Performance Advantage Podcast

Besides working as a mechanic for the Norco Factory team, Dr Kirkwood is also a leading MTB researcher at Edinburgh Napier University focused on understanding vibrations during riding. In this episode we discuss why MTB is potentially dangerous, how the bike-rider system can function optimally, and how data is used at the World Cup Downhill races (spoiler: it's not!) Follow along with Lewis here:...

The heat shows no mercy, and that was particularly true for Dr Will's 24hr "race". Back in June, Matt and Will did an episode (59) going over Matt's experiences in 24hr MTB racing and what Will could expect come race. Over the next 5 months from June until race day Will implemented as much of his sports science knowledge as he could to prepare for the demands of running for 24hrs (more details on...

Kevin Van Hoovels had a quiet but sharp rise to the top in XCO MTB racing. Kevin represented Belgium at the 2012 Olympics in London and had a career-best finish at the World Championship in 10th. Now focused on coaching other riders, Kevin talks to us about science, study, what it takes to be a pro and why he had to leave his PhD to focus on training. Kevin's advice for aspiring pro riders cannot...

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a powerful but often misused tool.  Dr's Will and Matt are big proponents of "train easy, get fast" and HIIT training is very counter to that. It makes for a great discussion on this week's episode.  Dr Paul Laursen is the CEO and co-founder of both HIIT Science. He was formerly lead physiologist for High Performance Sport New Zealand for the Lo...

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by athletes and patients. Dr Guillaume Millet, French native and lifelong ultra-athlete and fatigue researcher, studies extreme sports (ultra-endurance or hypoxia) as a model to explore the limits of human adaptive responses.  Gui, as he is commonly known, has developed the flush model. The flush model has the following four co...

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the international race season was postponed until now. It has been over 400 days since the conclusion of last season, and athletes have been thrown for a loop worldwide. Now that racing is back, there has been a changing of the guard, with new racers at the front of the London Marathon and at the UCI MTB World Cup. Matt and Will discuss how changes in training...

Pacing in endurance sport (>2min) is one of the most essential aspects of performance. Regardless of your ability, if you start the race beyond your level of fitness you will slow down at the end. The severity of how much you slow down (blow up) will depend on the race duration and how far beyond your ability you went at the start. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the longer your event is,...

Ever wondered why you feel light-headed when you stand up too quick? Dr Blake Perry is an integrative human physiologist and elite downhill mountain biker specialising in cerebral blood flow regulation. Dr Perry explains the light-headed phenomenon and how the physiology of the brain and the body work together and against each other when we exercise. ------ GET 50% OFF THE MASTERCLASS: Using Sport...

Radix Nutrition are changing the food industry with their high quality and fully nutritious freeze-dried meals. Mike Rudling, co-founder of Radix, tells us about his amazing journey from elite swimmer to professional cyclist to being on the cutting edge of the nutrition industry. Mike's same skills and dedication that led him to the top of his sport are now helping him lead the way as an entrepren...

We are back, and wow, do we have some stories for you! We were both involved in the Length of NZ Triathlon project ( www.lengthofnz.com ) with pro triathlete Kieran McPherson. Kieran had the ambitious goal of completing a triathlon every day for 14 days to traverse the length of New Zealand. Unfortunately, due to "that virus" we had to stop on day 10. What we learned during the trip was invaluable...

Blood lactate accumulation, muscular acidosis and the lactate threshold are buzzwords surrounded by mystique in sports. But doesn’t have to be confusing! We break down the science of what is happening in the muscle and in the blood so you have a clear understanding to perform better. ------ Visit our new website on PerformanceAdvantagePodcast.com for a 30% off early bird discount on our newest cou...

Dr Kim Hebert-Losier is leading the research into Nike's innovative vaporfly 4% and subsequent next % running shoes used to break the sub-2-hour marathon. We discuss what the shoe actually does and it's claimed benefits, and use evidence to discuss whether these will actually help you run faster. ------ Visit our new website on PerformanceAdvantagePodcast.com for a 30% off early bird discount on o...

A wise racer once said, "enjoy every win--they don't happen that much." This couldn't be more true. The reality of racing though is that most of us will never win a race. But does this really mean we aren't a good athlete? And if we do happen to win, are we a great athlete? Matt shares his thoughts from his win last weekend. Also on this week's show, we get back to our normal segments, discussing...

Dr Will enters the New Zealand 24hr championships for running live on air! We breakdown what Will is going to need to consider to ensure optimal performance on race day. The goal is a MINIMUM of 200km, and did we mention it's around an athletics track, that's 500 laps!!! We reap our races from over the weekend, along with a general discussion of how training has been going. ------ MASTERCLASS (Sav...

Jay Barrett is a mental skills coach working with top athletes and corporate leaders. Today Jay talks about how we can equip ourselves with the mental skills necessary to deal with a changing schedule--whether it is in racing, training, or life. With races opening up in NZ, we discuss the pros/cons of losing sight of goals and how to save ourselves...from ourselves! ------ Learn more about Jay : h...

Learn how the pros build a training plan. Steve is the athlete we all know and love. Steve is in his 40s, has limited time, loves to thrash himself and is always keen to head out with the boys. Steve has come to us wanting a training plan for two upcoming races. Steve has entered an enduro MTB comp and a trail half marathon, one week apart!! Drs Matt and Will discuss how they would write a six wee...

Mikki Willden Ph. D is a world renown expert in sports nutrition. We talked to Mikki about how female athletes differ from each other as much as they differ from their male counterparts. Mikki talks us through the fundamentals of female athlete nutrition including recommendations for women going through perimenopause and menopause. We also discussed carbohydrate recommendations (low and high) as w...

Performing well throughout the season means you need to be motivated at all the right times. But how can you avoid a dip in motivation at the wrong time? And how can you deal with any planned or unplanned downtime? Will and Matt talk about their 10 tips for dealing with the inevitable break. Check out or new website::: www.performanceadvantagepodcast.com <<You can support the show with some...

Dr Will has had to admit he's overtrained himself. This week, Matt and Will dicuss overtraining while figuring out where Will went wrong. Overtraining is a blanket term that describes an athletes training state in which stress has occurred without adequate rest. Acute overtraining can be remedied with a few days on the couch, whereas chronic overtraining can take months and sometimes even years to...

Training zones are a useful tool for prescribing training and intensity. When coaches build workouts and plans, training zones make prescription and analysis of training simple and effective. However, many athletes are unsure of what each training zone means, how it should feel, and what it's trying to achieve. Will and Matt talk through the science behind zone training,  what each zone repre...

Dr Steve was an elite Australian road cyclist turned top international exercise physiologist. In 2017, he developed multiple myeloma which totally changed his life. Steve describes what it was like training through cancer treatment and how the system falls short in exercise recommendations. Join us for this intimate look Go look at our ** NEW Website and eLearning Course** https://www.performancea...

Ella Harris is a 21yr/o Kiwi pro rider for CANYON//SRAM Racing . Ella won the 2018 Zwift Academy competition in 2018 which scored her a contract with CANYON//SRAM Racing . Through some standout performances in 2019, Ella was offered another contract with the team for 2020.  We talk to Ella about her background in cycling, what it's like to be known as "that zwift rider", and what her season l...

Jono is a world leading expert on suspension tuning for mountain bike riders of New Zealand and beyond. We learn what suspension is supposed to be doing and how we can improve our ride to save energy. Will and Matt catch up on their training and software developments. Jono gives away a Vorsprung Luftkappe to one lucky rider!!! Follow Jono on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesuspensionlab/?h...

Do you need training motivation or help with your productivity? As experienced working from homers, Matt and Will share their tips and experiences on how you can manage your training and time whilst be based at home. Follow Dr Matt on Instagram http://bit.ly/2GqPs9s Follow Dr Will on Instagram https://link.drwillo.com/instagram Dr Will's YouTube channel https://link.drwillo.com/youtube Listen to t...

An informative and insightful chat with Dr Emma O'Connor (Crum). Emma is a Kiwi athlete who spent five years racing her bike in Europe before starting a career in academics and recently becoming a Mum. Emma talks openly about her experiences racing as a "pro" cyclist in Europe as well as sharing some amazing race stories. Emma tells us what it's like to train for endurance sports while pregnant an...