The Progress Theory

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. On today’s episode, we have Former Marine Commando and published author, Gareth Timmins.

I saw Gareth’s new book, ‘Becoming the 0.1%’ on the Amazon pre-order list and I instantly knew I had to have him on the Progress Theory. To make it through all the training to prepare you to fight in the harshest environments in the world, you need the highest level of discipline, resilience and determination. In this episode, Gareth describes how keeping a diary during his military training and career has enabled him to reflect and pass on the greatest lessons he learned during this time. These lessons aren’t just for the military; these are skills you can apply to your everyday life to help you reach your full potential.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 3:19 - An introduction to Gareth Timmins and becoming the 0.1%
• 6:50 - Relationship with the MOD
• 9:36 - Pushing out of your comfort zone to develop an elite mindset
• 14:05 - The biggest lessons from becoming a royal marine commando
• 16:50 - Reframing what stress is
• 22:36 - Military Mindset for the general population
• 27:10 - Developing self-awareness and mindset through the chapters of the book
• 42:23 - How you can buy the book ‘Becoming the 0.1%
• 42:43 - Gareth's 3 favourite lessons from the book
• 46:20 - Gareth’s choice of guest for the Progress Theory

Thank you to Gareth for coming onto The Progress Theory and talking about his experience in the Royal Marine Commandos and his new book, Becoming the 0.1%. He really only scratched the surface of the stories he shares in his book and I can’t wait to read it. We recorded this podcast just before its release so my copy is on its way.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, the concept of ‘out of comfort zone’ must be completely different to Gareth when compared to the general population. The extremes the royal marines go to fully prepare their soldiers is insane. 12 hours sleep in 2 weeks, seriously sounds so uncomfortable. But he reflects on these experiences with a type of fondness. He realised that being pushed so far outside anyone's comfort zone made him truly see who he is as a person. I think that’s fascinating and makes me wonder what I need to do to push myself that far outside my comfort zone.

Secondly, I like how Gareth’s opinion has changed on mindset. At first, he thought being fearless was having no emotion. Now, to him fearless means taking on any challenge despite any fear or anxiety you might be experiencing. You can’t eliminate emotional responses to adverse situations, but you can change your perception of how they affect you and how you will persevere through it.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it allowed you to reflect on your own mindset. Please, everyone, go and buy the book now, you won’t regret it. If you enjoyed the show It would be awesome if you could leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story. Feed that algorithm to help the show grow. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@becomingthe0.1percent

Becoming the 0.1%

Buy the book on amazon

Royal marine commandos

Ministry of Defence

Mindset

Behavioural/Cognitive Science

Leeds Rhinos

Elon Musk

David Attenborough

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have S&C and weightlifting coach, and University lecturer and researcher, Shaun Joffe.

Shaun is without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable coaches on weightlifting in the country. His research has provided substance and direction to his coaching and programming decisions, and because of this, he has an amazing approach to weightlifting, which he shares in this episode. If you’re a fan of programming to lift heavy barbells fast, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 2:30 - Shaun’s Background and where his passion for weightlifting came from
• 6:18 - Shaun’s S&C experience
• 10:54 - How a wide variety of experiences can help develop you as a coach
• 15:52 - An introduction to weightlifting as a sport
• 19:44 - Determinants of weightlifting performance
• 25:17 - Weightlifting programming
• 32:30 - Weightlifting programme philosophy
• 37:05 - Technical differences between weightlifters and coaching weightlifting
• 48:31 - How to get involved with Weightlifting and Woking weightlifting club

Thank you Shaun for coming onto The Progress Theory and talking about his research and his ideas on weightlifting performance. What a great episode. It really showed how coaches can use research to guide programming decisions, and how overall philosophy is one of the clearest of any weightlifting coach I’ve ever heard.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, I enjoyed hearing how Shaun uses clear objectives to influence when he is developing certain qualities in his weightlifting programming. For example, he talks about how max strength is a key determining factor for weightlifting performance, so he wants his lifters to hit certain strength targets before progressing on to focus programming on other qualities. This makes complete sense. Why move onto a new training block with a new focus if you haven’t reached certain targets?

And secondly, I love how he tailor his coaching deliberately to allow the athlete to find the appropriate weightlifting technique for themselves. Yes, there are key positions you want to hit, but how every lifter will achieve them will be different due to varying anthropometric and physical qualities. Forcing a certain technical weightlifting style onto someone could hinder their progression. Guide the athlete, don’t tell them what to do all the time.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it gave you plenty of information and ideas on how to improve your weightlifting programming. It would be awesome if you could also leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story to help the show grow. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@thepricep

@woking_weightlifting_club

@shaunjoffe

Woking weightlifting club

British weightlifting

School of champions - weightlifting documentary

Education and experience

Shaun’s research

St Mary’s University

Buckinghamshire new university

Edinburgh university

Edinburgh rugby

London Welsh

EIS

Paralympic rowing

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. On today’s episode, we have football coach and adventure athlete, Jamie Carr.

Jamie has started the Nothing Ventured campaign where he looks to complete the Marathon Des Sables, a 6-day ultramarathon across the Sahara desert, and row solo across the Atlantic, all to raise £50,000 for children’s charities. In this episode, Jamie and I discuss the reason why he’s taking on these challenges, the logistics of the challenges, and how big physical challenges like these really help you grow outside your comfort zone. I have included the Nothing Ventured website in our show notes so you can donate to this amazing cause if you wish.

http://nothingventuredcampaign.com/

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:30 - An introduction to Jamie Carr
• 2:24 - The Nothing Ventured campaign
• 6:07 - The Charities involved with the Nothing Ventured Campaign
• 9:25 - Why the Marathon des Sables and Atlantic Row
• 14:39 - The logistics and dangers of the challenge
• 15:05 - Safety during the Atlantic row
• 21:03 - Logistics of Marathon Des Sables
• 22:50 - Foot care for MDS
• 25:48 - What you carry during MDS
• 28:04 - Training for the challenge
• 32:10 - Mindset
• 34:53 - Advice for getting out of your comfort zone and doing your bucket list
• 37:17 - Future challenges?
• 42:00 - How to follow the Nothing Ventured Campaign
• 
  
• 
  

It is incredible what he is doing to raise money for charities and it will have such an impact on people’s lives. It was an inspirational episode and one which I hope encouraged everyone listening to complete their own bucket list.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, it was such a shock to me to learn about so many additional dangers associated with these challenges. I understand the dangers of dehydration and heatstroke during the Marathon des Sables, but it just didn’t cross my mind that scorpions could also play a huge factor. Similarly in the row, being attacked by marlins? I would have never have thought of that. These are dangers you only find out by experiencing it first hand, so like Jamie says, when looking to take on a new challenge, find many people who have done similar challenges and ask as many questions as possible.

And secondly, I enjoyed hearing about Jamie’s drive and determination. As he learns more about these challenges and the difficulties you face when taking them on, it seems to spur him on even more. It’s like the more pain he may experience, or the greater the chance of him not succeeding, the more he wants to do it. The most important part of his mindset was acceptance. He accepts it’s going to suck, which reduces his anxiety. You can’t worry about something you’ve already accepted.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it gave you plenty of inspiration to take on your own bucket list. It would be awesome if you could also leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story to help the show grow. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@nothingventuredcampaign

@jamiie00

Nothing Ventured Campaign

Marathon des sables

Cancer fund for children

City in the community

Manchester City FC

Talisker Atlantic row

James Cracknell

Atlantic row amazon prime

Gus Barton

Domino's pizza

Denali

Mt Elbrus

Crib Goch

Kilimanjaro

Mt Everest

Adri Brownlee

Guest picks

David Goggins

Matthew McConaughey

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Associate Professor Jess Hill who is an exercise physiologist and researcher into compression garments.

Compression garments are used readily in sport, particularly in endurance sports such as running and cycling, and field-based sports like football and rugby. However, like most sports equipment on the market, not only do you wonder if compression garments are worth the money, but do they actually work? Can they actually enhance sports performance by improving the rate of recovery? In this episode, Jess Hill explains which types of garments you should wear, when you should use them, and if using them too much can actually decrease the physiological adaptations you were trying to achieve through training.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 2:18 - An introduction to Dr Jess Hill
• 3:21 - What are compression garments and how they work
• 5:48 - When to wear compression garments
• 7:53 - Which compression garments to use
• 11:41 - Compression garment effectiveness and the level of the athlete
• 13:00 - Can compression garments create a placebo effect?
• 16:05 - Made-to-measure compression garments
• 20:15 - Level of inflammation may determine how much compression you need
• 23:25 - Compression garments improving performance
• 28:40 - Recommendations for using compression garments
• 
  

Thank you to Dr Jess Hill for coming onto The Progress Theory and talking about her research on compression garments. It was great to get an understanding of what we currently know about compression garments. They’ve been purchased and used by athletes for years yet how they improve recovery is less well known. I definitely think we should be more aware of how these interventions work to help sports performance before we start using them, especially as so many factors always seem to influence their effectiveness.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, it was the importance of made to measure compression garments. The thought of spending £50 on some generic compression leggings only to find they don’t apply the right level of compression really annoys me. Compression works, but it appears only if you buy the right garments. Made to measure garments are designed so that the garment is specific to your body shape and size. They may be more expensive, however, it is more likely that they will have a positive effect on your recovery, so it would be worth spending the extra pennies on them.

And secondly, when you wear compression garments is vital to how effective they will be to your programme. If you need to recover quickly, like during a Rugby 7’s tournament wearing them between matches, or after a big event which you have been training for several weeks, then compression garments should be used to enhance your recovery. However, the inflammatory response is vital for the adaptation from training. If you wear compression garments after regular training, even if it is a hard session, it could blunt the adaptive response and reduce the effectiveness of your programme. As a rule of thumb, compression garments are good to use during a tournament or after a big competition, but may not be the best idea during training when adaptation is key.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it gave you enough information on compression garments that it allows you to make your own decision on when and how to use them in your own training. It would be awesome if you could also leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story to help the show grow. Also, head to our website theprogresstheory.com and listen to our other episodes. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@JessHill84

Dr Jess Hill Research

Compression leggings

Runner’s world review of compression leggings

Vitalactive

SKINS

Lohmann-Rauscher

Compression socks

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. On this episode, we have GB ParaPowerlifting High-Performance Coach, Ben Richens.

Paralympic powerlifting is different to traditional powerlifting as it focuses on one lift: The bench press. Paralympic powerlifting is a sport that is growing quickly in the UK and we’ve got a strong contingent heading to the Tokyo Paralympic games, all of which are coached by Ben Richens. Yet despite its growing popularity, there are many who are unfamiliar with the sport. In this episode, Ben describes the training and coaching differences between traditional powerlifting and paralympic powerlifting, where common programming mistakes are made, and how you can get into the sport.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 2:00 - Why Ben did this podcast while in isolation (his recent competition in Dubai)
• 2:45 - An introduction to Ben Richens
• 6:58 - How Ben got into Powerlifting and Para-Powerlifting
• 11:12 - The difference between powerlifting and para-powerlifting
• 15:56 - Ben’s fulfilment and accomplishments in coaching and coaching Para-powerlifting
• 20:44 - The Invictus Games
• 23:40 - The team for the Paralympic games
• 24:46 - Getting involved in para-powerlifting
• 27:09 - Programming for para-powerlifting
• 28:56 - Training for performance and quality of life
• 34:22 - Longevity and progress in para-powerlifting
• 40:43 - creating small wins to avoid the repetitiveness of training
• 41:42 - common mistakes when training the bench press
• 48:06 - Advice for getting into para-powerlifting coaching
• 
  

Thank you to Ben Richens for coming onto The Progress Theory and talking about his work with the GB para-powerlifting team. For a sport that is quite simple in nature, it is truly fascinating, and Ben did an amazing job discussing his ideas around training and the differences between the bench press and para-powerlifting bench press.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, it was the importance of variables outside of the training programme which will have such a profound effect on the athlete. As coaches, we spend hours thinking of how to create the most beneficial programme that is specific to the athlete. However, if poor lifestyle factors such as lack of sleep, poor food choices and a lack of water are being followed by an athlete, then the effectiveness of the programme will never be realised. Often it is these lifestyle factors that are more important for an athletes progress than the programme itself. We should be aware of this as coaches and educate our athletes appropriately.

Secondly, the importance of training for quality of life. We sometimes get over-focussed on programming to improve performance that we forget how that might affect the athlete outside of the gym/sport. If we drastically reduce an athlete’s quality of life through the training and our programming, it may lead to a situation where the reduced quality of life now negatively affects the training. It can be a vicious circle. This highlights the need for us to be athlete-focused with our programming. Always think ‘How is your programming going to improve this athlete at their sport and as a person?’

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode. As Ben says, we need more lifting clubs so get busy and start one. What better way to become better at training is by immersing yourself in the right environment that you’ve created for yourself. It would be awesome if you could also leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story to help the show grow. Also, head to our website theprogresstheory.com and listen to our other episodes. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@sfbtraining

@bwlparapowerlifting

@britishwl

British Weightlifting

British Para-Powerlifting

Eleiko

Invictus games

@datadrivenstrength

@miketuchscherer

@bryce_tsa

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. On this episode, we have Adventure athlete and mountaineer, Adri Brownlee.

Adri has just returned to the UK after successfully summiting Mt Everest, and she has now set her sights on summiting all 14 8000m mountains in the world. If she completes this in her predicted time frame, she will be the youngest person to ever achieve this by 7 years. In this episode, Adri and Dr Phil Price chat about her experiences on Mt Everest, the dangers of mountaineering, and how to start your own mountaineering journey.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:55 - Adri’s most recent expedition
• 4:50 - Adri’s Mountaineering challenge - Climb all 14 8000m mountain peaks
• 7:20 - The dangers of climbing K2 and Annapurna
• 10:33 - K2 winter training for Everest summit bid
• 11:02 - How the 4 8000m mountain peaks challenge is currently going
• 11:48 - The Lhotse face
• 12:41 - The Khumbu Icefall
• 14:17 - What factors make a mountain dangerous?
• 15:57 - Mindset on the mountain
• 18:36 - Adri’s work with Nimsdai Purja
• 22:50 - Mountaineering without oxygen
• 26:04 - Training for mountaineering
• 30:50 - How to get into mountaineering
• 32:14 - Sponsorship for mountaineering
• 36:48 - How you can help Adri with her challenge
• 37:40 - Listener questions
• (37:45-38:45) - Is mountaineering more mentally or physically challenging?
• (39:00-40:28) - How has being young helped or hindered your mountaineering aspirations?
• (40:40-42:04) - Is all your equipment/clothing synthetic?

Thank you to Adri Brownlee for coming onto The Progress Theory and talking about her mountaineering experiences and her upcoming world record-breaking challenge. Even though she has just started the challenge you can clearly tell she’s gained a lot of experience, especially during her time with the group led by Nimsdai Purga, who climbed K2 in winter. If someone, as experienced as Nimsdai, thinks you have the potential to break mountaineering world records you clearly have some talent.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on key areas which really stood out to me.

Firstly, as this is a sports science show, was Adri’s training for mountaineering. I loved the simplicity of it. The majority of the training focused on aerobic conditioning, usually running, hill work, or even running up and downstairs, which makes sense as the body needs to be efficient in utilizing oxygen. With less O2 available up high in the mountains, the body needs to be effective in utilising the O2 it can get. While there is no direct link between a high VO2 max and your ability to handle the high altitude, a high functioning respiratory system is still needed to tolerate submaximal exercise over very long periods.

And secondly, Adri appears to have a really strong mindset. 5 top climbers died during her time on K2 during winter. She witnessed this first hand as a relative novice, yet it has not deterred her at all, and it led to a very comfortable Mt Everest ascent only months later. It must take such a strong mindset to ignore past negative experiences when you’re tired, still climbing after 9 hours. Yet this seems to come easy to her. Clearly, she is both mentally and physically well equipped for a career in mountaineering.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it gave you enough information on how to start your own mountaineering journey if it is something that has been on your bucket list for years. It would be awesome if you could also leave us a review and share this episode on your insta story to help the show grow. Also, head to our website theprogresstheory.com and listen to our other episodes. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@adri.brownlee

adrianabrownlee.com

Mount Everest

K2

Cho Oyu

Annapurna

Lhotse

K2 winter attempt

The khumbu Icefall

Kathmandu

Nimsdai Purja

North Face

North face Female empowerment

Save the duck

Altitude mask

Cause of a kind interview

Season 3 is complete. In this episode, Dr Phil Price and Matt Cheney (Kult Media founder and producer) reflect on the making of the podcast, their favourite bits from season 3, and what listeners can expect to come from season 4.

In this episode, we discuss:

1:20 - The reflection of The progress Theory Season 3

3:48 - What I’ve learned about podcasting

7:30 - How to interview guests

9:50 - Biggest podcasting mistake

11:08 - How I structure a podcast

14:00 - A reflection of some key episodes

14:00 - Ben Lonergan - (Episode 1). When coaches discuss what is needed in a high-performance environment, especially from a coach, and then you speak to the players and they give a different account to what the coach says i.e the coach perceives him/herself as great at developing relationships but in reality, this may not be achieved.

19:25 - Dr Bernie Dancy - (Episode 2). High achievers and their relationship with stress. It’s often ok until it really isn’t ok. It’s also something I feel we’ll never stop trying to figure

25:24 - Dr Luke Hughes - (Episode 8). BFR training can create the same adaptations without the high levels of damage/fatigue. This means people (for performance, healthy individuals) could increase the frequency of training, or reduce the training they’re doing so they’re not fatigued for their sport

31:55 - Steve Griffiths - (Episode 9). Beliefs -> thoughts -> emotions. Constantly re-centre yourself and reflect as the way you perceive your beliefs might be holding you back. Beliefs are not facts, they are your perception of what you believe to be true

36:26 - Adam Mattiussi - (Episode 10). Hearing how much elite ballet dancers train. Do people appreciate how taxing ballet is? Training/performing 6-8 hours per day, all of which consist of a high number of jumps, so how essential physical support is to help reduce the potential risk of injury

40:55 - What to expect in Season 4

@theprogresstheory

@drphilprice

@kult.media

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. On today’s episode, we have Pro MMA fighter and S&C coach Chris Miah. Chris has fought professionally throughout Europe in promotions including Cage Warriors, Akhmat, BAMMA and ACB, and if you want to watch his fights I have included online links below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lw5rnCCQkc

In this episode, Chris shares his experiences in MMA and how he’s used these experiences to form his coaching of the next generation of fighters. There are a lot of factors to consider when preparing a fighter from the grassroots level to the professional level, and Chris really shows his experience when rationalising his approach to coaching. This includes the importance of communication, how consistency is key, and how fighters should spend more time developing their skill set. If you want to compete in MMA or want to coach MMA, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

2:20 - An introduction to Chris Miah

6:04 - Is Chris Looking to fight again? Choosing fights to help develop coaching skills

13:13 - How Chris started MMA and how it changed him as a person

16:45 - Biggest lesson from his MMA career

22:22 - Developing skills in MMA

26:45 - The 4 key areas of MMA

28:03 - How Chris started his MMA club as a response to fighters rushing their technical development

29:50 - Training differences between the off-season and preparing for a fight.

34:45 - do S&C MMA coaches make the mistake of going too specific too soon?

38:10 - Do some pro fighters make similar mistakes as amateur athletes?

45:11 - Communication between coaches and athletes the most essential factor in the success of a fighter

49:16 - How MMA will change as the sport becomes more global and professional

51:57 - How to contact Chris

I loved hearing about Chris' background and how he got into the sport. It’s one of those stories you love to hear where someone has used sport to shape them as a person and has led them to great successes. After this episode I watched the youtube links Chris sent me of his fights and the guy is a machine, so check them out too.

I just wanted to provide some final thoughts on some key areas of the chat with Chris which really resonated with me.

Firstly, his message of mastering the basics. People in many different areas of life try to get ahead by trying to copy the professionals or accelerating their development too quickly without putting in the time to master the basics. In fact, many of the stories I read from professionals all say that mastering the basics is the key to success. Chris really emphasises how important this is in MMA as whatever happens in a fight you’ll always have your mastered skill set to fall back on. If this isn’t developed and you fatigue heavily during a fight, you can be in serious trouble. This message seems even more important when ignoring this could result in your getting knocked out.

And secondly, what I think makes Chris stand out is his ability to learn what is missing throughout his fighting career and try to solve this during his coaching career. Fighters accelerating their development too quickly? He started Combat Sports Centre which has a philosophy of working on the basics. Communication between coaches is poor? Chris has enhanced his coaching in overseeing the skill and physical development of the athlete while bringing in experts in other areas. He’s the coordinator, which will help make sure all coaches are working in unison towards the same goal. He’s providing the expertise, culture and management skills that are essential for success in MMA. I'm looking forward to what Chris does next. Check out his Instagram to see if he does fight in the near future.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode. To find more of our episodes please head to our website theprogresstheory.com where you can download our podcasts or watch the full episode via our youtube link. We’ll see you in the next one.

@theprogresstheory

@thepricep

@chrismiahcoaching

https://www.chrismiah.com/

St Mary’s S&C MSc

Combat Sports Centre, Solihull

Fearless, MMA

Renegade, MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC S&C handbook

UFC

Olympics

@TheRock

Hello and welcome to the Progress Theory where we discuss scientific principles to optimise human performance.

It did it, I completed my first half iron. It was certainly an experience as it is still a new sport to me and I am unaccustomed to the high volumes of training associated with this length of event, but I felt I held my own, learned so much about myself and am looking forward to what the future brings on this new path to hybrid style training.

So I thought it best to do another performance review episode to reflect on the event, the training that preceded it, and briefly touch where my goals will be set next.

Anyways, let’s give a recap of the event. It was the gauntlet race held by Castle Triathlon, which was a half iron distance (1.9km swim, 90km bike, and a half marathon run, so 21.1km). I was particularly nervous about the bike as I feel that is my weakest section and takes up the most time. However, I surprised myself in that section, and managed to complete the whole race in 7 hours, 29 minutes and 15s. To be honest, as this was my first ever half iron I was happy with anything under 8 hours, so beating that expectation by roughly 30 minutes is a great personal result and certainly something to build on.

In this episode, I cover:

The swim – 47:09

• 2:02 pace, did over 400m extra
• Googles, poor at spotting. Open water skills needs work.
• Swimming has improved. Focused on 2-3 cues from my wife
• Going forward – work on drills (legs)

The bike – 4:11:03

• 21.8kph pace – wanted 22.5 but still happy
• Position is still a problem. Becoming more tolerant of the bike position but 90km is still a lot.
• Gear change, hill work
• Going forward – work on position, work on hip

The run – 2:18:45

• No expectations as it was a boggy hilly trail run. Hadn’t really prepared for that
• Felt ok for 12km, post 16km my hips really started to hurt. Back was seizing up on the hills post bike.
• Strategy could have been better – walk hill, faster on flats and downhills
• Depends on length of distances in the future.

What went well with the training and event?

· Nutrition – Did not feel like I lacked energy from lack of fuel. Bike nutrition was fine (sweets, gels in water), the event did a good job of providing food/water so there was no excuse.

· Swim – only focusing on 2-3 cues meant I had time to practise and work on them

· Bike – doing the racecourse the week before. Selecting training runs that were worse than the actual event

· Reaching a period of overreaching at the end of week 6 then beginning the deload

· Making compromises on the training runs to ensure my calf did not get injured prior to the event.

What could have been improved?

· The ITERA walk

· More time outside on the bike.

Other than that, to be honest, I wouldn’t have changed anything. My weight training supported my strength and was more specific to running (in my case trying to be springy). By the final 4 weeks I was only doing what was necessary, no additional fluff that could fatigue me and affect my swim, cycle and run sessions. So that worked well as I felt good going into the event. And using RPE to track the majority of my progression week to week allowed me to see how I was progressing. For example, certain speeds by the end of the programme had a reduced rpe associated with them i.e I found them easier, (5m/km pace example).

It was the optimal beginner’s programme. It was uber easy and particularly pushed me to ensure I adapted and improved, but it was also easy to auto-regulate when necessary, as a lot of what was governing the session was subjective i.e the use of rating of perceived exertion. Check my Instagram posts on the @drphilrpice account so you can see what training I did each week. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas for when planning your own training programme for a similar event.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the performance review for the Progress Theory. My next challenge will be a little heavier, so make sure you follow us on Instagram and subscribe to The Progress Theory on youtube or your podcast app of choice. It would be amazing if you could also leave us a review. We’re always looking to improve the podcast and make sure our listeners are getting content they can use to help with their own training.

We’ll see you in the next episode

In today’s episode, we have Steph Lazarczuk, Researcher and lecturer in sports rehab, with her area of expertise being hamstring injury and return to sport. Hamstrings injuries are one of the most frustrating injuries for athletes because if they are not treated with the appropriate exercise protocols and progressions they’re likely to reoccur. This is particularly relevant for athletes whose sports require high levels of hamstring strength and contraction velocities, such as sprinting. In this episode, Steph discusses the role of the hamstring muscle, determines how it can be susceptible to injury, and how strength, range and high speed running are all components of an effective hamstring rehab protocol. In short, if you work with or compete in a sport that involves running you need to listen to this episode.

1:08 - An introduction to Steph Lazarzcuk

3:22 - What lead Steph towards Hamstring research

5:19 - What is the function of the Hamstrings and why are they susceptible to injury

8:14 - The most common hamstring injuries and where they occur

15:05 - The hamstring in a lengthened state is when it is most susceptible to injury

16:07 - Determining if someone is at risk of a hamstring injury

24:55 - Long-term programming for hamstrings post-injury

32:57 - Common mistakes coaches make during hamstring RTP programming

37:22 - 3 key points for improving your hamstring training

40:37 - How to contact Steph

It was great to have the role of the hamstring fully described so you could understand how they can be susceptible to injury when exposed to sudden high forces when in a lengthened position. Hamstring strength is important, but the hamstrings are involved with so many human functions that rehabbing the hamstrings or preparing them for peak sporting performance is not as simple as just ‘do a load of nordic curls’.

Here are some final thoughts I had on the episode:

Firstly, it was really interesting to hear where hamstring injuries occur. Sprinting related hamstring injuries generally occur around the knee, whereas the hamstring injuries which occur more towards the hip are caused by a sudden slip or reach. Understanding how the hamstrings tend to get injured is vital when planning training programmes for the hamstrings as then it can focus on developing the physical qualities needed to ensure that when the hamstring is exposed to a situation that could injure it, it has the capacity to deal with the forces and the situation.

Secondly, I loved hearing her ideas around working on many physical qualities simultaneously post hamstring injury, and making training decisions based on how the athlete is tolerating the discomfort. Only focusing on one physical quality in training, such as isometric strength, before moving onto the next physical quality might mean the athlete misses an opportunity for development, or at least certainly delayed. More of a conjugate approach, so working on multiple physical qualities simultaneously, is really growing in popularity in the S&C and rehab space.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode. Follow The Progress Theory on Instagram, Youtube, and your podcast app. We’ll see you in the next one.

• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @stephlazarczuk
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In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

• Major league baseball
• Steph’s research