What I’m doing now

UK Research and Innovation Catalyst Award

I am making good progress with this Award. I have a web-site mock-up with three designs (expertly produced by Graham Foster) to trial with my collaborators. You may recall I’m developing a “toolkit and online resource to support health professionals in building community-based group exercise programmes for older people with chronic conditions.” I’m working closely with my key academic collaborator, Tom Wainwright, as well as getting fantastic support from my mentor at Zinc, Tim Shakespeare, alongside new (for 2023) help from Baiqu Gonkar. I will soon update the web-page here about the project.

Other funded research

I’m also still working with Bournemouth University’s Orthopaedic Research Institute on a National Institute of Health Research trial examining a cycling and education intervention for people with hip osteoarthritis, for which we received follow-on funding. I’m also currently working with a brilliant PhD student and co-supervisor to use machine learning methods (funded by AFC Bournemouth) to better understand the relationship between player “load” in football and injury. I’m working with another PhD student to better understand the provision of psychological support for academy football players (funded by AFC Bournemouth).

Articles

With the incredible Ildus Ahmetov, we just published an article on the KIBRA gene and its implications for science and chess. For more on articles, see Papers. I am currently working on the final study from the Great British Medalists Project, as well as a position paper for my Zinc Catalyst Award, alongside further papers on machine learning, sport psychology in football academies, doping in sport, hip osteoarthritis, and disaster management.

YouTube

I have set up a new YouTube channel and shot a first video. I’m currently planning a further 5 videos, so I can launch the channel with more than just this one video. This is meant to fit with the idea of “edutubers” – educational youtubers.

Training

Given I promote physical activity, I feel it’s important to walk the walk. I cycle to work, having sold my car in 2019 (which I used for speed hillclimbing), I’m also a huge gym fan. My gym ‘obsession’ developed when I realised the gym was the one key thing that would help my back – I had back problems since playing tennis full-time (I haven’t played in over 20 years). I’ve had no relief from other pursuits, like yoga, pilates, physio, massage, etc. I do a mix of strength-focused work and some body-building. At the moment, I’m working on my hip and ankle flexibility, to help my squat. I like to squat ATG-style, and do a lot of warm-up pause squats, like Dmitry Klokov (but with a lot less weight). I made a goal to squat 90kg in 2022 and achieved that in March. I have deadlifted 130kg, but currently stick to no more than 110kg.

Music

After many years focusing on work and family, including a big move for work (with family), I am finally finding a little time to revisit my music. I have a track that was finished and mastered in 2016, but I still didn’t release it – it isn’t perfect (in part, due to my old studio having so much top-end absorption, it is a little bass-lite). But I’m going to release it this Spring, and look to re-ignite a series of tracks that have been sitting half-finished, as well as creating a web presence for this music, and updating my various music links, which include bandcamp.