Episode 25: Professor Greg Whyte OBE
How to achieve the extraordinary in physical performance
#HealthHackers Ep 25 with sports scientist & former Olympian, Professor Greg Whyte OBE
No time to watch the video? Below is the Soundcloud audio podcast version. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts to get the audio on your iPhone here.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Greg’s three steps for anyone who wants to achieve the seemingly impossible
how he designs training plans for non-athletic celebrities attempting monumental endurance challenges
which of his celeb clients has impressed Greg the most
the positive mental gains we could all get from setting a New Year challenge
Greg’s top methods for faster recovery during extreme training
why we shouldn’t fear exercise-induced inflammation
the reason Greg thinks post-training ice baths are a bad idea
which ‘expensive’ muscle recovery therapy he doesn’t endorse
how Greg works with cancer patients to reverse muscle loss caused by chemotherapy
his most fascinating discovery about human performance during his career so far
how Greg turned a long-held scientific belief on its head by proving it was wrong
why we need to keep challenging dogma
plus, Greg’s proudest sporting career moment
‘Success is not a chance event, it doesn’t just happen’
Sitting down to interview a human performance expert who’s trained “around 30” celebrities to complete the most gruelling of endurance challenges for Comic Relief, I wanted to know which star had impressed Professor Greg Whyte the most.
Greg with Eddie Izzard, who ran 43 marathons in 51 days. Picture: gregwhyte.com
Would it be Eddie Izzard, who ran 43 marathons in 51 days with Greg’s coaching? Maybe it was Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole and Chris Moyles for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or perhaps Davina McCall for completing a 506 mile ultra-triathlon.
There was also Dermot O’Leary and Olly Murs’ trek across the driest desert in Africa, John Bishop’s cycle, row and run from Paris to London, and BBC Radio 1’s Greg James’ five triathlons in five days.
But, when pushed to answer, Greg said it was “probably David Walliams”.
The comedian swam across the English Channel in 2006, the Strait of Gibraltar two years later, before completing the length of the Thames in 2011.
“Cold open water swimming is the nadir of misery.
“There is nothing tougher,” he told me in HealthHackers episode 25.
Comedian David Walliams was coached by Greg for his open water swimming challenges. Picture: gregwhyte.com
Greg is familiar with tough.
He’s been an Olympic athlete (twice competing in the modern pentathlon), he won silver at the World Championships in 1994 (his proudest moment - because his father was there to see it).
Since retiring from athletics, he’s completed the famously punishing Marathon des Sables (running the equivalent of more than six marathons over seven days in the Sahara desert). He’s also swum from Europe to Africa, across the Channel and the length of the Thames.
One of Greg’s books is called Achieve the Impossible.
I asked him if he thought anybody could achieve the impossible.
“Yes,” he said, without hesitation.
If you’re wondering how - Greg summed up his methodology in three key steps for us.
Firstly, commit; “I always say to people, look, tell as many people as you can.
“That actually creates quite a nice motivation because people are engaged in what you’re trying to do.”
Ronan Keating & Chris Moyles with Greg on their Mount Kilimanjaro climb in 2009. Picture: gregwhyte.com
Next, get a good team who will support you on your journey.
“Nothing great is achieved alone,” he said.
“The world’s greatest explorers have got an incredible team that sit behind them, you may not see them.”
And finally, “planning is absolutely crucial.”
According to Greg, it’s not just about setting one long-term major goal but breaking that down into “short and medium term goals.”
“Effectively you are creating flags along the way of whether you are on track.”
You can understand now why one of his favourite sayings is: “Success is not a chance event, it doesn’t just happen.”
Greg and TV presenter Davina McCall
Greg’s a big believer in a customised and targeted approach, profiling each of his clients to find their strengths and weaknesses, so that coaching can focus on the weaknesses while maintaining the strengths.
When he started training Davina McCall for her ultra-triathlon, he said she was only a holiday swimmer.
“She could swim 25 metres and would have to recover before going again.”
“I remember the first time I took her open water swimming… it took us about three hours to get her into the water because the fear of open water is real.”
He wrote her a training plan with a heavy focus on swimming - five times a week. Then cycling and running on top, getting faster or further each week.
She would train, on average, six days a week, he told me. And within 8-12 weeks she was able to swim 2500m across Lake Windermere in her ultra-triathlon.
Davina completed her 'Beyond Breaking Point' 506 mile ultra-triathlon
When he’s not busy training celebrities or pushing himself through gruelling challenges, Greg works with professional athletes, like boxer Anthony Joshua, to optimise their athletic performance.
He also sees a range of people with different needs at London’s Centre for Health and Human Performance - which he co-founded, including cancer patients undergoing chemo.
“What chemotherapy does is it reduces muscle mass dramatically,” he explained.
“Some of the things we work on very hard with cancer patients is optimising protein intake, the right type of protein which targets muscle regeneration combined with strength training.”
In doing so, he’s seen some muscle-loss cases reversed, he told me.
After 30 years of working in sport and exercise science, I asked Greg what his most fascinating discovery has been during that time.
“I think what we should always do is challenge dogma.”
He speaks from experience; in his early career he turned a long-held scientific belief on its head by proving it was wrong.
“If you ever read a textbook up until the nineties it would say the heart doesn’t fatigue.”
Training BBC Radio 1’s Greg James to complete five triathlons in five days. Picture: gregwhyte.com
“I remember doing sessions thinking, ‘it must fatigue’ because I’m fatiguing.”
Through his research, and going against the widely held view at the time, he was able to demonstrate that the human heart does indeed fatigue.
He went on to publish many more scientific papers - around 200, in fact. That’s alongside his eight books.
And there’s another important lesson Greg says he’s picked up over the years.
“Einstein, for me, coined it beautifully… ‘genius is the ability to explain the complex in simple terms.’
“It’s very easy to sound very intelligent and bamboozle people.
“But I think the genius is the ability to take what is incredibly complex and make it understandable by all.”
Find out more about Greg on his website here.
You can also follow him on Twitter and Instagram.