Science of Getting Faster Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad

Are you perplexed by the problem of Energy Availability in endurance sports? How much should you eat to optimise exercise, performance, health, and body composition? Dr. Jose Areta joins host, Sarah Laverty, to clarify the widely misunderstood topic of energy availability in Endurance Sports.  What does Energy Availability mean? How do we know if we are consuming enough? Do energy requirements vary between individuals? What are the...

Does Altitude Training make you a slower cyclist? You may be missing an essential ingredient in the recipe for successful adaptations to altitude. From the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (IEEM), Nurse Practitioner, Shannon Grappe, and Dr. Benjamin Levine reveal what might be missing and how we can prepare for altitude, allowing us to reap the rewards of altitude training. 

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We’ve seen professional athletes and celebrities alike inserting themselves into suspicious-looking fridges wearing very little clothing while claiming performance, recovery and health benefits. Is there any science behind the hype? Dr. Wilson joins us to discuss if cryotherapy is worth it on this episode of the Science of Getting Faster!

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Masters’ Records are being demolished at an astonishing rate. This is exciting for all of us who have no desire to hang up our cleats while our competitive spirit is still alit. Dr. Julien Louis joins us to discuss how we can optimize our nutrition to keep us firing on all cylinders for as long as possible. 

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Almost half of elite female athletes are hormonal contraceptive users. But do we know the impact they have on performance? Dr. McNulty joins us to shed light on this enigmatic topic in exercise physiology. In this episode of the Science of Getting Faster Podcast, Dr. McNulty outlines our contraceptive options, what these contraceptives are made up of, and how they impact our natural hormonal environment. Ultimately, this episode he...

Does the form in which we consume carbohydrates impact our ability to utilize it during exercise?

The performance-enhancing effects of carbohydrates are becoming increasingly evident. For this reason, researchers and athletes continue to explore how we can maximize the benefits of consuming carbohydrates on the bike. In this episode of the Science of Getting Faster Podcast, we speak with Dr. Mark Hearris to discuss whether the form...

The buffering capacity of Sodium Bicarbonate and Sodium Citrate has been well-studied for their potential to decrease the acidity of our blood during exercise, and ultimately attenuate fatigue.

In a larger effort to reevaluate the hyperhydration strategies in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics, Dr. Siegler and colleagues aimed to uncover if buffering agents such as Sodium Bicarbonate and Sodium Citrate have the potential to enhance ...

Nitrate-rich beetroot supplementation has piqued scientists’ and athletes’ interest over recent years, due to its theoretical potential to enhance endurance performance. 

However, confusion exists around who is most likely to experience benefits from nitrate-rich beetroot juice, and in what contexts these benefits may occur. Is our response impacted by training status, the type of event we compete in, genetics, or environmental fac...

Caffeine’s performance-enhancing effects are well-documented. Most studies show measurable improvements in performance following a small dose, and as a result caffeine is commonly found in gels, drink mixes, and other athletic supplements.

But most adults already consume caffeine each day. Habitual consumption causes tolerance, which is said to weaken caffeine’s ergogenic effect. As a result some athletes even reduce their coffee c...

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary fuel during endurance exercise, and most experts recommend taking in around 90g carbs per hour for optimal performance on the bike. But are these recommendations outdated? Is it possible to ingest and utilize more than 90g per hour, and if it is, would taking in more carbs improve your performance?

A new study by Dr. Tim Podlogar and colleagues explores these very questions. In this episode of ...

Exogenous ketone esters are a hot topic in cycling, but the best way to use this expensive substance to get faster is still up for debate. In our previous discussion with Dr. Chiel Poffé, we learned that ingesting ketone esters with bicarbonate may enhance racing performance under certain circumstances. In the second part of our conversation with Dr. Poffé, we learn about his research into using keto...

Exogenous ketones are lauded by many for their endurance performance enhancing properties, but their impact on blood acidity is detrimental to performance and can even counteract their otherwise positive effects. Dr. Chiel Poffe and his partners conducted a study to learn if Bicarbonate Unlocks the Ergogenic Action of Ketone Monoester Intake in Endurance Exerci...

Glucose and fructose are commonly ingested to improve endurance performance during a workout, but what effect do different mixtures of these two substances have on subsequent endurance performances? In other words, if you are training twice in one day, is it better to take in just glucose, or glucose and fructose? We asked Dr. Tim Podlogar what he learned during his study on the Read more