When you're getting close to the day of your big event it’s natural to feel some nerves and even a little anxiety. It happens to everyone, even the very top performers. In fact, if you felt no anxiety or nerves at all, that would probably be a bad thing. It’s one thing to feel a little anxious, but to get to the point where you feel unable to make …

The first triathlon in the UK was 1983. I did my first event in 1987 and while the sport continued to grow for the next 15 years it didn't really take off until the start of the Brownlee era from 2008. Having said that, there are a significant number of folks who I consider the legends - the Triathletes, coaches, and administrators who were instrum…

As you might have been able to pick up, I’m really getting into strength training at the moment. I feel like I need to share all of my lessons with you, because this type of activity is arguably your best antidote to aging. Dan John is back again today to help me with this. Dan and I discuss the importance of strength training for endurance athlete…

"There are no solutions, only compromises" In last week’s podcast Lexi Kelson and her colleague Emily Arrell from Precision Fuel and Hydration spoke with 3 SWAT athletes to help them create a viable race day hydration and nutrition strategy. This is all very well, but race days don’t come around that often and in between there are many days of norm…

As the race season gets into full swing, I know that many of you are thinking not only of your performance goals but also how you can support these with a good race day hydration and nutrition strategy. Some of the key lessons I have learned over the years are: 1) without a good fuelling/hydration strategy you are unlikely to hit your goals, especi…

Someone once told me that good coaches never stop learning. This is a philosophy that I have carried with me ever since I started coaching, and one which I share with other coaches whenever we are delivering workshops. Reading books and speaking with podcast guests probably forms the majority of my learning these days, although not all. I still go …

Have you watched the Paralympics? What about when you are taking part in or volunteering/spectating at a running event or a triathlon? Have you ever observed the wheelchair triathletes? For them, it’s swim, to hand cycle, to racing chair. Everything is about the upper body, and I’ve always been curious about how they take care of their shoulders, a…

The female monthly cycle and how it impacts training and competition is a conversation that athletes and coaches should have. The reality is that it can be awkward for both parties, so to avoid awkwardness it usually gets pushed aside. Which means that female athletes can feel isolated in navigating this part of their life. We should also include p…

My guest today is Jim Vance There are few individuals in the world with the teaching background, elite athlete experience, and coaching experience with elites, amateurs and juniors, as well as knowledge of training and a passion and understanding of tech. Jim has been the coach to US pro triathlete Ben Kanute for 8 years. He has also written 2 tria…

Lucy Gossage has been around on the long distance triathlon scene for a long time, and she's instantly recognisable with her blue Erdinger kit and infectious smile. If you don’t know Lucy, she has 14 Ironman victories to her name including IMUK, IM Wales, IM Lanzarote and Patagonman (basically all the toughest ones). In 2019 she stepped back from I…

Triathletes like to call themselves multi-sport athletes. In a manner of speaking, they are. They have generally mastered 3 disciplines and combine them all in one single race. Today's guest, Dougal Allen, is a true multi-sport athlete of the highest order. He’s won the NZ Coast to Coast twice (run/kayak/MTB), had many victories and top 10 finishes…

"The RED-S project is a club for sustainable performance. And sustainability to me brings up a few different words, I think about fueling and enjoyment. And no, no process is sustainable unless it's enjoyable. And for me, if I was to get close to a recreational race, and I started to think about race weight, that wouldn't tie in with enjoyment for …

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is gaining more traction in our lives. It's been here awhile, but the launch of Chat GPT has really accelerated our awareness of how it can simplify our lives. AI will be a part of our athletic lives as well, certainly for the way we plan our plan, analyse, and adjust our training to get the best results. Will this b…

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.…

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 thei…

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 …

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 en…

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…

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 sa…

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). H…

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 s…

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 - …

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 tod…

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, ha…

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…