The Real Science of Sport Podcast

From amateur to pro, allergies affect a relatively large proportion of athletes. But the latest treatments and protocols could end the suffering. The team talk to specialist allergologist Prof. Claudia Gray about the latest research and treatments, what allergies really are and the surprising prevalence of allergies among sports people.SHOW NOTES:Caught My Eye Segment on Nairo Quintana and Tramadol:The UCI Policy in which the Tramadol rule and procedures are explained: https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/4dfXPdgyPYHuFUwsEpXO5v/2611cc440358c188af2746d6195659f2/part-xiii---medical-rules---01.03.2020.pdfThe USADA article on tramadol, including their request to ban it and testimony from athletes: https://www.usada.org/spirit-of-sport/education/tramadol-why-some-athletes-and-anti-doping-experts-want-it-banned/A paper describing tramadol use, including four studies on its effects: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222773/#:~:text=Results%20of%20this%20study%20revealed,et%20al.%2C%202018b).Paper on elite young Italian cyclists in which they (wrongly) identify tramadol as doping: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24184855/Prof. Claudia Gray InterviewThe IOC systematic review on the prevalence of lower airway dysfunction: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/4/213A related article on the incidence of asthma in elite Swedish Athletes: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02770903.2020.1728769#:~:text=In%20the%20present%20study%2C%20the,%2Dyears)%20(11%E2%80%9313Dr Claudia Gray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_claudia_gray/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does exercise affect heart rate (HR)? The team discuss everything from HR drift and fatigue to a special interview with Heart Rate Variability (HRV) expert Marco Altini. We break down why HRV may be the best way to measure physiological and psychological stress and why it's opening up a new way of heart rate monitoring.SHOW NOTES:Caught my eye:The UCI Policy on covid: https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/6J9stmEo2OIrC7tr8VqU2f/e471f21f58c91254b070daf24c3290cf/2022.06.27_COVID_Protocol_Road_ENG.pdfThe article by Alan Abrahamson on Shelby Houlihan and US attitudes to doping: https://www.3wiresports.com/articles/2022/7/29/americans-insist-they-care-about-doping-in-sports-and-then-theres-shelby-houlihanMathieu van der Poel on altitude and his TDF struggles: https://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/van-der-poel-suspects-altitude-training-to-blame-for-tour-slump/News of a change in the RFU’s policy on trans players: https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/rfu-council-votes-in-favour-of-change-to-gender-participation-policyMarco Altini interview on HRV:The four-part series by Marco on HRV, explaining what it is, how to measure it, and a lot of case studies:Part 1: https://medium.com/@marco_alt/the-ultimate-guide-to-heart-rate-variability-hrv-part-1-70a0a392fff4Part 2: https://medium.com/@marco_alt/the-ultimate-guide-to-heart-rate-variability-hrv-part-2-323a38213fbcPart 3: https://medium.com/@marco_alt/the-ultimate-guide-to-heart-rate-variability-hrv-part-3-5fe902f3d2b3Part 4: https://medium.com/@marco_alt/the-ultimate-guide-to-heart-rate-variability-hrv-part-4-909b52f71131The website of HRV4Training: https://www.hrv4training.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09:13 - 2022 World Athletics Championships: From suspect timing systems to the accidental super shoe, the biannual celebration of track and field served up a feast of talking points including what the future of the sport may look like. 57:37 - Tour de France: The fans conundrum: Most exciting Tour in years or are we in the middle of a new performance-enhancing substance era? What we know.SHOW NOTESThe article that caught the eye of Patron Liam Fergus, describing Ryan Crouser’s diet: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/ryan-crouser-usa-shot-put-perfectionThe study that found no relationship between fat-free mass and shot put performance, discussed in the Caught my Eye segment: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46403565_Body_Composition_and_Performance_in_Shot_Put_Athletes_at_Preseason_and_at_CompetitionSean Ingle’s piece on the shoes worn by Nigeria’s 100m hurdles WR break Tobi Amusan: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/25/tobi-amusan-shatters-100m-hurdles-world-record-to-reignite-super-shoes-debateThe Letsrun.com compilation of data suggesting something was up with the timing system in Eugene: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2022/07/was-devon-allen-screwed-theres-at-least-a-99-9-chance-that-he-was/The 2009 Study suggesting a change in the reaction time allowed in sprint events: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278022260_IAAF_Sprint_Start_Research_Project_Is_the_100_ms_limit_still_validA piece looking at the contribution of doping, anti-doping and technology to the speed of professional cycling: https://cyclingtips.com/2022/06/why-has-worldtour-racing-gotten-so-fast-an-investigation/Thibault Pinot’s comments on the two speeds in the peloton: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/there-is-still-cycling-at-two-speeds-thibaut-pinot-speaks-out-on-cortisone-and-ketone-use-in-the-peloton-490284Joe Lindsey’s excellent article on Pogacar’s time loss to Vinegaard in the Tour, describing the CP model and the fueling issues that may have been responsible. https://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/a40632389/what-happened-to-tadej-pogacar/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From understanding heart rate zones to the best stance for recovery, the use of TUE's in sport after the Rafael Nadal-Thibaut Pinot controversy and how heat training affects haemoglobin production in training. Plus much more. We answer the most intriguing questions from our Patron supporters.Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsportSHOW NOTES: The podcast we did on the DSDs  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/caster-semenya-explaining-sex-vs-gender-in-sport/id1461719225?i=1000437011090A clear and concise explanation of the three-zone system of moderate, heavy and severe exercise to guide your zone training: https://drmarkburnley.wordpress.com/2020/08/31/exercise-intensity-domains-and-phase-transitions-the-power-duration-relationship/The article showing that hands-on-knees beats hands-on-head for heart rate recovery and breathing: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-tj/fulltext/2019/02150/effects_of_two_different_recovery_postures_during.1.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0i_syx_XpNN0jwsTHjFmwz1Kl9hSENWFYJJid0WRNbVci2WZ_3U9dh4mUThe article showing how training easy in the heat increases haemoglobin mass, even in elite cyclists: physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/EP088544?campaign=wolacceptedarticle British Fell runner survives a body temperature of 18.8C: itv.com/news/border/2022-06-24/man-found-clinically-dead-saved-after-leaving-blood-trails-in-snowArticle on the UCI change to, among other things, gear ratio rulings for youth cycling:  https://cyclingtips.com/2022/06/uci-scraps-the-junior-gear-restriction-relaxes-tt-position-rules/ The comments of Pinot and Martin about Nadal: https://road.cc/content/news/pinot-and-martin-question-nadal-injections-293447A paper by a sports ethics expert describing the TUE dilemma in sport: https://philpapers.org/rec/PIKTUE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Royal Marine, Green Beret and now amateur cyclist Richy Poynter transports us deep into the mindset and training of an elite soldier. From physical fitness to both emotional and mental challenges, Poynter offers a fascinating insight into what it takes to make it through and how some of the lessons he learnt as a soldier have made him a better sportsman.EFrsNTdBnBG44DDBKfnv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the extremes of cold water swimming to how the body loses heat and hyperthermia. The team takes a deep dive into the fascinating physiological effect of cold on the exercising body, how to deal with it and what you can expect when the temperatures dropShow notes and links:The study that measured how long it took for heart rate, daily activity and sleep to return to normal after Covid-19 infection by using people's fitbit dataThe Nature paper that finds increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease after covid-19 infectionAn article by Mike Tipton on cold water hypothermia and survival, published in The LancetThe paper on the skier who survived a temperature on 13.7 degrees, written by the treating physicianOne example of research that studies the cold-shock response and how regular cold water immersion reduces the intensity of the response Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team take on three different subjects in our new segment called 'Caught My Eye." We tackle the subject of how different rules and regulations in women's soccer can improve the quality of the game to the potential of African riders to start dominating world cycling and the relationship between sleep and concussion in impact sports.Show Notes:Sleep article https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/doi/10.4085/1062-6050-0078.22/482396/Prospective-Implications-of-Insufficient-Sleep-forThe study on brain oxygenation in Kenyan runners that Ross was part of: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28321639/ A paper analysing the Kenyan running phenomenon that Ross published: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264745551_Analysis_of_the_Kenyan_Distance-Running_Phenomenon The study on scaling football in women based on physical differences: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00762/fullPeople To Follow Marco Altini on Twitter - @altini_marcoSian Allen on twitter - @DrSianAllen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team take a critical look at an interview with Simon Lockett, Global Category Director of Running Footwear at adidas. Simon and his team are involved in the overall strategy, product creation, and go-to-market approach for a number of franchises including ADIZERO racing footwear and the Duramo franchise. He works together with a team of expert product managers who work alongside design and development to produce the world’s fastest running shoes. But have adidas succeeded in taking on Nike and were they sent into panic mode when the US giant released the first super shoe back in 2016? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Excuses for doping are as varied as the drugs available on Amazon (yep, it's that easy!). But what does it take to be a doper? Are authorities winning the war and is American track superstar Shelby Houlihan really guilty of being a doper herself? The team unpack it all in this latest update on the war against performance-enhancing drugs.Show notes:Read more about the topics discussed in this podcast here:Ross' detailed technical analysis of the Shelby Houlihan caseThe Q&A that LetsRun.com does with Ross on the caseThe full CAS decision in the Shelby Houlihan caseA review of the risk of contamination of supplementsA second review on the risk of inadvertent doping through supplement use Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From top level cyclists to world-class runners and speedskaters, pro training regimes offer a fascinating look into what it takes to count yourself among the world's best. Recent research among top-level athletes is also leading us to question entrenched training methods as sports scientists continue to learn more about the way the body adapts and reacts to exercise.SHOW NOTES:The study of world class distance runners’ training - https://sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40798-022-00438-7.pdfA study comparing polarized training to a high threshold pyramidal training model, as mentioned in the show: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonathan-Esteve/publication/237096628_Does_Polarized_Training_Improve_Performance_in_Recreational_Runners/links/0a85e530cba391399a000000/Does-Polarized-Training-Improve-Performance-in-Recreational-Runners.pdfMarius Bakken’s website, which describes the Norweigan model: http://www.mariusbakken.com/the-norwegian-model.htmlThe training approach of Nils van der Poel: https://www.howtoskate.se/One of Stephen Seiler’s early descriptions of the polarized training of elite athletes: https://paulogentil.com/pdf/Quantifying%20training%20intensity%20distribution%20in%20elite%20endurance%20athletes%20-%20is%20there%20evidence%20for%20an%20optimal%20distribution.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.