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This conversation is a masterclass on the science of caffeine and how to use it to enhance athletic performance. My guest today is Dr. Lawrence Spriet, one of Canada’s leading exercise physiologists. He’s a professor and chair of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, and his research has shaped much of what we know today about skeletal muscle metabolism, fuel utilization, and the ergogenic effects of caffeine and other performance-enhancing compounds. He’s chair of the Canadian Gatorade Sports Science Institute, where he’s been deeply involved in applied field research. And, in true scientist-athlete fashion, he’s a committed caffeine user and avid hockey player himself.

We Discuss:

• Sweat testing elite hockey players
• Carbohydrates are the best performance enhancer 
• How caffeine alters the CNS 
• Individual differences in caffeine metabolism 
• Caffeine dependence and “caffeine breaks”
• Risks of high daily intakes 
• Caffeine’s effect on fat metabolism 
• The optimal dose of caffeine 
• Differences between forms of caffeine 
• If the extra ingredients in pre-workout and energy drinks are worth the money 
• Safe sources of caffeine for drug tested athletes 

Episode Show Notes 

• Connect with Dr. Spriet on LinkedIn | 
• Book: Caffeine for Sports Performance 
• GSSI Article: Caffeine and Exercise Performance

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with returning guest Dr. Colin Zhu, an osteopathic physician double board-certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. Through his wellness platform The Chef Doc, Dr. Zhu combines his expertise as a physician, chef, and health coach to empower people to take charge of their well-being, one meal at a time. In this episode, we explore his newest project, The Empowered Kitchen — a plant-forward cookbook and movement built around the idea that small, consistent choices in the kitchen can create big results for our health, performance, and the planet.

We Discuss:

• Recognizing that life is dynamic (balance is not always possible) 
• Approaching new fitness goals 
• Empowering change through sharing healthy recipes  
• The updated Eat Lancet report 
• How plant-forward diets best support planet health 
• Food waste contributes to emissions 
• Microplastics and seafood 
• Why cooking at home is so beneficial 
• A quick way to assess diet quality 
• Considerations for the athlete 

Episode Show Notes: 

• Pre-order The Empowered Kitchen, now! 
• Connect with Dr. Zhu on Instagram | YouTube 
• The Chef Doc website: thechefdoc.co  

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Dr. Hussain Khimji, a family physician with focused practices in lifestyle and obesity medicine based at the Alberta Lifestyle Clinic in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Khimji is passionate about helping people live happier, more fulfilling lives by empowering them to take control of their health through evidence-based lifestyle change. Drawing from his wide-ranging experience in inpatient, emergency, and primary care, he shares why prevention and mental wellbeing are essential to the future of medicine. 

We Discuss:

• Shifting from acute care to preventative lifestyle medicine 
• The six pillars of lifestyle medicine 
• Embracing progress as a recovering perfectionist 
• Striving for a predominantly whole food, plant based diet 
• Ketogenic and carnivore diets 
• Motivational interviewing for practitioners 
• Building awareness around current behaviours
• Obesity medicine principles 
• Using GLP-1 medications as a tool for change 
• Building muscle is one of the best to do for your health 
• Optimizing self worth 

Episode Show Notes

• Connect with Dr. Khimji: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook 
• Dr. Khimji’s website: doctorkhimji.com 
• Clinic Website: AB Bariatric and Lifestyle Clinic 
• AB Clinic Referral Form for practitioners 

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Dr. Emmanuel Gye is a family physician, board-certified in lifestyle medicine, and the founder of the Alberta Bariatric and Lifestyle Clinic in Airdrie, Alberta. Through his work, he’s helping patients and organizations rethink their approach to wellness, longevity, and performance - using the six pillars of lifestyle medicine to address the root causes of disease. Dr. Gye also holds an academic position with the University of Calgary and plays an active role in community health leadership across Alberta and West Africa. Through his clinic, teaching, and leadership, he’s helping drive a movement toward truly preventative, patient-centered care.

We Discuss:

• The six pillars of lifestyle medicine
• A whole food, plant-based diet is based on science 
• Calorie counting isn’t the answer
• Recognizing hunger and fullness cues 
• Using GLP-1 medications as a tool for behaviour change 
• How to leverage your own natural GLP-1 hormones 
• Exercise is not useful for weight loss 
• Our environment is designed to make us sick 

Episode Show Notes

• Connect with Dr. Gye: Instagram | Linked In 
• Clinic Website: AB Bariatric and Lifestyle Clinic 
• AB Clinic: Referral Form for practitioners 

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Dr. Jill Cook — physiotherapist, researcher, and professor in musculoskeletal health at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Jill is one of the world’s leading authorities on tendon health and pathology, and her work has fundamentally changed how clinicians and athletes understand, diagnose, and treat tendon pain. 

We discuss: 

• How patella tendinopathy in elite basketball players inspired her career in tendon research 
• Proper terminology for tendon conditions 
• How aberrant load is the underlying cause creates tendinopathy 
• Why imaging findings of tendon pathology do not correlate with pain or risk of rupture
• The classic presentations of tendon pain 
• Whether being postmenopausal puts a woman at risk for tendinopathy 
• How loading is integral to tendon rehab and muscle capacity can be a limiting factor 
• How to use pain the following day to determine optimal loading protocol 
• Competition season strategies for managing tendon pain 
• Adjunct therapies (like injections) are not a standalone solution 

Connect with Dr. Jill Cook on X: @ProfJillCook

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Resources:

• La Trobe University profile: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/jlcook/about 
• Achilles Tendinopathy video (E3 Rehab)
• Article: Revisiting the continuum model of tendon pathology 
• Article: Treatment of Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Joe Gagnon - endurance athlete, six-time CEO, and author of Living Intentionally. Joe has completed over 90 marathons and ultras, six Ironman triathlons, and recently finished the grueling Badwater 135. In this episode, we explore what it means to show up with purpose, the role of discomfort in growth, and how small, daily actions shape who we become. Joe shares lessons from his book, his extreme endurance challenges, and his mindset for building a life of grit, grace, and groundedness.

We discuss: 

• Joe’s experience running Badwater 135 
• His wake up call to start living his life more intentionally 
• Changing his life one small habit at a time 
• Transitioning to a plant-based diet 
• The importance of having a strong why 
• The five pillars of health - do something for each one intentionally each day 
• Embracing discomfort 
• Potatoes as an endurance event superfood 
• Grit, grace, and groundedness 
• Why having a mindfulness practice is of value 
• His approach to goal setting 

Get the book - out now! Living Intentionally: How intentionality enables success, fulfillment, and growth

Connect:

• Email Joe directly: [email protected] 
• Joe’s website: https://thehighperformancelife.net/ 
• Substack: @joecurious  
• Instagram: @thehighperformancelife
• YouTube: @josephgagnon 
• The Chasing Tomorrow Podcast 

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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Welcome to the first episode of Here All Day! To kick off the relaunch, I’m joined by my partner, Blair Garneau - a jiu-jitsu athlete, artist, and illustrator. I’ve wanted to introduce Blair to my audience for a while now, and this felt like the perfect opportunity. This episode is more relaxed and unscripted than usual. We wanted to share a glimpse into where we’re both at in our lives - from career changes and identity shifts to how we’re thinking about goal setting and showing up moving forward. I hope you enjoy this episode and stay tuned for some great episodes to follow!

Connect with me: @casswarbeck  

Connect with Blair: @blairgarneau 

Resources:

• Patrick Mahomes “I’m here all day!” video clip from Quarterback season 1

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Alex “Finisher” Font, a professional MMA fighter based out of Chalon sur Saone, France where he runs his own combat gym, Power Training Center. Alex has been vegan for almost a decade and throughout that time has amassed over 100 professional fights with a record of 98 wins, 11 loses, and 2 draws. He is also a special operations combat chief instructor and he has his own vegan friendly apparel brand, Power Fight Company.

We discuss:

• Discovering his passion for professional fighting 
• Breaking the stereotype of a typical vegan 
• Why he initially decided to go vegan 
• Ethical reasons for not eating meat 
• What he eats in a day 
• Why he doesn’t count calories or track protein 
• Weight cutting before fights  
• The hours of training that go into a fight camp 
• What people don’t understand about the life of a professional fighter 
• The value of a yoga and mobility practice 

Connect:

• Instagram: @iam_thefinisher 
• Facebook: Alex “The Finisher” Font  

Resources:

• Power Fight Company 
• Power Training Center 
• PETA.org (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Kieren Lefevre. Kieren is a BJJ Performance Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach, ISSN-Sports Nutrition Specialist and self-professed jiu jitsu nerd. Simply put, he helps grappling athletes get strong, mobile, and reduce their risk of injury on the mats. 

We discuss: 

• Common mistakes grapplers make when strength training 
• Myth: you shouldn’t use your strength when rolling 
• The optimal weekly frequency for strength training 
• Best training splits and key exercises for grapplers 
• Why you need to train grip strength and rotation 
• Strength minimums before training power 
• How to know if you need to improve your movement efficiency vs your cardio  
• Should you be running to improve your gas tank? 
• The best protocol for training VO2 max 
• Whether you should be doing zone 2 training 

Connect with Kieren: 

• Instagram: @kieren_lefevre 
• YouTube: @KierenLefevre  

BJJ Strong Online: https://www.bjjstrongonline.com/ 

Resources: 

• FREE BJJ Strength Program 
• Free QUIZ to determine your perfect program 
• Podcast: BJJ Strong Podcast 
• Podcast: Beyond Jiu Jitsu 
• Study: High-Intensity, Non-Sport-Specific Strength and Conditioning for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes 
• Study: Physical and Physiological Profiles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes: a Systematic Review 

Study: Aerobic interval training improves maximal oxygen uptake and reduces body fat in grapplers 

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*

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This conversation is with Tyler Huston. Tyler is a high performance coach with additional training as a first responder paramedic, addictions nurse, and respiratory specialist. He has spent years as a breathing coach working with clients and patients from all walks of life from physicians and professional athletes, to military and special forces trainers and first responders. All of these experiences have allowed him to refine his breathing coaching practices and develop the Breath Control Training Program. His Breath Control Training program consists of proven principles, exercise, and techniques to increase performance, facilitate and support recovery as well as enhance resiliency. 

We discuss: 

• Underwater meditation through freediving 
• How the breath can help us become responsive (vs reactive)  
• Re-learning to breathe efficiently 
• Aspects of modern life that have changed how we breathe 
• The mouth is for eating and the nose is for breathing 
• Most people are actually overbreathing 
• Why you should improve your carbon dioxide threshold 
• Using breath as medicine for mental health 
• Learning “relaxation on command” 
• The connection between inspiration, exhalation and heart rate variability 
• How our everyday resting breath should feel like a flowing wave 
• Using a long, audible exhale to abort panic and anxiety 
• Simulation of high altitude oxygen training through breath holds  
• Performance benefits to athletes 
• How to enhance flow with breathing 
• Activating the mammalian dive response (to lower our heart rate) 
• Using nature to amplify the effects of breath training 

Learn more about Breath Control Training at Breathcontrol.ca 

Connect:

• Instagram: @breath.control 
• Facebook: @Breath Control 

Resources:

• The Oxygen Advantage method
• Book: The Oxygen Advantage 
• The Breatheology method 

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*