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PODCAST

The Real Science of Sport Podcast

Professor Ross Tucker and Mike Finch

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.

sports

All Episodes

1:09:12

Vingegaard's Muscle: No Match for Pogacar? | Who is...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/07/10

Discourse - the best thing about this Podcast, is all yours for a small monthly pledge. No exorbitant fee, no toilet paper advert every 510min, and access to hundreds of listeners who share great advice, insight, training strategies and opinion. Join now!The showThis week on The Real Science of Sport Spotlight world records fall and big questions rise. Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet lit up the track in Eugene—how fast can they go, and what happens if (or hopefully when) they clash over 5000m,

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1:28:31

What It's Really Like to be a Tennis Professional on...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/07/07

Kevin Ullyett has won 34 career tennis titles - including two doubles (2001 US Open, 2005 Australian Open) and one mixed (2002 Australian Open) Grand Slams - and had a world ranking of 107th in singles. So he knows what it's like to fight his way through the ranks and play among the best. In this interview with Ross and Mike, Ullyett explains what it takes to make it to the top tier of professional tennis, the daily and financial pressures of just breaking even, how players cope with loneliness and

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1:35:05

Spotlight: Failing to Science the Sh*t Out of Running...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/07/02

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 wave of success .The "science the shit out of it" theme continues

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1:26:56

The Science of Fuelling: Inside the Carbohydrate...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/30

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 break it all down.For years, endurance athletes were trained to

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1:21:44

Spotlight: Cramping Truths and Myths / Unscientific...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/25

Join DiscourseDiscourse is our VIP community where listeners share insights, opinions and perspectives on the stuff we love to talk about. You can become a member by making a small monthly pledge hereShow notesIn 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 this an aberration, or the beginning of a trend in distance running? We discuss what might be

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1:20:29

Most Sports Science Research is False: The...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/23

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 striking, the effect sizes dropped by an average of 75% when

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1:10:15

Spotlight: When Talent 'Stalls' / The Carbs vs Fat...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/18

Join Discourse for moreDiscourse 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 notesThis week in Spotlight, we kick of with a Discourse Digest exploring the UCI's equipment rules — most notably, 40cm maximum handlebar width. It may seem like a technical tweak, but the implications are

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1:15:28

Sport and Skin Cancer: How Big is the Risk?

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/17

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!) and the breakthrough treatments that are not yet available

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1:00:37

Spotlight: Carbs vs Fat in Comrades Champions? /...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/11

Join the DiscourseA small monthly donation gets you access to Discourse, our VIP community that informs these Spotlights, and exponentially adds value to your experience! If you want to support, and learn, you can donate hereShow notesThis 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 near-world record 5000m is not a miss, just a delay. Then we shift to the French Open, where Carlos

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1:20:46

The Science of Recovery

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/09

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-term motivation and overall ability.LinksSystematic review on Recovery

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1:13:41

Spotlight: Yates’ Giro Raid, Boxing’s Line, and a...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/06/04

Join DiscourseThe 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 notesAt 1:09. In the Discourse Digest news roundup, Gareth and Ross tackle three stories where science and policy

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1:20:25

Spotlight: Breaking the Physiological Bank in...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/05/28

Join DiscourseGareth Davies, Mayor of The Real Science of Sport, is ready to welcome you as a citizen of our VIP community! To join the conversation, make a monthly pledge at Patreon.com and get access to the shared expertise and passion of fellow listenersShow notesIn this week’s Spotlight, we tackle an intriguing training question from a listener in our Discourse community: do short surges during easy or moderate training days undermine the training benefit? To explore this, we look to the current

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1:11:37

INTERVIEW: Conquering the 400km Cocodona Trail Run

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/05/28

The Cocodona 250-mile (402km) trail run is one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world as athletes battle the distance, sleep deprivation, nutritional challenges, muddy trails and 12,500 m of elevation. Trail legend Ryan Sandes finished second in 2025 and takes us through his motivation for competing, his training regimen, and his experience competing in this extreme challenge.NOTES:Check out more the Cocodona 250 HERE Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

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1:27:24

Spotlight: Peril, Pills, Promises & Potential:...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/05/21

Join DiscourseNutrition 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 notesThis 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 identify and develop talent.We start with a lively discussion on the Giro d’Italia and that

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1:19:26

Spotlight: High Carbs, High Speeds, High Times…and a...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/05/07

Become a Discourse memberEnjoy 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 in Texas. But does the body actually use it all—or is there a ceiling to sugar

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1:11:08

Spotlight: Talent, Trust and Testing Transparency

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/04/30

Join The Discourse CommunityIf 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 notesIn 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 the UK Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act, including the first tangible policy response. We

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1:34:59

MARATHON SPECIAL: London & Boston Round-Up /...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/04/29

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:Results of the testing done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Puma's Fast-R 3Study on how shoe mass affects

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1:43:50

Spotlight: The Birds & the Bees of Sports Science...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/04/24

Join our Discourse CommunityThe Science of Sport is more than a podcast — it’s a growing community of curious, thoughtful people in sport and sports science. Join our Discourse by pledging on Patreon and tap into the deeper conversations.Show NotesWhere 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 Gareth through how a research paper is conceived, conducted, and eventually delivered into the world

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1:49:35

Spotlight: The UK Supreme Court and Implications for...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/04/17

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 about 1:07:12 in the podcast.For those looking for insight on this

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1:11:43

Spotlight: Fatigue as a Risk, a Requirement and a Red...

The Real Science of Sport Podcast ·

2025/04/10

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 rise — yet fatigue also cranks up the drama and emotion. So, which

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