Training Science Podcast

HYROX is exploding in popularity, but the science behind what actually drives performance is only beginning to catch up.
Dr Ludwig Rappelt joins the podcast to unpack new research examining the demands of HYROX and how performance has evolved across its first seven seasons. With running accounting for nearly half of total race time, endurance provides the foundation, but the data suggests strength based stations can play an outsized role in separating stronger performances from weaker ones. 
The conversation explores the balance between strength and endurance, potential thresholds for VO2 max and maximal strength, where athletes may still have untapped performance gains, and how HYROX specific training could evolve as the sport and its research base continue to mature.
Today’s speakers:
Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Ludwig Rappelt https://www.linkedin.com/in/ludwig-rappelt-b5239b18a/
Resources:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2026.1847569/full

What happens when you stop looking at performance through the lens of individual disciplines and start putting performance itself at the centre?

Katie Slattery and Jamie Stanley unpack their Performance Centred Practice framework, developed from years of experience across the Australian high performance system. They explore how coaches, sport scientists, practitioners, and athletes can build a shared understanding of what performance actually requires, then connect those demands directly to training and decision making.

The conversation covers shared mental models, productive disagreement within interdisciplinary teams, improving performance meetings, defining training quality beyond simple physical metrics, and creating better feedback loops between what happens in training and what ultimately matters in competition.
Today’s speakers:
Dr Martin Buchheit https://martin-buchheit.net/    
Katie Slattery https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Katie.Slattery
Jamie Stanley https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-stanley-a5a7265b/

Athletica U
 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu7L8NU083obOOZnkl9qd1lxr5zfVKTkL&si=YkGXTSQsJcYBUPiD

What can AI reveal about the training habits of the world's best distance runners?
In this episode, we dive into groundbreaking new research that combines artificial intelligence with one of the most unique datasets ever collected from elite Ethiopian marathon and half marathon runners. From uncovering hidden training patterns to understanding why context matters more than raw data, this conversation explores how AI can enhance sports science without replacing human expertise.
We also discuss the future of AI in endurance coaching, why large language models are powerful tools rather than true intelligence, and how practitioners can use these technologies to ask better questions and uncover better answers.
Today’s speakers:
Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Palo Galko https://www.linkedin.com/in/palo-galko-6b06a96/

Breaking into elite football isn't always a straight path. For Daniel Caraça, it meant years of unpaid internships, balancing university with part time jobs, and never losing sight of the bigger goal.

In this episode, Daniel shares his remarkable journey from studying sports science in the UK and volunteering across Scottish football to earning his first professional role with Pafos FC and helping the club compete in the UEFA Champions League. Along the way, he reflects on resilience, networking, continuous learning, and why attitude often opens more doors than experience alone.
Whether you're an aspiring practitioner or already working in high performance sport, this conversation is packed with valuable lessons on building a career from the ground up.

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Today’s speakers:
Dr Martin Buchheit https://martin-buchheit.net/    
Daniel Caraça https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielcara%C3%A7a/

Athletica U
 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu7L8NU083obOOZnkl9qd1lxr5zfVKTkL&si=YkGXTSQsJcYBUPiD

What if one of the most powerful performance tools isn't a supplement, a training method, or new technology, but belief itself?
In this episode, S&C specialist Assoc Prof Vince Kelly explores the science behind the belief effect and how athlete expectations, coach communication, environment, and trust can meaningfully influence performance outcomes. From placebo and nocebo effects to coaching philosophy and practitioner credibility, this conversation unpacks why how an intervention is delivered can be just as important as the intervention itself.
Whether you're a coach, sport scientist, clinician, or athlete, this episode offers practical insights into building stronger coach athlete relationships, improving communication, and creating environments that maximize performance.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399926003946

Today’s speakers:
Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Assoc Prof Vince Kelly https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-kelly-6452a621/

Athletica U
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu7L8NU083obOOZnkl9qd1lxr5zfVKTkL&si=YkGXTSQsJcYBUPiD