Training Science Podcast

Are asymmetries something we should actually be fixing… or just better understanding? Dr Chris Bishop is an Associate Professor of Strength and Conditioning and one of the leading researchers in interlimb asymmetry, bringing years of work across performance, rehab, and applied sport science. In this conversation, Chris breaks down one of the most misunderstood topics in sports performance. From ho...

What if you could bring lab level physiology into every training session? Arnar Larusson is the founder of Tymewear and is working to make breathing data accessible outside the lab, giving athletes real time insight into how their body is actually responding to training. Coming from a background in mechanical engineering and prosthetics, Arnar saw the gap between what we can measure in controlled...

What does it take to build a career across the highest levels of sport and keep evolving along the way? Jon Bartlett has worked across football AFL the NBA and Olympic cycling building a career shaped by curiosity adaptability and a constant drive to learn. Rather than staying in one system Jon chose to explore different sports and environments to understand how high performance actually works in...

We all “love” 😍 STRENGTH & gym training 🏋🏻 to a certain degree - but that does not mean that you CANNOT develop SPEED & STRENGTH without it! Dr Darren Burgess want you to understand that WHOLE sport CULTURES ⚽ 🏀 🏈 have been developed over decades without having very much strength or speed specific training AT ALL. Many footballers in Europe for example barely do any gym work. Obviousl...

What if you could predict your race before you even start? In this episode, Ryan Cooper shares the story behind one of endurance sport’s most influential tools, Best Bike Split. With a background in electrical engineering and aerospace, Ryan saw early on that the same physics used in aviation could be applied to cycling and triathlon performance. We dive into how power meters and modeling unlocked...

What if your biggest performance limiter isn’t your fitness, but your nervous system? In this episode, Lawrence van Lingen shares a radically different lens on endurance performance, one that shifts the focus from traditional training metrics to fascia, breath, and vagal tone. Drawing from years of work with elite athletes like Andi Böcherer and Jan Frodeno, Lawrence explains how movement efficien...

What actually drives performance in professional cycling, and how much of it is science versus experience? In this episode, Dr David Bailey joins us to unpack over two decades of work across Olympic sport and WorldTour cycling. From talent identification and training philosophy to nutrition, heat, altitude, and the evolving role of data, David shares what really matters when building high performa...

What can heart rate variability actually tell us about training, recovery, and long term health, and where do most people still get it wrong? In this episode, Dr Greg Grosicki joins us to unpack the science and practical value of HRV, from what it really measures to why context matters so much when interpreting it. We explore how exercise intensity, sleep, alcohol, sickness, hydration, and metabol...

What actually changes as we age as athletes, and how should training evolve if we want to keep performing while protecting long term health? In this episode, Professor Peter Reaburn joins us to explore the science and real world practice of training as a masters athlete. Drawing on decades of research and personal experience as an endurance athlete, Peter explains why resistance training becomes e...

TOP EPISODE REPLAY Profiling and training SPEED🏎️ individually might be 30% (!!!) of any SPRINTING performance - get ON IT! Prof. Dr. JB Morin would like you to consider that if you do not cover, train or assess the WHOLE SPECTRUM of what your athletes can or cannot do, then you are likely leaving BIG 💥💨 gains on the table. Does 30% matter to you? In the 115th episode of The Training Science Pod...

Does high intensity training really build the strongest heart, or is it time in Zone 1 and Zone 2 that truly drives cardiac adaptation? In this episode, Dr Guido Claessen joins us to unpack a landmark longitudinal MRI study on endurance athletes that challenges common assumptions about HIIT and heart remodeling. They explore what actually builds the “athletic heart,” why low intensity volume matte...

We sit down with Prof Guillaume Millet to get clear on what fatigue actually is, why durability became the new buzzword, and what really limits performance in ultra endurance events. We dig into central vs peripheral fatigue, why muscle damage matters so much in trail and mountain running, and how shock weekends can build the resilience you cannot fake on race day. We also talk heat, perceived exe...

Episode 200 marks a major milestone for us, and we celebrate it with someone who played a foundational role in our journey. Professor Ken Nosaka joins us to reflect on how eccentric training research shaped modern training practice and brought our paths together. We revisit the early ECU years, then dive deep into what Ken’s research has taught us about muscle soreness, muscle damage, the repeated...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Andrew Koutnik to unpack one of the most discussed sports science reviews in recent years. Drawing on more than 100 years of research and a series of tightly controlled trials, we examine evidence that challenges the long-held belief that more carbohydrates automatically lead to better performance. We explore why muscle glycogen and carbohydrate oxidation do no...

In this episode, we sit down with François Fourhet to trace a career that has moved from hands on clinical practice to global performance environments, research leadership, and now consulting and teaching. François shares the three major chapters of his journey: early years as a sports physio in Reims, nearly a decade in Doha within Aspire and Aspetar, then his Swiss chapter at Hôpital de la Tour...

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Arne Güllich to unpack one of the most talked about sports science papers in years, recently published in Science . Drawing from data on more than 30,000 high performers across sport, music, chess, and science, the conversation challenges the belief that early dominance and early specialization are the keys to elite success. Arne breaks down the now vira...

In this episode, Dr. Martin Buchheit is joined by Dr. Scott Frey, a neuroscientist and founder of Cerebral Performance, to explore how brain science can improve athletic performance. The conversation focuses on central fatigue and why cognitive load can meaningfully reduce physical output, decision making quality, and error recovery in sport. Scott explains why athletes often taper the body but ra...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof Paul Laursen is joined by Stephan Nüsser, performance physiologist and founder of a performance diagnostics lab in Germany, for a deep and practical discussion on lactate testing and endurance performance. Drawing from decades of applied work with cyclists, endurance athletes, and motocross professionals, Stephan explains how lactate can be use...

In this end of year catch up, Prof Paul Laursen and Dr. Martin Buchheit reflect on the biggest lessons, debates, and breakthroughs from the past 12 months in training science. They share updates from the front lines of rehab and high performance work, unpack what is changing fast in sports science 3.0, and discuss how AI and better monitoring frameworks are reshaping how athletes and coaches make...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast , Dr. Martin Buchheit is joined by João Ribeiro , Head of Performance, to explore how elite football clubs monitor neuromuscular load and fatigue in real-world conditions. Building on their previous discussion around injury prevention and microcycle design, this conversation shifts focus to the response side of the monitoring equation —how athletes a...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof Paul Laursen sits down with Professor Anthony Turner to unpack the fundamental laws that underpin performance in every sport, from explosive team games to marathon running and cycling. Instead of debating opinions or trends, Anthony brings everything back to first principles: Newton’s laws of motion, impulse, force, and the biomechanics of move...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof. Paul Laursen sits down with Athletica’s AI modeling lead, Dr. Andrea Zignoli, to break down how artificial intelligence is transforming endurance training. Fresh off publishing three major SPSR papers, Andrea explains the evolution of AI systems inside Athletica — from agent-based modeling, to AI-assisted HRV readiness monitoring, to the use o...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, host Dr. Paul Laursen sits down with neuroscientist and performance expert Dr. Tommy Wood to explore the science behind The Stimulated Mind, Tommy’s groundbreaking approach to optimizing brain health and cognitive performance. They dive into the key pillars of a thriving brain: environment, nutrition, metabolic health, sleep, and exercise. From the...

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Dr. Martin Buchheit sits down with performance coach and founder of 292Performance, Dr. Benjamin Rosenblatt, formerly the Head of Strength & Conditioning for the England national football team. Together, they explore the real engine behind athlete development: motivation, buy-in, and meaningful relationships. Ben shares the story behind his tran...

🚴‍♂️💥 NEUROMUSCULAR FATIGUE, CONCURRENT TRAINING & PERFORMANCE: WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN ADAPTATION ⚡ Ever wondered how strength and endurance training compete inside the body? Prof Paul Laursen sits down with Michael Gerhardy to break down the neuromuscular science behind fatigue, recovery, and real-world performance: straight from Michael’s PhD research. Inside this episode:  🧠 How neuromu...