S3E26: Beetroot, Bicarb & Measurement Error in Endurance Sport w/ Dr. Andy Sparks

Season 3, Episode 26

Dr. Bubbs interviews renowned exercise physiologist Dr. Andy Sparks, PhD. In this episode, Andy shares his passion for expert-generalism, his serendipitous path to research, the early days of high-fat, low-carb pre-exercise fueling in endurance sport, his work in measurement error and why it matters, inter-individual differences in how beetroot juice impacts endurance performance, personalized dosing of sodium bicarb, fueling practices in ultra-endurance athletes and more.

Summary of Episode:

4:00 – Andy’s background – ‘The right place at the right time’ 

9:00 – The early days of high-fat, low-carb pre-exercise fueling in endurance

14:00 – Measurement Error: Why It Matters

18:00 – Beetroots, Endurance Performance & Potential Wins

26:00 – Sodium Bicarb – Delayed Release The Future?

38:00 – Personalized dosing for sodium bicarb

42:00 – Fueling practice in ultra-endurance athletes

  

Research Papers:

High dose Nitrate ingestion does not improve 40 km cycling time trial performance in trained cyclists

A Novel Ingestion Strategy for Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation in a Delayed-Release Form: a Randomised Crossover Study in Trained Males

Factors influencing ultra-endurance athletes food choices: an adapted food choice questionnaire

About Dr. Andy Sparks, PhD 

Andy Sparks is a Reader in Exercise Physiology in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity, where he is the Postgraduate Research Contact and leads the Sport and Exercise Nutrition pathway on the Sport and Exercise Science BSc Programme. He was awarded his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University in Exercise Physiology (2004) having completed his BSc in Sport Science also at LJMU (1998).

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