Are You Being Injured By Your Running Shoes? / Mondo Soars Again / Preventing Head Impacts / A $1400 Mattress That Does What?
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the Real Science of Sport Supporters club, and get access to the sports science community where...
Mediocre Male Beats Strong Women, But Justice Prevails / Should XC Running Be In The Winter Games? / Concussion Prevention Illusions
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join The Real Science of Sport Supporters Club by making a small monthly pledge at Patreon.com. Thin...
USADA's Travis T. Tygart: Inside The Politics and Fight Against Doping
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Travis T. Tygart is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in anti-doping. As the Chief...
A Deeper Insider Look at Fatigue and Pacing / Why High Carbohydrate Intake Works - It's Not Fuel Depletion / A Heat Condundrum
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight, we pick out some of the sports science topics that our listeners are sharing in o...
Olympic Track and Field Schedule Surprises / Risk of Cardiac Events When Watching Sport / Rugby's Calendar Challenge
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Become a member of The Real Science of Sport Supporters Club to show your support and have your say....
Will the Olympics Finally Protect Women's Sport? / Anti-Doping Antagonism and The Enhanced Games / Bracy-Williams Banned
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Support us on DiscourseDiscourse is our "sponsorship", our sole source of income. But it's way more ...
The Story (and Science) of Endurance
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Endurance has been one of the most hotly debated topics in sports science for over three decades. Fr...
Klecker Hits 175g/h Carbs in NYC / New York Racing Analysis / Ozempic Doping?
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse! A small monthly pledge gets you access to the best Sports Science community on the i...
Is Exercise for Weight Loss a Waste of Time? / Doping Convictions, Conundrums and Coital Contaminations / Heat Stress Hacks
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DiscourseSupport the show by becoming a Patron, which means a monthly pledge that is equal to buying...
Does Cardio Training Kill The "Gainz"? / Are Tennis Players Playing Too Much? / The True Prevalence of Doping? / Unlocking a New Performance Metric
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse! No pitch, just a link to sign up and show your support!In this week's show, we tackl...
The World's Most Famous Amateur Cyclist on Training and Racing
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forty-year-old lawyer Andrew Feather hit the news headlines recently when he 'beat' Tadej Pogacar in...
Do You Need Only 10g per Hour of Carbs? Tim Noakes Thinks So / Pacing Implosions: When Regulation Fails
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Support us on DiscourseAs Gareth mentioned, Discourse is our "sponsorship", our sole source of incom...
How to Avoid the Traps of Bro Science / Protecting the Brain in Contact Sport / "Athlete Trafficking" and Talent Pathways
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DiscourseSupport the show, and get way more fascinating insight than the Bros deliver on the pod! Ev...
Women's World Cup Culmination / Ryder Cup Drama / CAS Dismisses Contaminated Meat Defence
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse and contribute to the Spotlight, and join the conversation - a small monthly donation...
World Cycling Champs Review: The Greatest Champs This Century? / Is Remco Close To Beating Pog? / Post Race Interviews
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 2025 UCI World Road Cycling Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, delivered plenty of drama and debat...
Pro Preview: Ashleigh Moolman Pasio on Rwanda's World Cycling Champs
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio is one of the most experienced riders in the women's pro peloton and, in 2025...
The Tokyo 2025 Wrap: Winners, Losers and Lasting Memories / Womens' Rugby World Cup Final
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spotlights are our weekly show that wraps up the news and the topics that you, the listener, are dis...
Tokyo Day 9: Women's 800m Upset / Cole Hocker's Redemption Arc / Botswana Crash the USA Relay Parade
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 8: An Historic Men's 800m / Women's 5000m Plays Into Chebet's Hands / Relay Qualification Carnage
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 6 and Day 7: SML's Near WR as Two Break 48 / 400m Hurdles / 200m Defence and Doubles
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 5: A Men’s 1500 Surprise Dissected / A Brutal Women’s’ Steeple How Fast Will Sydney ML Go?
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 4: Kipyegon Perfection / Tinch seals the 110m Hurdles / Men's 1500m Preview
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 3: The Greatest Marathon Finish Ever? / Men's Steeplechase Drama / Hocker DQ
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 2: The Fastest Man and Woman in the World / Men's 10000m Stunners / A marathon sprint
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Tokyo Day 1: Women's 10000m and Mixed 4 x 400m
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the conversation on Discourse. Have your say and read what fellow listeners think of the Tokyo ...
Reflections on Gladwell and Tokyo 2025 gets underway
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Become a Discourse memberJoin our community on Discourse - predict, pontificate, ponder and pledge -...
Tokyo 2025: Preview Show with Sean Ingle
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Tokyo World Athletics Championships kick off on September 13, and while the team are not there i...
Inside the Astonishing World of Elite Rowing
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rower Drew Ginn is one of Australia's most decorated athletes with five world championships and...
Follow Up: Did Malcolm Gladwell Need To Apologise for Trans Stance?
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 20, celebrity author, columnist, and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell apologised for the way he...
Malcolm Gladwell Talks Sport
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Author, speaker, podcaster and columnist Malcolm Gladwell has sold over 25 million books, including ...
Tokyo Teasers, Women's Rugby Risks, and Doping Double Standards
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Get with the Discourse, and share thoughts on the subjects we tackle - a small monthly pledge gets y...
Should Doping Coaches Be Banned For Life? / Heat and Heart Rate / Tokyo Rivalries In Focus
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The conversation begins, continues, but rarely ends, on Discourse! As mentioned, you can become a me...
Zone 2: The Debate Continues / World Records Old and New
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse Join Kona champions, beer mile WR holders, sports scientists, and sports enthusiasts ...
Why Everything You Know About Zone 2 Training is Probably Wrong
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone is talking about Zone 2 training, but few understand the real science behind it. But thanks...
Cutting Weight to Win: PFP's Performance Strategy. Or Slippery Slope?
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseWeigh in on these and other stories by becoming a Science of Sport Discourse member wi...
Inside The World of Women's Professional Cycling
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple African Champion, Commonwealth Games medallist, Olympian, multiple Giro Rosa podium finishe...
Fitness, Fatigue and a Tour Without Fire (But Hope From the Women's TDF)
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseJoin Daisy and hundreds of others who comment, discuss, or read what has grabbed the i...
What Your Strava Fitness Score Really Means
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TSS, Relative Effort, Fitness Score... Confused by all the numbers and what they mean? Mike and Prof...
Trust Issues: Doping, the Media, and the Athlete’s Dilemma
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse: you know what to do - small monthly pledge, and the community is yours!This week's S...
Hormones, Hype & High Performance: The Menstrual Cycle in Sport
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the intersection of the menstrual cycle and athletic performance—a t...
🚨 SOS: It WAS Too Good To Be True: Marathon World Record Holder Chepng'etich Provisionally Suspended
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse - a small monthly pledge gives you access to the best sports science and sports insig...
Staying Cool at the Tour - Gimmick or Gain? | Busting the Hype About Salty Sweat
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse by making a small monthly pledge, to double your Science of Sport experience!In a pac...
The Science of Cramp
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to pour yourself some pickle juice and suck on a salt tab (or is it?) as we talk exercise-...
Vingegaard's Muscle: No Match for Pogacar? | Who is to Blame for Tour Crash Chaos?
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discourse - the best thing about this Podcast, is all yours for a small monthly pledge. No exorbitan...
What It's Really Like to be a Tennis Professional on Tour
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Ullyett has won 34 career tennis titles - including two doubles (2001 US Open, 2005 Australian...
Spotlight: Failing to Science the Sh*t Out of Running / A Legal Lens on Liability and Sports Injury
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We kick off this Spotlight at the Western States 100, where much of the buzz centered on David Roche...
The Science of Fuelling: Inside the Carbohydrate Performance Paradigm
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carbohydrates have always been part of the endurance equation—but how much, when, and which types ...
Spotlight: Cramping Truths and Myths / Unscientific Trans Non-Advantage Claims / Sports Science's Trust Erosion
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseDiscourse is our VIP community where listeners share insights, opinions and perspectiv...
Most Sports Science Research is False: The Replication Crisis Hits Sport
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Joe Warne, founder of the Sports Sciences Replication Center (...
Spotlight: When Talent 'Stalls' / The Carbs vs Fat Shifting Paradigm / The Fragile Future of Track
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Discourse for moreDiscourse is the best Sports Science community on the internet, and yes we ar...
Sport and Skin Cancer: How Big is the Risk?
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most sport takes place outdoors, and with growing concerns around sun exposure, active people are at...
Spotlight: Carbs vs Fat in Comrades Champions? / Sinner’s Loss is Tennis' gain?
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the DiscourseA small monthly donation gets you access to Discourse, our VIP community that info...
The Science of Recovery
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The science of recovery is more complex than you may think. When do you know you have recovered? Wha...
Perfect Bluff: How Yates won the Giro / Boxing’s New Sex Screening / How Science Revealed a Ultra Cheat
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseThe Spotlight is inspired and informed by our Discourse community. If you want to be p...
Spotlight: Breaking the Physiological Bank in Training, and Rethinking Rugby’s Red Card
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseGareth Davies, Mayor of The Real Science of Sport, is ready to welcome you as a citize...
Ultra Endurance: The Science behind Conquering the 400km Cocodona Trail Run
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Cocodona 250-mile (402 km) trail run is one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world, a...
Spotlight: Peril, Pills, Promises & Potential: Sport's Performance and Ethical Battlegrounds
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join DiscourseNutrition tips, training insight, performance debates, sports opinions — if you’re...
Spotlight: High Carbs, High Speeds, High Times…and a Drip Too Far
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Become a Discourse memberEnjoy the pod? Support us with a small monthly donation on Patreon and unlo...
Spotlight: Talent, Trust and Testing Transparency
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join The Discourse CommunityIf you enjoy the podcast, you’ll love our Discourse community. Become ...
MARATHON SPECIAL: London & Boston Round-Up / Pacesetters or Not? / We Test What is Claimed to be the World's Fastest Shoe
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this round-up of the two big spring marathons—Boston and London—Mike and Ross rate the perfor...
Spotlight: The Birds & the Bees of Sports Science Research Papers. How Research is Conceived & Delivered
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our Discourse CommunityThe Science of Sport is more than a podcast — it’s a growing communi...
Spotlight: The UK Supreme Court and Implications for Women's Sport / A Tour of World Records, Paris Roubaix and Discourse Achievers
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve got a blockbuster episode of Spotlight for you today.We kick things off with an important di...
Spotlight: Fatigue as a Risk, a Requirement and a Red Herring / Grand Slam Track Reactions / New Olympic Sports
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight episode, Ross and Gareth tackle a provocative question: should sports embrace fati...
Heat, Hydration and 'Bum Clinics': The Science of Event Medicine
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the team as they dive into the complex world of event sports medicine with guest Dr Darren Gree...
Spotlight: Matters of the Heart / Heart Health in Marathon Runners / Max HR / Concussion and Coaches
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a heart-to-heart on Spotlight today, as Gareth and Ross kick off by discussing a Discourse ques...
Spotlight: A New IOC President / A New Tool To Protect Women's Sport / A New Power Metric
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a bumper Spotlight in a bumper week of big sports news. To cover it comprehensively, Ross &...
Spotlight: Teen Sprint Phenoms Accelerate / Talent Difference Makers / Community Rugby Concussion Insights
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight, Gareth and Ross kick off by looking back at teen sprint phenom Gout Gout's latest...
Spotlight: Physiological "Frugality", Power and Speed / Discourse Fuelling Success / Trans Sport Update
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Spotlight, we swing the light from cycling to doping, via trans news updates and some...
Spotlight: The Science of Improving Human Performances / Technological Advances in Sport / Talent Scouting Through Zwift
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Spotlight, we ask why runners are racing faster than ever? The same could also be said of...
Spotlight: A Women's Sub 4-minute Mile? / A Tale of Textbook Heat Adaptation
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight, Ross and Gareth become "bros" to discuss and critique a recent paper that forecas...
Rethinking Polarised Training with Dr Stephen Seiler
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Stephen Seiler is arguably the world authority on endurance training, and popularized the concep...
Spotlight: World Records Galore as Running's Recalibration Resumes / A Final Jannik Sinner Discourse
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's spotlight turns to the indoor tracks and roads of the world, as we discuss the continuin...
Can You Trust Your Sports Watch?
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Joe Warne is a former international athlete and the key instigator of the Sports Science Replicat...
Spotlight: Janik Sinner Banned For Three Months
15 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tennis star Janik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month suspension for his 2024 clostebol pos...
Spotlight: Protecting Women's Sport - Update on New Developments and Policies From Around the World
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight, we address some noteworthy recent developments in the regulation and protection o...
The Science of Mind Coaching in Sport
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From international cricket to chess, boxing and hockey, Paddy Upton has helped the best sportspeople...
Spotlight: News Roundup / Forgiveness for Dopers? / Carbon Monoxide Banned / Yellow Cards For Head Injuries Only
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have a news-heavy Spotlight for you this week, with stories from athletics, cycling and Rugby Lea...
CRICKET SPECIAL: Is The Futue of Test Cricket Under Threat? / The Dying Skill of Fast Bowling / Coaching The Best From School To Elite
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Former South African top-order batsman Gary Kirsten is one of the most respected voices in the moder...
Spotlight: You Are Not Simon Yates. But You Can Learn From Him
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Simon Yates, carbohydrates and the applicability of sports science research to the ...
The Role of the Modern Physio: Lessons from the Royal Marines
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Hales has spent the last 22 years fixing Royal Marines at the Command Training Centre R...
Spotlight: Can We Trust Experts in Fitness and Health?
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can we trust "experts" in the fitness and health industry? We put this question under the Spotlight ...
What Will Sport Look Like in 2050?
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A lot has changed since 2000 in sport but not everything predicted at the start of the Millennium ha...
Spotlight: Festive feedback
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gareth and Ross kick off 2025 with a brief Spotlight episode that looks back on the Festive season's...
The 2024 Sports Year In Review
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who were the superstars, and what were the unforgettable moments of 2024? Who failed to launch, and ...
Elite Sport's Race to the Bottom, and Anti-Doping's Scramble for Higher Ground
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this Spotlight edition, Gareth Davies and Ross Tucker dive ever deeper into the abyss of sport's ...
Exclusive: Is Australia's New Sprint Sensation the Next Usain Bolt?
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gout Gout is a sprint phenom. At only 16, he recently broke the Australian men's 200m record with a ...
What Tennis' Latest Scandal Teaches Us About Doping
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
World Number Two tennis player Iga Swiatek's positive test for a little-known product called Trimeta...
Science of Sport Spotlight 9: To Torque or Not to Torque, energy demands from the Women's Tour, and topical doping debates
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this spotlight episode, Ross and Gareth put some of the interesting discussions from our Discours...
How Far Can You Push the Human Body? Lessons from a Royal Marine Doctor
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pushing the body to its limits can be the difference between life and death for a Royal Marine. So h...
Is the Credibility of Sports Science's Most Respected Journal Under Threat?
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the recent British Association of Sports & Exercise Medicine (BAsem) conference, the world's ...
Chepng'etich's Marathon World Record Analysis: Too Good To Be True?
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Kenyan Ruth Chepng'etich took nearly two minutes off the women's marathon world record, the spo...
DISCOURSE SPECIAL: Is Elite Cycling Safe Enough? / Rugby's Smart Mouthguards / Is Sinner Guilty of Doping? and Much More
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a post-Olympic break the team wrap up all the latest hot topics and news from our Discourse ch...
How David Roche Used Science To Dominate One Of The World's Biggest Trail Races
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
American trail star and coach David Roche not only won his first 100-mile trail race at the Leadvill...
Science of Sport Spotlight 8: A Guilty or Innocent Sinner? And Tragedy at the Crossfit Games
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are back with a Spotlight show, and in this one, we discuss the case of Janik Sinner, who was cle...
Does Talent Need Trauma To Succeed? A Sports Psychologist Weighs In
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Collins is a sports Performance Psychologist who has coached over 90 World or Olympic meda...
Paris 2024 Recap Bumper Show: Highlights, Lowlights, Stats and Final Insights
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One last time, we get the band together to bring you our bumper Olympic recap show. Sports editor Mi...
Paris 2024 Daily: Day 16 - Hassan makes History, Track Triumphs for Kipyegon and Ingebrigtsen
11 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The "Zatopek" is complete, and while Sifan Hassan did not perfectly replicate the Czech legend's ach...
Paris 2024 Daily: Day 15 - A Magnificent Marathon and a Night of Redemption on the Track
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tamirat Tola won the men's Olympic Marathon gold today, but it was the marathon course that we thoug...
Paris 2024 Daily: Day 14 - Tebogo claims the 200m, McLaughlin-Levrone breaks a WR, and Holloway gets his gold
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Paris 2024 Olympics were hyped as the Noah Lyles games, with the American's campaign to win four...
Paris 2024 Daily: Day 13 - Men's 400m and Steeplechase golds, and a weight loss controversy
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The men's 400m Olympic Champion is Quincy Hall, who produced a remarkable final 100m to reel in Matt...