The Performance Nutrition Podcast

In Season 3, Episode 34 Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Tara Swart, MD, PhD. Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, leadership coach, award-winning author and a medical doctor. In this episode Tara shares her insights into how we can become more aware of our unconscious biases, the impact of body language and emotion in communication and how to ‘master’ our emotions. Tara discusses her brain agility model, how fear and failure can act as a trigger for performance, and considers whether you can be really smart and also really emotionally intelligent? Don’t miss this and more.

In Season 3, Episode 33 Dr. Bubbs interviews baseball performance consultant Xan Barksdale. A baseball coach with Team USA and former professional baseball player, Xan shares his sporting background and how training and physical preparation has changed over the last 20 years. He also discusses the key role of off-season training in athletic development, how much is enough, and the potential pitfalls of early sport specialization. Xan also chats nutrition in baseball; current trends he’s seeing in athletes, how supplementation impacts baseball performance and navigating travel nutrition in young athletes. Finally, Xan discusses the importance of mindset in baseball and the evolution of baseball performance in the next 5-10 years.

In Season 3, Episode 32 Dr. Bubbs interviews Ben Kenyon, performance coach with the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. In this episode, Ben discusses his journey to working in professional sport, the importance of relationships and building up the ‘trust jar’, the value of routine in skill development, and how core values translate to high performance. He also shares his insights on player diets in the NBA, how the players cope with all the travel, and ‘return-to-play’ injury nutrition. Ben also shares how mindset is what separates the best from the rest and shares his thoughts the next frontier in performance.

In Season 3, Episode 31 Dr. Bubbs interviews expert coaches, practitioners and researchers on all things caffeine. Jozo Grgic, PhD(c) kicks things off by sharing his research into the effects of caffeine on resistance training and prof Stu Phillips, PhD the impacts of caffeine supplementation on exercise. From there, Nanci Guest, PhD shares her research in genetics, caffeine metabolism and endurance training, Dr. Eric Helms, PhD talks caffeine, bodybuilding and improving body composition, and Dr. Andrew Chappell, PhD from England shares his research on the caffeine habits of elite British bodybuilders. Lastly, Dr. Ian Dunican, PhD shares his research on the effects of caffeine on sleep in professional rugby players in Australia.

In Season 3, Episode 30 Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. James Morehen PhD, performance nutritionist with a research background in rugby league and currently working for the English Football Association. In this episode, James discusses the physical demands and athlete profile in elite professional rugby league. He highlights the fundamental fueling strategies in a sport with high caloric demands, potential nutrition ‘gaps’ in elite rugby players, and whether or not polyphenol supplementation improves recovery post-competition. James also shares his insights and experience in developing travel nutrition plans in preparation for international competitions, rapid rehydration strategies and consequences of dehydration in hot climates and where the next greatest gains in performance nutrition will be made.

In Season 3, Episode 29 Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Inna Khazan, PhD, BCB a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and a clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology and performance excellence training using biofeedback and mindfulness-based approaches. In this episodes, Dr. Khazan talks about how mindfulness enhances biofeedback and biofeedback enhances mindfulness. She shares research on HRV, and biofeedback and how to find your resonance frequency (RF) rate. Dr. Khazan also discusses how mindfulness meditation and how it literally changes your brain. Finally, she dispels common myths around mindfulness & how emotions – like shame, guilt, anxiety and fear - drive behaviour.

In Season 3 Episode 28 Dr. Bubbs interviews Pratik Patel, Director of Nutrition and Assistant Strength Coach for the NFL's New York Giants. Pratik talks about his circuitous route to working in high performance and his early experience in leading an elite collegiate nutrition program. He also shares his philosophy and strategies on pre-season nutrition and supplementation in the NFL, position specific changes in body composition, and how the nutrition plan may change in-season. Pratik also discusses injury nutrition, ‘cheat days’, and the biggest challenges in building player buy-in with respect to nutrition.

Mind w/ Coach Rejean Chiasson In Season 3, Episode 27 Dr. Bubbs interviews renowned running coach Rejean Chiasson to talk all things running. Coach Rejean shares his journey into elite running and the fundamentals of preparing for a marathon, from beginner to elite. He also shares his insights into planning your training week, balancing volume and intensity in training, and common mistakes made by beginner, intermediate and advanced runners. Coach Rejean also talks about the importance of recovery, fueling during your runs and how his nutrition has changed over the years, as well as the importance of mindset and community in running and life.

In Season 3, Episode 26 Dr. Bubbs interviews renowned exercise physiologist Dr. Andy Sparks PhD. In this episode, Andy shares his passion for expert-generalism, his serendipitous path to research, the early days of high-fat, low-carb pre-exercise fueling in endurance sport, his work in measurement error and why it matters, inter-individual differences in how beetroot juice impacts endurance performance, personalized dosing of sodium bicarb, fueling practices in ultra-endurance athletes and much more!

In Season 3, Episode 24 Dr. Bubbs interviews expert coaches, practitioners and researchers on all things sprinting. Dr. Jas Randhawa and Jason Hettler from renowned Altis share insights on training philosophy, fundamentals and the power of observation. The ‘Sprint Coach’ Derek Hansen talks differences in stride length vs. frequency and why off-season training is crucial for injury prevention. Dr. Chris Bellon PhD shares the ‘Big 4’ tenets of acceleration, strength coach Clance Laylor explains why sprinting is so beneficial in pro hockey players, and Prof. Paul Laursen PhD talks HIIT training and the different types you can aim for in athletes and clients. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for full episodes.

In Season 3, Episode 24 Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Igor Grossman, PhD who discusses his extensive research on wisdom and wise-reasoning. In this episode, Dr. Grossman starts by defining intelligence, wisdom and characteristics of wise-reasoning. He then highlights how social class may predict your ability to reason-wisely, how uncertain environments drive decision making, and how today’s social media world influences how we resolve conflicts with others. Grossman also shares how better wise-reasoning may impact performance in sport, strategies for cultivating more wise-reasoning, and the evolution of the research in this area.

In Season 3, Episode 23 Dr. Bubbs interviews Zach Bitter, American and world record holder in the ultra-marathon. In this episode, Zach shares how he first got into racing, how to build up from marathons to ultra-marathons and how far out you should start training for an ultra. Zach also discusses the importance of building an aerobic base for ultra-marathons, his recent win in the San Diego 100-mile race, and common mistakes made by recreational ultra athletes. Finally, Zach shares his fueling strategy during training and competition, common nutrition pitfalls he sees with clients and what’s next for him on the performance front.

In Season 3, Episode 22 Dr. Bubbs interviews Chris Bishop MS, Senior Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning at the London Sport Institute and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the UK Strength and Conditioning Association. In this episode, Chris discusses his research in inter-limb asymmetries or differences in strength and power in athletes. He shares current assessment methods to detect asymmetries and how they impact performance in athletes. Chris also talks about the various methods that can be used to correct or limit asymmetries in athletes, as well as whether a ‘threshold’ exists for asymmetries, and when practitioners should address an asymmetry in athletes. Finally, he shares his thoughts on return to play and the evolution of research in athlete asymmetries.

In Season 3, Episode 21 Dr. Bubbs interviews Rob Morton, PhD in the Protein Metabolism Research Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Stuart Phillips at McMaster University. In this episode, Rob talks about his research into the effects of protein supplementation on strength and fat-free mass. He’ll highlight just how much of a benefit (or not) protein supplementation has when combined with strength training, if athletes need more protein than recreational trainees, and how much protein type really matters. Rob also discusses the impact of protein supplementation on fat-free mass, if there is an upper threshold for muscle protein synthesis, and what happens to protein excess in the body. Finally, Rob shares key insights on how protein requirements change as you age, effects on kidney health, and the evolution of research in this area.

In Season 3, Episode 20 Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Liam Anderson PhD, sport scientist and performance nutritionist to discuss his research in English Premier League soccer players. In this episode Liam discusses the physical demands of pro soccer players, how Glycogen status and type-iix fibers are impacted by game intensity, how fueling intake differs between practice and game days, the importance of re-fueling post-game and the real life challenge practitioners face, the value of a good relationship between team chef and performance nutritionist, and much more. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.