June 22, 2019

The Most Proven Supplements For Performance & Recovery, Cold Water Immersion vs. Cryotherapy, The New Science of Athletic Performance & Much More!

1 hour 26 minutes

Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports is a new book, by my fellow C-ISSN and CSCS Dr. Marc Bubbs. It was one of my best reads of the year for all things sports science.

A few of my big takeaways include:

– Endurance athletes seem to need more sleep than strength athletes, and both seriously suffer when sleep is anything less than 6 hours.

– A temperature change in your fingertips is likely the first circadian cue you get at the beginning of the day (I could totally see a potential jet lag device that warms the fingers – I’ll take the royalty for that, please. ;) ).

– Aerobic training for strength athletes could assist with their immune system strength.

– Loading with probiotics for 2 weeks leading up to competition could give you an ergogenic edge.

– Elite athletes on a subpar diet show the same blood biomarkers as those with pre-diabetes and a fructosamine blood test can be one of the best ways to measure this.

– Top supplements proven to work in exercise science, with the strongest track history, are creatine, caffeine, nitrate precursors (e.g. beet), whey protein, beta-alanine, and sodium bicarbonate.

– Athletes with the CC genotype of the CYP1A2 gene are actually hampered in performance in response to caffeine intake.

– Eating carbs too far from a performance event (e.g. 60-75 minutes) results in hypoglycemia before the event vs. consuming them closer to the event (e.g. 20-45 minutes)

– Fish oil can stimulate muscle building by stimulating mTOR pathways. Vitamin D and creatine are also very good for recovery, not just performance. Creatine can even be helpful for TBI/concussions.

– High sugar intake is associated with lower heart rate variability (HRV).

– Cold water immersion (CWI) beats cryotherapy for recovery, hands down.

You can get this brand new book here.

But I also decided to get author Dr. Marc Bubbs on this podcast to take a deeper dive into he concepts above, and many others. He is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, Performance Nutrition Lead for Canada Basketball Team, Speaker, and former Strength Coach.

Marc also hosts the Dr. Bubbs Performance Podcast, connecting listeners with world-leading experts in human performance and health.

Dr. Bubbs regularly presents at health, fitness and medical conferences across North America, UK and Europe and consults with professional teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB teams. He practices in both Toronto, Canada and London, England.

During our discussion, you'll discover: -How Marc gathers, curates and assimilates new information for his practice...8:45

Struggled as a young athlete with disease, etc. and discovered naturopathic medicine
He realized that there wasn't much of a market for it (circa 2000) but he embraced it and became the best at it
The more personal contact with the source of info, the better (there's nuance in conversation that doesn't make it into an academic paper)
Vast resources available on the Internet (and they're all true, of course)

-Current research on caffeine as an ergogenic aid...15:00

Study conducted by Nanci Guest, University of Toronto:
- Cycling time trial under 3 different conditions:
  - 0 caffeine
  - 2 mg caffeine
  - 4 mg per kg of caffeine
- AC gene variants had no benefit
- AA gene variants had benefit at both 2 mg and 4 mg levels
- Athletes with the CC genotype of the CYP1A2 gene are actually hampered in performance in response to caffeine intake
The sweet spot: 3-6 mg of caffeine per kg per day
23 and Me test will identify CYP 1A2 gene

-How endurance and strength athletes differ regarding sleep needs...21:18

Endurance athletes fare better on the upper end of the sleep suggested amounts (8-10 hrs)
- They also suffer more on lack of sleep
- Greater volume of training
- More early morning sessions
Sleep is #1 recovery tool some docs recommend
It's one thing to acknowledge the need, quite another to actually get more sleep

-The relationship between finger temperature and circadian rhythm...31:25

Fingertips are the first to sense changes in environment
Possibility of warming hands to help body adjust its circadian rhythm while traveling
ChiliPad Ben sleeps on

-How aerobic training can help the immune system of endurance athletes...

"Elite performance is incompatible with frequent illness." --Dr. Michael Gleason
Maintaining an aerobic base supports innate immunity
Aerobic training in the protocol of a strength athlete will improve immune system
Consider incorporating aerobics if red flags of sickness or fatigue occur
Could be a means of recovery
Simply being well enough to train is a big part of the picture
Don't forget fundamentals like washing hands
- Fingertips, webs and backs of hands are often missed

-Probiotics as an ergogenic and performance enhancing tool...42:10

Study on Olympic athletes in 2008:
- 2/3 of those studied showed benefit in 2 key areas:
  - Preventing upper respiratory tract infection
  - Reversing upper respiratory tract infection
Start 2 weeks before event
Colostrum can be efficacious while performing in the heat
Gut is a "black box" of the body; a key indicator in assessing overall health

-Up and coming supplement research and diet strategies Marc is following...50:45

"Food first" approach
Creatine, whey protein, caffeine are major players
Nitrate precursors: beet root, arugula
Endurance sports, struggle to lose weight: have the wrong approach
Nicotinamide riboside
Ketones for concussion recovery
- High rate of head trauma among teens
- Women's ice hockey is the highest risk
Peptides

-Why athletes on a subpar diet show the same blood biomarkers as those with pre-diabetes...56:10

Endurance athletes are more concerned with hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia
Study: 4 of 10 participants spend 70% of the time with blood glucose in pre-diabetic range
Exercise is a stressor; contributes to raising blood glucose
Over fueling more of a problem than we think
Case study in Japan on two ultra-marathoners: one elite, the other sub-elite on a 100 mile race
- At wake-up: elite has glucose level of 90; sub-elite is 110
- Sub-elite glucose level rises, then crashes around mile 70
- Elite runner came through just fine
Fructosamine measurements for blood glucose levels
- HA1c skews to more recent fueling in its readings
- 2-3 week window vs. 3 month on HA1c
- Measuring glycated albumin rather than glycated hemoglobin
- More expensive; used for a more acute picture

-The best time to consume carbs before training...1:07:45

Dr. Mark Russell: Half-Time Strategies to Enhance Second-Half Performance in Team-Sports Players
- Biggest drops in glucose came from those who had drinks 75 minutes before the game
Emma Stevenson of Newcastle University did a study on maltodextrin vs. honey
- Maltodextrin had blood sugar drop of 19%
- Honey had blood sugar drop of 4%
Time carb intake so that blood glucose spike takes place during the event
Optimal overall carb intake for strength vs. endurance athletes:
- Strength: 4-7 g per kg per day
- Endurance: 6-10 g per kg
- "Training low" in team sports: low carb availability

-Comparing the effectiveness of cold water immersion (CWI) to cryotherapy...1:22:40 -And much more... Resources from this episode:

-Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports

-Examine Research Digest

-Alan Aragon's Research Review

-Chilipad Ben sleeps on

-The combo of ATP and HMB Ben mentions

-Dr. Mark Russell: Half-Time Strategies to Enhance Second-Half Performance in Team-Sports Players

Episode sponsors:

-Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. Get 10% off your order of Kion Aminos, and everything at the Kion site when you use discount code: "BGF10".

-JOOVV: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. Order using my link and receive a nice bonus gift with your order!

-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!

-Birdwell Beach Britches: Quality is our Gimmick isn’t just our slogan, it’s a commitment we honor with every stitch we sew. 100% money back guarantee. Get 10% off your order, PLUS free shipping on any order over $99 when you use discount code: BENG.

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Bubbs or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more

View all episodes

By Ben Greenfield

4.6

48854,885 ratings