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The Real Science of Sport Podcast

The Amelia Boone Interview: How the "Queen of Pain" Faces Down Her Demons

Season 1, Ep. 22

As one of the world's top obstacle racers and ultra runners, Amelia Boone is regarded as one of the toughest female athletes on the planet. But a lifetime battling eating disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) almost cost the American her life and her sporting career. In this interview with Prof. Ross Tucker and host Mike Finch, Boone speaks openly about her dramatic past, relationships and the lessons others can take from her ongoing battle against her toughest opponent, herself.

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  • 5. Can You Trust Your Sports Watch?

    01:28:10||Season 7, Ep. 5
    Dr Joe Warne is a former international athlete and the key instigator of the Sports Science Replication Centre at the Technological University in Dublin. Having also worked as a performance coach Warne has spent hours both testing and working with modern tech devices with a key interest in finding out how reliable and trustworthy the data is. In this interview, the team discusses the metrics you can best trust, how to interpret the data you get correctly, and what the future of wearable tech and exercise data could be.
  • Spotlight: Janik Sinner Banned For Three Months

    24:23|
    Tennis star Janik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month suspension for his 2024 clostebol positives. In this emergency Spotlight, Gareth and Ross discuss the agreement between Sinner and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and explain why both parties would have been incentivized to reach a settlement rather than go to arbitration at CAS in mid-April. We offer insights and early thoughts on whether, as claimed by Nick Kyrgios, this is "a bad day for tennis", or whether a three-month ban is justified and appropriate, giving the accepted facts of the case and what could be proven in previous tribunals.Join DiscourseFor more conversation and insight, join our Discourse community where fellow listeners, experts and enthusiasts offer thoughts and opinions on this issue, and many more sports science topics. Membership requires that you become a Patron of the site, here, with a small monthly pledge to become part of our VIP communityShow notes:WADA's full statement on the settlementBBC article on the settlement, as read in the podcastYouTube channel Tennis Talk, who we heard from in the podcast
  • Spotlight: Protecting Women's Sport - Update on New Developments and Policies From Around the World

    01:26:51|
    In this Spotlight, we address some noteworthy recent developments in the regulation and protection of women's sport. In the most significant of these, World Athletics have announced proposals, still in consultation, that would compel elite female participants to undergo a screening test that looks for the SRY gene as an eligibility requirement. Ross explains why this step, inevitable and necessary for women's sport to deliver on its purpose, may be the most important one taken by any sport in the last few years. We also discuss other proposals that strengthen World Athletics' protection of women's athletics, as well as an Executive Order on women's sport signed by Donald Trump, the NCAA response to that EO, and what this all means for this ongoing controversial issue.Become a Discourse member and drive the SpotlightIf you enjoy the Spotlights, and want to weigh in on these and other topics, consider becoming a Patron of the show, and get full access to the Discourse community! Here's where you go to make a small pledge and become a Patron, and that'll open up this portal to a world of sports science, performance and health conversations!Links to topics and articles we discussed on the showWorld Athletics page explaining the proposals and the consultation process that includes the pre-clearance (cheek swab) methodThe full World Athletics document outlining proposed changes to eligibilityThe academic article that a group of us wrote last year, explaining how screening should be implemented to support protection of the female categoryGreg Brown's paper comparing boys to girls in running eventsSame author, same approach, different sport - here's Greg Brown's analysis of boys and girls in swimmingMarina Hyde's article that describes how issues are bundled rather than assessed on their merits, to the detriment, sometimes, of realityNCAA update on changes to their eligibility policy, where they take a step towards protecting women's sport, but fail to base it on biologyThe Executive Order signed by Trump earlier this weekThe larger Executive Order that helpfully defines sex, male and female with implications for policy
  • 4. The Science of Mind Coaching in Sport

    01:25:15||Season 7, Ep. 4
    From international cricket to chess, boxing and hockey, Paddy Upton has helped the best sportspeople in the world achieve through his role as a performance coach. The team dig into how Upton has helped create the right performance mindset and explains how the best in the world handle mental pressure. Along the way Upton shares some remarkable success stories, explains how he went from a fitness instructor to a mind coach and whether BMT is really a thing. Upton's approach focuses on four core human aspects of high performance - leadership, culture, teamwork and individual performance - and combines his 30+ years of experience with degrees from four different universities along with an appointment as Professor of Practice at Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia). Upton has worked with over 350 professional and international level athletes from 21 different sporting codes, including six world champions from six different sports and 25 World Player Of The Year recipients. He has coached in five cricket World Cups and one Olympics (won bronze with the Indian men’s hockey team). He has also helped coach the Indian cricket team to become world test champions for the first time (2009) and win the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time in 28 years. As Performance Director he has also helped coach the South African cricket team to become the first team ever to simultaneously hold the World Number 1 ranking in all three formats of the international game. He is also the author of the best-selling book, The Barefoot Coach (Life-changing insights from coaching the world’s best cricketers)
  • Spotlight: News Roundup / Forgiveness for Dopers? / Carbon Monoxide Banned / Yellow Cards For Head Injuries Only

    01:05:07|
    We have a news-heavy Spotlight for you this week, with stories from athletics, cycling and Rugby League to discuss. Shelby Houlihan's return from a doping ban has Gareth wondering about second-chances and forgiveness for dopers? Cycling's authorities met at the Cyclocross World Champs in Lievin and agreed to regulate the use of carbon monoxide and to prevent its misuse for performance enhancement. We talk about that decision and its details, and how it's a positive step, despite some recognized limitations. Cycling safety is also under the spotlight, with the tragic deaths of cyclists around the world a reminder of the perils of the sport, particularly during training.Finally, Rugby League is considering a change to how players are sent off for high tackles, with a proposal to give yellow cards only when the player on the receiving end of the illegal tackle fails an off-field test indicating possible concussion. Proposed as a means to "get more consistency", Ross explains that if anything, it introduces a (for now) random, unpredictable outcome variable in the decision that will compromise consistency, and may detract from player welfare and behaviour change initiatives.But first, we kick off the show with our Discourse-first birthday announcement, a thanks to all our fabulous followers, and then revisit last week's Spotlight on carbohydrate requirements to explain why elites need to fuel at rates the rest of us needn't aspire to emulate.Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.Show notesThe paper Ross alluded on the show, that gives an example of relative carb and fat use during exerciseArticle on the proposal to give yellow cards only when the ball carrier fails the head injury assessment in Rugby League
  • 3. CRICKET SPECIAL: Is The Futue of Test Cricket Under Threat? / The Dying Skill of Fast Bowling / Coaching The Best From School To Elite

    01:25:05||Season 7, Ep. 3
    Former South African top-order batsman Gary Kirsten is one of the most respected voices in the modern game. After playing 101 Tests and 185 one-day internationals, Kirsten went on to a successful career as a coach. From 2008 to 2011 he coached India that included their win at the 2011 World Cup. Later in 2011 he was appointed coach of the South African team until August of 2013 and also had a brief stint with Pakistan in 2024, along with numerous coaching appointments in other formats including India's IPL. In this wide-ranging interview, Kirsten delves into some of the biggest issues facing the game: The threats facing the future of Test cricket, why the art of fast bowling is dying, the role of coaches at both school and international level and concerns over a proposed two-tier system in the global game.Note: We are aware of a small technical issue where some sections of the pod skip or "jump". We are looking to sort this out in a future upload/version of the pod. Sorry about that!Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.
  • Spotlight: You Are Not Simon Yates. But You Can Learn From Him

    01:07:40|
    In this episode, Simon Yates, carbohydrates and the applicability of sports science research to the masses are in our Spotlight. In an interview earlier this week, pro cyclist Simon Yates described a paradigm shift that has changed nutrition and training in the sport. Instead of five hour rides on "two eggs" and "water in the bottles" leaving him feeling exhausted, he talks about 120g/h of carbohydrates in training and racing leading to less fatigue, greater enjoyment, and significantly better performances. That's not new, of course - more carbs has been the name of the game for the elites for some time, as we've discussed in previous shows.Now, Gareth and Ross explore the extent to which elite practice and behaviours should guide what the rest of us 'mortals' do, and whether the pendulum of advice has swung too far? To do so, we use a recent paper by Louise Burke and her team to explain that sports science research, often done on recreational or moderately trained athletes, often fails to add value to elite athletes. Conversely, we discover that what elites do is not necessarily directly applicable to the rest of us, and that while Yates and others demonstrate important principles of nutrition (yes, you need those carbs for harder training), we need to understand context and circumstances in order to understand exactly how to apply their behaviours to our own situations, and to get the specifics right. Ultimately, we may all be bound by the same (physiological) rules, but we're often playing a different game. We explain how to translate and apply research to practice, and vice-versa.Plus, a brief look back at the Australian Open, how tennis analytics doesn't quite do justice to the 'adversarial' nature of the sport, and why players shouldn't be too fussed with perceived crowd and media hostility.Show notesThe tennis website Gareth mentioned, full of stats and analytics on performanceJoin our Fantasy League for the upcoming Men's Six Nations. Once clicked, you'll need a League ID - 142233 : SoS Discoursers, and a password: DWIVM"No bonks". Here is the interview with Simon Yates that reveals the carbohydrate shift in elite cycling, the main subject of today's SpotlightThe excellent article by Burke et al that describes why elite practice and research doesn't translate to us mortals, and vice-versaJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.
  • 2. The Role of the Modern Physio: Lessons from the Royal Marines

    01:39:02||Season 7, Ep. 2
    Richard Hales has spent the last 22 years fixing Royal Marines at the Command Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) Lympstone in the UK and is the Clinical Lead within their bespoke Exercise Rehabilitation Centre. So he knows a thing or two about the role of physiotherapy in a pressurised physical environment. The team delve into the role of a physiotherapist in both prevention and recovery; explains how data drives much of the research, why old-school physio techniques are questionable and whether biomechanics make a difference in causing chronic injury.Hales graduated with a Sports Science degree from Liverpool University in 1992 before qualifying as a Chartered Physiotherapist from Bath University in 1996.Having chosen to specialise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation his roles have included six years as Physio with Exeter Chiefs Rugby Union Club, and clinical co-ordinator for Amputee rehabilitation within ‘Adventure Rehab’, as well as Out-Patient work in both the UK and New Zealand before joining the military.He has just written a book about his time working with the Royal Marines entitled The NOD Fixer which is due out in Easter 2025.Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.
  • Spotlight: Can We Trust Experts in Fitness and Health?

    57:49|
    Can we trust "experts" in the fitness and health industry? We put this question under the Spotlight this week, inspired by a combination of Gareth's fell running exploits and virus scare, his quest to replenish carbohydrates after racing, and a fascinating insider Discourse chat about the credibility of the fitness industry. How can fitness, health and sports enthusiasts know who to trust, and can they ever be assured of credible, effective advice from personal trainers and fitness influencers whose intentions may be good, but whose knowledge is not always where it needs to be?Show notesJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.