The Real Science of Sport Podcast

Allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sporting competitions has created a storm of controversy around human rights. The team get to grips with the facts around moves to prevent transgender athletes from competing in certain women's sports and why fairness, and even safety, are at stake. We also unpack recent comments made by American comedian and social commentator, Sarah Silverman, and explain why she got it so wrong Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disordered eating is common among sportspeople, both amateur and professional. The team talk to dietician and psychologist, Kim Hofmann, about why most people experience it, how to identify bad habits and the secrets of a healthy - and sustainable - eating plan.Recommended reading:Geneen Roth, Breaking Free From Emotional EatingJan Chozen Bays, Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy Joyful Relationship with FoodLinda Kaye, The Daily Dare for Eating Disorders Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With thousands of studies being conducted around the Covid pandemic, many are now finally producing results. Prof. Ross Tucker and co-host Mike Finch look at the latest research in sport and if fitness level can help mitigate the severity of both Covid and other diseases.SHOW NOTESThe “open window” debate: A debate between scientists about the validity of the Open Window hypothesis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32139352/Inflammatory heart disease in professional athletes with COVID-19 infections - this is the study on 789 USA pro sports athletes: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2777308Cardiac involvement in young athletes with COVID - this is the study in college aged athletes in the USA: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.054824Ben Jones’ studies on transmission of COVID19 in rugby league: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/02/10/bjsports-2020-103714To support our podcast visit https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the team answer your questions. We tackle the effects of the Covid pandemic on elite sport progression, whether the mind is capable of pushing the body to greater performance, how delayed specialisation may benefit young sportspeople and the importance of self talk no matter what your sport.Support our podcast. Visit https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the UK Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) recently found former Team Sky and British Cycling head doctor, Dr Richard Freeman, guilty of illegally ordering testosterone for an unnamed rider, it sent shock waves through British sport. The team talk to renowned sports journalist Sean Ingle of The Guardian who followed the case closely for almost two years. Ingle offers a fascinating insight into the testimonies that he witnessed and what the future may hold for British Cycling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sleep, and the quality of it, can dictate everything from our moods to our sporting performances. Prof. Ross Tucker and host Mike Finch interview sleep science expert Dr Dale Rae for a deep dive into the importance of sleep, the effects of poor sleeping habits, how genes can dictate whether we are larks or owls, practical tips on getting better quality naps and if modern tech really works for monitoring our sleep patterns.To support this podcast visit our Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We asked our Patreon community to pose their most vexing sport science questions so that we could answer them. Prof Tucker and Mike Finch discuss everything from salty sweaters to the real facts behind the 80-20 endurance training rule, women-specific training protocols and the accuracy of modern-day fitness smartwatches to predict VO2 max.NOTES:2020 Review on Occlusion training, a systematic review: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546520964454?journalCode=ajsbEarly (2009) review on occlusion training: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2009/06000/the_use_of_occlusion_training_to_produce_muscle.11.aspx#:~:text=LOW%2DINTENSITY%20OCCLUSION%20Potential safety issues with blood flow restriction: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21410544/Review on the mechanisms for improvement with blood flow restriction: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25249278/Health for Performance resources in the context of women’s sport and RED-S: http://health4performance.co.uk/SUPPORT US ON PATREON!https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S3, Ep1: In our first episode of 2021 Mike Finch and Prof. RossTucker discuss the science of staying motivated, if Body Mass Index (BMI) is outdated and how exercise affects body temperature. We also discuss plans for the year, the issue of health versus performance and whether or not the Tokyo Olympics may go ahead this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From shoe tech to the effect of crowd support on performance, 2020 has been an unprecedented year that also provided some unique opportunities. Together with some of the leading voices in global sports science, Prof. Ross Tucker and Mike Finch look forward to the breakthroughs and controversies likely to dominate in 2021, why they matter and how they will change the games we play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early October 2020, World Rugby released its Transgender Guidelines aimed at protecting player safety. But the guidelines were followed by controversy with some unions even refusing to implement them, Prof. Ross Tucker, who was part of the World Rugby committee that decided on the guidelines, explains why the science makes sense and why all sporting codes need to look closely at World Rugby's lead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.