How to Avoid the Traps of Bro Science / Protecting the Brain in Contact Sport / "Athlete Trafficking" and Talent Pathways
We offer insights on the stories in the news, ranging from talent trafficking to concussion prevention, and explore some of your questions on training and nutrition
The Real Science of Sport Podcast · Mike Finch
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (sphinx.acast.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Discourse
Support the show, and get way more fascinating insight than the Bros deliver on the pod! Everything in Spotlight is discussed, dissected and debated on Discourse, and membership is judge a small monthly pledge away
Show notes
It's a Bro-Science discussion today, as listener David inspired debate with a post on his epic Zone 2 indoor ride, and got us thinking - how do we spot Bro Science? Is it all bad? What are the alarm bells that should make us cautious, and how can we learn from the experiences and anecdotes of other people while staying credible. That's our Center Stage topic (47:45).
Before that, we whip around the world for a Discourse Digest (1:38) that looks at NCAA 'trafficking' in Kenyan athletes, a win-win, but also maybe a loss for some. We talk Caster Semenya's off-now-on case to fight for inclusion into women's sport, and explore why it's about male advantage, not natural advantage. We also visit rugby, where head impacts and concussions are the focus of a big new study, a new player load guideline, and a link with neurodegenerative diseases in the wake of sad news of Lewis Moody's MND diagnosis.
In Ross Replies (1:05:45), Gareth asks about training when fatigued, inviting discussion about the body's physiological resource budget, and how we spend it on stress as opposed to recovery. Listener Lens (1:11:41) fields another listener question, this time from Gianni, about the importance, or necessity, of breakfast before training. And Finally (1:14:52), Tua Tagavailoa has been advised that to prevent concussions, he needs more carbs. It's an idea detached from both reality and theory, but we discuss how it might have come about, and how ideas without basis become entrenched by unquestioning media and public.
Link
- Chris Chavez post about NCAA Recruiting
- DW article on Semenya's legal case
- The entertaining LetsRun article on Tokyo 2025
- The large NZ study on neurodegenerative disease in rugby players
- World Rugby's Load Guidelines
- Former guest James Smoliga's article on Tua Tagavailoa's sugar-concussion prevention belief
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.