#48 - Dr David Costill: Legend of exercise physiology and human performance

May 29, 2023

Dr. David Costill, a legend of exercise physiology and human performance, discusses various topics including his career journey, running research, temperature regulation, heart disease and exercise, sports nutrition, caffeine and exercise, and the golden age of exercise physiology. He shares anecdotes about his colleagues, swimming abilities, and his sense of humor. The podcast also touches on topics like the Harvard Fatigue Lab, soleus biopsies, and the importance of rest and tapering in training. Overall, an entertaining and insightful conversation!

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Receiving a Hardcover Book and Interviewing Authors

02:12 • 2min

Remembering Frank Pike and Discussing Career Paths

04:12 • 3min

Academic Journey and Early Career Experiences

06:51 • 25min

Early Research Career and Focus on Temperature Regulation and Running

32:06 • 24min

Dr. David Costill and the Choice to be in Muncie, Indiana

56:26 • 9min

The Importance of Rest and Exercise Performance

01:05:55 • 17min

The Concept of Tapering in Training for Races

01:22:57 • 16min

Bicarbonate and its impact on swimming performance

01:38:38 • 15min

Reminiscing about Exercise Physiology Lab

01:53:39 • 8min

Building and Buying an Airplane

02:01:47 • 9min

Casual Conversation and Reflection on Past Communication

02:10:51 • 1min

Dr Glenn McConell chats with Emeritus Professor David “Doc” Costill who is an absolute legend of exercise physiology and human performance. He was Founder and Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, USA. He made the lab one of the top labs in the world and has a remarkable track record. He supervised the who’s who of exercise physiology research including 7 people (8 including me) who have been on the Inside exercise podcast.
0:00. Introduction, Dave’s the reason I started this podcast
3:54. Frank Pyke
5:37. Many people on the podcast were supervised by Dave
6:00. Dave a fantastic supervisor
6:20. How Dave started his career. Ohio State.
10:23. 1966. Cortland College. Coaching running coach etc. Bob Fitts
16:18. Dave’s incredible swimming ability
18:15. Early running/ running groups/running research
24:12. PhD: essentially supervised himself
27:43. Worked crazy long hours/ Ball State University
36:48. Temperature regulation and running research
37:53. Heart disease and exercise research
38:35. Sports nutrition research
39:58. Caffeine and exercise research
43:30. He exemplifies the golden age of exercise physiology
44:10. Dissemination of information in the lay press/Jim Fixx
47:30. Endowed Chair/applying for grants. 48:20. D. Bruce Dill and the Harvard Fatigue Lab
51:55. David Costill showed Bengt Saltin soleus biopsies
57:35. Phil Gollnick
58:50. Dave’s sense of humor/treats people as equals
1:00:50. Awesome morning routine with Dave / Bill Fink
1:05:00. His untimed exactly 10 min naps
1:06:40. Dehydration, temp regulation and ex perf
1:07:16. Muscle glycogen and exercise (running vs cycling)
1:08:50. Eccentric exercise
1:11:50. Dave Pearson
1:12:48. His swimming research/tapering and his swimming career
1:33:17. He found his swimming times really dropped off after 80
1:37:00. His health
1:39:15. Bicarbonate supplementation and exercise performance
1:42:48. Bob Fitts and Dave looking at single muscle fibers
1:46:00. Space research
1:48:03. Bear hibernation research
1:52:58. Enjoyed being in the lab, “like being in a candy store”
1:56:29. Exercise physiology textbooks vs online learning
1:57:40. Dave’s treadmill VO2 max at 87 years old
1:59:02. Dave’s swimming and running textbooks
2:01:15. Dave’s hobbies: pilot, restoring cars, building planes!
2:09:55. Funny Awards Dave gave out
2:12:00. Outro (9 seconds) Inside Exercise brings to you the who's who of research in exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise’s effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all.
The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University.
He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9).
Connect with Inside Exercise and Glenn McConell at:
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LinkedIn: Glenn McConell https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcconell-83475460
ResearchGate: Glenn McConell
Email: glenn.mcconell@gmail.com
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Not medical advice