Dr. Andy Galpin is a teacher and story-teller. He is the co-host of Shrugged Collective’s Body of Knowledge, has a PhD in Human Bioenergetic, and is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at CSU Fullerton.

Dr. Galpin now focuses his attention on teaching classes (Sports Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, Designing Exercise Programs, Applied Strength and Conditioning, Athlete Assessment and Measurement, etc.), and running the BMEP lab, which studies the acute responses and chronic adaptations of human skeletal muscle in response to high force/velocity/power and fatiguing exercise from the whole body, down to the individual muscle fiber and even into the individual DNA.

In this episode, Dr. Galpin shares with us his journey coming from a small town in the Northwest to ending up in Cal State Fullerton, he also shares some experiences from his sports performance lab, sheds a light on why quality research is getting more challenging, explains the difference between a variety of physical practices, touching on the limitations of certain programs such as CrossFit, and much more.

Enjoy!

– Jeff and Mycal

A post shared by Andy Galpin (@drandygalpin) on Jun 2, 2018 at 6:43am PDT

Academia, Science, and CrossFit

Dr. Galpin opens the conversation passionately describing the academic system as a whole, where it thrives and where it falls short. He tells the story of progressing from a small town in the Northwest to ending up in Cal State Fullerton.

Dr. Galpin’s work is focused solely on sports performance. His lab does no work on disease treatment or management, else focuses on optimizing individuals who are already healthy. He talks about how the industry’s information is often skewed because much of the science is funded by supplement companies who have their own agenda.

Dr. Galpin goes on to shed light in the idea that quality research is getting more challenging from a financial standpoint because of decrease in federal funding and an increase in general expenses. In addition, he is often criticized for oversharing the information that he does get funded for, because he shares his work on social media. He shares his draw towards communication and teaching and how the idea of running a business has no allure for him.

“My goal is not to cover material, it is to inspire.” — Dr. Andy Galpin

A post shared by Andy Galpin (@drandygalpin) on May 22, 2018 at 10:48am PDT

Key Takeaways

• Funding for science  —  Under the current administration, it is getting harder and harder to get funding. Less than 1% of funding goes to scientists under the age of 35. Statistically, you have no chance to get funding under the age of 50.
• Inspiring students  —  Dr. Galpin’s primary goal is to inspire his students to want to know more about a topic. Giving them information is temporary. If he can get them excited about an idea, they will spend the rest of their lives learning about it.
• Sharing information  —  There is far too much competition in the world of exercise science. Some individuals are far too worried that someone will steal their idea. Dr. Galpin encourages everyone to be inclusive and share their ideas. The more the field grows, everyone will win.
• The best fitness practice  —  In order to determine the best application of fitness, Dr. Galpin says it depends on the application and is defined by the goal and the context. All systems and modalities will continue to evolve, develop, and refine their ideals. Every program and modality has limitations.
• Feed and Fuel  —  Andy is very inspired by listening to podcasts, walking the dog, and interacting with students. He likes not having a routine, in the sense that he likes to be free to do as he wishes and is drawn to that day.

“Let’s identify the task and the tool that helps us get there.” — Dr. Andy Galpin

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Resources: Andy Galpin, Phd