Fandom Science Podcast

I am joined by Dr. Mark Williams - a professor at the University of Utah and author of the book "The Best: How Elite Athletes Are Made". In his book, Dr. Williams outlines a variety of factors that shape elite athletes and influence their development. Some of those influences we discussed on the podcast are: the environment in which athletes are born and develop, unorganized sports and their impact on skill development, early specializations and its advantages/disadvantages, and much more! You can find Dr. Williams' book here: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1529304350?pf_rd_r=DCX639A125BW831CY9JB&pf_rd_p=05326fd5-c43e-4948-99b1-a65b129fdd73&pd_rd_r=240e6b85-a425-4436-85dc-9b41859b042c&pd_rd_w=KTqtD&pd_rd_wg=VWZHo&ref_=pd_gw_unk

Episode #24 - The Best: How Elite Athletes Are Made by Lou Farah

Many of us have experienced “being in the zone”, where we are fully immersed in work and our productivity is maximized. The psychological state is known as “Flow”, and my guest today explains how flow works, what psychological/neurochemical mechanisms drive it, how we can achieve it and sustain it. All that and more with Matt Comand, a high performance coach and a former sport psychology professor.

What kinds of passion are there? Can it potentially be harmful? How can a coach create a passionate environment for their athletes? And how can we find passion in our own daily lives. All that and more with the world’s leading expert on motivational processes, Dr. Robert Vallerand. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Quebec, and the director of the Research Laboratory on Social Behavior. Dr. Vallerand has authored numerous papers and books, including the following: The psychology of passion: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199777608/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_UuYUFbNJAJNRZ Passion for Work: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/passion-for-work-9780190648626?cc=ca&lang=en&# You can find Dr. Vallerand’s website at: https://www.lrcs.uqam.ca/en/home/

I am joined by Dr. Matthew Porteus from Stanford University and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to talk about what gene doping is and how it works, what kind of genes might be desirable for athletes to have, do we currently have the technology to do gene doping, and what challenges/dangers could gene doping have on an athlete’s health. Enjoy! Follow me on Twitter @LouFarah and Instagram @Lou.Farah

I am joined by Dr. Richard Bailey, a professor and researcher in sport science and physical education, to talk about pseudoscience in sport and the many myths and misconceptions in this area: the 10,000 hour “rule”, neurolinguistics programing, the claim that we only use 10% of our brain, the claim that we need to drink 8 glasses of water a day, and so many more. We also talk about ways in which we can distinguish between real evidence and pseudoscience so that we don’t fall for false claims. Hope you enjoy this one! You can follow Dr. Richard Bailey on Twitter @DrDickB and follow me @LouFarah

What are the different types of leadership that exist in sports? What personality traits are associated with being a good leader? What behaviors do good leaders exhibit? And, is leadership something you're born with or something you develop over time? All that and more with Dr. Todd Loughead, a leadership expert and sport psychologist from the University of Windsor. Check out Dr. Loughead's lab to find out more about his work: https://www.uwindsor.ca/kinesiology/344/sports-psychology Follow Dr. Loughead on Twitter @ToddLoughead Follow me on Twitter @LouFarah and on Instagram @Lou.Farah

I'm joined by one of the world's leading experts in the area of choking under pressure: Dr. Chris Mesagno from Federation University in Australia. We talk about the psychological mechanisms/causes of choking, strategies used to combat it, the relationship between handedness and choking, and much more!

I am joined by Dr. Christoph Siebenmann from the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine to talk about altitude training and the debate surrounding this area. Does Altitude training really work like many athletes/coaches believe? What doesn't add up about this training method that makes some scientists skeptical? What are the drawbacks of altitude training, and do they outweigh the benefits?

Dr. Mark Otten takes us through the psychology of clutch performance in sports: what state of mind is the athlete in? What needs to fall in place for a clutch play to happen? How does a clutch athlete differ in his response to performance anxiety than a non-clutch athlete? And what personality traits do those athletes have that others don’t? All that and more on this fun episode of the Fandom Science Podcast. Enjoy! And don’t forget to subscribe :)

Weight cutting is a huge problem in Mixed Martial Arts and can have serious consequences on fighters' health and performance. There's perhaps no one more informed in this area than Dr. Oliver Barley - a sport scientist from Edith Cowan University who has spent years studying weight cutting in combat sports. On today's episode, we discuss (1) fights from UFC 249 for the first 15 minutes,(2)which factors of performance are most affected by weight cutting and which are not, (3)what physiological changes take place inside a fighter's body when they are cutting weight, and are they irreversible? (4)health consequences of dehydration, and (5)ways to combat these harmful practices in MMA promotions such as the UFC and ONE FC. You can follow Dr. Barley on Twitter @OliverBarley and you can follow me @LouFarah Enjoy!

On this very special episode of the podcast, I am joined via Skype by Eric Renaghan - the head of sport performance for the St. Louis Blues. Eric holds a Master of Science degree from Lindenwood University where he specialized in Human Performance. Afterwards, he went on to work for the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks before joining the Blues in 2016. Eric and I chatted about the current situation of NHL players in quarantine, our expectations for the playoffs when the season returns, how NHL players’ training differs in the regular season compared to the playoffs, why pre-game and post-game workouts are important, injury and recovery, and some stories from the St. Louis Blues gym. You can follow Eric on Twitter @EricRenaghan and follow me @LouFarah Hope you enjoy it!

I am joined by muscle physiologist and assistant professor at the York University Muscle Health Research Center, Dr. Arthur Cheng, to talk about fatigue during exercise and competition as well as recovery afterwards. We discuss ice baths vs hot tubs, antioxidants and their effectiveness, the types of food.supplements that are most beneficial for energy and recovery, performance enhancing drugs, and a lot more!

I am joined by sport psychologist and founder of Consistent Elite Performance, Dr. Cassidy Preston, to talk about all things sport psychology. From confidence and emotional regulation to imagery and meditation. We also talked about Dr. Preston's professional hockey career, and life lessons we can draw from sports. You can follow Dr. Preston on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CassidyPreston Instagram: @consistenteliteperformance Website: consistenteliteperformance.com You can follow me on Twitter: @LouFarah Enjoy!

Dr. Andrea Josse, a nutrition scientist and an exercise physiologist, joins me on the 11th episode of the podcast to discuss healthy and sustainable ways to lose body fat while maintaining muscle mass. We discuss the importance of dairy in our diets, and the truth behind organic and non-GMO food.

What is the philosophy behind Crossfit? Who can benefit from it and who can't? Why does it get a bad reputation and how dangerous is it really? My friend, and CrossFit coach, Victoria Larocca(MSc)answers these questions and more on today's episode.

Should children specialize in one sport, or play multiple sports? What offers the best chance at becoming a professional athlete? Can specialization really lead to burnout and dropout?

My friend and chiropractor Dr. Mario Fajfer joins me to talk about the myths/misconceptions of chiropractic care and its benefits. And Dr. Fajfer tells us how to spot legitimate and illegitimate chiropractors. Enjoy!

My friend and lab-mate, Nima Dehghansai, joins me on this episode to talk about the paralympics and its rising popularity, difficulties and challenges that athletes with disability face, and we both share stories from our upbringing. Enjoy!

My Ph.D supervisor, Dr. Joe Baker, joins me on the 6th episode of the Fandom Science Podcast! Joe tells his story of how he became one of the most prominent sport scientists. We discuss some myths/misconceptions of talent, mortality and longevity of elite athletes compared to the general population, and Joe gives us some solid life advice.

My friend, Jakub Czyzowski, joins me in this episode to recap UFC 225 and talk about weight cutting issues in MMA Enjoy!

I am joined by Matt McCue, a former NAIA baseball player, and current MSc candidate at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology who studies the eye movement of baseball batters and the science behind tracking pitches and reacting to them. We also talked about the concept of quiet eye, pitching techniques, and a lot more topics related to baseball. If you enjoyed this episode, please like this track and subscribe to the channel for more cool content! You can find me on Twitter @LouFarah and find Matt @icue93 Enjoy!

My good friend and NHL writer, Sean O'leary, joins me on the third episode of the podcast to recap the Toronto Maple Leafs' season, look ahead to potential moves they could make in the future, and discuss the Stanley Cup Finals.

Strength and conditioning coach and MSc candidate at York University, Stuart Wilson, joins me to talk about the effects of sleep on athletic performance and health in general. Stu then shares a number of tips to get a good night's sleep. We also get into ice baths, active recovery, dreams and some other weird topics. If you enjoyed this episode please give it a like and subscribe to the channel for more episodes coming soon! Twitter: @LouFarah @SGwilson92

I am joined by Dr. Nick Wattie to talk about talent in sport, what it means to be talented, the controversy surrounding this topic, nature & nurture, and a lot more!