Sigma Nutrition Radio

Erica is a registered dietitian, currently completing a PhD at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Previously she was employed as a Clinical and Sports Dietitian at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where Erica provided individual sports nutrition consultation to endurance and team sport athletes, in addition to providing care and educating oncology patients in the hospital. She has a M.A. in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from FAU, in addition to a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from UNF. She is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCA, and a Certified Sports Nutritionist with the ISSN. In This Episode We Discuss Defining iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia Iron-deficiency anaemia: diagnosis and symptoms Why is iron so crucial for athlete performance? The role of hepcidin Dilutional pseudoanaemia Heel strike hemolysis How sources of iron differ in quality or bio-availability Supplementation: dosage, forms, etc.

Carl is an exercise scientist with a PhD in physical activity epidemiology. He is also the founder of the Dr. Muscle app. In This Episode We Discuss Influence of mechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stress on hypertrophy Does muscle damage really cause hypertrophy? Research for and against muscle damage being important. Practical implications Volume vs. mechanical tension

Andi Pürzel, co-founder of Intelligent Strength and owner of Das Gym in Vienna, and his brother Alex, a physical education teacher and gold medalist in powerlifting, share their unique insights into strength training. They discuss their journey from early challenges to building a supportive gym community, stressing the importance of mindset and authenticity. The brothers also reflect on the life lessons learned through competitive sports, emphasizing personal growth and joy in training. Their passion for fostering connections in fitness shines throughout the conversation.

sigmanutrition.com/mnu Martin is a clinical performance nutritionist and the founder of Mac-Nutrition, a thriving nutrition consultancy boasting sought after long-term internship and weekend mentorship programs. He has also developed Mac-Nutrition Uni, the UK’s first ever evidence-based, nutrition course that can be completed online. Martin has worked as a performance nutritionist in elite sport with British Weight Lifting, Derby County Football Club, English swimming and other elite sport organizations. He has lectured at the University of Derby and has guest lectured on the prestigious MSc Sport and Exercise Nutrition course at Loughborough University. In This Episode We Discuss Martin’s undergraduate education What drew Martin to nutrition The early life influences that developed interests in bodybuilding or in science The moments/experiences in his education that stand out as the most important or influential to Martin Martin’s work in elite sport How Martin had became disillusioned with the fitness industry before he started MNU The unexpected benefits students have reported from doing MNU Martin’s interests outside of nutrition/work sigmanutrition.com/mnu

Kevin received his Bachelor’s in Psychology from Washington State University, before completing his Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology at Pacific University. His focus remained on anxiety and models for working with children, which led to completing anxiety focused training during his tenure at Pacific University. During this time, he authored three publications on anxiety and completed his dissertation on the effectiveness of Collaborative Problem Solving. Kevin has earned certification in treating OCD and Hoarding Disorder from the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF) Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). Though he has presented at local and national conferences, he has found his true calling with public speaking on the topic of anxiety, often being recruited for providing lectures and workshops in the Portland community. ​ Kevin aims to provide effective, evidence-based treatment to individuals struggling with anxiety disorders using humor, kindness, and compassion. He believes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective when he is able to help clients shift their relationship with anxiety while not taking themselves too seriously. Kevin likes to empower his clients by saying (in regards to Exposure Response Prevention) “you’re already miserable, you may as well be miserable on purpose.” In This Episode We Discuss Defining anxiety accurately “Am I doing the action based on fear or preference?” How to not be crippled by uncertainty Relationship between anxiety and depression Exposure therapy and evidence-based strategies used in practice Focused on the past: feelings of guilt, shame, perhaps depression. How do we prevent ruminating on things that happened in the past?

Ciaran has a BSc. in Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Limerick. He currently is a strength & conditioning coach in Cork, Ireland and works online with combat sport athletes on their nutrition and fight prep here at Sigma Nutrition. He has experience as a fighter himself, competing at a national-level for many years in amateur boxing, as well as competing in kickboxing, K1 and BJJ. Paper Reviewed: Silveira-Coswig et al., 2018 – Weight Regain, But Not Weight Loss, Is Related to Competitive Success in Real-life Mixed Martial Arts Competition sigmanutrition.com/weightcut

Lachlan Mitchell, RD, PhD Candidate As a qualified dietitian Lachlan has worked both in the public and private health systems at Hervey Bay Hospital, Hunter New England Diabetes Service and a private weight loss clinic in Newcastle. It was in these settings Lachlan provided high quality, evidence based nutrition advice to a variety of patient groups, including intensive care, cardiology, diabetes, paediatrics and weight loss. Lachlan has held numerous positions in the academic world. He spent time at Australian Catholic University as a lecturer and tutor teaching a nutrition and exercise unit as part of the exercise science degree program. Whilst living in Ireland he was head-hunted by Athlone Institute of Technology to co-write the course curriculum and syllabus for many units of study for a new exercise physiology degree. Lachlan has also spent time at University of New South Wales tutoring in physical activity and health. Lachlan is currently undertaking a PhD in metabolism and bodybuilding at the University of Sydney.

Bryce is the founder of The Strength Athlete and is a world-class elite-level powerlifter in the IPF. Bryce competes in the -105 kg class, winning USAPL Raw Nationals in both 2016 and 2017, as well as winning silver at the IPF World Championships in Minsk in 2017. Through his success as an elite lifter, Bryce’s dream is to pass on his knowledge and skills through The Strength Athlete (TSA) powerlifting coaching services online. Bryce passionately advocates for the application and love of the sciences, evidence-based philosophies, and skepticism of pseudoscience. Off the back of his 2017 Raw Nationals win with a 890 kg total (315/220/355), Bryce will again represent the USA at IPF Worlds this year in Calgary, Canada. In This Episode We Discuss Preparing for world championships Modifications made over the past year How some weight loss has helped deadlift leverage for Bryce Family background of athleticism, How was that cultivated as you grew up? exploring how psychology and sport psychology practices can affect lifting how thinking about athlete development is not simply about how do we increase physical performance through training Is there a distinction between building a better athlete and a better person? What Bryce has improved on to become a better athlete How athletes identify themselves; implications of tying their whole identity and/or self-worth to being an ahtlete On what idea have The Strength Athlete team yet to reach a consensus or common position stand on? europeanpowerliftingconference.com

Ted is a personal trainer and podcaster. He has worked with Fortune 500 CEOs, busy professionals and celebrities, including Richard Branson and Robert Downey Jr. Many of his clients are middle-aged executives who want a trainer to help them stay in shape and keep their energy levels high and stress levels low. He also counsels his clients on the proper use of supplements and offers nutritional advice. He believes in using science and scientifically proven methods to achieve the best fitness results. Ryce’s goal in all of his efforts has been to help other people lead better, more fulfilling lives—legendary lives. Through his podcast, his coaching and his other projects, he has reached thousands of people and helped them achieve their goals. In This Episode We Discuss Ted’s background, including training Robert Downey Jnr! Impact of social isolation on health; both pyschological and physiological How does exercise and nutrition help psychology, anxiety, etc. What if you already exercise, eat well and have good body composition, but are still “unhealthy”? Flow (from the work of Czikszentmihalyi) and trying to manifest this state in life Application over knowledge

Hugh is currently with the English Institute of Sport working as the Performance Psychologist to the British Weightlifting team. Hugh worked with these lifters in the lead-up to the most recent Olympic Games in Rio 2016. Hugh has a MSc. in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology. And is accredited by The Irish Institute of sport, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES), and the British Psychological Society. Hugh has also worked with high-level athletes across a number of other sports, including All-Ireland winners, World Champions & Olympians. In This Episode We Discuss Misconceptions among athletes as to the role of sport psychology False consensus bias Pseudoscience in psychology vs. evidence-based practice Enhancing athlete confidence Model of perceived demands, perceived resources and perceived importance Achieving optimal arousal for performance: how psyched up should you get? Differences in external factors in competition vs. training Why being positive when setting goals can actually be a bad thing! europeanpowerliftingconference.com