The Shakeout Podcast

To hear the marketing team at one of any number of different sport supplement companies tell it, your next personal best is just one sip, slurp, or shot away. Whether it’s the latest super-food concentrate, the greatest powdered potion, or maybe even a new topical gel, the market for performance supplementation is a crowded one, with each new product promising some combination of performance buzzwords like optimal recovery, reduced blood lactate, greater muscular endurance or delayed onset fatigue. But with so many options out there, is there really one “silver bullet” when it comes to maximizing performance, and where does good old fashioned hard work fit into the mix in the age of “performance stacking” supplements?
In the second instalment of The Shakeout Podcast's series on running buzzwords we’re joined by sports science writer Brady Holmer to help us cut through the hype and understand the science behind some of today’s most talked-about performance-hacking supplements. From beetroot and bi-carb to ketones and creatine, Brady has not only applied his background in human performance to understanding the science behind the supplements but has put them to the test in the real world as a high level marathoner himself.
Tune in this week as we take a deep dive into the science of supplements to help you figure out how these supposed performance boosters work, how they measure up against their own claims, and what’s worth really your time and money when it comes to maximizing performance.
Check out Brady on Substack: Physiologicallyspeaking.com
X - @brady_h
Instagram - @brady.j.holmer
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[This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign led by the Podpass agency for Altitude Sports]
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Between the two of them, there isn't much in the world of global running championships that sisters Gabriela DeBues-Stafford and Lucia Stafford haven't tackled. Both two-time Olympians and multi-time national champs, the Stafford sisters have come to define middle- and long-distance track for a generation of Canadian athletics fans. Between them, they hold Canadian records at 1,000m, 1,500m, 2,000m, 3,000m and 5,000m.
But in careers that have ticked virtually every box, this weekend's World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, will present a novelty as they toe the line in the road mile, a first crack at the discipline for both Gabriela and Lucia.
This week on The Shakeout Podcast, the sisters join the show together for a preview of the upcoming champs, talking training for the roads, managing track seasons that have endured into the fall, and what it's been like to train together in preparation for a new challenge on the roads of Denmark. Plus, they offer timely coaching advice to one another from the unique perspective of a sibling and fierce competitor.
Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.
Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code "SHAKEOUT2026"
Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026
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We’ve all got one, but what does it actually mean, and does the number your smart watch gives you actually matter?
This week on The Shakeout Podcast we're setting out to understand the science of VO2 Max, a metric that seems to be everywhere in the saturated world of endurance training advice.
From its correlation to performance to its proven effects on longevity, VO2 Max might be one of the most all encompassing indicators of fitness available. But is a higher number always better? And if more is better how do we go about raising ours?
Joining the show to lend his expertise is Dr. Mick Leahy, professor of cardiovascular exercise physiology at The University of British Columbia. As an expert on all things aerobic, Mick walks us through the science behind VO2 Max, shedding light on what the term actually means, what the hype around VO2 Max is all about, and how runners can use the metric to improve their performance on race day.
Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.
Mick's Google Scholar
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If you wanted to know which athlete was at the top of Canadian trail running, a safe bet, at least in the most literal sense, would be Alex Ricard.

The Squamish based athlete has established a reputation as the best vertical runner in the country, clocking off wins and KOMs on some of Canada’s most iconic climb trails and mixing it up with the very best in the world at past editions of the world mountain and trail running championships. More recently, he’s adding distance to vert and finding success in over longer race distances, claiming another Canadian national championship title over the 50km distance at this summer’s Quebec Mega Trail.

With a long history in the sport that includes early success on the track and cross country course, Alex joins the show this week to talk about his journey in the world of trail racing, life in the trail-running hot spot of Squamish, and what makes him so fast when the terrain gets steep.

Follow Alex @Alex._Ric

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code "SHAKEOUT2026"

Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026

Shop The North Face Summit Series https://www.thenorthface.com/en-ca/collections/summit-series

Jadyn Keeler will be the first to admit that the further the race distance, the happier she is.

That love for going long was on full display last weekend in Edmonton at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships, where even a measurement error that added nearly 700m to the stated race distance couldn’t dampen her professional, and half marathon, debut. In just her second-ever road race, Keeler ran away from an historically deep women’s elite field to claim her first national title.

With the win, the 23 year old out of Barrie Ontario punched her ticket to next Month’s World Road running Championships, where she’ll look to keep the good times going against a world class field in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Fresh off a move to Flagstaff Arizona to join the adidas Golden Peaks Track Club and kick off her pro career, Jadyn joins the show to recap her breakout half debut, set the tone for next month’s World Championships, and share what she’s most looking forward to as she takes on the world of professional road racing.

Follow Jadyn @jadynkeeler

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