Blueprint of an Athlete with Dr. Robin West
Hosted by Dr. Robin West, a board-certified orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon and longtime NFL and MLB team physician, this podcast explores the science that drives performance, recovery, and injury prevention. Dr. West talks with top experts, innovators, and athletes to share practical, evidence-based insights on training, technology, nutrition, protective equipment, and mental preparation. Whether you are an athlete, parent, coach, or simply curious about how science is shaping sports, these conversations are designed to inform, empower, and elevate your understanding of human performance. Disclosure: Throughout her career, Dr. Robin West has advised innovators and experts who develop products and technologies in sports medicine aimed at preventing injury, enhancing recovery, and improving performance. Blueprint of an Athlete exists to educate, inform, and inspire, not to endorse any specific brand, product, or device.
Episodes
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. In this incredibly powerful episode, host Dr. Robin West is joined by a dear friend, former colleague, and internationally recognized leader in orthopedic surgery and longevity, Dr. Vonda Wright, MD, MS.
Dr. Wright is a double board-certified orthopedic surgeon, the founder of the Precision Longevity Program, and the New York Times bestselling author of Unbreakable. To...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. In this episode, host Dr. Robin West is joined by a true pioneer in the field, Dr. Micky Collins. As the director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Dr. Collins has fundamentally shifted the global paradigm of concussion care from "dark rooms and rest" to active, targeted rehabilitation.
The Energy Crisis: What is a Concussion?Dr. Collins explains that a ...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. In this episode, host Dr. Robin West welcomes Dr. Holly Silvers-Grinelli, a world-renowned physical therapist and researcher whose work on the PEP Program and FIFA 11+ has revolutionized injury prevention. They discuss why female athletes remain at higher risk for ACL tears and how we can use evidence-based "vaccines" for movement to keep them on the field.
Why Female ...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. In this powerful episode, host Dr. Robin West is joined by 16-season NFL veteran and four-time Pro Bowler Alex Smith. Known for one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history, Alex opens up about the 2018 injury that nearly cost him his leg—and his life—and the mental shift required to return to the highest level of competition.
The Inflection Poin...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. Host Dr. Robin West is joined by Marie Spano, one of the leading sports dieticians in the country. Marie has fueled championship teams like the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, and today she breaks down the practical strategies athletes need to optimize fueling, recovery, and performance longevity.
The "Individual" Approach to Nutrition
Marie emphasizes that te...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. Host Dr. Robin West is joined by Dr. Brandon Welch, PharmD, president of SportPharm, to explore the rise of topical therapies in elite sports medicine.
What is Sports Pharmacology?
It’s the intersection of medicine and performance. Dr. Welch explains how medications interact with an athlete's unique physiology, training load, and strict anti-doping policies&mdash...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where science meets sports. In this episode, host Dr. Robin West is joined by 15-season MLB veteran and 2019 World Series Champion Howie Kendrick. Now a special assistant to the GM for the Philadelphia Phillies, Howie shares his unique perspective on the evolution of hitting, the "middle ground" of analytics, and why the mental game is the ultimate differentiator in professional baseball.
From Di...In this episode of Blueprint of an Athlete, Dr. Robin West is joined by Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a Harvard and Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist and author of The Invincible Brain. They explore why brain health is the ultimate "command center" for athletic performance and recovery.
The Science of the Concussed BrainDr. Fotuhi explains that concussions involve diffuse axonal injury (twisting of neurons), inflammation, and micro-hemorrhage...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where host Dr. Robin West is joined by Jack Rasmussen, Caddix Cleats CEO, and Dr. Kirk McCullough, Orthopedic Surgeon and NFL/MLS physician, to discuss cleat engineering and lower extremity injury prevention.
The Spark: A Preventable InjuryJack was inspired to start Caddix 12 years ago after watching football player Jamal Charles suffer a non-contact ACL tear—it looked "so preventable." Re...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete, where host Dr. Robin West is joined by Erin Hanson, Co-founder and CEO of Guardian Sports. After 25 years in material science, Erin and her husband Lee launched Guardian in 2011 with a mission to prove that science and smart design can transform athlete safety.
The Genesis of the Guardian CapDriven by concern for her son who began playing football, Erin and Lee sought a solution to reduce the re...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete , where host Dr. Robin West, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon , is joined by Ted Rath, Director of Sports Performance for the New Orleans Saints. Rath's work spans nearly two decades in the NFL with the Rams and Eagles, minimizing injury and peaking performance across the roster.
Core Philosophy: Mind, Body, and Process
Rath’s performance model is guided by caring for the person&mda...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete: Where Science Meets Sports! Host Dr. Robin West, a board-certified orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon, is joined by Dr. Daniel Laby, a leading expert in sports vision whose work has transformed how elite athletes perform.
For over 30 years, Dr. Laby has helped competitors in MLB, the NBA, NHL, and Olympic sports refine their most powerful tool: their vision system. He discusses the science be...
Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete: Where Science Meets Sports! Dr. Robin West is joined by Dr. Greg Grosicki, a Research Scientist at Whoop who turns large datasets on recovery, sleep, and cardiovascular metrics into actionable insights for athletes.
Dr. Grosicki explains that the Whoop band, initially focused on performance, has expanded its mission to include unlocking healthspan. The low-profile strap worn 24/7 monitors three c...
Welcome to The Blueprint of an Athlete with Dr. Robin West, where science meets sports. This podcast explores how data, analytics, and cutting-edge technologies, including wearables, equipment, clothing, nutrition, and recovery tools, are transforming the way athletes train, compete, and recover. Each episode breaks down evidence-based strategies to improve performance, enhance recovery, and mitigate injury risk, offering athletes,...
🔥 NEW PODCAST ALERT! 🔥
As an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon and longtime NFL/MLB/NCAA team physician, I've spent my career working with athletes and witnessing a constant need for better, safer, and more effective strategies to excel.
That's why I'm so excited to introduce The Blueprint of an Athlete: Where Science Meets Sports! 🧬🏈⚾️
Join me, Dr. Robin West, as I talk to world-class experts about the science that's shaping ...
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