The Real Science of Sport Podcast

In this cycling special, we take a deep dive into the numbers that helped Mathieu van Poel win the Tour of Flanders, why new research on cadence has challenged decades-old beliefs and how sportspeople with heart problems may still be able to compete at the top level thanks to modern technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transgender athlete Lia Thomas recently won the 500-yard title at the US National College Swimming (NCAA) Championships triggering an uproar and suggesting that her participation may have wide-ranging implications for women's sport. At the recent MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, Prof. Ross Tucker was invited as a guest to discuss the transgender issue in sport and discusses the issue here in the context of the Thomas affair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Viewership figures are down, fewer cities want to host them and their integrity is being seriously challenged. What does the future of the Winter and Summer Olympic Games look like? The team talk to the Chief Sports Reporter of the UK's The Guardian, Sean Ingle, and renowned author, journalist and columnist David Epstein to present the facts and the challenges facing the Games and potentially the solutions to help them survive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prof. Ross Tucker and sports journalist Mike Finch break down the various forms of energy the body uses, how they work, how we fuel them and when to use what. Plus learn to decipher the ingredients in energy supplements, understand why carbs are still king and how best to train your body to become an efficient endurance machine. A must-listen for any endurance athlete. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes world-class ice hockey players, cross-country skiers or biathletes? We ask two experts to help explain the special set of skills needed to compete at the top level, the challenges athletes face and the training they do to compete. If you've never understood anything about the Winter Olympics here's your chance to take a deep dive into three of the most fascinating disciplines.Guest Biographies:Tommy Lundberg is a consultant to the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation along with his job as a lecturer and researcher at the Division of Clinical Physiology at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Follow him on Twitter @TLexerciseKerry McGawley is a senior researcher and Associate Professor at Sweden's Winter Sports Research Centre. She is actively involved in performance development among Sweden's top winter sports athletes. Follow her on Twitter @KerryMcGawleySupport the Science of Sport podcast https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to endurance month! In this episode the team break down the mechanics of endurance, the five challenges that long-distance athletes face, how the body changes the longer we exercise and why humans are more adapted to going long than any other living creature on the planet. We also ask whether excessive exercise is always good for you and look back at the lessons learnt from endurance athletes of yesteryear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast explores the effects of heat on exercise, including the challenges of racing in extreme heat, the consequences of heat stroke, and the importance of heat management in sporting events. They discuss heat exhaustion and heat stroke, pre-cooling strategies, and how the brain regulates exercise failure. The speakers emphasize the need for heat policies in sports and highlight the upcoming World Cup. They conclude by promoting another podcast.

In this bonus episode, Ross shares brief thoughts on the latest, inevitable and increasingly volatile controversy in the transgender athlete debate. Swimmer Lia Thomas has been shattering university records, setting the fastest times in the USA, and is well on the way to becoming the highest profile trans women athlete to date. Her times as Lia are within sight not only of legends of US women's swimming, but also very close to what she swam as Will Thomas, prior to a period of suppressing testosterone to become eligible for women's sport. This confirms what science has shown, that biological and performance advantages of males cannot be undone by a period of testosterone suppression. What next? Ross shares some insights, explaining how Thomas is the result of a system that has failed women from the top, how women are now being told to hold their thoughts, science be damned, and why the argument about winning and being unbeatable is spurious, and how Thomas refutes an old and incorrect rebuttal saying "if there is an advantage, where are all the medalists?". Also, a 2021 Christmas wish, and thanks for listening to the podcast in 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, Ross sits down with Dr Emma Hilton, a developmental biologist who has outspokenly defended women's sport and explained the science and physiology of male vs female sporting performance differences. In a candid conversation, she shares insights ranging from political to philosophical, both personal and scientific. Why is the recent IOC Framework such a failure of leadership and setback for women? What do we make of trans men in men's sport? How should sports respond to sex reassignment during childhood? What are the most compelling arguments for and against inclusion, and how should fallacies like the length of Michael Phelps' arms steer our thinking about fairness in sport, and the need to protect the women's sporting category? All these questions, and more, answered in this wide ranging interview, which was initially broadcast live on Twitter Spaces on 25 November. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced controversial new transgender guidelines which could threaten the future of women's sport. But what does the evidence say and why did the IOC ignore the science? Mike Finch and Prof. Ross Tucker explain all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.