Dr. Oliver has joined us again on the podcast to discuss his latest paper titled Reviewing the current methods of assessing hydration in athletes. In this chat we discuss all of the current methods there are to assess hydration and discuss whether or not they should be used with combat athletes who are making weight. This is extremely interesting given that ONE championship makes all of their fighters pass, a hydration test that assesses that concentration of the athlete's urine to...

Dr. Carl Evans is back on the podcast to discuss his latest research paper 'Physiological and psychological consequences of low energy availability in a male combat sports athlete'. In this episode, we discuss energy availability, the current recommendations, how they fit in with combat sports athletes, and the results of the paper.

Dave Niethe is a Master NLP Practitioner, Master Time Line Therapist, and Master Hypnotherapist. Put simply, he is an Elite level Mental Performance Coach. Dave himself has competed at an elite level in rowing, rugby, and strongman holding many records in both power lifting and the New Zealand strongman. He is also the current GPC masters power lifting champion. The reason I asked Dave to come on the podcast is to discuss his work with his elite-level combat athletes which include UFC...

Dr. Andy Galpin is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at California State University Fullerton. Andy has an Undergraduate degree in Exercise Science, a Masters degree in Human Movement Sciences and in 2011 earned his PhD in Human Bioenergetics. In this episode, Dr Galpin and I discuss how he takes his extensive knowledge about the human body and performance, and helps develop more complete, efficient, and advanced combat athletes.

Sam Gilbert is a registered physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from Latrobe university (Melbourne, Australia) and a master’s degree in Exercise Science (Strength and Conditioning) from Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia). Sam has combined his practical experience with an in-depth study...

Dr. Roberts received her doctorate from University College London, where she studied the control of cell growth and fat metabolism. She is the founder of Feed, Fuel, Perform a Performance Nutrition company that works with a myriad of different athletes, including many different weight category athletes. In this episode we are going to discuss the differences between making weight in combat sports compared to other weight category sports, such as powerlifting and weight lifting and we are...

Alexa is a Registered Dietitian who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics and a Masters of Science in Dietetics. She is the former Performance Nutrition Coordinator at the UFC Performance Institute Las Vegas and recently started her own private practice, Alexa Eisenberg Nutrition. Alexa has a plethora of knowledge that is applicable for not only athletes but the general population as well. I have asked her to come on today so we can clear the air on some common...

'Lightning' Mike Angove is a former world champion kickboxer and professional boxer. He is New Zealand’s leading combat sports analyst and commentator and is often found in the commentary box for many of New Zealand’s major events. Mike is also one of the coaches at world renowned City Kickboxing, home of UFC Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya, UFC Featherweight Champ Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell, Kai Kara France, Shane Young and a stack of contenders on the rise. I’ve...

Dr. Georgie is the Senior Sports Scientists and research scientist at Orreco, a leading sports data and analytics company. She has completed a Bachelor science with honours in physiological science at the University of Bristol. She also has completed a PhD from University College London focusing on iron deficiency, the menstrual cycle, and the female athlete. In this episode, Dr. Georgie talks us through the practical considerations that coaches need to think about for their female athletes.

Dave 'Woody' Wood is an intensive care paramedic who has spent the majority of his life in very stressful situations. This combined with a serious injury, that led to chronic pain, caused Woody to look for a natural but effective method to deal with these internal and external stresses. This is where he found the science of breathing. Woody's Movement Workshop is Woody's High Performance Centre that teaches athletes the art and science of breathing to reach peak performance and promote...

Dr. Nikole Maclellan is a Naturopathic Doctor and Dietitian who specialises in Sports Medicine and Pain Management. Dr. Maclellan specialises in Female Athlete physiology and in this episode we speak about the menstrual cycle, what is considered normal during each phase of the cycle, the potential performance implications of each phase, oral contraceptives and how to reconcile all of this into practice.

Chef Mario Limaduran is the Executive Chef at Trifecta Nutrition who is the official partner and service provider of the UFC. Chef Mario works alongside the UFC Performance Institute Nutrition team to feed UFC athletes during their Fight Weeks to ensure they are making weight in the safest and scientific manner possible. In this episode we discuss the monumental task of feeding UFC Fight Island. Chef Mario discusses the unique challenges it presented and how his team is overcoming them.

Chris Kirk is a Ph.D. researcher at Liverpool John Moores University where he is studying the physiological demands of mixed martial arts. I have invited Chris back to discuss his most recent papers, the first of which is the first piece of evidence in the literature to demonstrate that weight regain after rapid weight loss is not associated with competitive success in high level Mixed Martial Artists. We also discuss his research in studying workload during training and the gaps in...

Dean is the Director of MMA at the UFC Performance Insititute in Shanghai, China. Dean, alongside the other staff at the PI, are responsible for coordinating the development of the academy athletes who are part of the Performance Institute team. In this episode, we discuss Dean's own MMA career, his coaching career, how he came to be working at the UFC PI, and how his team coordinate and develop the academy athletes. There's a lot to get through so let's get to it.

Dr. Fundaro has A Ph.D. in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, from Virginia Tech. She is a Monash low-FODMAP certified and ISSN-certified sports nutritionist, and ACE-certified health coach. In this episode, we discuss common myths in regards to the microbiome, what dietary patterns seem to be favorable for good gut health, why to show caution when reading science on social media and we discuss the science behind fecal transplants.

Louise Bloor is a Performance Nutritionist who for the better part of the last decade has worked with the British Judo Association. In this time Louise has rallied to change the culture and behaviours of the athletes when it comes to making weight. In this episode, we discuss the difficulties she faced early in her career, the importance of engaging coaches and stakeholders, implementing policy around making weight, and the changes she has seen in her time with the association.

Dr. Duncan French is the Vice President of Performance at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Dr. French has worked in high performance for over twenty years and three Olympic cycles working with Elite and Olympic level athletes. In this episode, we discuss the systems he put in place to ensure a high-performance culture at the UFC PI, the impact the PI has had on the sport, how they collect and collate data on athletes, and what the future holds for the PI.

Mark Germaine is a Performance Nutritionist and Alumni of prestigious Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool, England. Mark returns to the podcast to discuss how his practice has changed over the past twelve months based on the latest scientific literature. We discuss the role of carbohydrates in training, low carb diets, heat acclimation and cutting weight in the bath.

Charles Stull is the Performance Nutrition Manager at the UFC Performance Institute, Las Vegas. Charles has been pivotal in creating and applying a revolutionary Fight Week Nutrition service to UFC athletes during a UFC Fight Week. Alongside Trifecta, the UFC PI team provides athletes with individualised Fight Week strategies and meals to ensure they are making weight in the safest and most scientific manner possible.

Dr. Lewis James is a lecturer and researcher at Loughborough University, England. Dr. Lewis completed his Ph.D. in human water balance and has himself has been a lifelong martial artist. In this episode, we discuss the specifics of fight week strategies leading into the rapid weight loss phase (weight cut) and what to consider to optimally rehydrate and refuel the athlete post-weigh-in.

Dr. Oliver Barley is a researcher from Edith Cowan University who is arguably Australia's leading Combat Sports Researcher. Dr. Oliver is a specialist in hydration and in this episode, we discuss his newest research that assesses the validity of the common lab based hydration tests. We also discuss the theoretical and practical benefits of combat athletes utilising a heat acclimation protocol.

Dr. Jacobi is one of Australia’s leading experts in the treatment of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a common cause of IBS. She frequently lectures nationally and internationally on this topic. She has twenty years clinical experience as a Naturopathic Doctor and specializes in functional gut disorders. She is the Director of the Biome clinic where she treats patients with SIBO. In this episode, we discuss what SIBO is, the symptoms of it, and how to treat it. We also discuss...

Dr. Lindsay Bottoms is a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Hertfordshire University and is currently the research lead for Sport, Health and Exercise. She is on the board of the American College of Sports Medicine Combat Sports Special Interest Group and is a former elite level fencer. In this episode, we discuss the lesser-known combat sport of fencing and it’s unique nutritional requirements as well as Dr. Linday's research into carbohydrate mouth rinsing, fluid balance, and tart...

Dr. James Morehan is a Performance Nutritionist who works with elite level rugby players, footballers, and professional boxers. He completed his Ph.D. at world renowned Liverpool John Moores University where he assessed the Nutritional and Energetic demands of Rugby Players. In this episode, we discuss his work with former WBA Super Middleweight Champion Rocky Fielding and how Dr. James uses his knowledge of Performance Nutrition to ensure Rocky is stepping in to the ring in peak condition.

Dr. Francine Marques is a researcher who investigates the relationship between gut microbiota and heart health. Her research interests include finding new therapies and early markers to prevent cardiovascular disease, in particular high blood pressure and heart failure. Her research has shown that a diet reach in fibre is able to lower blood pressure and improve heart function through the modulation of the bacteria in our gut. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Marques personal journey with...