Science for Sport Podcast
Behind the Scenes of Elite Performance – Unlocking the Science, Stories, and Strategies That Make the Best Even Better
Displaying items 1-10 of 21 in total of Science for Sport Podcast with the tag "science for sport".
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342: Moving Beyond Aerobic and Anaerobic Training Labels
October 19th, 2026 | 36 mins 4 secs
aerobic training, anaerobic training, combat sports conditioning, conditioning, elite sport, energy systems, football conditioning, heart rate recovery, high-intensity intermittent sports, high-intensity interval training, individualised conditioning, james de lacey, low-intensity training, muscle oxygenation, near-infrared spectroscopy, nirs, oxygen delivery, oxygen utilisation, repeated sprint ability, repeated sprint performance, richard graves, rugby conditioning, science for sport, science for sport podcast, sports science, sprint interval training, strength and conditioning, sweet science of fighting, training prescription, vo2 max
James de Lacey joins Richard Graves to challenge how aerobic and anaerobic labels shape conditioning in high-intensity intermittent sports. They discuss recovery between repeated efforts, the distinction between oxygen delivery and muscle oxygen use, and how testing can inform more individual training decisions. James also explains where he sees sprint intervals and low-intensity work fitting alongside the demands of sport practice.
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341: Preparing Athletes for Pressure and Adversity
October 12th, 2026 | 32 mins 15 secs
adversity in sport, antifragility, athlete burnout, athlete development, athlete wellbeing, coaching, dr nick holton, elite sport, flow state, human flourishing, mental performance, mental skills training, mindfulness, myedge, nick holton, performance psychology, positive psychology, pressure in sport, psychological flexibility, recovery, resilience, richard graves, science for sport, sport psychology, sports psychology, sports science, stress management, sustainable performance, the antifragile academy, visualisation
Can athletes develop through pressure rather than simply bounce back from it? Dr Nick Holton joins Richard Graves to explore antifragility, the role of carefully managed challenges, and the balance between performance, recovery and wellbeing. They discuss practical considerations for coaches and practitioners, alongside the questions researchers still need to answer about measuring and applying antifragility in sport.
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340: What Saliva Testing Can Tell Us About Athletes
October 5th, 2026 | 21 mins 14 secs
athlete health, athlete monitoring, biolyz, biomarker testing, cortisol, elite sport, football performance, illness monitoring, individual baselines, injury risk, marlon millard, performance data, recovery monitoring, richard graves, saliva testing, salivary biomarkers, science for sport, sports science, training load
Richard Graves speaks with Biolyz founder Marlon Millard about the use of frequent saliva testing in elite sport. They discuss individual baselines, cortisol, the need to interpret biomarker trends alongside training and wellness data, and the potential and current limits of using those data to anticipate problems.
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338: How Sports Science Has Changed Coaching with Simon Grayson
September 21st, 2026 | 41 mins 21 secs
athlete monitoring, coaching, elite football, elite performance, football analytics, football coaching, football management, football performance, football periodisation, football recovery, football sports science, gps data, high-speed running, huddersfield town, injury prevention, leeds united, leicester city, man management, match preparation, performance data, performance science, periodisation, player availability, player load, preston north end, professional football, recovery, s&c, science for sport, science for sport podcast, simon grayson, sports performance, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, training intensity, training load
Simon Grayson joins Richard Graves to discuss how sports science has transformed professional football across his five decades in the game. From nutrition and recovery to GPS, high-speed running and individualised training, Simon offers a manager's perspective on what performance practitioners can do to genuinely influence decision-making. He explains why data needs context, why coaches still need to trust what they see on the pitch, and why no amount of technology will replace good man-management.
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335: The Three Outcomes That Define High Performance
August 31st, 2026 | 28 mins 12 secs
athlete availability, athlete development, athlete monitoring, athlete readiness, coaching, collegiate sport, data-informed coaching, exercise science, force plates, high performance sport, high-performance leadership, integrated performance, load monitoring, mental wellness, multidisciplinary teams, ncaa, nsca, performance data, performance science, return to play, richard graves, science for sport, sports medicine, sports nutrition, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, trevor short, utah state university, wearable technology
Dr Trevor Short joins Richard Graves to explain how Utah State University is building an integrated approach to athlete health, wellness and performance. They discuss why alignment must come before data, how athlete monitoring can improve decision-making and what it takes to balance availability, readiness and long-term performance development.
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330: Frontal Plane Fundamentals with Dr Matthew Ibrahim
July 27th, 2026 | 30 mins 24 secs
adductor strength, athlete buy-in, athlete development, athlete monitoring, change of direction, coaching communication, criteria-based rehabilitation, data analytics, dr matthew ibrahim, force plates, frontal plane training, groin strength, high performance sport, injury rehabilitation, isometric strength testing, lateral lunge, lateral movement, lateral squat, lateral strength, load management, malden catholic, matthew ibrahim, performance data, readiness monitoring, rehabilitation, return to performance, return to play, richard graves, science for sport, science for sport podcast, sports science, strength and conditioning, student-athletes, training load, vbt, velocity-based training, wellness monitoring, youth athlete development
Dr Matthew Ibrahim joins Richard Graves to explain how sports science, strength and conditioning, wellness and education can work together within an integrated performance model. They discuss selecting meaningful athlete-monitoring data, moving beyond return to play towards return to performance, and why frontal-plane strength deserves a more prominent place in athletic development.
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328: Blood Flow Restriction at the World Cup
July 13th, 2026 | 26 mins 25 secs
Premier League, athlete monitoring, athlete readiness, bfr, blood flow restriction, circulatory recovery, dr warren bradley, elite football, elite sport, exercise physiology, football performance, hrv, hytro, injury risk reduction, international rugby, long-haul travel, performance recovery, performance support, physiotherapy, player availability, practitioner education, recovery, recovery science, return to play, science for sport, sleep quality, sports medicine, sports physiology, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, tournament football, travel fatigue, wearable technology, world cup
Richard Graves speaks with Dr Warren Bradley about how blood flow restriction is being used in elite sport, with a particular focus on World Cup football. The episode explores BFR as more than a recovery tool, covering its role in travel, tissue priming, injury mitigation, return-to-play and player availability. Warren also challenges the obsession with overly specific data, arguing that practical, consistent application matters when working across elite squads under tournament pressure.
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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.
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324: Joe Truman: Training of a GB Track Sprinter
June 15th, 2026 | 24 mins 2 secs
athlete monitoring, athlete-led programming, bfr training, blood flow restriction training, british cycling, cadence, cycling performance, elite athlete, elite sport, joe truman, keirin, kilo time trial, la 2028, olympic cycling, peak power, performance coaching, physiology, power training, race-specific training, recovery, richard graves, s&c, science for sport, sport science, sports science, sprint cycling, sprint performance, strength and conditioning, tapering, team gb, team sprint, track cycling, training load
Richard Graves welcomes Great Britain track cyclist Joe Truman to discuss the science, training and decision-making behind elite track sprinting. Joe reflects on his journey through the British Cycling pathway, his first major individual European title, and the British record performance that marked a major breakthrough in his career. The conversation explores how studying sport and exercise science has shaped Joe’s training philosophy, why he now takes a more active role in his own programming, and how methods such as blood flow restriction training, tapering, cadence management and race-specific preparation are helping him push performance forward. For practitioners, this episode offers a detailed look at how an elite athlete blends science, experience and self-awareness to keep improving at the highest level.
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323: The Unseen Work of S&C and Sports Science
June 8th, 2026 | 29 mins 16 secs
athletic performance, catalan dragons, coaching, decision making, elite rugby, elite sport, gps data, high performance, high performance puzzle, leadership in sport, leicester tigers, matt parr, performance data, performance environment, performance leadership, performance teams, player management, return to play, richard graves, rugby league, rugby performance, rugby union, s&c, science for sport, sports medicine, sports performance, sports science, sports science podcast, strength and conditioning, training load
Richard Graves welcomes Matt Parr back to the Science for Sport podcast to explore the invisible work behind elite performance. Matt discusses why data, GPS reports, and training plans only tell part of the story, and why relationships, trust, standards, alignment, and decision-making are often what determine whether performance systems truly work. Drawing on his experience across Leicester Tigers, Catalan Dragons, and High Performance Puzzle, Matt offers practical insight for sports science, S&C, medical, and coaching staff working in elite sport.