#101 Dr. Andy Galpin: The Optimal Diet, Supplement, & Recovery Protocol for Peak Performance
FoundMyFitness
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Navigating Athletic Supplements
This chapter explores the role of supplements like beta-alanine and vitamin C in enhancing athletic performance and recovery. It discusses dosing strategies to minimize side effects and the importance of whole food nutrition over isolated supplements. The conversation also addresses the impact of other substances, such as caffeine and NSAIDs, on training adaptations and overall health for athletes.
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Nutrition, supplementation, and recovery are foundational for enhancing exercise performance, but their full potential often remains untapped. In this episode, Dr. Andy Galpin, a renowned expert who has coached Olympians, world champions, and professional athletes across major sports, breaks down exactly how to leverage these critical elements to meaningfully enhance your results.
Timestamps:
- (00:00) Introduction
- (05:01) Eating to perform vs. eating to live longer—do you have to choose?
- (08:20) Training fasted—are the mitochondrial benefits worth it?
- (14:53) What should you eat before early-morning strength training?
- (16:52) Why nutrient timing isn't critical for the average exerciser
- (18:44) Is intermittent fasting killing your gains?
- (29:24) Carbs before resistance training—fuel or fluff?
- (31:07) Endurance fueling strategies—what actually works?
- (36:02) When is post-exercise carb intake truly essential?
- (37:35) Game day fueling—how to get it right
- (40:25) Carb supplements vs. whole foods—what do elite athletes actually eat?
- (43:18) Rethinking fat intake for exercise performance
- (46:14) Metabolic flexibility—how the term got hijacked
- (50:39) The real test of metabolic health—why skipping a meal shouldn't break you
- (51:55) Are anaerobic and aerobic systems truly separate?
- (55:56) Does protein timing really matter?
- (58:27) Whole foods vs. protein powders
- (1:03:21) Fat timing—overlooked or irrelevant?
- (1:04:48) The truth about seed oils and saturated fat
- (1:09:43) Magnesium—who actually needs to supplement?
- (1:11:43) The problem with magnesium blood tests
- (1:13:01) Why the magnesium RDA might not be enough
- (1:13:54) Magnesium citrate, glycinate, or threonate—does it matter?
- (1:15:55) Do magnesium supplements really aid recovery?
- (1:18:35) Omega-3 supplementation—is the AFib risk real?
- (1:22:10) Can omega-3s prevent muscle loss during inactivity?
- (1:26:14) Why "performance anchors" matter more than supplements
- (1:30:47) Iron deficiency—the hidden performance killer?
- (1:33:42) Does caffeine before workouts increase fat burning?
- (1:35:29) Caffeine cycling—smart strategy or outdated myth?
- (1:38:45) Can music measurably enhance workout performance?
- (1:39:57) Rhodiola rosea—fatigue fighter or placebo?
- (1:44:38) Beetroot, citrulline, arginine—do nitric oxide boosters work?
- (1:55:07) Beta-alanine—why the tingles might be worth it
- (2:01:05) Is 5g of creatine really enough?
- (2:02:18) Sodium bicarbonate—effective fatigue buffer or GI nightmare?
- (2:04:36) Can you trust what's in your pre-workout supplement?
- (2:06:54) Is too much caffeine killing your performance gains?
- (2:07:41) Can antioxidants blunt exercise performance?
- (2:08:40) High-dose vitamin C—immune protection or adaptation killer?
- (2:15:12) Do anti-inflammatories sabotage your gains?
- (2:17:38) Tart cherry juice—recovery aid or overhyped?
- (2:21:04) Is glutamine the immune booster athletes need?
- (2:29:11) Can collagen actually strengthen tendons?
- (2:33:26) Does glucosamine chondroitin actually help joints?
- (2:34:28) What really happens during recovery—signaling vs. inflammation
- (2:37:25) The most important recovery metric
- (2:39:05) How increased blood flow accelerates muscle repair
- (2:43:55) Why persistent soreness might mean your fascia's at fault
- (2:47:02) Can compression boots genuinely speed recovery?
- (2:47:56) Can simply soaking in water accelerate recovery?
- (2:51:13) When is sauna a better choice than extra miles?
- (2:53:12) Can localized heat preserve muscle during downtime?
- (2:54:31) Cold immersion timing—muscle recovery vs. blunting gains
- (3:01:16) Why pre-bed cold exposure might improve sleep
- (3:04:31) Heart rate variability vs. resting heart rate
- (3:12:45) Why respiratory rate predicts stress better than resting heart rate
- (3:16:57) Are you overtrained—or just overreached?
- (3:21:41) Hormones and overtraining—what's the real link?
- (3:25:48) Does training harder mean you need more sleep?
- (3:27:54) How to know if you're getting enough sleep
- (3:31:17) Sleep trackers
- (3:33:10) Hydration timing—the key to uninterrupted sleep?
- (3:34:54) Why your wind-down index matters
- (3:36:02) Is your bedroom's CO₂ buildup sabotaging your sleep?
- (3:39:40) Are nasal allergies quietly wrecking your recovery?
- (3:41:23) Sleep hacks—what actually works?
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