This week’s guest is Dr Luana Main, a Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Science at Deakin University. An athlete herself, Luana’s research focuses on optimizing human performance and, in particular, finding the sweet spot between optimal load and overtraining. She has applied this research in areas including elite sport and the military and talks with Ben and Tim about how we can all apply some of these same concepts in our day-to-day lives.

04:45 Luana’s background – and the third-year uni lecture that sparked her lifelong interest in overtraining syndrome.

07:00 First of all – what is overtraining?!

08:20 There’s a number of biomarkers associated with overtraining, but what are the subjective indications that someone might be overtraining? (PS – based on Luana’s response, there is potential that Tim is overtraining……)

09:30 Are subjective measures of diagnosing overtraining as effective as objective measures?

13:00 How can we get better at the basics, when it comes to lowering our steady state stress load?

14:40 Heart rate variability as a measure of stress

17:00 Discussion on wearables

20:55 What are the non-negotiables when it comes to improving performance? And how exactly do we do these?

25:15 Luana’s work with the military

29:30 The impact of overtraining on cognitive function

33:50 Luana on ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of stress

39:00 What areas of research would Luana love to get into next?

41:20 What does Luana do for herself?

External Links

The Stroop Test – give it a go!

Luana’s LinkedIn

Luana’s research and publications

Luana’s work at Deakin University

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Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify