The Performance Nutrition Podcast

Season 3, Episode 4. Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Dan Cleather PhD to discuss all things strength and conditioning. In this episode, Dan outlines the most common mistakes trainers, clients and athletes make in training, the problem with conventional guidelines for training intensity, and the value of starting a program small. He’ll also share his preference for wave loading, the value of autoregulation, why it’s important to leave sessions feeling better than when you started, his MOST important “cardinal rule” of training, as well as insights from years working in the trenches. This episode is loaded with evidence-based insights and wisdom from Dr. Cleather! Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes,

Season 3, Episode 3, Dr. Bubbs sits down with renowned basketball coach Roy Rana, the first coach to guide Canada Basketball to a gold medal at the U19 basketball World Championship in Egypt in 2017. In this episode, coach Roy talks about performing under intense pressure, the major lessons he’s learned through failure, he defines what he believes “culture” truly is and what goes into building a successful culture. He also talks about building team chemistry in a short time frame, how sport science has impacted his coaching, the mentors who’ve influenced him throughout his career and why he does what he does. Tremendous insights here from one of the best.

Season 3, Episode 2, Dr. Bubbs sits down with Dr. Lachlan Mitchell PhD from Australia to discuss whether competitive bodybuilders are using evidence-based nutrition strategies to manipulate their physiques. In this episode, Lachlan will discuss his research in male bodybuilders, if its possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, carbohydrate intake differences amongst America, Canada and Australian bodybuilders, how getting leaner impacts resting metabolic rate (RMR), “peak week” weight cutting strategies and how they impact hormonal balance in the body. He also shares insights on the growing issue of muscle dysmorphia, red flags to watch out for and then rounds things out with his thoughts on the evolution of bodybuilding research. Check out drbubbs.com for full show notes.

Season 3 Episode 1, Dr. Bubbs kicks off the year talking vitamin D, performance and which supplements can impact exercise-induced muscle damage with expert Dr. Daniel Owens PhD. In this episode, Daniel reviews the history of vitamin D research, how vitamin D may impact athletic performance, variations in vitamin D status amongst athletes and different ethnicities, as well as suggestions for testing and supplementation. Dan also discusses his work on exercise-induced muscular damage, reviewing the physiology of recovery and how certain functional foods can impact various stages of the recovery process. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for full show notes.

In Season 2 Episode 50, Dr. Bubbs reflects on the second season of the Dr. Bubbs Performance Podcast with clips of 15 expert guests sharing their incredible insights on a variety of hot topics from popular episodes this past year: athlete health, fuelling training, recovery, and the brain. Thank you to all the amazing expert guests who came on the show this year to share their knowledge on training, nutrition, functional medicine, recovery, brain health and mindset! And thank you to our listeners....stay tuned for season 3 in 2019!

Season 2 Episode 49, Dr. Bubbs interviews expert Dr. David Diamond PhD to talk about cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, saturated fats and heart disease risk. In this episode, David reviews the history of our modern fear of cholesterol, statistical misrepresentation in the early research on cholesterol and heart disease risk, and whether he believes the evidence supports saturated fat as a risk factor for heart disease. David also discusses the original research on statins, reviews the literature on LDL-c, and how much they actually impact heart disease risk. As well, David highlights the importance of LDL particle number and the fundamental role of clotting in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.

Season 2 Episode 48, Dr. Susan Kleiner PhD returns to the Dr. Bubbs Performance Podcast to share her latest insights on performance nutrition and fueling athletes. In this episode, Susan talks about the importance of understanding “why” before designing nutrition plans, the nuances of fueling workouts, the difference between managing fats and burning fats, as well as strategies to improve body composition while also preparing for competition. She also dives into nutrition for mood and cognitive function, supplements to support the brain and evidence-based botanicals for athletes. Finally, she shares her wisdom around changing athlete behaviours to influence their health and performance in the long-term. Check out full show notes at drbubbs.com/podcast.

Season 2 Episode 47, Dr. Bubbs sits down with expert Jozo Grgic PhD(c) to talk about the effects of caffeine intake on resistance training. Jozo outlines the mechanisms of how caffeine may impact strength and power-based training, lower-body versus upper-body movements, as well as its effects on pain and hormone response to training. He also discusses the caffeine dose ranges, coffee versus caffeine supplements, what the research says for female athletes and the effects of caffeine gum on performance. Jozo also shares how caffeine impacts blood pressure and his thoughts on the evolution of caffeine research. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for full show notes.

Season 2 Episode 46, Dr. Bubbs sits down with nutrition expert Dr. Doug Kalman PhD to talk about the physical demands of mixed-martial arts, boxing and other combat sports, the pre-camp testing Doug likes to use to assess his athletes, how far out from competition is ideal to start cutting weight, the reality of making weight on short notice, the dangers of old-school weight-making strategies during weigh-in week as well as Doug’s preferred methods to achieve the target weight. Doug also shares how a fighter's nutrition changes from weigh-in to fight night, factors to consider when traveling, and explains how combat sports are “chess with consequences”. Great stuff here from Dr. Kalman! Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.

Season 2 Episode 45, Dr. Bubbs sits down with expert Strength and Conditioning Coach Jorge Carvajal to talk about why his training philosophy starts with “people first”, how to build trust with athletes and the importance of failure in the learning process. He also talks about how strength and conditioning coaches are effectively load managers, the lessons he learned working in NCAA college football and coaching in Russia, and common mistakes made by young coaches. Jorge also shares how the “other 22-hours” in the day impact an athlete's load and why sleep (and naps) and getting the training process right are his big rocks in the recovery process. Finally, Jorge shares his experience with burnout, the alarming number of coaches who reach out to him struggling with burnout and how he rebuilt his ideal life around the things he loves most. Fantastic insights and wisdom from a true leader in the field! Find full show notes on drbubbs.com/podcast.

Season 2 Episode 44, Dr. Bubbs interviews expert physiologist Dr. David Pyne PhD to talk exercise immunology and keeping athletes cold and flu free. In this episode, Dr. Pyne reviews the fundamentals of immunology and how the immune system is regulated by exercise and nutrition. He’ll discuss how training volume, intensity and load impact immunity, and more importantly, why keeping athletes cold and flu free is paramount for athletic success. Dr. Pyne also discusses the key immunity biomarkers and how effective they may (or may not) be at flagging at-risk athletes. Finally, he dives into the topic of immune-nutrition and how the food you eat, and supplements like probiotics, can impact athlete immunity and therefore ability to train and compete. Go to drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.

Season 2 Episode 43, Dr. Bubbs interviews diabetes expert Dr. Nicola PhD RD to talk all things diabetes (type-2) and nutrition. Nicola defines pre-diabetes and diabetes (type-2), outlines the current nutrition guidelines for the prevention of diabetes (T2D) and why we’re struggling with epidemic levels of diabetes worldwide. She also highlights how weight loss is the biggest driver of diabetes prevention and delves into different nutrition strategies – low-carb, Mediterranean, intermittent fasting and low energy diets – to achieve this goal. As well, Nicola touches on how the rate of weight loss appears to be an independent driver of the glucose-lowering effect, the importance of the first insulin response in this whole story, and her thoughts on how to stem the tide of the current diabetes (T2D) epidemic.

Season 2 Episode 42, Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Chris Bellon PhD, who shares the four things you need to know about getting people fast, how sled towing and hill sprints help to accomplish 4 fundamentals, and how procedural memory development fits into the story. Chris talks about progressing from general to specific training, the role of stride length and rate, and outlines exercises to train specific qualities. He’ll also share the key relationship between weight room and quality speed development, how he monitors athletes, and the many demands facing young athletes today. Chris shares his tips for time-efficient workouts, the evolution of sport science and his biggest rocks for upgrading acceleration and sprinting. Go to drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.

Season 2 Episode 41, Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Norah Simpson PhD from Stanford University School of Medicine to talk all things sleep. In this episode, Norah discusses why so many people and athletes still struggle with poor sleep quality and quantity despite all the emphasis on sleep in the last 5 years, as well as her recent paper, “Optimizing sleep to maximize performance: implications and recommendations for elite athletes”. She dives into how lack of sleep impacts pain tolerance, injury risk, risk of illness and even the potential effect of altitude training on sleep quality. Norah also shares the sleep roadblocks she sees most in athletes, her favourite tools and tactics to get sleep back on track, and where she sees the evolution of sleep research heading in the next decade. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.

Season 2 Episode 40, Dr. Bubbs interviews expert Dr. Javier Gonzalez PhD to talk all things breakfast. Is it really the most important meal of the day? Does eating breakfast improve ability to lose weight and how does that compare to fasting? How does exercise in a fasted-state, or after breakfast, impact this whole story? Javier will share his research in this area. He’ll also discuss how eating breakfast impacts your energy balance the rest of the day, compare the effects of fructose versus glucose metabolism on weight gain, and discuss the state of the research on intermittent fasting. Javier will also dive into the topic of personalized nutrition as it relates to weight loss: does everyone really need a personalized approach or do the fundamentals hold true for the majority of the population? Finally, Javier reveals his breakfast routine and what does the future hold for this type of research. Check out drbubbs.com/podcast for show notes.