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Sports Physiologist
Studies how the body responds to exercise — optimizes training and recovery for athletes.
Did you know?
Elite male runners can have a VO2 max of up to about 85, more than double the 35 to 40 of an average untrained man.
How subjects help
- Biology: Study how the heart and lungs adapt when an athlete trains high up in the mountains.
- Chemistry: Measure lactate in the blood to find the pace an athlete can hold before tiring.
- Physics: Test how the body gains and loses heat so athletes can cope in hot or cold weather.
- Mathematics: Chart test results over months to plan the best times for hard training and rest.
A famous name
Per-Olof Åstrand: Swedish physiologist and founding figure of exercise physiology who created the Åstrand cycle fitness test.
Try it yourself: Train one skill for five days
- Pick a skill you can count in 30 seconds: keepy-uppies, skips, catches against a wall.
- Do a first test and write down your score.
- Practise for five minutes a day for five days.
- Test again. How much did you improve, and which day was the jump?
Coaches and athletes measure, practise and re-test; small daily practice beats one huge session.
Also try: Take your pulse like a nurse.
Known for it in
USA, Australia, UK, Norway, Kenya