The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in partnership with Australian State Institutes and Academies of Sport (SISAS) and eight Australian and New Zealand Universities have launched the newly revised and expanded Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes (second edition).

The purpose of the book is to provide working procedures for athletic testing that have a sound theoretical basis and known precision, to aid coaches and scientists in monitoring the effectiveness of training interventions.

Accurate and reliable test protocols and sound quality assurance practices are crucial to assessing and enhancing the performance of elite athletes.

The exercise physiology accreditation program and quality assurance procedures used by Australian sport science laboratories are world-class and internationally recognised. 

The second edition offers an up-to-date comprehensive guide on the ‘how and why’ of both general and sport specific physiological testing procedures for elite athletes based on world best practice.  Originally published in 2000, and selling over 5,000 copies globally, the newly revised and updated 550-page edition contains 33 comprehensive chapters covering four sections:

• Part I: Laboratory and Athlete Preparation
• Part II: Testing Concepts and Athlete Monitoring
• Part III: Fundamental Assessment Principles and Protocols
• Part IV: Physiological Protocols for the Assessment of Athletes in Specific Sports

Coaches, physiologists and other sport scientists, along with students and academics will find this guide practical and relevant. Key to the content of the book is the practical nature of all chapters.

The book contains an introduction from Professor Allan Hahn — former AIS Chief Scientist and a pioneer of Australian sports science. Chapters from the 1st edition have been revised and updated including updates to pre-test preparation, anthropometry, strength and power, and field testing.  

New chapters include: data collection and analysis, ergometer-based maximal neuromuscular power, anaerobic capacity, altitude training, heat, physiological recovery, testing and training agility and perceptual contributions to elite performance.

Normative data for all sport specific protocols has also been extensively updated and reliability data included where available.

In a field or laboratory setting, coaches and sports scientists can use these tests to identify the strengths and weaknesses of athletes, monitor progress, provide feedback, and ultimately enhance performance of their athletes.

A total of 63 sports scientists — 20 current AIS staff, 10 ex-AIS staff and PhD scholars, a large number of SISAS staff and staff from 8 Australian and New Zealand Universities— have contributed to chapters included in this edition.  

It was edited by Rebecca K Tanner, Manager of the AIS National Sport Science Quality Assurance program and Christopher J Gore, Head of AIS Physiology. 

More information about Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes, Second Edition (in hard cover or e-Book version) is available on the Human Kinetics website. Copies can be ordered from Human Kinetics Australia via email: orders@hkaustralia.com.