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

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

Written by: Simon Ward
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About this listen

The Be Battle Ready podcast is where everyday athletes, adventurers, and seekers of strength come to forge resilience - in body, mind, and spirit.

Hosted by coach Simon Ward, each episode explores the true pillars of endurance: purposeful training, nourishing nutrition, restorative sleep, a resilient mindset, and the art of recovery. It’s designed especially for those in their 40s, 50s and beyond who refuse to rust - men and women who know that age is no excuse to stop sharpening the blade.

Whether you’re preparing for your next Ironman, rebuilding after setback, or simply training for the demands of life itself, this show will help you stay Battle Ready: strong, adaptable, and unbreakable.

Expect conversations with world-class coaches, scientists, and everyday warriors - those who walk the path of longevity and high performance - sharing wisdom, tactics, and stories from the front line of endurance.

👉 Subscribe now and step inside the ranks of the Battle Ready Society - where strength is forged, and rust never wins.

Copyright 2017 . All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • The Over-50 Recovery Thief Nobody Wants to Admit (Part 2)

    The Over-50 Recovery Thief Nobody Wants to Admit (Part 2)
    Jan 28 2026

    Welcome back. Part one was the foundations. This is the practical, straight-talking follow on where we get honest about what actually moves the needle over 50.

    We cover six actions that help you keep performance climbing while protecting recovery: less volume but better quality, HIIT done sensibly, reducing alcohol, daily creatine, the broken endurance run-walk approach, and regular health checks.

    The big themes (what this episode is really saying)

    Over 50, you do not need to train like a hero. You need to train with intent, recover properly, and stop letting the “small” lifestyle habits quietly sabotage the work.

    Punchy takeaways

    • Less volume, better quality: stop collecting miles and start making sessions purposeful.
    • HIIT matters for life, not just racing: keeping VO2 max and fast-twitch fibres buys you function later, not just fitness now.
    • Choose safer ways to go hard: you can hit high heart rates on a bike, rower, swim, or loaded carries without risky sprinting.
    • Alcohol is the sneaky recovery thief: it hits sleep, decisions, mood, and training quality more than most people admit.
    • Creatine is not hype: it is well researched, supports muscle, and there is growing support for brain health and cognitive function too.
    • Run-walk is not cheating: broken endurance is a strategy to stay consistent, hold form, manage heart rate, and finish stronger.
    • Health checks are health-first performance: a short appointment now can prevent a long, messy problem later.

    One key quote

    “Hoping things are fine is not the same as knowing.”

    Practical “pick one lever” challenge

    Do not try to do all of this at once. Pick one lever this week:

    • reduce volume and sharpen key sessions
    • add one HIIT session and recover properly
    • cut alcohol back and watch what happens to sleep
    • start daily creatine
    • try a run-walk interval on a familiar route
    • book a health check

    SWAT Inner Circle

    If you want help applying all of this with proper structure, support, and a plan you can trust, the SWAT Inner Circle is the simplest way to stay consistent and stay Battle Ready.

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Connect with me HERE:

    https://linktr.ee/simonward

    You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Over 50? Start Here: Strength, Sleep, Protein (Part 1)

    Over 50? Start Here: Strength, Sleep, Protein (Part 1)
    Jan 21 2026

    This week is part one of a two-parter where Beth and I strip things right back to the foundations that keep you training well, feeling good, and staying properly capable as the years tick on. No gimmicks, no hero sessions, and definitely no “smash yourself then need a week off” nonsense.

    We cover five core actions that make everything else work: regular strength training that you can actually stick to, doing something that challenges your brain (not just your body), sorting your sleep so recovery is no longer optional, eating enough protein to support muscle and healthspan, and building stability and balance so you move well now and stay upright later. Simple stuff, but it is the simple stuff that most people skip.

    Part two will take it on from there with less volume, more smart intensity, alcohol, creatine, broken endurance running, and health checks.

    5 key takeaways

    • Strength training should be regular and progressive, not a weekly punishment session that leaves you sore and inconsistent.
    • Training your brain means learning new skills (bonus points if it’s social), not just repeating the same puzzles forever.
    • Better sleep is your cheapest performance enhancer, and small habit changes beat overthinking it.
    • Most active over-50s need more protein than they think, spread across the day, not crammed into one meal.
    • Stability and balance are both performance tools and long-term “life insurance”, so test them and train them.

    One key sentence from the episode:

    Strength Training - “You do not need to be sore for it to be working”.

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Connect with me HERE:

    https://linktr.ee/simonward

    You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Protein Made Practical: Targets, Timing, and Simple Meals (Part 2)

    Protein Made Practical: Targets, Timing, and Simple Meals (Part 2)
    Jan 14 2026
    Welcome back, this is part two of our protein mini-series with Dr Jules Strauss. Part two is the no-nonsense version. Less theory, more ‘do this’. Jules and I turn protein into a simple daily system for busy endurance athletes: how to spread it across the day, why breakfast and lunch are where most people miss easy gains, when shakes are actually useful, and what the truth is about that post-session ‘window What we cover What “1.5-2.0 g per kg” looks like in real food Why most people under-do protein at breakfast and over-do it at dinner.A simple way to build meals “Protein first”, then build the meal around it.Make breakfast and lunch count Easy upgrades to porridge, yoghurt bowls, eggs, fish tins, and grab-and-go meals.Meal prep without becoming a full-time chef The “go-to meal” approach and why repetition can be a feature, not a flaw.Supplements and quality Whole foods first, supplements to top up, and why athletes should look for batch-tested options.The post-workout window Useful, but not panic stations. Context matters (session length, depletion, and how soon you train again).Chocolate milk as a recovery option Old-school, practical, and surprisingly effective.Who should be cautious with high protein? Mainly those with existing kidney issues, who should follow medical guidance.Protein and periodisation Carbs get periodised. Protein stays foundational. Five practical takeaways Set your number: know your daily protein target for your body weight and age.Protein at every meal (and snack if needed): stop leaving it all for dinner.Build meals from the protein source first: then add carbs, colour, and flavour around it.Keep it simple: 5-7 repeatable meals beats chaos and good intentions.Prep once, benefit all week: small batch cooking beats daily decision fatigue. Quote to steal “Think about building your meal out from the protein source rather than the carbohydrate source.” J Listener action Pick two high-protein breakfasts you actually enjoy and rotate them for the next 14 days.Do a quick audit: are you getting a meaningful protein hit at breakfast and lunch, or are you relying on dinner to save you? Jules - Protein audio_otter_ai Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss: Website: totalendurancenutrition.comInstagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist Resources recommended by Jules Beyond muscle hypertrophy. Why dietary protein is important for endurance athletes Join the SWAT Inner Circle And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION Connect with me HERE: https://linktr.ee/simonward You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). 💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
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