The Real Science of Sport Podcast

From weight loss to fuelling for performance, the team demystify the world of sports nutrition with leading sports nutrition specialist Prof. Graeme Close. Close is a Professor in Human Physiology at Liverpool's John Moores University where he combines his academic research with nutrition and physiology consultancy to some of the worlds leading sporting individuals and organisations. As well as a...

Climbing makes its debut at the Tokyo Olympics and the format is both controversial and fascinating. Here's all you need to know about one of the four new sports being showcased in 2022 from UK-based climbing specialist Ollie Torr. Ollie is one of the founders of Lattice Training, and also works as a coach within the company. With an extensive list of qualifications and experience to his name, Oll...

Stuart McMillan is one of the world's most respected sprint coaches. Currently in his 25th year of professional coaching, McMillan has worked with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports - with the focus being on power and speed development. He is an accredited S&C and Sprints Coach and has personally coached over 70 Olympians at 7 Olympic Games; over 30 of whom have won Olymp...

The team are joined by gymnastics coach, biomechanist and former competitor Dr Helen Bayne to talk through the scoring systems, debate the controversies and pick the favourites for this year's Tokyo Games. PLUS: Is Simone Biles really the greatest gymnast of all time? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SOS Podcast co-host Prof. Ross Tucker took on the challenge of riding half the distance of each 2021 Tour de France stage to see how he would cope. This is what he discovered about himself, his body and his mind after over 60 hours of riding in three weeks. PLUS the team wrap up the 2021 Tour de France, look at the top performers and ask the questions on everyone's lips. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

Slovenian Tadej Pogačar has dominated the 2021 Tour de France but questions about his performance remain given cycling's doping history. How much do we know? What can cycling do to become more transparent and is seeing really believing? The team also catch up with all the latest Olympic news including the recent State of Emergency announced in Tokyo, new confirmed doping violations and two teenage...

The 2021 Tour de France has highlighted the spread of ages among the leading contenders from 41-year-old Alejandro Valverde to defending champion Tadej Pogacar: How normal is this and how do riders extend their careers? The team also investigate the crash-prone first week and look at whether there is any such thing as perfect cycling genetics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

The 2021 Tour de France is set to be a battle of the all-rounders with less climbing and more time trialling: The team look at the form book and the course, discuss the different training strategies of the favourites and pick the contenders. PLUS... Olympic organisers set to allow non-cheering spectators while the controversy over New Zealand's transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard, rages on Ho...

When Danish football star Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during a Euro 2020 clash it raised the question of sudden cardiac arrest in world-class sportsmen and women: But how often does it happen, who is at risk and what could have caused it? The team also discuss the positive dope test of American track star Shelby Houlihan and how super spikes may be distorting track records. Hosted on...

Whether it's endurance, strength or agility, defining 'fit' is a complex subject. The team talk through definitions, how fitness depends on your discipline or lifestyle, how to know if you're fit and when fitness goes too far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to fitness it's a case of use it... or lose it! But how fast do we lose fitness, how can we limit the damage when we take time off and is there such a thing as muscle memory? SHOW NOTES AND LINKS: Kramer et al 2017 - an amazing study where people were given bed rest for 60 days, and various physiological measures were assessed before and after. This study found that even 3 min o...

Allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sporting competitions has created a storm of controversy around human rights. The team get to grips with the facts around moves to prevent transgender athletes from competing in certain women's sports and why fairness, and even safety, are at stake. We also unpack recent comments made by American comedian and social commentator, Sarah Silverman,...

Disordered eating is common among sportspeople, both amateur and professional. The team talk to dietician and psychologist, Kim Hofmann, about why most people experience it, how to identify bad habits and the secrets of a healthy - and sustainable - eating plan. Recommended reading: Geneen Roth, Breaking Free From Emotional Eating Jan Chozen Bays, Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy...

With thousands of studies being conducted around the Covid pandemic, many are now finally producing results. Prof. Ross Tucker and co-host Mike Finch look at the latest research in sport and if fitness level can help mitigate the severity of both Covid and other diseases. SHOW NOTES The “open window” debate: A debate between scientists about the validity of the Open Window hypothesis:  https:...

In this episode, the team answer your questions. We tackle the effects of the Covid pandemic on elite sport progression, whether the mind is capable of pushing the body to greater performance, how delayed specialisation may benefit young sportspeople and the importance of self talk no matter what your sport. Support our podcast. Visit https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See...

When the UK Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) recently found former Team Sky and British Cycling head doctor, Dr Richard Freeman, guilty of illegally ordering testosterone for an unnamed rider, it sent shock waves through British sport. The team talk to renowned sports journalist Sean Ingle of The Guardian who followed the case closely for almost two years. Ingle offers a fascinating i...

Sleep, and the quality of it, can dictate everything from our moods to our sporting performances. Prof. Ross Tucker and host Mike Finch interview sleep science expert Dr Dale Rae for a deep dive into the importance of sleep, the effects of poor sleeping habits, how genes can dictate whether we are larks or owls, practical tips on getting better quality naps and if modern tech really works for moni...

We asked our Patreon community to pose their most vexing sport science questions so that we could answer them. Prof Tucker and Mike Finch discuss everything from salty sweaters to the real facts behind the 80-20 endurance training rule, women-specific training protocols and the accuracy of modern-day fitness smartwatches to predict VO2 max. NOTES: 2020 Review on Occlusion training, a systematic r...

S3, Ep1: In our first episode of 2021 Mike Finch and Prof. RossTucker discuss the science of staying motivated, if Body Mass Index (BMI) is outdated and how exercise affects body temperature. We also discuss plans for the year, the issue of health versus performance and whether or not the Tokyo Olympics may go ahead this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From shoe tech to the effect of crowd support on performance, 2020 has been an unprecedented year that also provided some unique opportunities. Together with some of the leading voices in global sports science, Prof. Ross Tucker and Mike Finch look forward to the breakthroughs and controversies likely to dominate in 2021, why they matter and how they will change the games we play. Hosted on Acast....

In early October 2020, World Rugby released its Transgender Guidelines aimed at protecting player safety. But the guidelines were followed by controversy with some unions even refusing to implement them, Prof. Ross Tucker, who was part of the World Rugby committee that decided on the guidelines, explains why the science makes sense and why all sporting codes need to look closely at World Rugby's l...

The ground-breaking 2020 London Marathon saw the great Eliud Kipchoge lose his first marathon since 2013 as Ethopian Shura Kitata took the men's win and Brigid Kosgei the women's title. But the real story of the marathon was the weather and what really happened to Kipchoge on race day. Prof. Ross Tucker and Mike Finch take a close look at one of the most dramatic city marathons in history Hosted o...

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar's sensational penultimate stage performance up the famed Les Planche de Belle Filles, on his way to his overall win, will go down in legend as one of most dramatic moments in Tour de France history. Prof. Ross Tucker and Mike Finch break down the numbers, discuss the implications and wrap up an enthralling edition of the world's greatest stage race. They also discuss cadenc...

Do excitable fans on the side of the roads really present a threat to cyclists in the midst of the Covid pandemic? Join Mike and Ross for a second week analysis of the 2020 Tour de France as they delve into the facts, the numbers and the stats and look forward to a thrilling final week Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya lost her appeal in a Swiss Federal Court to have a decision made by World Athletics - effectively forcing her to lower her testosterone levels artificially in order to compete in her favoured event - overturned. Ross and Mike break down this complex issue, question some of the suspect evidence and decisions made by World Athletics and what the...