#48 - Dr David Costill: Legend of exercise physiology and human performance
May 29, 2023
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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!
Proper hydration during exercise is crucial for temperature regulation and optimal performance.
Maintaining adequate glycogen levels through nutrition is essential for preventing fatigue and maximizing exercise performance.
Eccentric exercise can lead to muscle damage and the occurrence of compartmental syndrome, emphasizing the need for careful management of intensity and volume.
Swimming played a significant role in exercise physiology research, with Professor Costill's involvement with the ball state swim team and their assistance in conducting studies.
Deep dives
Temperature Regulation and Fluid Balance
One of the main areas of focus in the podcast was temperature regulation and fluid balance during exercise. It was discussed that a loss of more than 2% of body weight through sweating can affect temperature regulation and lead to dehydration. The importance of maintaining proper hydration levels during exercise was emphasized, and the role of adequate fluid intake in optimizing performance was highlighted.
Muscle Glycogen and Exercise Performance
The podcast also explored the relationship between muscle glycogen stores and exercise performance. It was mentioned that glycogen levels can be depleted during prolonged physical activity, leading to fatigue and decreased performance. Studies on glycogen resynthesis after exercise were discussed, including the impact of nutrition and inflammatory response on glycogen repletion.
Eccentric Exercise and Muscle Damage
The podcast delved into the topic of eccentric exercise and its relation to muscle damage. Specific studies involving eccentric exercise regimes, such as 10 sets of 10 repetitions, were mentioned. The implications of eccentric exercise on muscle health, including the occurrence of compartmental syndrome, were discussed, highlighting the need for careful management of exercise intensity and volume to prevent excessive muscle damage.
Swimming and Exercise Physiology Research
The podcast touched upon the connection between swimming and exercise physiology research. It was mentioned that the host, Professor Glenn Macomb, had a background in swimming and had conducted various studies using the swim bench to analyze swimming performance. Professor David Costill's involvement with the ball state swim team and the research conducted with their assistance were highlighted as well.
Building and Flying Airplanes
David Costill reveals his passion for aviation and discusses his journey of obtaining a pilot's license and building two aircraft. He shares how the challenge of flying and building planes provided him with exhilarating experiences.
Restoring Classic Cars
In addition to his love for aviation, Costill also enjoys restoring classic cars, particularly Corvettes and Thunderbirds. He discusses his mechanical skills and the joy he finds in the process of restoring these vintage vehicles.
Memorable Lab Awards and Connections
Costill reminisces about his time in the lab and shares stories about giving out awards to his team members, including humorous ones like the Isaac Newton Award for discovering gravity. He also expresses his appreciation for staying connected with former lab colleagues over the years.
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: Twitter: @Inside_exercise and @GlennMcConell1 Instagram: insideexercise Facebook: Glenn McConell LinkedIn: Glenn McConell https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcconell-83475460 ResearchGate: Glenn McConell Email: glenn.mcconell@gmail.com Subscribe to Inside exercise: Spotify: shorturl.at/tyGHL Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/oFQRU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@insideexercise Anchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercise Google Podcasts: shorturl.at/bfhHI Anchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercise Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4025218 Not medical advice
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