311. The Science Episode! How To Stop Cramps, Fat Oxidation Changes, Missing Link Heat Training, The Difficulty of Physiology Data, and More

311. The Science Episode! How To Stop Cramps, Fat Oxidation Changes, Missing Link Heat Training, The Difficulty of Physiology Data, and More

From Some Work, All Play by David Roche and Megan Roche

May 19, 2026 · 1h 42m

About this episode

The episode discusses various scientific topics related to endurance sports, including cramps prevention and heat training.

We talked about some of the strangest and coolest research topics in endurance sports for this episode! Basically, the science discussions went long, so we just ran with it. The main discussion was on how to stop cramps, laying out 10 theories. But put on your tin foil hats, because we think the cramping conspiracy runs deep. Our theory: cramping is connected to fatigue resistance is connected to all endurance performance, and thinking about cramp prevention might revolutionize all training theory even for athletes who never cramp. IT GOES DEEP! We also talked about a new missing link heat study, connecting altitude blood changes to long-term passive heat training. It was especially weird because the researchers were unsure of exactly why it happened. Those are the most fun study moments! Other topics: very short-term changes in fat max and fat oxidation (featuring the wildest figure we have seen in a long time), the difficulty of studies due to large error bars and small effect sizes, the crossover point in metabolic research, the incredible Dark Wizard documentary, and a question on relationships. For a clue about what was censored, here’s the hint: I caught mommy [bleeping]…

People in this episode

Hosts: David Roche, Megan Roche

Topics covered

  • endurance sports
  • cramps prevention
  • heat training
  • fat oxidation
  • physiology data
  • research studies

Keywords

  • cramps
  • fat oxidation
  • heat training
  • endurance performance
  • physiology data
  • research studies

Sponsors

The Feed, Janji, Wahoo Fitness

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