but that's corrected today as I speak with Jo Lewis.   Jo is a female triathlete in the 65-69 age group. As you will hear in the conversation, 14 years ago, Jo started a...

Today’s podcast guest is Dr Dan Plews. Dan is one of our most frequent and popular guests. He and ‘The Prof' Paul Laursen have an on going competition to be at the top of the list with most appearances on the show. It’s been a while since I chatted with Dan and since the last conversation he’s made a welcome and very successful return to racing, having crossed the line first overall at the 2022 IM New Zealand, and then getting a personal best of 8:18 at Challenge Roth despite a troublesome...

This week we're back with James Risley as we continue the conversation about riding Le Loop - 3,500km of riding with 55,000m (yes, FIFTY FIVE HUNDRED METRES) of climbing, including some of the toughest climbs in France and Spain. Last week we talked about the preparation for the event and navigating life challenges - work, relationships, sleep - in order to get enough miles on the clock.   In today’s episode we talk about the event itself and James outlines a few issues he never even...

Have you ever thought about attempting a multi-day bike tour? Maybe the Raid Pyrenees (4-5 days) or Land's End-John o'Groats (8-10 days)? Those are both big challenges, but how far would you push it? What about the full Tour de France route including rest days? 3,500km of riding, 55,000m of climbing in 22 days. There is actually an event called Le Loop which does exactly that, including a finish in the centre of Paris (although you don't ride all 8 laps).   Today's podcast guest is Dr James...

In the last 6 years I have chatted with many great coaches, and today's guest is right up there with them!   Darren Smith is arguably one of the best triathlon coaches we have seen working with Olympic triathletes. I first met Darren when he was appointed as head coach for Scottish Triathlon, and our paths crossed at regular coaches meeting at British Triathlon. After 4 years at the helm of Scottish Triathlon Darren left and set up his own private nomadic triathlon group which became known as...

Triathlon is a metaphor for life. The challenges we encounter on race day are like the ups and downs of life squeezed into a few small hours. In reaching the finish line we often achieve what we once thought impossible. It helps us to grow.   For some, triathlon can literally be a lifeline.   My guest on this week’s podcast is Liam Colebrook. Liam is one of the Outlaw Triathlon ambassadors for 2024. As you'll hear in the show, being involved with the Outlaw events as a volunteer in 2023...

Ok, it’s nearly Christmas and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for a Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas get together! Last year we recorded our show live from the pub and it proved to be quite popular with the coaches and the listeners, so we’ve continued the trend this year. Last Friday we all went over to Wigan and recorded the show from Marc’s local, The White Lion.   We calculated that between us we have over 80 years of coaching experience and probably about the same number of years...

In a recent bite sized podcast I outlined the steps you could take to improve your swim performance. Today I'm discussing how to improve your cycling.   Cycling is by far the biggest portion of any triathlon and so if you have a strong bike, that will enhance not only your overall time but also your ability to run well (as long as you don't push too hard on the bike).   In today's bite sized podcast I outline some steps you can take to boost your bike performances in 2024, including:  Why you...

Today we have the 2nd part of my conversation with Jack Maitland. Last week we talked about Jack's journey from orienteer to mountain runner to elite triathlete and then into coaching. We talked about our work together, his work in Leeds and then the development work with Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee finishing at the end of 2011 when Alistair was a favourite for Olympic Gold at the London 2012 Triathlon. Today we talk about the lead up to that event, the 4 year cycle up to  Rio 2016, what...

This week, following a request from regular listener David Hill, I’m going to take a short dive into what is called breath work. So thank you David for a great suggestion! I’ve had several podcast conversation about this specific subject and there's no doubt in my mind that it makes a real difference to health and performance by managing anxiety, improving that ability to relax, and all of the positive knock ons from there.   Breathing is controlled by our autonomic nervous system (ANS), so...

Back in 2000, I decided to rebrand my coaching business as TheTriathlonCoach.com. I’d been coaching for 4-5 years and built up a good roster of age group athletes. I was having to turn folks away so I asked my friend (also a coach) if he’d like to join me and take on some clients. His name was Jack Maitland, and he's my guest on the podcast this week and next week.   Jack and I started to grow TTC as it was known, but that wasn’t all. In 2001 we put our names in the hat to run the Regional...

Is losing a few kilos one of your winter training goals for the next few monthsIf it is, you're probably not alone.   At least once a month I get an email or have a phone conversation with an endurance athlete who tells me they need to lose weight to help them achieve their goals in the summer.   As a coach I feel like it’s easy to get overly focused on this aspect of improving performance. I much prefer an approach where we concentrate on doing the right things. In this case, finding a...

Regular listeners will know that I’m a big fan of mobility and strength work, to the point where I have regularly recommended to athletes that they reduce their swim, bike, and run volume and use that time to work out in the gym (or at home). Several years ago I came across a book written by this week's guest, Brian MacKenzie. The book was “Unbreakable Runner” and the principle was to replace a lot of running volume with CrossFit-style workouts. Brian used this approach to complete his first...

Almost 34 years ago to the day, November 1989, I attended my first triathlon training camp. The venue was Eilat on the Red Sea in Israel and the host was a chap called Bernie Shrosbree who at that time was GB triathlon champion. I learned a lot on that course, but this lesson was one of the most valuable and which will always stand true: "Consistency is the key to success"   It felt so significant to me at the time that I wrote it down in the front cover my training diary (if you visit my...

When I first started working in elite sport I believed that not only did the best athletes have natural talent and a good work ethic, but that they also had a life which was completely under control. From the outside looking in, many armchair fans think that elite athletes, in any sport, have it all. Nothing could be further from the truth, as you'll hear in this week's podcast. It's a very open and honest conversation with elite female fell runner, Emily Cowper-Coles. During the chat we...

Swimming is the most skill-dependent of the 3 triathlon disciplines, and the one which brings the least gain in terms of minutes saved on race day. And yet it's also the one where most triathletes are frustrated by their apparent lack of progress despite regular visits to the pool. In this bite sized podcast I’m going to lay out my 7 step process for becoming a better swimmer this winter. I've also thrown in a bonus step for you at the end, including:   Why you need to see a swim coach...