Hpa Podcast With David Nolan

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: Link to the Sheffield Hallam S&C Coaching MSc: https://www.sh

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 profe

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

In episode 104, David is joined by DCU researcher Dr. Stephan Behan. Stephen’s research is all about children’s physical activity. At the moment, Ireland is on track to become the most obese nation in Europe by the year 2030. There are lots of reasons why Ireland has come to this and you can see it all around you in everyday life. How many of us can say we don’t spend half our day staring at some form of screen or another? When we dig a little deeper, we can see that Irish children are spending less and less time being physically active. Stephen’s research is trying to stop this. The project, called Moving Well Being Well, aims to break the mould and intervene early in a child’s life to increase their physical activity levels. How can we do this? We want to focus on improving children’s confidence and motivation towards physical activity through developing their fundamental movement skills. Fundamental Movement Skills are basic skills, like running, jumping, catching, throwing, etc., and these are the foundat

In episode 103, David joined by applied sports psychologist Hugh Gilmore. Hugh holds an undergraduate degree in sports and exercise sciences and a masters in applied sports and exercise psychology. Hugh is also an accredited sports psychologist with the Irish Institute of Sport & BASES. David & Hugh discuss athlete identity, coping with anxiety & uncertainty, motivation vs. commitment, pragmatic advice for coaches dealing with stressed athletes.

In this episode, David is joined by GAA performance nutritionist Conor O'Neill. Conor is the founder of Know Yourself Nutrition, an online nutrition coaching business working primarily with GAA players both at club and inter-county level.  David & Conor discuss common issues they see with GAA players, tips on behaviour change and reflect on some of the challenges with growing a coaching business.  Full show notes: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode102

In episode 101, David is joined by performance nutritionist Mark Germaine.   Mark Germaine is a Performance Nutritionist (SENr) currently working with the Dublin Senior Hurling team, Dublin U20's football team, Dublin U20's hurlers and a number of elite professional boxers, in addition to his role as a researcher in the School of Health and Human Performance in Dublin City University. He completed his Masters degree in Sport Nutrition from Liverpool John Moores University, where he also picked up the Don MacLaren Award for the research he conducted during his time there. Finally, Mark is the co-chair for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Combat Sport Special Interest Group, who put out content as it relates to combat sport and weight cutting, and also host an annual meeting at the annual ACSM event in the USA. As such, Mark's interest lie in Performance Nutrition and developing nutritional strategies to augment athletic performance, improve athletic recovery, enhancing the adaptive response to

In episode of the podcast, David is joined by Alan Flanagan, John Kiely & Ciaran O'Regan. The groups discusses the topic of meta-cognition; thinking about how we think. Topics include; what is science? what is knowledge? what does it mean to be evidence-based? how do we improve our critical thinking ability?

In episode 99, David answers a listener question on the topic of: Does Psychological & Emotional Stress Impact Adaptation to Exercise? You can contact the show and submit questions by emailing: david@synapseperformance.ie Full show notes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode99

In this episode, David is joined by Luke Jenkinson. Luke is the current Head of Academy Sports Science & Medicine at Derby County FC, while also undertaking a professional doctorate at Liverpool John Moore's University. In this episode, David & Luke discuss the pros and cons of early specialisation, and the potential role of isometrics in applied S&C. For full show-notes: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode98

In episode 97, David is joined by Sami Dowling & Shane Cahill of APEC courses. Sami Dowling is the Director of Athletic Performance & Sports Science at Athletic Performance Education Company.  Sami brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the APEC education team. Working at the elite level of both rugby union and GAA, Sami has become a household name within the areas of speed development and the sport of Weightlifting. Sami was a Strength & Conditioning coach with Leinster Rugby Academy for 10 years, one of Europe’s top professional rugby Academy’s. Sami worked at the highest level in GAA, serving as Head Strength & Conditioning coach with the Dublin Senior Football team, winning an All-Ireland in 2011. Sami served as Performance Director for Weightlifting Ireland, having coached at the World Junior, European Junior, and European Senior. Sami is currently the Strength & Conditioning Coordinator at Hockey Ireland for the u16-u18 girls’ and boys’ national teams. Sami has recently compl

In episode 96, David is joined by Dr. Harry Dorrell.  Harry is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Lincoln, where his research focuses on the use of velocity based measures to dictate training loads in an attempt to optimize adaptation to resistance training. David & Harry discuss why velocity-based "loading" may be a more suitable term that velocity-based "training," how to practically apply velocity-based measures in a team setting and the future research direction of velocity-based training. Full show-notes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode96

In episode 95, David is joined by Dr. Oliver Barley. Dr. Barley is a lecturer and research at Edith Cowan University. Oliver's research interest are in the domain of exercise physiology, specifically combat sports. The focus of Oliver's PhD studies was in the area of weight cutting strategies in combat athletes. David & Oliver discuss heat acclimation and it's potential benefits for both performance and the weight cutting procedure.