The Progress Theory

Welcome to another episode of The Progress Theory, where we explore the latest scientific principles to help you optimise your performance. In this episode, Dr Phil Price sits down with Jem Arnold—a physiologist, physiotherapist, and PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia with a fascinating dual focus on high-performance sport and clinical research. Jem’s work dives deep into individu...

Hello, and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we are joined by former GB fencer and now mindset and performance coach, Claire Bennett. Now mindset is such an important part of the elite performer. We're so focused on achieving a particular goal that we often lose sight of what's important, which can lead to resen...

Hello and welcome to the Progress Theory where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we're joined by plyometric expert Matt McInnis-Watson. Now I don't know if you've noticed, but you quite often hear of a new world record being broken in a number of different sports, say, weightlifting or quite often in running. I'm always hearing of a new world recor...

In this episode of The Progress Theory, host Dr Phil Price chats with hybrid athlete and S&C coach Ollie Russell about his incredible journey from being part of the Leicester Tigers rugby academy to becoming one of the top hybrid athletes in the country. Ollie shares his passion for participating in various physical challenges, including High Rocks and Ironmans, and how these experiences have...

In this episode of The Progress Theory, host Dr Phil Price invites physiologist and researcher Dr Tom Jones from Northumbria University to discuss the intricacies of concurrent training. They delve into the concept of the interference effect—a phenomenon where endurance training can attenuate strength gains—and explore how various training modalities, intensities, and volumes can be manipulated to...

Hello, and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we are joined by a physiologist from Newcastle University, Dr. Callum Brownstein. Now managing and recovering from fatigue is so important for the success of a training programme and sporting performance. So if it's that important, we really should understand the mec...

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Progress Theory, where host Dr Phil Price dives into the science behind human performance and achievement. In today’s episode, Phil sits down with Dr Meganne Christian, a UK astronaut and European Space Agency reserve astronaut, whose unconventional journey is as fascinating as it is motivating. From her roots in the UK and Australia, through her career...

Welcome back to The Progress Theory, where we explain the science and strategies behind human performance. In this episode, Dr Phil Price sits down with one of the UK’s top CrossFit athletes, David Shorunke. Known for his impressive rise through the competitive CrossFit ranks—despite being one of the taller athletes in the sport—David shares invaluable insight into his training philosophy, the uni...

In this episode, we are joined by S&C coach for Arete Performance, Tom Farrow. What does creative play mean to you? Learning is so important because we need to acquire knowledge so that we can implement that and start developing. However, learning is so much more than just memorising information. We need to ask lots of different questions so then we can get our hands dirty by lots of different...

In this episode of The Progress Theory, host Dr Phil Price welcomes CrossFit coach and athlete Louise Sondergaard to dive into the world of ergometer training, focusing on the vital yet often overlooked skill development in using ergs, particularly the SkiErg and rower, to enhance athletic performance. Having first discovered Louise through the Upside Strength podcast with Sean Seale, Dr Phil was...

Hello, and welcome to the progress theory where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. I am Dr Phil Price and in this episode, we are joined by a roundtable of researchers in forensic psychiatry. We have Jill Colangelo, Dr Alexander Smith, and Professor Michael Liebrenz , all who are researchers in forensic psychiatry from the University of Bern. Now if you take the who...

Hello, and welcome to the Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. I am Dr Phil Price. In this episode, we are joined by Ultra Runner and CEO of Beyond the Ultimate, Kris King. Now, ultra marathons are gaining in popularity. More and more people are looking to push their running performance further than they've ever done before. However, have you ev...

Hello and welcome to the Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we are joined again by the legendary Dr. Pak. Now, it was so good to have Dr. Pak back on the show. His last episode was amazing, but this time I wanted to move away from the minimal dose effect research that he's done before and focus more on this new research, which...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. I am Dr. Phil Price. And on today's episode, we are joined by Powerlifter and S&C coach, Rob Palmer. Now, I've known Rob for many, many years and I know he knows a thing or two about getting as strong as possible. He's won many national titles and international titles in Powerlift...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we're joined by sports physiologist, Dr Becky Neal.  Have you ever done an obstacle course race such as Spartan or a Tough Mudder? Now think about doing one of those, but at Everest Base Camp. That's exactly what Dr Becky Neal has done. And not only that, she did...

Hello, and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. I am Dr. Phil Price, and on today's episode, we are joined by S&C coach and hybrid athlete Jamie Scott. Jamie came to me a few months ago discussing the possibility of him wanting to do a PhD in the area of hybrid training. So I thought, well, this is a perfect opportunity for yo...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price and in today's episode, we have ex SAS, and now the founder of the Modern Warrior project, Lindsay Bruce. I’ve been desperate to know what separates those who make into the SAS compared to the rest of us. You hear on social media the importance of leade...

Hello and welcome to the progress theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we are joined by Hyrox athlete and the host of the Roxlyfe podcast, Greg Williams. Now, Hyrox is a functional fitness event which is gaining massively in popularity. It involves running and functional fitness stations and seems to be very popular with the hybrid, cros...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we're joined by Celtman and Norseman champion Eilidh Prise. Now, extreme triathlons like the Celtman and The Norseman are getting more and more popular, so it's a real privilege to have on The Progress Theory someone that has won both. In this episode, Eilidh discusse...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price, and in today's episode, we have sports physiologist and coach Evan Peikon. Evan is back on the podcast, and this time we're discussing his work with NNOXX, where he is a co-founder. NNOXX is a NIRS device that measures muscle oxygenation and saturatio...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price and in today's episode we have S&C coach and host of Upside Strength, Sean Seale. I’ve always wanted to know what separates those who reach the podium of the Crossfit games vs the rest of the field or even those that only make the sanctional level....

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory! I'm thrilled to announce that we're back with season six, and we have some incredible new episodes lined up for you. Our first episode will be released on February 12, 2024, and I can't wait for you to hear it. It's been an eventful year for me, becoming a father and experiencing lots of changes at my work at St. Mary's University. But now we're back and r...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have S&C coach Sean Seale. Sean is the host of Upside Strength, an amazing resource which includes a podcast, educational seminars and an awesome youtube channel. Through his podcast, he has investigated different physiological concepts and their a...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Crossfit coach and head of DekaComp, Michele Letendre. On paper, Crossfit should be a challenging sport to programme for. You need to be efficient in so many movements across a spectrum ranging from maximal strength to long-distance endurance. Add...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Hybrid coach and athlete Alec Blenis. It’s easier to understand programming for strength and endurance sports individually, but hybrid programming is more complex and that’s what makes it so exciting. But what are the best hybrid programming recom...