In this episode, we sit down with Professor Arne Güllich to unpack one of the most talked about sports science papers in years, recently published in Science. Drawing from data on more than 30,000 high performers across sport, music, chess, and science, the conversation challenges the belief that early dominance and early specialization are the keys to elite success.

Arne breaks down the now viral performance trajectory figure, explores why most world class adults were not standout juniors, and explains what truly separates those who peak at the highest level from those who plateau. The discussion moves from theory to practice as Paul reflects on his role as a parent of a 15 year old swimmer, asking the questions many parents and coaches are quietly wrestling with.

This episode is essential listening for anyone involved in youth sport, talent development, or long term athlete health and performance.

References:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt7790

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/

Prof Arne Güllich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arne-g%C3%BCllich-4438a7376/

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In this episode, Dr. Martin Buchheit is joined by Dr. Scott Frey, a neuroscientist and founder of Cerebral Performance, to explore how brain science can improve athletic performance. The conversation focuses on central fatigue and why cognitive load can meaningfully reduce physical output, decision making quality, and error recovery in sport.

Scott explains why athletes often taper the body but rarely taper the brain, and shares practical ways to reduce mental load in the lead up to competition. They also discuss how cognitive testing, mood and motivation ratings, and HRV can be combined to monitor central fatigue, plus how cognitive training can be integrated into gym work or interval sessions to build fatigue resistance when it matters most.

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Today’s speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit https://martin-buchheit.net/

Dr. Scott Frey https://cerebralperformance.com/

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof Paul Laursen is joined by Stephan Nüsser, performance physiologist and founder of a performance diagnostics lab in Germany, for a deep and practical discussion on lactate testing and endurance performance. Drawing from decades of applied work with cyclists, endurance athletes, and motocross professionals, Stephan explains how lactate can be used to individualize training, define true Zone 2 intensity, and guide long-term athlete development.

The conversation explores why lactate is often misunderstood, how production and clearance reflect underlying metabolism, and why longer step protocols can provide clearer insight than fixed threshold formulas. They also discuss carb-optimized nutrition, metabolic flexibility, and why training and fueling should be viewed as a single integrated system rather than separate decisions.

References:
https://sndc.de/

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/

Stephan Nüsser: https://www.instagram.com/sndcde/

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In this end of year catch up, Prof Paul Laursen and Dr. Martin Buchheit reflect on the biggest lessons, debates, and breakthroughs from the past 12 months in training science. They share updates from the front lines of rehab and high performance work, unpack what is changing fast in sports science 3.0, and discuss how AI and better monitoring frameworks are reshaping how athletes and coaches make decisions. The episode wraps with their most downloaded podcast highlights of the year and a look ahead at what 2026 may bring.

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Dr. Martin Buchheit is joined by João Ribeiro, Head of Performance, to explore how elite football clubs monitor neuromuscular load and fatigue in real-world conditions.

Building on their previous discussion around injury prevention and microcycle design, this conversation shifts focus to the response side of the monitoring equation—how athletes adapt to training and competition. João explains how his department integrates GPS data, wellness metrics, creatine kinase (CK), and low-frequency neuromuscular fatigue testing using Myocene to support daily decision-making, particularly during congested fixture periods.

They discuss why passive, objective measures are essential when players cannot reliably perform maximal tests, how data is interpreted at the individual athlete level, and how monitoring is used to inform training availability rather than game selection.

The episode also highlights feasibility, staff and coach alignment, and player buy-in as critical factors for successfully implementing advanced monitoring systems in applied football environments.

References
Myocene: https://www.myocene.com/

Today’s speakers
Dr. Martin Buchheit: https://martin-buchheit.net/
João Ribeiro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo%C3%A3o-ribeiro-86997955

In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof Paul Laursen sits down with Professor Anthony Turner to unpack the fundamental laws that underpin performance in every sport, from explosive team games to marathon running and cycling. Instead of debating opinions or trends, Anthony brings everything back to first principles: Newton’s laws of motion, impulse, force, and the biomechanics of movement.

Using endurance running as the main example, the conversation explores why strength training is just as essential as VO₂max and threshold for performance and economy. Ant explains how maximum strength and rate of force development shape running economy, ground contact time, stretch-shortening cycle efficiency, and ultimately time to exhaustion. They then extend these concepts to running, cycling, and long-term robustness.

Listeners will also learn how to progress strength logically: from movement quality and symmetry, to heavy lifting, to power work and plyometrics, all while staying healthy and reducing injury risk. Whether you coach team sports, work with endurance athletes, or train yourself, this episode will change the way you think about strength training, biomechanics, and sport performance.

Perfect for anyone interested in strength and conditioning, running economy, endurance performance, injury prevention, and applied sport science.

References:
https://thefitnessformula.training/

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/

Prof Anthony Turner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-turner-62073788/

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In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, Prof. Paul Laursen sits down with Athletica’s AI modeling lead, Dr. Andrea Zignoli, to break down how artificial intelligence is transforming endurance training. Fresh off publishing three major SPSR papers, Andrea explains the evolution of AI systems inside Athletica — from agent-based modeling, to AI-assisted HRV readiness monitoring, to the use of sentiment as a new internal load signal.

Paul and Andrea explore how structured “AI agent” architectures and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems allow large language models to move beyond basic chatbot behavior and become powerful tools for interpreting training data, detecting patterns, and supporting smarter athlete decision-making. They also look ahead at “Sport Science 3.0,” a future where coaching remains deeply human but is amplified by AI that can read files, interpret readiness, understand emotional states, and contextualize performance.

Whether you're a coach, athlete, sport scientist, or tech-minded performance professional, this episode offers a clear look at how AI is already shaping modern training — and what’s coming next.

References:
https://tiscourse.vercel.app/about

https://sportperfsci.com/the-computational-paths-of-knowledge-in-ai-coaching/

https://sportperfsci.com/sports-science-3-0-series-ai-assisted-hrv-monitoring-enhancing-training-load-response-and-decision-making/

https://sportperfsci.com/signatures-of-fatigue-transformer-based-sentiment-analysis-for-internal-load-monitoring/

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/

Dr. Andrea Zignoli: https://andreazignoli.github.io/

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In this episode of the Training Science Podcast, host Dr. Paul Laursen sits down with neuroscientist and performance expert Dr. Tommy Wood to explore the science behind The Stimulated Mind, Tommy’s groundbreaking approach to optimizing brain health and cognitive performance.

They dive into the key pillars of a thriving brain: environment, nutrition, metabolic health, sleep, and exercise. From the neonatal ICU to Formula 1 racing, Dr. Wood connects how our environment, movement, and mindset shape cognitive longevity and peak performance. Whether you’re a coach, athlete, or simply striving to think and feel better, this conversation will help you unlock the full potential of your mind and body.

References:

Substack: https://www.betterbrain.fitness/

The Stimulated Mind by Dr. Tommy Wood: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/751292/the-stimulated-mind-by-dr-tommy-wood/

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtommywood/

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