Episode 15: Interview with Dr Simon Handley, former GB swimmer about health and overtraining

The Indoor Rower

In episode 15 of The Indoor Rower, Tony talks to Dr. Simon Handley, a GP Partner in Gloucester.
Simon is a former international world medallist swimmer and a very powerful indoor rower. He’s pulled sub 1:30 splits for a mile, has a 2k personal best (PB) of 6:03, rowed a sub 1:16 for 500 metres at age 47 and has been producing some great results as he enters the over 50's category.
Tony and Simon discuss his history in swimming, his swimming training and the benefits of lifting weights. Simon also gives his diagnosis on how he became a doctor whilst swimming competitively, his achievements in swimming and how he got into indoor rowing. We examine his PB’s in indoor rowing and his indoor rowing training. And the Doctor discusses overtraining and its negative effects and how nutrition helps recovery and optimum performance.
Dr Simon also discusses the positive effects of strength training for older athletes plus his future competitive plans.
Key Points:
0:00 - Introduction
1:16 - Simon recounts how he got involved with swimming.
5:15 - Simon discusses his swimming training.
6:35 - Simon talks about lifting and its benefits.
10:53 - Simon details how he qualified to become a doctor whilst swimming.
12:16 - Simon lists his achievements in swimming.
12:59 - Simon discusses how he got into indoor rowing.
16:35 - Simon goes into some of his indoor rowing personal best times.
18:54 - Simon and Tony discuss indoor rowing training.
26:10 - Simon talks about overtraining.
29:28 - Simon gives his opinion on nutrition for effective training.
34:22 - Simon discusses the effects of weight training for older athletes.
40:05 - Simon talks about training for power.
41:02 - Simon details the negative effects of overtraining.
44:48 - Simon broaches the subject of his future competitive plans
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