Synapse Performance Podcast

In this episode, David is joined by Dr. Jake Reed. 

Jake is an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Northern Iowa and a coach at Renaissance Periodisation. 

Jake and David discuss current research in the area of athlete monitoring and how practitioners should construct their athlete monitoring systems. The pair also discuss the increasing prevalence of technology in the area of strength and conditioning and the pros & cons of this trend. 

In this episode, David is joined by Dave Hembrough. 

Dave is a senior sports science officer at Sheffield Hallam University.

Dave is the university's lead strength and conditioning coach. He has significant applied experience at Olympic and international level having supported teams at the 2012 Olympics and the Commonwealth Games as well as coaching numerous world champions in a variety of sports.

Dave is a well-recognised and respected S&C coach and also a qualified and experienced sports therapist. Dave graduated from Sheffield Hallams Sport Science programme and has also completed post graduate studies in both Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation (MSc) and Advanced Business Practice and Business Engagement (PGDip).

In this episode, Dave discusses his experiences in elite performance and how he uses S&C as a means to create positive changes and development in the community. 

Below are some of the links Dave alluded to in this episode:

In this episode, David is joined by sports psychologist Hugh Gilmore to field questions submitted by the listeners on various topics of sports psychology. 

In this episode, David is joined by experienced S&C coach and PhD. researcher, Mikey Kiely. 

Mikey discusses his PhD. research which examined the physiological demands of jockeys during horse racing. 

Mikey offer some insights into his findings which may inform the preparation of jockey athletes. 

In 2020, Synapse Performance surveyed 92 Irish sports scientists and S&C coaches to gauge the current employment landscape.

People were surveyed about education, salary and work conditions. 

In this episode, David discusses the results of this survey. 

In this episode, David is joined by sports science consultant, Rob Pacey.

Rob previously worked as a strength and conditioning coach & sports scientist in professional soccer.

Rob then set up strength of science, a consultancy and education company.

Rob is well known as the host of the Pacey Performance Podcast which features interviews with world leading strength and conditioning practitioners. 

David & Rob discuss the current state of employment in professional sport and what students can do to enhance their chances of employment. 

Full shownotes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode109

In this episode, David is joined by Dr. Reid Reale. 

Reid Reale is the Performance Nutrition Manager for the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai. The UFC Performance Institute Shanghai provides interdisciplinary services of MMA technical training, sport science, strength & conditioning, sports nutrition and physical therapy for professional and academy UFC athletes. The UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and Las Vegas also share best practices for performance optimization with athletes and coaches around the world in other sports.

Recognized as a leading expert in sport nutrition research and practice, in particular combat sport nutrition, Reid Reale has over 10 years’ experience working with elite, professional and Olympic athletes. Prior to joining the UFC, Reid was most recently employed as a Senior Scientist with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida; where he conducted research and provided sports science and nutrition services to elite and professional athletes, including those in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Prior to his role with GSSI, Reid was the lead dietitian for the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) Combat Centre, working with the country’s best Judo, Boxing, Wrestling and Taekwondo athletes in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond.

In addition to working with Australia’s best combat sport athletes, Reid provided services to many of the top combat sports nations in the world’s elite teams, including; Japan Judo, New Zealand Judo, China Judo, Philippines Boxing, Brazil Boxing, Ireland Boxing, Thailand Taekwondo, Egypt Taekwondo, as well as many high performing individual Olympic and World Championship medalists.

During his time at the AIS, Reid also completed his PhD which focused on acute weight management (weight cutting and post-weigh-in recovery) in Olympic Combat Sport athletes. As a researcher and speaker, Reid has published heavily cited work on the topic of weight management for combat sports, and has presented this work at a number of sports science and nutrition conferences around the world.

Full show-note available at:

www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode108

In this episode David is joined by researcher and lecturer Dr. John Fernandes.

John joined Hartpury University in August 2017 as a lecturer in Strength and Conditioning and has recently course led the BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences degree. Prior to this he lectured at the University of Chester whilst completing his PhD which examined the acute strength and power responses to resistance exercise in trained middle-aged males. John’s recent research has focused on velocity-based training, particularly seeking to explore the reliability and agreement of wearable accelerometers and linear position transducers. His other research interests include fatigue, exercise-induced muscle damage and ageing. During the course of his education he gained experience as strength and conditioning coach in a number of settings (e.g. Warrington Wolves RLFC, Welsh RU, GB rowing, Chester Hockey Club).

Twitter: @DrJFTFernandes

Instagram: @life_of_a_lecturer

In this episode, David is joined by researcher and performance nutritionist Dr. Fionn McSwiney. 

Dr. Fionn McSwiney is a researcher at Dublin City University and a runs Lucid Nutrition Consultancy. 

In this episode, David & Fionn discuss the ketogenic diet in an objective and fair way, delving into the role it may play in athletic performance and health. 

In this episode, David is joined by PhD. researcher and strength coach, Kedric Kwan. 

Kedric is currently completing a PhD. under the supervision of Dr. Eric Helms. Kedric's research examines weight cutting practices in strength sport. 

Kedric is an experienced strength coach and performance nutritionist, particularly in the sport of powerlifting. Kedric is part of the very progressive coaching company, The Strength Guys. 

David & Kedric discuss their training/coaching philosophies and give practical advice for strength athletes. 

Full show-notes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode105