The Real Science of Sport Podcast

Join The Real Science of Sport Supporters Club by making a small monthly pledge at Patreon.com. Think of it as buying us a cup of coffee before you listen to us opine on sports news and science! Plus, get access to the best sports science conversations in the world!07:35 - XC at the Winter Games?17:40 - UK Athletics and the cost of FACT22:35 - Mediocre Male Beats Strong Women29:55 - Do Guardian Caps work?39:55 - And Finally - Fine margins in sport & 2 day testsShow notesToday on Spotlight, a news show that begins with a brief look at our recent interview with Travis Tygart, the USADA CEO. Gareth raises an interesting question about USADA's partnership with its athletes and perceived impartiality, and Ross reflects on some of Tygart's strong views.Sebastian Coe is trying to get Cross Country running into the Winter Olympics. It's not on snow or ice, so the Winter Games family are not all that enthusiastic. It would bring new nations to the medal table, but where should the Games draw the line at expansion?Then it's on to some news from the always controversial world of sex in sport. UK Athletics have encouraged all their female athletes to get the SRY screen done to ensure eligibility for women's sport. A good step, but one that comes at a financial cost to the athlete.it's a cost that many would consider worth incurring to protect women's sport, as demonstrated by this week's controversial victory, and then disqualification, of a male in the World's Strongest Woman event in Texas. We pick up on some views expressed by listeners to discuss the relevance of this story, and how Official Strongman, the organization in charge, reacted swiftly and decisively to correct the wrong.Onto the NFL next, for a brief chat about Guardian caps. Promoted as reducing concussion risk by 50%, these soft-shell devices don't appear to have a plausible mechanism by which work, based on recent published research. This leads us to talk about the dilemma faced by sports authorities, who often throw everything they think works at the problem, but can't do robust, quality science to know what might, or might not, be workingAnd finally, we speak about the tiny margins between success and failure, sliding doors moments in sport, and take a brief look at why Test cricket just isn't what it used to be!

Support us on DiscourseDiscourse is our "sponsorship", our sole source of income. But it's way more than that - it's a community of experts and enthusiasts who share knowledge on everything sports science related. To become part of that, become a Patron of the site and join the conversationTravis T. Tygart is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in anti-doping. As the Chief Executive Officer of USADA (the United States Anti-Doping Agency), Tygart has played a significant role in bringing athletes like Lance Armstrong to book, worked alongside federal authorities to investigate the international steroid bust during Operation Raw Deal and uncovered the international doping conspiracy involving the BALCO laboratory in San Francisco. Tygart also led the investigation into the U.S. Postal Service pro-cycling team doping conspiracy and spearheaded the publication of the Reasoned Decision in the Armstrong case. Tygart has also led the international effort to advocate for justice and reform in the aftermath of the Russian state-sponsored doping scheme. Tygart has worked for USADA for over 22 years, and his ongoing war of words with WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) has frequently been reported in international media.In this wide-ranging interview, Tygart breaks down USADA's role in policing doping offenders in the United States and around the world, and explains how the US anti-doping system works and differs from those of other countries. Tygart also explains how the passing of the US's Rodchenkov Act - which grants broader powers to anti-doping officials - has been a game-changer, how doping investigations are handled, why WADA is not doing enough to fight the good fight and why it also needs to re-examine the levels at which some drugs are measured to ensure that innocent athletes are not caught up in the net.

In this Spotlight, we pick out some of the sports science topics that our listeners are sharing in our Discourse community. You can become a Real Science of Sport Supporter here, and a small monthly pledge gets you access to the community that discusses today's, and many other, topics!(00:00) We begin with a look at some of the reaction to our most recent podcast on Endurance, and the Central Governor. Listener reaction and accounts of their experiences stimulate conversations about the hostilities and fights in academia, the difference between "belief" and "knowledge", failures of pacing leading to heat stroke, and how to recover from a pacing mistake when it happens in your races and training. We also learn about how physiology, for many years, views performance through a 'failure' lens, rather than regulation, and what this means for how we understand training and performance.(46:09) A new research study has again confirmed that high carbohydrate intake is the way to go, improving our running economy and unlocking potential performance gains similar to those of super shoes. We link pacing and regulation to this paper by pointing out that carbohydrates are not working by delaying fuel depletion, or sparing carbohydrates, but rather changing exercise intensity and our ability to run higher paces for longer.(57:53) Our Supporters Club have also been sharing thoughts about the challenge of endurance sports in the heat, which affects not only body temperature, but also fuel use (more carbs) and compromises carbohydrate delivery to the muscles. A triple challenge, confirmed by a new study that shows that we tolerate and extract fewer carbs in the heat.And Finally (1:03:15), Ross is planning his own heat challenges, having entered a mountain bike race in the peak of South Africa's summer. With temperatures expected to soar above 40C, heat adaptation and fuelling will be tested, and he discusses his general approach and promises to share more in the coming weeks!

Become a member of The Real Science of Sport Supporters Club to show your support and have your say. A perk of membership is Discourse, our community that chats about training, sports science, physiology and news.Show notesA midweek whip around the world of sport, with some sports science and management insights on stories making headlines this week. We cover:The LA 2028 Olympic Track and Field programme was announced last week. It features three 100m races on one day for the women, and no option for a 400m/400m hurdle double, are among the surprises. We discuss the effects on athletes and the missed opportunitiesTriathlon's T100 series was plunged into chaos with miscounted laps, result changing decisions, and even a vote on whether rules were applied to the satisfaction of athletes. We discuss the fiasco in DubaiBoxing continues its (d)evolution to WWE, with a fight announced between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul. A gimmick, for sure. Too dangerous? We discussWorld Rugby announced a new calendar for 2026, aimed at giving more relevance and meaning to Tour matches. The schedule has pros and cons, creating a travel load for teams that will require some accommodation for player welfareAnd finally, cardiac events among spectators at last week's ATP Finals are the trigger for a short discussion about the risks of WATCHING sport, with some interesting studies showing how risk increases when people are invested in the resultOther linksThe paper studying cardiac arrests at Gillette StadiumThe cardiac event risk is slightly higher in football in the NetherlandsLosing, but not winning, a Superbowl increases the risk of cardiovascular death

Support us on DiscourseDiscourse is our "sponsorship", our sole source of income. But it's way more than that - it's a community of experts and enthusiasts who share knowledge on everything sports science related. Oh, and it also inspires these Spotlight shows. To become part of all that, become a Patron of the site and join the conversationIn today's show, we run the Spotlight over news stories from the past week, including:4:32. The International Olympic Committee are reportedly going to move to protect women's sport by preventing trans identified males and athletes with DSDs from competing in women's sport. Will this come to pass? We discuss reports on the shift in policy, and raise some key questions. Will the IOC compel screening for sex and testing for advantage? Will they include DSDs in the policy? Will sports be obliged to comply, or remain able to govern eligibility as they please?18:32. Antagonism in antidoping continues, with shots fired between WADA and USADA, this time over The Enhanced Games. WADA think USADA should be doing more to stop the Games, but USADA say they have no authority to act. We discuss their remits, and the damaging mistrust that now exists between them. We also talk about the threat of the Enhanced Games, and USADA's perceptions of why athletes are joining "the doping Olympics"28:59. Staying on doping, US Sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams has been banned for 45 months. The 2022 100m silver medalist got a reduced sentence for co-operation, and we wonder what he shared with authorities, and whether the investigative approach will produce future sanctions?34:09. Chinese teen prodigy Yu Zidi has continued her ascent to the summit of swimming, with a 200m individual medley record that puts her into the conversation for future world and Olympic medalists. We wonder what her trajectory looks like, using a previous Chinese teen phenom to offer a dose of reality.42:18. And Finally, tennis, with another "battle of the sexes" match in December between Aryna Sabelenka and Nick Kyrgios, with a few modifications to neutralize men's power. We talk about those changes, then finish up with a quirky look at the men's tennis rankings that reflect the extraordinary dominance of the current top two.LinksIOC moves to protect women's sportWADA reckons USADA can do more to stop The Enhanced Games from proceedingUSADA does not agree, and respond with some hostilityUSADA statement on the 45 month ban for Marvin Bracy-WilliamsYu Zidi's 200m medley performance sending waves into swimmingKyrgios is confident ahead of the gimmicky battle of the sexes match

Endurance has been one of the most hotly debated topics in sports science for over three decades. From early research in the 1930s to the ground-breaking 1996 address by Prof. Tim Noakes to the American College of Sports Medicine, understanding the principles of what keeps the body going during prolonged exercise is more complex than you think. In this episode, Mike and Ross take a look back at the often controversial history, Ross's own research journey and experience with Noakes and find out if it really is possible to push beyond our own endurance limits.Support us on DiscourseDiscourse is our "sponsorship", our sole source of income. But it's way more than that - it's a community of experts and enthusiasts who share knowledge on everything sports science related. To become part of that, become a Patron of the site and join the conversationSHOW NOTESTim Noakes' original JB Wolffe Lecture, that kicked it all off in 1996The response by Bassett & HowleyTim’s response to that rebuttalBy 2000, Noakes’ thinking had evolved, and he presented models for fatigue, published hereA paper by St Clair Gibson and Noakes on fatigue as a way to avoid “catastrophe"Ross’ first study, in the heat, which was originally rejected because it contradicted prevailing wisdomThe final chapter on Anticipatory Regulation in Ross’ PhD Thesis, published as a paper in BJSMThe really cool Amman study of fentanyl and performanceAnother Amman study, this time looking at how very high and low oxygen levels changed pacing strategy and muscle fatigue

Join Discourse! A small monthly pledge gets you access to the best Sports Science community on the interwebs. For opinions, insights on sport, advice on training and diet, Discourse is the place to be.A Spotlight dedicated to the news, as we split the Spotlight show into a news segment and a science segment. Today is the news segment, which covers:3:02 A look back at the New York City Marathon, won by Kenyans Hellen Obiri in a course record, and Benson Kipruto in a photo finish. We talk pacing micro-adjustments, late end spurts and misjudged fatigue and sprint finishes17:44 Joe Klecker ran a 2:10 in NYC, but caught our eye because he planned to take in 175 g per hour of carbs in the form of almost 3 L of fluid. An insanely high intake, but one that he discussed in a recent podcast with The Coffee Club. We talk about that strategy, his experience of it, and how it fits in the new carbohydrate paradigm35:22 WADA are making moves to consider banning Ozempic and drugs like it. Gareth and Ross discuss whether WADA are over-reaching, or whether they need to pay attention to the possible impact of the weight loss drug in sport, with Ross expressing doubts that it has long term performance benefits given how it works44:53 Elite athlete Laura Hottenrott recently raised concerns about the frequency of blood testing doping controls she has been subjected to. We discuss whether that concern is legit, and whether performance might be harmed as a result of frequent blood sampling for doping control?53:00 Gareth wonders how you could go about establishing who the greatest sporting nation in the world are? We discuss how you might weight sporting events and figure out who the ultimate all-round sporting champion is57:27 Gareth's gears are grinding at the short short list for women's track athlete of the year - Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin Levrone, neither of whom had the seasons that Melissa Jefferson Wooden or Beatrice Chebet had. We wonder why the better performing, more regularly racing athletes got snubbed?LinksThe Coffee Club interview with Klecker. It's cued to start on the carbohydrate discussionWADA has its eyes on Ozempic - the article with quotes from WADA on the possibilities of banning the drug

DiscourseSupport the show by becoming a Patron, which means a monthly pledge that is equal to buying us a cup of coffee! That gets you access to our Discourse community, where listeners share views and tips on sports science, health and training, and the chance to become part of the Sports Science conversation!Show notesIn this Spotlight, we kick off with three doping stories in Discourse Digest. Ruth Chepngetich got a three year ban, up from two, then down from four, and keeps the marathon world record nobody believes in. We discuss why her case is so frustrating for sport. Imogen Simmonds has been cleared to compete despite an Anti Doping Rule Violation, after she convinced a panel that her positive test was the result of contamination by her partner during intimate contact. And Oier Lazkano has been provisionally suspended by the UCI for athlete biological passport (ABP) abnormalities that date back to 2022. Ross explains the biological passport principles, why a suspension based on the ABP is so rare, and why it might have taken this long to bring the case against Lazkano.In Centre Stage (42:23), two papers on metabolic costs of exercise were published last week, with contradictory findings. We first explore a paper that proposes a metabolic limit of 2.5 our basal metabolic rate, and where that study fits into our understanding of exercise and metabolism. Then we consider another paper that contradicts that understanding by refuting the idea that our bodies constrain certain metabolic functions when we exercise in the equivalent of what Ross calls 'physiological austerity'. We try to explain why these studies contradict one another, the importance of energy balance in metabolism, and why there's a bit of truth in both models on opposite sides of the issue.Our Listener Lens (1:10:12) is inspired by a question from Leon, who asks about using heat as a way to increase cardiovascular stress without overloading his legs. We discuss how heat may be beneficial even without that cardiovascular benefit, why HR may not be the best metric to judge intensity against, and how the approach might be a handy hack, but only part of the approach with a few words of caution.And Finally (1:20:52), Gareth wonders whether the sub-2 hour marathon is more impressive than the sub-11 hour 100 mile record?LinksSean Ingle's article on Nike's new shoesArticle interviewing Pontzer about the constrained modelThe Pontzer study on ultra endurance athletes and the metabolic ceilingThe study that disputes Pontzer's constrained model, arguing instead for an additive effect of exerciseA discussion on X that eventually brings two authors together to discuss the contradictory findingsA comment in Nature on the debate and an attempt to find some middle ground

Join Discourse! No pitch, just a link to sign up and show your support!In this week's show, we tackle intriguing physiological questions raised by listeners, explore whether different types of exercise interfere with one another to undermine training benefits, and run the Spotlight across stories from the sports world.In Digest this week (10:02):One of the great swimmers of the last decade, Ariane Titmus, has retired in her prime, leaving us to ponder the difference between athletes who go early and those who hang on. And cynically, those who switch to The Enhanced Games, which this week announced another former Olympian to its ranks. We discuss the carrot of the Enhanced Games, and how it capitalizes on incentives to entice athletes to join the movementWe wonder whether tennis players are playing too much, and whether the data support claims made by players like Taylor Fritz, who believe a combination of the calendar, courts and balls are threatening their welfare?In doping, 21% of athletes competing for Great Britain at the Commonwealth Games admitted to doping in the previous twelve months. That's only slightly better than the results of the same survey in Spanish athletes, which put the figure at 36%. Ross and Gareth discuss why the true figure is likely higher, and what it means for doping and anti-doping's effectivenessOur Center Stage topic (45:19) is a paper that explores a phenomenon called "the interference effect", where different types of exercise aimed at endurance or power/strength, have been thought to cancel each other out, undermining the adaptations from training. We explain the origins of that theory, and explore why things are not necessarily as simple as they seemed, with some practical advice for all those who like to mix their training types.In Listener Lens (1:08:33), Ali Robinson showcases what Discourse has to offer, making a fantastic observation about our most recent guest, cyclist Andrew Feather, and his physiological capacity. He introduces us to concepts of anaerobic capacity, or the W prime, and Ross explains how we can all use this concept (runners too!) to understand our performance limits, and design effective interval training sessions, including a challenge to Gareth to test his capacity and design training.And Finally, we introduce a paper on a metabolic ceiling that limits endurance athletes, with a promise to explore it in a future Spotlight editionShow notesTaylor Fritz shares views on load in tennis in an X exchange with fansTennis website with data on rally length and ace rateSurveys reveal a minimum prevalence of doping in athletesThe original WADA investigation on doping prevalence, 2011Our Center stage paper - the interference effect for power and endurance training