Science for Sport Podcast

Where should sport draw the line on performance enhancement, and who should decide? This week, Richard Graves welcomes Maximilian Martin, co-founder and CEO of Enhanced, the company behind the Enhanced Games, to discuss one of sport’s most controversial subjects: a competition that permits certain performance-enhancing substances prohibited in mainstream sport. Maximilian explains the thinking behind the Games and makes his case for a different approach to athlete choice, medical oversight and competition. Richard questions what medical supervision involves, how athletes are informed about potential consequences, and the distinction between monitoring health and establishing long-term safety. They also reflect on the inaugural event in Las Vegas, why performances did not always match expectations, and how training, technique and the demands of competition remain central to results. Maximilian shares his interpretation of the athletes’ performances and discusses the role he believes recovery played in their preparation. For practitioners, coaches and anyone following the debate, this conversation examines the tensions between sporting rules, individual choice and athlete welfare. It also considers the responsibilities that come with promoting enhancement to a wider audience, including the potential influence on younger people. In this episode you will learn How Maximilian defines “enhanced” competition and how its rules differ from mainstream sport. His reasoning for allowing certain performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision. How he describes Enhanced’s athlete screening, monitoring and individual preparation programmes. The questions Richard raises about informed consent, potential side effects and Why allowing enhancement does not remove the importance of training, technique and competition-day performance. What Maximilian believes the inaugural Games revealed about preparation, recovery and personal bests. How he responds to concerns about role models, younger audiences and the wider influence of the Games. About Maximilian Martin Maximilian Martin is the co-founder and CEO of Enhanced, the company behind the Enhanced Games. Originally from Germany, he began his career in investment banking in London before moving into entrepreneurship, including a business in Bitcoin mining. In this episode, he discusses his involvement in developing Enhanced and presents the organisation’s position on performance enhancement in sport. The views and opinions expressed by the guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the podcast, Science for Sport or its affiliates. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Does the way we talk about aerobic and anaerobic training help us prescribe better conditioning, or can it lead us towards the wrong sessions? This week, Richard Graves welcomes James de Lacey back to the Science for Sport podcast to examine conditioning for high-intensity intermittent sports, including rugby, football and combat sports. James challenges the assumption that improving recovery between hard efforts always requires more low-intensity training. He explains the distinction between delivering oxygen to the muscles and the muscles’ ability to use it, and why identifying what limits an individual athlete should guide the training you prescribe. They discuss what repeated sprint tests, heart rate responses and muscle oxygenation measurements can reveal, including why two athletes can achieve the same performance score through very different physiological responses. James also makes his case for short sprint interval sessions and explains why conditioning needs to complement the technical and tactical work athletes already do. For practitioners working with limited time, the conversation raises a useful question: are you targeting the adaptation the athlete needs, or simply adding more work? In this episode you will learn Why James questions the use of aerobic and anaerobic labels to prescribe conditioning. How oxygen delivery and oxygen use influence performance and recovery between intense efforts. Why peak speed, power and VO₂ max values provide only part of an athlete’s performance picture. How heart rate recovery patterns and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can inform individual conditioning decisions. Where James sees a role for sprint intervals, longer intervals and low-intensity training. How to account for sport practice, training load and time constraints when planning conditioning. Why James argues that improvements from sprint interval training can continue beyond an initial training block. About James de Lacey James de Lacey is a strength and conditioning coach with experience in professional and international rugby union and rugby league. He holds a master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science and has published research in strength and conditioning. His work now includes coaching combat sports athletes and educating coaches through Sweet Science of Fighting. He is also a longstanding contributor to Science for Sport’s research reviews. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Can athletes learn to grow from pressure, rather than simply recover from it? This week, Richard Graves welcomes Dr Nick Holton to the Science for Sport podcast to explore antifragility: the idea that appropriately managed challenges could help athletes develop greater capacity to handle future demands. Nick explains how he distinguishes antifragility from resilience, and why preparing athletes for difficult moments means looking beyond visualising the perfect performance. They discuss how coaches can introduce realistic challenges, account for individual differences, and support athletes through the experience and recovery afterwards. For practitioners, the central question is how to create enough challenge to encourage development without overwhelming the athlete. Nick discusses the importance of understanding the specific emotions involved, why strong performances can conceal a risk of burnout, and how athlete feedback and wearable data might inform a more complete picture. They also examine the limitations of the research. Antifragility remains an emerging field, with questions around its definition, measurement and application in sport. Nick shares what his team is investigating and what coaches can take from the concept while that evidence develops. In this episode you will learn How Nick distinguishes antifragility from resilience and robustness. Why visualisation should also prepare athletes for difficult and imperfect circumstances. Why psychological challenges need to reflect the individual athlete’s capacity and experience. How pressure, frustration, disappointment and anger can require different responses. Why recovery, athlete agreement and appropriate support matter when introducing challenges. How performance, wellbeing and burnout can tell different stories about the same athlete. Where antifragility research currently stands and what better measurement could offer practitioners. About Dr Nick Holton Dr Nick Holton is a performance and wellbeing coach, consultant and co-founder of The Antifragile Academy. He works with professional and collegiate athletes, alongside organisations in education, business and first-response services. His work focuses on human flourishing: supporting performance alongside wellbeing and fulfilment. A former football coach with 15 years’ coaching experience, Nick brings a background in education and psychology to his work with athletes and coaches. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

What can a saliva sample tell a performance team that a blood test taken a few times a season might miss? This week, Richard Graves is joined by Marlon Millard, chemist and founder of Biolyz, to discuss how frequent biomarker testing could help teams understand what is normal for each athlete, and spot changes that deserve a closer look. Marlon explains what saliva can and cannot reveal, why a cortisol reading needs context, and how testing trends may be more useful than reacting to a single result. They also discuss the practical challenge of turning large amounts of biochemical data into information that medical and performance staff can use alongside training load, wellness and performance measures. The conversation looks ahead to whether these data could eventually help teams anticipate illness, poor recovery or injury risk, while being clear that reliable prediction still requires more evidence. In this episode you will learn Why Marlon moved from chemistry and endocrinology into athlete testing Where saliva testing can add to, or differ from, blood testing How frequent testing helps establish an athlete’s individual baseline Why cortisol alone cannot explain the cause of a change How training load and other data help make sense of biomarker results Why one unusual reading should not trigger an immediate response What is needed before biomarker data can support reliable predictions About Marlon Millard Marlon Millard is a chemist and the founder and CEO of Biolyz, a company developing saliva based biomarker testing. His background includes experimental endocrinology and non-invasive testing, followed by medicinal chemistry. He now works on applying frequent, multi-biomarker testing in elite sport. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

How much does the surface beneath an athlete’s feet really affect performance and injury risk? This week, Richard Graves is joined by Professor John Sorochan from the University of Tennessee and Alan Thomson, USA Sales Director at SIS Pitches, to explore the science behind the playing surfaces used at the highest levels of sport. From natural grass and artificial turf to the growing use of hybrid pitches, John and Alan explain what actually happens when an athlete interacts with a playing surface – and why the relationship between the player, their footwear and the surface itself matters. John takes us inside the testing process, explaining how researchers measure factors such as surface hardness, traction, stability and consistency, and how those measurements help inform decisions around player performance and safety. The conversation also explores the rapid development of hybrid surfaces. Alan explains how introducing a small percentage of synthetic fibre into natural grass can reinforce the pitch, reduce surface damage and help maintain more consistent playing conditions across demanding schedules. The pair also discuss one of the biggest challenges in modern sport: creating elite-level natural playing surfaces inside stadiums that are increasingly expected to host football, American football, concerts and other major events throughout the year. Drawing on their work around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they reveal how surfaces were developed to perform consistently across hugely different environments – from the heat and humidity of Miami to altitude in Mexico and cooler conditions in Canada. They also look at the debate around artificial turf in the NFL, what research can tell us about hybrid alternatives, and where playing-surface technology could go next. In this episode you will learn Why player safety depends on the interaction between the athlete, footwear and playing surface What researchers actually measure when testing elite sports pitches How surface hardness, traction and stability can influence player movement The difference between natural grass, artificial turf and hybrid playing surfaces Why hybrid pitches are still predominantly natural grass despite their synthetic reinforcement How hybrid systems can create greater stability and consistency as a pitch begins to wear How playing surfaces were developed for very different climates during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Why achieving consistent ball and player interaction across different stadiums is so important How multi-use stadiums are changing the demands placed on grounds teams and playing surfaces Why shallow hybrid stitching has opened up new possibilities for temporary and replaceable surfaces What elite sport can learn from the ongoing debate around artificial turf and player safety How research, technology and experienced pitch managers work together to produce elite surfaces About Professor John Sorochan and Alan Thomson Professor John Sorochan is Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Science and Management at the University of Tennessee and one of the leading researchers in sports turf and athletic-field safety. His career in turfgrass science stretches back more than 30 years, including working as a student on the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Today, his research examines the relationship between playing surfaces, player biomechanics, turf performance and safety. John has worked with organisations across elite sport including the NFL, Major League Baseball and professional football, and has played a leading role in research designed to deliver safe and consistent pitches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Alan Thomson is USA Sales Director at SIS Pitches and has spent his career working with elite sports surfaces. After beginning his career in golf-course management in Scotland, Alan moved into the construction, renovation and maintenance of football pitches before joining SIS Pitches. He now works across the United States helping venues implement hybrid playing-surface technology across sports including football, American football, baseball and lacrosse. His recent work has included major stadium projects across North America and the installation and development of hybrid surfaces used during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research