Alex is the principal investigator at the “Exercise physiology and performance lab” at Simon Fraser University having completed her PhD at the university of Guelph with Dr Jamie Burr and some postdoctoral work at McMaster university. 

Her research explores adaptive and maladaptive physiological responses to exercise stress. Her research aims to determine the optimal exercise prescription for peak health and athletic performance, while avoiding conditions including overtraining, injuries, and low energy availability.

She was an elite ITU, Olympic distance triathlete having won a national championship in 2015 as well as having coached athletes for a period of time. 

Alex also holds the record for most mentioned research on the Supersapiens podcast. 

(00:40) Introduction
(01:38) Updates from Dave and Xylon
(04:05) Episode preview
(05:44) Episode Starts
(07:10) Alex’s academic journey
(10:29) How did Alex get into triathlon?
(13:25) How did Alex manage the balance of study and elite triathlon?
(15:46) How did Alex know she was overtraining?
(18:55) Signs and issues in overtraining and common mistakes athletes make.
(20:52) How and why did Alex get into coaching?
(21:44) Alex research into the athlete’s heart and changes that occur across training.
(23:50) What are cardiovascular limiters of performance?
(29:13) Ways to improve VO2Max.
(33:43) Maintaining fitness and what drives it?
(37:34) Overreaching vs Overtraining
(46:35) How can people know if they are overreaching?
(53:50) Are fewer elite athletes overtraining?
(57:35) The Happy, Healthy Athlete.
(65:24) Iron deficiency and its common occurrence in athletes.
(73:51) Alex’s upcoming research
(78:10) Outro