The Real Science of Sport Podcast
World-renowned sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker and veteran sports journalist Mike Finch break down the myths, practices and controversies from the world of sport. From athletics to rugby, soccer, cycling and more, the two delve into the most recent research, unearth lessons from the pros and host exclusive interviews with some of the world's leading sporting experts. For those who love sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
We kick off this Spotlight at the Western States 100, where much of the buzz centered on David Roche’s DNF. Roche, a polarizing figure who promised to “science the shit” out of the race, faced unfair criticism both before and after the race, and Ross reflects on how the scientific process often works best when the "hypothesis" fails, and why confronting failed hypotheses to explain under-performance is more beneficial than riding a...
Carbohydrates have always been part of the endurance equation—but how much, when, and which types remain hotly debated. In this listener-driven episode, we tackle those questions and more, exploring a new paradigm in performance fueling that’s reshaping how athletes think about energy during exercise. Dr. Jamie Whitfield, Senior Lecturer at Australian Catholic University’s Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, joins us to b...
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Show notes
In a packed edition of Spotlight, we start our Discourse Digest segment with a dive into the men’s 5000m, where non-African athletes have taken control of the rankings and victories so far in 2025. Is th...
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Joe Warne, founder of the Sports Sciences Replication Center (SSRC) and senior author of a landmark new study that should send shockwaves through the world of sports and exercise science. Joe and his team undertook an enormous replication effort—repeating the methods of previously published research to see if the results hold up. The outcome? Just 28% of the studies could be replicated. Even more...
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Discourse is the best Sports Science community on the internet, and yes we are biased. But if you want to see for yourself, membership is a monthly pledge away, and then you too can gain access to opinion, insight and analysis from The Real Science of Sport army!
Show notes
This week in Spotlight, we kick of with a Discourse Digest exploring the UCI's equipment rules — most notably, 40...
Most sport takes place outdoors, and with growing concerns around sun exposure, active people are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer than most. Dr Dagmar Whitaker, vice president of the World Melanoma Society and one of the leading authorities on the subject, breaks down the current trends, explains which countries present a higher risk, the most effective ways to prevent skin cancer (hint: you smear it on from a young age!...
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Show notes
This week on The Spotlight, we put big claims, bold performances, and comeback stories under the microscope.
In Discourse Digest (00:00), we discuss why Beatrice Chebet’s ...
The science of recovery is more complex than you may think. When do you know you have recovered? What does recovery look like? How much do you need to recover? Mike and Ross delve into the subject to discuss the physiology of recovery, the most effective researched recovery methods, what science reveals about the numerous recovery products on the market, and how to utilise the right recovery protocol to enhance performance, long-te...
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The Spotlight is inspired and informed by our Discourse community. If you want to be part of that, sharing insights and inspiration with listeners, you can become a Patron of the Podcast here, make a monthly pledge, and the VIP room is yours to explore! It won't cost you even 2% of what the Enhanced Games are charging, and our advice actually works, and is safe!
Show notes
At 1:09. In the Discourse Dig...
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Show notes
In this week’s Spotlight, we tackle an intriguing training question from a listener in our Discourse community: do short surges during easy or...
The Cocodona 250-mile (402 km) trail run is one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world, as athletes battle the extreme distance, sleep deprivation, nutritional challenges, muddy trails and 12,500 m of elevation. Trail legend Ryan Sandes finished second in 2025 and talks to host Mike Finch and guest co-host Sean Robson about his motivation for competing, his training regimen and his own experience competing in this extrem...
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Nutrition tips, training insight, performance debates, sports opinions — if you’re into it, we’re talking about it. Become part of the “Science of Sport” Discourse community via Patreon.
Show notes
This week on Spotlight, we take a tour through some of the big stories in sport and sports science right now—from race tactics and concussion protocols to doping ethics, expert credibility, and how we ident...
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Enjoy the pod? Support us with a small monthly donation on Patreon and unlock access to our exclusive Discourse community—deep dives, hot takes, and smarter sport talk await!
In this week’s Spotlight, we dive into the science behind an eye-watering nutrition number: 200 grams of carbohydrate per hour. That’s what elite Ironman Cameron Wurf reportedly consumed during a record-breaking bike leg ...
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If you enjoy the podcast, you’ll love our Discourse community. Become a member of “The Science of Sport” community by joining with a small monthly pledge on Patreon — and be part of the conversation behind the conversation.
Show notes
In this week’s Spotlight, we open with a brisk roundup of major stories from the world of sport and policy. We look at new developments following th...
In this round-up of the two big spring marathons—Boston and London—Mike and Ross rate the performances of the top athletes while debating whether pacesetters should be used in major marathon events. The team then delve into the ultra-competitive world of shoe tech, where Mike gets to do a running economy test in a pair being touted as the world's fastest running shoes.
SHOW NOTES:
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Show Notes
Where do scientific papers come from?
In this week’s Spotlight, our main focus is a “birds and bees” conversation of the scientific world. Ross walks G...
We’ve got a blockbuster episode of Spotlight for you today.
We kick things off with an important discussion around women’s sport and transgender athlete policies, following a landmark ruling from the UK Supreme Court on the legal definition of “woman” in the Equality Act. We know this topic won’t be for everyone, so if you'd prefer to skip ahead to the sports performance and race insights, you can jump straight to that action at...
In this Spotlight episode, Ross and Gareth tackle a provocative question: should sports embrace fatigue to make the show better? We kick off with rugby union, where fresh legs off the bench and player welfare are fuelling debates about injury risks. But things quickly get philosophical. Some sports are basically designed to test how much fatigue you can take. Others are compromised when fatigue creeps in — skills drop, mistakes ris...
Join the team as they dive into the complex world of event sports medicine with guest Dr Darren Green. The team talk about the complexity of setting up a medical facility for major sporting events while tackling the challenges of extreme weather, hydration, injuries and cardiac incidences. Dr Green explains how medical teams work with event organisers to ensure competitor safety and gives practical advice on how participants should...
It's a heart-to-heart on Spotlight today, as Gareth and Ross kick off by discussing a Discourse question about whether running marathons is bad for your heart? Ross describes five cardiac "risks" that have been documented, giving context and a bit of reassurance in response to theory that excessive endurance training is damaging to heart tissue. We then talk about maximum heart rate, and why it's an imperfect anchor for training pr...
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