The Athletic Evolution Podcast

Dr John Radnor is a Lecturer and researcher in Strength and Conditioning at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His research interests surround youth S&C, and he has recently completed his PhD in Paediatric Exercise Science. John has previously worked with Welsh Rowing and the GB Start Programme, as well as previously being an academy S&C coach at Exeter Chiefs and Exeter City. Taking a step back from coaching at the moment, one of John’s main roles at the University is as the work-based learning lead for the SCRAM UG programme, developing links with NGB’s, pro teams, and local clubs for placement students. Within this role, John looks to develop research links ensuring that research is helping to answer “performance problems” for the clubs.

In this episode John discusses:

You can keep up to date with John via his Research Gate profile, or via Twitter: @John_Radnor .

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Amanda Johnson has worked as a physiotherapist in several sports at a high level including Great Britain Aquatic teams particularly swimming, synchro swimming and 10 years with the GB diving team. She has also travelled with the England Athletics Team to international camps and competitions. Mandy served for 5 years as the England Women’s Football team physio and as a senior lecturer for the Football Association. She spent 10 years as the senior physiotherapist at the Academy of Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson before becoming the lead physiotherapist at Aspire Academy for 8 years. Amanda's PhD and research interests a  are related to issues and injuries suffered by developing youth athletes in all sports. She has lectured at many international conferences on youth development, maturity and injury. 

In this episode Amanda discusses: 

You can follow Amanda's work more closely via her Research Gate Profile here. 

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Brett Klika, founder of SPIDERfit Kids is regarded as an international expert in the field of inspiring kids to be active for life, He is also an  IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year award winner, author, and international motivational speaker inspiring men, women, and children around the world to create a culture of wellness in their home and live the best version of their life.

In this episode Brett discusses:

You can keep up to date with Brett via the SPIDERfit Facebook page , Instagram: @spiderfitkids and SPIDERfit Kids Youtube Channel and on the website: www.spiderfitkids.com .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Jamie Salter has worked in professional football and rugby league with both youth and adult athletes in a physical preparation role at Barnsley FC, Middlesbrough FC and York Knights RLFC whilst working with various athletes on an ad-hoc basis for many years. Alongside applied experience, he has spent most of my career in education as a lecturer in further and higher education environments. He is currently a Lecturer at York St John University delivering to under- and post-graduate students in areas of injury prevention, rehabilitation and strength and conditioning. He has presented at several major international conferences and is a current PhD candidate researching the associations between biological maturation and training loads in youth football.

In this episode Jamie discusses:

You can keep up to date with Jamie via his Twitter: @jay_salter and @AthleteDiscov , via Instagram: @athletediscovery and via the website www.athletediscovery.co.uk .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Helen Collins is a Sport & Exercise Scientist at the Institute of Sport and Exercise, University of Dundee.  She is currently undertaking a PhD through the University of Edinburgh, investigating resistance training as a strategy to encourage less active and/or overweight children to become more active and healthier.  During her 17 years at the University of Dundee she has lectured extensively on the University’s Sports Biomedicine degree, and more recently has become module co-ordinator for a student selected module on Exercise Deficit Disorder within the Medical Curriculum. As a BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist (physiology) and a UKSCA Accredited S&C Coach, she has delivered applied sports science in performance sport for a variety of sports and athletes. In more recent years, Helen’s interest and work programme has though re-focussed on health, specifically on the benefits of resistance training and this has led her to her current research topic.

In this episode Helen discusses:

You can keep up to date with Helen via her ResearchGate profile , or via Twitter @helen_collins1 .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Andy Taylor was a professional footballer for nearly 10 years starting at Manchester United and then moving on to Exeter City. He completed a Foundation Degree in Sports Performance at the University of Bath in Sports Performance and a First Class honours degree in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Plymouth St Mark & St John. This combined with his practical work with young athletes over the last 6 years based at Ivybridge Community College has allowed him to put this knowledge in to action.

In this episode Andy discusses:

You can follow Andy's work via his website www.taylormaderehab.com/ and via his Twitter @taylormaderehab , and follow Ivybridge S&C on @ivybridgeSaC .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Andy Kirkland has been working professionally in sport for the last 10 years, initially as a sports scientist at the Scottish Institute of Sport, then British Cycling and now as a Lecturer in Sports Coaching at the University of Stirling. He’s been involved at every level, ranging from teaching young children to swim, working with development and performance athletes, through to providing high-performance support to international level coaches and athletes.

As well as having a Ph.D. in Sport Science, Andy is a British Association of Exercise Sciences accredited sport and exercise scientist with chartered scientist status. His academic background, exploring mental health and wellbeing, influences the way he  think’s and attempts to solve problems. However, his experiences at the ‘coal-face’  are important to what he does. His developing expertise in behavioural change science helps him make sense of highly complex coaching environments.

In this episode Andy discusses:

You can read Andy's article "A warts and all guide to being an athlete in a "High Performance" environment here. You can keep up to date with Andy via his Twitter account: @andykirkland71 . 

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Niall MacSweeney completed his MSc at St Mary’s University. Whilst studying, he secured a position as an S&C coach at White Lodge, which houses The Royal Ballet School students aged 11-16. Niall has previously worked with a variety of sports including the University of Liverpool sports teams, London Broncos, and GB Sitting Volleyball. Niall also has a private coaching business called Energia Performance. Matt Lamarque is an S&C working with The Royal Ballet School for the last three and a half years. He completed a Masters by Research in quantifying training loads in elite adolescent ballet in a collaboration between The Royal Ballet School and St Mary’s University. He has previously worked within both male and female rugby at Richmond Rugby and male football at Leyton Orient FC, as well as a short stint in academy level cricket. 

In this episode they discuss: 

You can find keep up to date with Niall via his Twitter: @NiallMacSweeney and via his Instagram: @energia_performance . 

You can keep up to date with Matt via his Twitter: @mlamarqueSC and Instagram: @matt_lamarqueperformance . 

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Wendy Glover is a Health and Physical Education Teacher and Coach. She has dedicated her 22+ year career to approaching teen athletes as future contributors to sport through education, community involvement, and mentorship. She has written Health and Wellness, and Sport Management courses for the Ontario Ministry of Education, and many programs to support the holistic development of the athlete.

Wendy wanted to improve the sport community experience all, this led to her creating an innovative #AthLeadership program to recruit and train teen athletes to be future coaches in the province of Ontario. Through this program AthLeaders gain many industry certifications (e.g. coaching, ethics, sport management), and dozens of volunteer community service hours in areas of sport, individualized for them. Over 400+ athletes have been through this program and have been empowered to contribute to sport in Canada.

In this episode Wendy discusses:

You can find keep up to date with Wendy via her Twitter account: @developathletes .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.

Stuart Edwards or “Eddo” is the Head of Rugby at Stewarts Melville College recently winning the Scottish Schools Cup in 2019. He is also the Backs coach for the Scotland U18 National Team, as well as a current player for Heriots in the Super 6 league in Scotland.

In this episode He discusses:

You can keep up to date with Stuart via his Twitter account: @stuarted10 .

Keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our Website, Twitter and Instagram. You can leave us feedback or submit a question for future episodes here.