Episode 387
In episode 387 of The Physical Performance Show, host Tim Studley picks up part two of his conversation with fellow Pogo Physio physiotherapist Lewis Craig, continuing last week’s deep dive into surf life saving and Ironman racing. This episode shifts focus from injury patterns to managing niggles, optimising performance, and the habits that separate top-tier surf ironman athletes from the rest.
Tim and Lewis discuss the collaborative decision-making involved in managing a recurring niggle, the key training and screening recommendations every surf life saving athlete should have in place, the lessons Lewis has learned working with elite athletes in the sport, and his top tips for improving performance — from sand-specific training to fuelling properly for a demanding training load.
SHOW SPONSORS:
💯 Today’s episode is brought to you by Pillar Performance and Pogo Physio’s telehealth consultations. If you are an endurance runner battling with bone, tendon, joint related concerns, our online Telehealth consultations are an ideal platform to help get you back to your physical best – book online at https://pogophysio.com.au.
💯 PILLAR Performance is leading a new frontier in sports nutrition through micronutrition innovation. Their new Collagen Repair formula, developed in collaboration with Gelita Laboratories, is designed to support tendon and ligament health while promoting collagen synthesis to help athletes stay healthy and perform at their best.
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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:
A recap: this episode picks up where Part 1 (episode 386) left off, continuing the discussion on surf life saving and Ironman racing
Managing recurring niggles: why the decision to rest or continue training should be a collaborative one between physio, athlete and coach
How timing within the season affects the risk-benefit of resting versus maintaining training load
Why a first-time niggle warrants a more cautious, rest-forward approach compared to a chronic, familiar issue
Practical ways to modify training around a niggle — for example, adjusting swim technique (removing paddles, adding kick, more dry-land warm-up) rather than stopping entirely
The physiotherapist’s role in performance: keeping athletes pain-free and injury-free so coaches can focus on skill and aerobic development
Baseline recommendations for surf life saving athletes: two gym sessions per week, individual screening, consistent dry-land warm-ups, and tracking training load
How swimmers can track training intensity despite the difficulty of measuring heart rate in the pool, including simple session RPE-based load tracking
Why tracking training load matters most when returning from injury or time out of the sport
The performance and injury-reduction upside of athlete and team awareness around REDs and energy availability
The value of a collaborative support team: coach, physio, dietician, sports psychologist and massage therapist working together
Lessons learned from working with elite surf life saving athletes, including individual variation in pain tolerance, treatment preferences and communication style
Common themes among top athletes: professionalism, a genuine quest for knowledge about their bodies and training, and long-term training consistency
Lewis’s top three tips for improving performance: sand-specific training with a focus on calf and lower-limb capacity, prioritising shoulder health from a young age, and taking fuelling seriously
The best piece of performance advice Lewis has been given: you can only benefit from the training you can recover from
Closing thoughts on the sport deserving more attention, and interest in having surf life saving athletes themselves on the show in future
QUOTES / TAKEAWAYS:
“It should always probably be a collaborative decision between the physio treating the athlete, the athlete themselves, and the coach.”
“Can I take one or two, three days now to maybe potentially avoid a bigger block or weeks of interrupted niggling soreness?”
“You can only benefit from the training you can recover from.”
“Eat more than you think you need.”
“There’s a professionalism, there’s a quest for knowledge, and then there’s a consistency thing.”
“It’s trying not to confuse doing more with being best.”
TIME STAMPS:
00:17 – Episode introduction and breakthrough experience
00:23 – Episode 387 introduction: Part 2 with Lewis Craig on surf life saving
02:22 – Managing a recurring niggle: how to approach the decision to rest or train through
03:20 – Timing within the season and its effect on rest decisions
04:20 – Why a first-time niggle warrants a more cautious approach
04:50 – Modifying training instead of stopping: examples from swimming
05:47 – The physio’s role in performance: keeping athletes pain-free so coaches can coach
06:46 – Baseline recommendations: two gym sessions per week
07:41 – Screening to identify individual injury risk factors
08:06 – The value of consistent dry-land warm-ups
09:06 – Tracking training load and intensity in swimming
10:35 – Session RPE and simple load-tracking methods
11:06 – Why tracking load matters most when returning from injury
11:36 – Awareness of REDs and low energy availability
12:05 – Recap: gym, screening, warm-ups, training load, energy awareness, support team
12:32 – Lessons learned from working with elite surf life saving athletes
13:30 – Individual variation in athlete preferences and pain tolerance
13:59 – Common themes among top athletes: professionalism and consistency
15:24 – Lewis’s top three tips for improving performance
16:22 – Recap: sand-specific training, shoulder health, fuelling
16:52 – The importance of eating enough to support training load
17:17 – The best performance advice: recovering from training, not just doing more
18:15 – Closing thoughts and interest in future athlete guests
18:45 – Episode close and thanks to Lewis Craig
19:17 – Recap of the two-part surf life saving discussion
19:36 – Pogo Physio Telehealth Consultations and closing details
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YOUR HOSTS:
🏃♂️➡️ Timothy Studley – Physiotherapist: Instagram @timothy_physio
💪 Lewis Craig – Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead, Pogo Physio: Instagram @_lewiscraig_
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Please direct any questions, comments, and feedback to the above social media handles.
COLLAGEN REPAIR
Now, you've all heard me talk about Pillar Performance. They have truly led a new frontier in the sports nutrition industry through their micronutrition innovation — and as someone who has spent their career working with endurance athletes managing injury, this one really caught my attention.
You may have also recently seen Pillar launch some new product lines under the banner of Performance Health. Like all Pillar products, this expansion is designed to maximize those crucial hours outside of training and racing, helping you return to the start line in peak condition.
One of their newest releases is Collagen Repair. This has been specifically developed to address some of the most common tendon and ligament overuse injuries among endurance athletes — conditions like hamstring tendinopathy, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints, and patellofemoral pain. As a physio, these are honestly the injuries I see walk through the door most often.
This product was brought to market in collaboration with Gelita Laboratories from Germany, and features a clinically trialled collagen peptide called Tendoforte, designed to strengthen and promote collagen synthesis.
Did you know that after the age of 30, you lose 1% of your body's collagen every year? That's significant — especially if you're pounding out kilometres week after week.
All you need is one scoop — it's flavorless and pairs perfectly with your morning coffee.
So check it out. Visit PillarPerformance.shop, or for North American listeners, head to TheFeed.com and use the code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase.
TRIPLE MAGNESIUM
On The Physical Performance Show, we talk a lot about training load, but sleep and recovery are where the real adaptation happens — and that's something I've become genuinely obsessed with optimising.
Pillar's Triple Magnesium has become a non-negotiable part of my evening routine. Informed by leading Heart Rate Variability researcher Dr Dan Plews, I take it 30 minutes before bed every night to help my body spend as much time as possible in REM and deep sleep.
Pillar uses a high dose of Glycinate Magnesium, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system — essentially telling your body it's time to switch off, recover, and rebuild. My WHOOP data each morning tells the story: higher HRV, longer deep sleep cycles, and I genuinely wake up feeling more restored.
For anyone listening who is serious about performance — whether you're training for your first marathon or your tenth Ironman — sleep quality is the multiplier on everything else you do. This is the product that's moved the needle most for me personally.
Head to PillarPerformance.shop and use code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase.
