Simon Ward
Whatever your sport, my goal is to help you continue to enjoy your sporting passions into your 50's, 60's and beyond. I'll send you weekly tips on how to boost your health and performance through sleep, nutrition, mobility, strength and mindset
Wardy Wisdom - You’ll Be a Human Longer Than You’ll Be an Athlete!
Wardy Wisdom - 3.12.24 Are you fit but unhealthy? Once upon a time, I believed that because I was a triathlete training twice a day, six days a week, I was not only super fit but also incredibly healthy. Have you ever thought the same? As a coach, I now take a holistic view of fitness for myself and the athletes I work with. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of building robust health as the foundation for good fitness. That’s the inspiration behind this title: “You’ll be a...
Wardy Wisdom - Will my training programme work?
Wardy Wisdom - 27.11.24 “All training is principally an act of faith” Every athlete should start a training plan by asking themselves, “Will my programme work?”As Franz Stampfl, the coach of the legendary Roger Bannister, once said, “All training is principally an act of faith”. This reflects the reality that no matter how well you prepare, the outcome of a race is never entirely predictable. While there are no guarantees, following a set of fundamental principles can significantly improve...
Wardy Wisdom - Remember running round outside until it was dark?
Wardy Wisdom - 20.11.24 Be kind to yourself! An article from guest contributor, Bethany Ward Being kind to others is fantastic, obviously. But I have a question for you: When was the last time you were actively kind to yourself? And no, I’m not talking about treating yourself to that extra slice of cake (but go for it if you want!). I’m talking about giving yourself the gift of joy, adventure, and fun - the kind that made your heart race when you were a kid. What was that for you? Maybe a...
Wardy Wisdom - Small changes lead to big payoffs!
Wardy Wisdom - 13.11.24 Small changes lead to big payoffs! When chasing goals it’s not necessary to make drastic changes. Small changes lead to big payoffs if you’re persistent. The diagram below of the ‘Plateau of Latent Potential’ perfectly highlights what happens when we start to make small changes to our habitual behaviour. Briefly, there is a period of time when our efforts aren't rewarded with noticeable results, so patience and resilience are required to keep going. It’s discussed in...
Wardy Wisdom - "Every breath you take!"
Wardy Wisdom - 6.11.24 Why you should pay more attention to your breathing While watching a cycling event on TV recently, I was surprised to see that some of the pro cyclists seemed to have a slight belly. Pro tour cyclists are typically so lean! But then I realized—they were belly breathing (also known as diaphragmatic breathing), which involves breathing deeply into the abdomen, rather than just the chest. This form of breathing is actually much more effective for everyone and is quite...
Wardy Wisdom - "Fitting Training Around Life: How to Keep Your Workout Motivation Alive When Life Gets Hectic!"
Wardy Wisdom - 1.11.24 Fitting Training Around Life: How to Keep Your Workout Motivation Alive When Life Gets Hectic! Have you ever found yourself struggling to complete all your planned training sessions for the week? It’s a common challenge, especially when work, family, or travel demands start to eat into your schedule. When this happens, you’re usually left with two options: Stick to the plan but miss sessions and feel discouraged Adjust the plan to ensure you complete the key sessions I...
Wardy Wisdom - "Just make sure you are here next week!" - The benefits of consistency.
Wardy Wisdom - 17.10.24 "Just make sure you are here next week!" If I had a pound for every time an elite coach or athlete told me that consistency is the #1 habit for successful people, I'd be a wealthy man. My teachers probably reminded me of this on a regular basis but as I didn't really pay attention much at school, more than likely it went in one ear and out the other. My first memory of the significance of the phrase was at a tri training camp with Bernie Shrosbree in 1989. In fact, I...
Wardy Wisdom - Paddling on a surfboard
Wardy Wisdom - 18.9.24 Paddling on a surfboard It’s curious which phrases stick in our minds. You can hear the same advice from a dozen different people, and then one of them says something in a way that completely resonates. And so it was when I spent some time with swim coach Karlyn Pipes. She told me to float face down and form a Y shape with my arms, like lying on a surfboard. Because of the width of the surfboard, she said, your hands will enter the water a lot wider than normal. Like...
How a multi day bike trip can boost your FTP and tackling TCR with Matt Spooner (Podcast episode 384)
Happy Weekend, High Performance Humans, Are you a strong cyclist? Would you like to get even stronger? I know that these are questions that many triathletes have on their mind building to their goal races. You can choose the traditional way, riding 2-4 times per week with some well structured intervals and a weekly long ride. Commuting to work is also a good way to add in extra volume. One option you might not have considered is a multi day cycle trip. A few years ago I rode Lands End to John...
Sleep special: How to sleep smart to maximise health and performance (Podcast episode 383)
Happy Weekend, High Performance Humans, Have you ever tried tracking your sleep? I have, and while I learned a lot of really good lessons it also taught me that it isn't always positive. As an early adopter of tech I got into Whoop in 2017, right at the beginning. They even consider me one of their 'founding members', whatever that means! I loved being able to see how much sleep I was really getting versus what I thought I was getting. The splits between deep sleep, REM and light sleep were...
Whatever your sport, my goal is to help you continue to enjoy your sporting passions into your 50's, 60's and beyond. I'll send you weekly tips on how to boost your health and performance through sleep, nutrition, mobility, strength and mindset