Science for Sport Podcast

337: Structure, Pacing and Recovery in Fight Preparation

September 14th, 2026  |  33 mins 3 secs

athlete preparation, athletic performance, boxing, brazilian jiu-jitsu, colin byrne, combat sport conditioning, combat sports, conditioning, conor mcgregor, elite sport, endurance training, fatigue, fight preparation, heart rate, interval training, mcgregor fast, mma, nate diaz, one-round principle, overtraining, pacing, performance coaching, performance data, power output, recovery, repeat efforts, rowing, shinobi academy, skill acquisition, sports science, strength and conditioning, training load, ufc, wattbike

Performance coach Colin Byrne joins Richard Graves to discuss why many combat athletes train too much without preparing specifically enough. Drawing on seven years working with Conor McGregor, Colin explains the conditioning changes made after the first Nate Diaz fight, the importance of separating skill work from physical preparation and why recovery between intense efforts can decide contests. He also introduces his “one-round principle” and explains what combat sports can learn from cycling’s measurement-led approach.

334: How Elite Athletes Respond Under Pressure

August 24th, 2026  |  29 mins 23 secs

athlete monitoring, athlete wellbeing, baseball, basketball, behavioural science, coaching, decision-making, emotional regulation, fatigue, frustration, golf, heart rate, heart rate variability, high-performance sport, mental performance, nhl, performance psychology, pressure performance, recovery, self-talk, sport science, sports psychology, tennis, wearable technology

Dr Alicia Naser explains how behavioural science can help athletes execute more consistently under pressure. Richard and Alicia discuss the links between fatigue, heart rate, self-talk, frustration, wearable data and decision-making, making the case for mental and physical preparation to be treated as one integrated performance system.

326: Creatine’s Next Chapter with Steve Jennings

June 29th, 2026  |  31 mins 44 secs

ageing, athlete performance, barcelona 1992, brain function, cognition, concussion, creatine, creatine monohydrate, elite sport, fatigue, functional nutrition, healthspan, high intensity performance, jenerise, maxim sports nutrition, nutrition education, olympic sport, performance nutrition, recovery, richard graves, science for sport, sleep deprivation, sports nutrition, sports science, steve jennings, steven jennings, strength and power, women’s health, youth athletes, youth sport

Richard Graves welcomes back Steve Jennings to continue the story of creatine, from its breakthrough in elite sport at Barcelona 1992 to its potential future in cognition, fatigue, brain function, youth sport, women’s health, ageing and everyday human performance. Steve explains why education and context are essential, particularly for parents, schools and practitioners, and discusses how new ingredient technologies could shape the next generation of creatine products.

212: Force Plates To Monitor Fatigue

April 22nd, 2024  |  34 mins 36 secs

NBA, baseball, basketball, fatigue, mlb, readiness, soccer, soreness, sport science, tiredness, training, wellness, workout

Come with us as we delve into the mysterious and exciting world of sports science…

This entertaining podcast explores:

• The science behind the world’s best athletes.
• Current issues and events in the world of sport.
• How to master the art and science of coaching.

Every Monday, Matt Solomon chats with various experts to uncover the science and secrets behind what makes the best athletes in the world so damn good at what they do. They’ll also dive into global issues and events effecting the world of sport, such as COVID-19 and gene doping.

Though anyone is welcome to join us on this journey, this podcast is primarily for:

• S&C coaches/sports scientists
• Physiotherapists
• Nutritionists/Dieticians
• Physical education teachers
• Sports enthusiasts
• Knowledge-seeking athletes

If you’re any of the above, we challenge you to listen to an episode and not fall in love with this laugh-out-loud, brain-swelling podcast.