Freestyle Media
Weekly podcasts, all for the sport we love.
Episodes
186 episodes
#185: Swimming Pool to Sofa: Rehab Reality with Chris Malpass
Trafford Metro’s Chris Malpass chats about life in the early stages of recovery from knee surgery. Confined to the sofa rather than the pool, he shares the realities of rehab, adapting training, and the mental resilience needed to stay motivate...
#184: Racing Through Olympic History
Join Olympic medallist and coach Brian Brinkley for a trip back to one of the most turbulent eras in sport.From the shadow of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics to the podium highs of 1976 Summer Olympics, Brian shares what ...
#183: Masters Making Waves at Aquatics GB Championships
Helen Gorman catches up with masters swimmer John Wood following his standout performances at the Aquatics GB Championships in London, where racing shoulder-to-shoulder with the country’s elite pushed him to a lifetime best in the 100m butterfl...
#182: The Science of Altitude Training & Elite Insights from Mike Peyrebrune
Mike Peyrebrune, coach and sports scientist at Loughborough University, joins us to share expert insight into altitude training and warm weather camps. Drawing on his experience working with Olympic swimmers, Mike explains how elite athletes us...
#181: Inside the British Masters Decathlon
We sit down with 2025 British Masters Decathlon champions Michelle Ware and Mike Hodgson to unpack one of swimming’s most intriguing competitions.They break down what the Decathlon actually is, how it works, and how any masters swimmer c...
#180: From Tradition to 20.88: A New Way to Train?
We discuss the radical training behind the fastest man in the world. Sonny Trigg shares what he learned from spending time in Brisbane with Cameron McEvoy.Fresh from witnessing the build-up to McEvoy’s world record-breaking 50m freestyle...
#179: Siân Clement and the Art of Extreme Swimming
Meet Siân Clement, an intrepid open water and ice swimmer dividing her time between South Wales and Orkney and rarely choosing the easy path.In this episode, we learn about her remarkable journey from swimming alongside penguins in Antar...
#178: The Art of the Taper
Jamie Ingram joins us Helen Gorman to discuss his tapering strategy ahead of the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships this April. He’s one of Britain’s top butterfly swimmers and a Commonwealth Games medallist from 2022. Jamie explain...
#177: Can Baking Soda Make You Faster?
This week we dive into the science of lactate, that familiar burning sensation you feel in the closing stages of a hard race, and explore why bicarbonate of soda – baking powder – is being used by elite athletes to slow down lactate acid produc...
#176: From Olympic Heartbreak to King of the Channel
Michael Read MBE is a legend of British swimming. He has spent more than six decades pushing the limits of endurance in the water. Selected for the 1960 Olympic team before an accident ended that dream, he went on to carve out an extraordinary ...
#175: New age group. Same obsession.
David Bryant is competing more than anyone we know right now - chasing records and rolling back the clock to his youth.From international racing in the 80s to masters globe trotting (with a possible side hustle in espionage), he’s proof ...
#174: From Sequins to Swimscape
Mel Bardsley has never just “gone for a swim.” From representing her country in artistic swimming to winning BUCS university water polo championships and competing in National League Division 1, she’s spent a lifetime pushing limits in the wate...
#173: I Used AI to Break a British Masters Record
In December, Dom Wooldridge broke the British Masters 100m butterfly record in the 30–34 age group - with an unexpected training partner: AI.Unable to attend all his training sessions with City of Cardiff Swimming Club, Dom turned to AI-...
#172: Brad Price's 3,100 Pull-Up Challenge
We catch up with masters swimmer Brad Price after he’s just wrapped up an epic January challenge: 100 pull-ups every single day - 3,100 in total - in support of a charity that helps retired military and police dogs live out their well-earned re...
#171: Two Swimmers, One English Channel, Very Different Outcomes
Rebecca Lennon and Sarah Fitzgerald-Smith join Helen Gorman on the Master Swimming Podcast for a powerful conversation about the realities of attempting to swim the English Channel - where preparation meets uncertainty, and outcomes are never g...
#170: Can AI Make You A Faster Swimmer?
Is AI the ultimate assistant coach or a step too far?Matt Gray, assistant head coach at City of Peterborough Swimming Club, joins us to unpack how artificial intelligence is shaking up swimming. From free apps and instant feedback to rac...
#169: Should Masters Swimmers be Allowed to Wear Full Bodysuits?
Do you wish you could race in one of those shiny rubber full body suits from 2009? Do you think you could smash your personal best times and look like a superhero in the process? Or are you glad that those days are gone?Helen Gorman and ...
#168: From Elite Swimming to Firefighting: Lauren Quigley's Journey
Backstroke ace, Lauren Quigley joins us at the start of a Commonwealth Games year to reflect on the medals she won at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and during an illustrious career at saw her crack the 60 second mark for 100m backstroke (...
#167: Lessons from Lublin & Training Smart for the Year Ahead
John Wood joins Helen Gorman to reflect on the European Masters Short Course Championships held in Lublin, Poland. We discuss everything from John's impressive gold medal and lifetime best performance in the 100m butterfly to the size of pizza ...
#166: Surrey vs Hants: Inter County Christmas Cup & 2025 Review
Rival Inter County team managers from Surrey (Laura Kerrigan) and Hampshire (James MacTavish) take on the 'Inter County Christmas Cup', a new podcast game show devised without any rules or a scoring system. Helen Gorman asks the questions and J...
#165: History Maker Jane Asher Enters Swim Hall of Fame at 94
Hear from Jane Asher following her induction into the Swim England Hall of Fame. Jane has broken over 100 master’s swimming world records and won numerous world titles. Now she’s preparing for the next age group with a laser focus o...
#164: From Olympic Heartbreak to Masters Hall of Fame
This week, we meet Glen Christiansen, a Swedish Olympian and Masters World Record holder. We discuss Glen's journey from elite swimmer to coach, his heart breaking experience at the 1980 Olympics, why he attended the first ever World Masters Ch...
#163: From zero to 49 second 100m freestyle hero!
Imagine doing just five months of training and breaking 50 seconds for the 100m freestyle? That’s exactly what Arran Francis did and he’s now one of the most exciting new faces on the masters swimming scene. Helen Gorman tracked him down to fin...
#162: Finding Love for Swimming Beyond Diabetes Diagnosis
This week, we meet Reg Lloyd, who shares his journey from elite swimming to managing type 1 diabetes and finding unexpected joy in masters swimming.He discusses the highs that earned him a stunning personal best time of 1 minute 46.1 for...