Greg Wells, Ph.D.is a scientist specializing in extreme human physiology. His work is focused on elite athletes who are trying to achieve international medal performances, and on children with chronic diseases.
Please explore the site to find more information on research, presentations, and resources on how to maximize performance and health in extreme conditions.
Thanks for visiting the Wells Performance Group website. Here you'll find Dr. Wells' blog, research papers, teaching materials and links to books.
If you have any questions we look foward to hearing from you.
After he swam the North Pole, Lewis Pugh vowed never to take another cold-water dip. Then he heard of Lake Imja in the Himalayas, created by recent glacial melting, and Lake Pumori, a body of water at an altitude of 5300 m on Everest -- and so began a journey that would teach him a radical new way to approach swimming and think about climate change.
Dr. Greg Wells, human physiologist and sport scientist, talks about the importance of staying hydrated and how it helps take the heat out of your body and keep blood volume constant to avoid heat strain.
You can watch this morning's interview on CTV Canada AM here.
The recent popularity of running barefoot has taken many people by surprise and ignited quite the debate in running circles and also in the research community. Although some people think that barefoot running is a new phenomenon, in reality the use of padded and supported running shoes is a recent development - in the 1970s! So in fact maybe we are getting back to basics and to the way the foot evolved...
Here are a couple of videos of the foot during barefoot running. The first video shows the foot from just behind the landing point. The landing is a heel strike - the kind of landing that is common when you use running shoes. You can see the impact forces going through the foot when the heel strikes the ground. It is these forces that running shoes are designed to dissipate.
Now the proponents of barefoot running suggest that when people run barefoot, the tendency is to actually land on the balls of the feet and the mid foot. When this happens the arch of the foot absorbs the impact, not the heel bone, and as a result the impact forces are not transferred up the body but are absorbed by the muscles of the foot and lower leg. Supporters of the barefoot running philosophy argue that barefoot running is healthier for feet and reduces risk of chronic injuries - although the research is not conclusive either in support or against this idea. But is is interesting given that studies suggest that at least 30% of runners get injured every year, and many of these injuries stem from problems that arise in the foot or lower leg (van Gent et al., 2007). When you look at this video of barefoot running from the side, you can see that in fact, the heel never touches the ground. And people argue that this is why barefoot running is healthier than running with shoes. Check it out below:
Dr. Greg Wells, exercise psychologist and sport scientist, discusses how golf has become a physically demanding sport. He says golf can be a recreational activity, but for players who walk around the green and carry their own clubs, many calories can be burned off.
Watch the interview on CTV's Canada AM here.
Thanks to CTV for having me on early Monday morning to talk about golf. As many of you know, golf is a changing sport - in fact now it is considered a sport, and golfers are now considered athletes. Golf has been accepted into the 2016 Olympics and even traditional golf companies like Titleist are investing heavily in golf fitness as a new industry. I've posted many articles on the physical elements of the golf game and you can access them here:
One of the recent areas of interest for athletes and coaches is the use of compression gear to either improve sport performance or to speed recovery. To help out with determining if these garments are helpful I've compiled the latest research articles on the topic. You can read the abstracts here and click on the links at the end of each article to access full text versions.
Greg D. Wells, Ph.D.