In this episode, David is joined by founder and owner of The Fight Dietician, Jordan Sullivan. 

Jordi has an Undergraduate Degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science and a Masters of Dietetic Studies. After completing his studies, Jordi moved to Canada, where he was exposed to an MMA scene that far exceeded that of Australia. He realised that it was only a matter of time until this enthusiasm towards the sport was mirrored back home in Australia and his dream of working in Combat Sports Nutrition could become a reality.

Since then, Jordi has established himself as one of the leading Practitioners in Australia and New Zealand and has worked with the regions most successful athletes and teams. He is passionate about raising awareness of safe practices when it comes to making weight and using Nutrition as a tool for Performance, not just for weight loss.

In this episode, David and Jordan discuss his experiences on the UFC Fight Island and where athletes go wrong when using sweating methods to cut weight. 

In this episode, David is joined by Dr. Aoife Lane

Dr Aoife Lane is Head of Department of Sport and Health Sciences at AIT and Founder of the Women’s Gaelic Players Association. Aoife completed the BSc in Sport and Exercise Science in University of Limerick before undertaking a Masters in Health Promotion in NUI Galway and a PhD in Physical Activity in Irish Women in WIT. Aoife has lectured in Physical Activity and Health, Research Methods, Statistics, Epidemiology, and GAA Coaching. Aoife was a member of the inaugural National GAA Health and Wellbeing group.

In this episode, David and Aoife discuss the establishment on the GAA sports science working group and their goals and objectives.

Dr. Neil Welch completed his undergraduate degree in Sports Science and Physiology BSc (Hons) at the University of Leeds, specialising in his final year in Biomechanics. He then undertook his MSc in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Bolton alongside Strength and Conditioning roles within Winter sports including national Alpine skiing programmes and then international snowboard cross. Further roles with multiple sports with Locker27 and in gait analysis in London followed before his move to the Sports Surgery Clinic in 2013. He completed his PhD on the role of strength and explosive strength in rehabilitation and performance with Dublin City University in 2019. He has a special interest in this regard in the Biomechanics of cutting.

He is the head of knee services within the SSC overseeing the flagship ACL review service.

In this episode Neil discusses:

- What is agility?

- How do we train to improve agility?

- How do we periodise agility and speed training?

- How important is training deceleration?

- How can we improve deceleration ability?

Neil's researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Neil_Welch

Neil's Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/agilitycoach/

Neil's twitter: https://twitter.com/nwconditioning

In this episode, David is joined by performance analyst, Brian Fitzpatrick.

Brian Fitzpatrick’s expertise derives from over a decade of working many teams across a variety of sports and levels in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Brian has always been passionate about sport and whilst studying a Sports Science Degree in University, he completed his dissertation with the Welsh Rugby Union in 2014. This investigated the intervals between high intensity activities in tier 1 rugby internationals which led him to take an internship in Ireland working closely with many of Ireland’s biggest teams, including the Dublin Senior Hurlers.

Brian then accepted a role with the London Irish Rugby Club as the Academy Analyst. During this time, Brian was part of the U18 premiership winning support staff in his first season, before being promoted to Academy Analyst and Administrator.

The pair discuss:

- What is performance analysis and how has it's role changed over the years

- How to effectively integrate performance analysis into coaching and with other streams of sports science

- How organisational structure can massively impact the effectiveness of data flow and efficiency in a team

In this episode of the Synapse Performance podcast, David is joined by Broderick Chavez.

Bio from Broderick's website:

"Broderick Chavez is the Evil Genius. He’s a renowned trainer based in the US and has trained champions, Olympians and IFBB Pros as well as hundreds of other athletes.  He is a sports performance expert, biologist, chemist, coffee connoisseur and an insomniac.

Not only has Broderick worked in Sports Performance field 30 years, he’s competed at a national level in bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman.

He’s a critical thinker, lifter, speaker and thought provoker.

Broderick is uncensored and controversial. Rather than trying to prove to you or anyone else that he is the singular outlet for truth, he hopes to stimulate thought, experiment and dialogue that will bring us all closer to the truth."

In this episode, David and Broderick discuss performance enhancing drugs, the thought processes Broderick goes through when designing PED programs for his clients, and the methods used to avoid detection of drugs in tested sports. 

In this episode, David is joined by the current director of the UKSCA, Rich Clarke. 

Rich is an Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach having previously worked with Gloucester Rugby Club and The Bristol Academy of Sport before transitioning into teaching in higher education in 2013. He has led programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level before joining Birmingham City University to lead the Sport and Exercise Science Degree in 2019.

He is currently studying for his PhD part time looking at performance and injury during agility manoeuvres. He continues to actively coach with the girls FA talent pathway and within other private environments.

Full show notes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode121

In this episode, David is joined by strength and conditioning coach Keir Wenham-Flatt. 

Keir has worked with leading professional teams all around the world, predominantly in rugby. 

Keir is an outspoken individual who highlights the reality of working in professional sport and has recently left professional sports coaching to pursue full-time his businesses, Rugby Strength Coach & Strength Coach Network.

In this episode, David & Keir discuss the realities of working in professional sport, Keir's criticisms of the UKSCA, gaps in coach education and how S&C coaches can be more influential.

In this episode, David is joined by Dr. Tom Maden-Wilkinson.

Tom is an established researcher in Neuromuscular Physiology. He completed his PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University examining the age related changes in skeletal muscle as part of the EU-funded myoage project.

Upon completion in 2013, Tom moved to Loughborough University as a teaching fellow in Exercise Physiology, contributing to teaching across the undergraduate and postgraduate sports and exercise science programmes.

During his time at Loughborough, Tom conducted research as part of the NCSEM and the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis as funded by Arthritis Research UK.

He  joined the Academy for Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University in January 2017 as a Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science, with his teaching focus in Exercise Physiology. In addition, Tom is an associate researcher of the Centre for Sports Engineering Research.

Full show-notes available at:

www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode119

Strength coach and PhD researcher, Arthur Lynch joins David on this weeks episode.

This episode follows a slightly different format from the standard interview style show. 

Arthur and David discuss a recent paper reviewing methods of monitoring and regulating resistance training.

Then the pair discuss their respective thought processes they undergo when designing a strength and conditioning program for athletes. 

Full show-notes available at: www.synapseperformance.ie/podcasts/episode118

In this episode, David is joined by performance nutritionist, Kate McDaid. 

Kate studied Food Science at the University of College Dublin before following her ambition and moving to the UK to complete an MSc in Sports and Exercise Nutrition at Loughborough University. She landed a position in a nutrition consultancy over there quickly progressing to Senior Health and Performance Nutritionist where she started to build an extensive portfolio working with professional sports teams, elite sporting scholars, corporate clients, charity organisations, weight-loss and health seeking individuals. She took this experience back to Ireland with her in 2017 and founded NutriKate, a high performance nutrition consultancy that is based in Dublin.

Link to Kate's website: https://nutrikate.com/

Link to Kate's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrikate_com

In this episode, David and head of nutrition at Synapse Performance Mark Germaine sit down and discuss all elements of how to set up a successful off-season as a GAA athlete.

The pair discuss all aspects of the off-season from nutrition, S&C and recovery.

In this weeks episode, David is joined by the winner of the first Crossfit Games, and founder of OPEX Fitness, James Fitzgerald.

OPEX Founder and industry-leading educator, James FitzGerald, has dedicated his life to bringing honor to the coaching profession. OPEX Coaching Education and Gyms Licensing Programs provide coaches with the tools needed to professionalize their passion. The OPEX Coaching Certificate Program reflects his 25 plus years of coaching expertise and is set apart by providing comprehensive coaching theory as well as practical application of its principles. OPEX continues to educate thousands of coaches around the world each year through a dynamic digital platform and live courses.

In this episode, David and James discuss:

Differentiating Training For Elite Performance Versus Health
Autonomy In Fitness
Periodization In Crossfit
Functional Fitness As An Olympic Sport

Link to OPEX Fitness: https://opexfit.com/

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

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 foundation on which all other movement or sports specific skills are built. If a child does not develop these skills early, they will not have the confidence in their physical ability to try anything new. Fast forward a decade and we have now have a generation uninterested in physical activity.

Through Moving Well-Being Well, we hope to instil Irish children with a confidence and enthusiasm for physical activity for years to come, and in doing so, turn the tide on obesity in Ireland.

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