Physiology

Purpose

The purpose of this resource is to articulate, promote and facilitate the successful integration of world leading Physiology support into the High Performance (HP) sport environment, to contribute to sustained podium success at the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games. The resource is an extension of the knowledge section of the Physiology Success Profile, designed to articulate and promote the knowledge and skills required to deliver world leading Physiology support both within the system, and to external stakeholders, such as Exercise and Sport Science Australia and Universities, to assist in their strategic planning in supporting the sport science industry and its students, graduates, and practitioners.

Target audience

• Physiologists
• Managers and leaders
• Coaches
• Performance Support practitioners
• Exercise and Sport Science Australia, opens in a new tab
• Universities

ESSA definition of Sports Scientist

A Sport Scientist provides expert advice and support to athletes and coaches to help them understand and enhance sports performance; adopting evidence-based, quality-assured practice to evaluate and develop effective strategies or interventions in training and/or competition.

A Sport Scientist may operate in one or more roles from pure researcher to applied practitioner and may also work in fields outside sport where human physical performance is an important factor.

What distinguishes a Sport Scientist from “a scientist who works in sport” is their holistic perspective on sports performance. This approach is acquired through tertiary-level qualifications which include foundation knowledge across the primary disciplines of anthropometry, biomechanics, motor control & learning, physiology, psychology and training methodology, together with advanced, integrated or applied studies in one or more of these areas.

A Sport Scientist acts at all times with integrity and professionalism, with the physical and mental health and welfare of the athlete foremost in their consideration and operates within the rules and the spirit of sport.

Physiology support framework

The framework below highlights the key role elements and considerations for a Physiologist to be a successful and impactful member of a performance team. Further information can be found in the Physiology Success Profiles (Early and Senior Career) which provide expanded details for the competencies and personal attributes elements. This webpage will focus on the knowledge elements of the Physiology Success Profiles.

1. Our primary goal is to support the enhancement of competition performance, and/ or the progression towards it throughout the performance pathway.
2. To do this effectively, we need to understand the determinants of competition performance, both globally (at the sport and event level) and at the individual athlete level.
3. Once this is understood, we apply an intervention aimed at enhancing competition performance, targeted to specific sport, event, and individual athlete needs.
4. We assess the response; adjust as required and repeat the process.
5. As scientists, it is our job to measure the above elements accurately, consistently, and as comprehensively as practical.
6. Our knowledge is the technical and/or professional information we have acquired that, as scientists, our analysis, interpretation, and recommendations are anchored to.
7. Experience helps shape the practical application of our knowledge of the science to the context we are working in to help deliver successful outcomes for athletes.
8. We rely on our competencies (e.g., planning, decision making, earning trust, influencing) to provide valuable insights and recommendations.
9. Our personal attributes (e.g., integrity, humility, inclusivity, openness) are critical in delivering insights to coaches, athletes, and other members of the performance team.

Section 1 - First principles, quality assurance, and complementary skillsets

First principles – physiological systems, measurement, and equipment

To provide a comprehensive picture of the physiological factors influencing performance, and ultimately maximise the performance impact a physiologist can have within a program, fundamental understanding of all physiological systems is essential. This includes cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, muscular, nervous, renal, reproductive, respiratory, and skeletal systems.

This fundamental knowledge base is beneficial to develop an in depth understanding at a mechanistic level, which then informs how to accurately identify and solve performance problems to optimise the outcome of a given intervention (training or otherwise). Having a mechanistic and holistic mindset is crucial.

This mindset is also applicable regarding measurement and equipment. Understanding first principles of measurement (e.g., oxygen consumption, blood lactate, etc.) is essential to having a thorough comprehension of the mechanisms which may affect a given measure. This also allows awareness of the limitations of certain measurements and equipment (e.g., measurement error, reliability), resulting in accurate interpretation, troubleshooting of equipment, etc. Not a “black box” approach.

Quality assurance

Physiologists lead and support the testing, monitoring, and measurement of athletes with the intent of informing decisions related to athletes’ performance plans.  For recommendations to be accurate, appropriate and have a positive impact on performance, it is essential that any data collected, and their analysis methods, are valid and reliable. To achieve this, an understanding of the following quality assurance principles and practices, and how to apply them locally and as part of a united system, is required for success.

1. Principles of quality assurance, best practice, and continuous improvement
2. Understanding, documenting, and where possible controlling sources of error in data collection, analysis, and reporting
3. Understanding and applying principles of validity, accuracy, reliability, sensitivity
4. Developing, modifying, and effectively using testing and monitoring protocols and analysis methodologies
5. Assessing for meaningful change – e.g., testing errors, smallest worthwhile changes etc.
6. Equipment error, calibration, and troubleshooting
7. Interrogation and critical appraisal of new technologies, wearables, testing protocols and analysis methods

Complementary skillsets:

Complementary skillsets include those associated skillsets that are considered integral to working as a Physiologist within an effective Performance Team in the Australian HP sports system.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a multi-component skillset that includes question identification, problem solving, critical review, iteration and project scoping. Key features include:

1. The ability to provide relevant and well-focussed questions to problem solving in the sport-specific context.
2. Has a quality assurance mindset to seek clarity, consistency and accuracy with interpreting other research or during solution iteration.
3. The capacity to test conclusions and reasoning against specific relevant criteria
4. Has a causal approach to understand the effects and implications of actions/interventions, systems and ideas
5. Is cognizant to recognise bias (including self-bias) and is open to alternate ideas, views and information.

Effective End-User Communication

• Capability to accurately simplify complex information/principles for maximum coach/athlete understanding/uptake.
• Ability to demonstrate the capacity to provide contextual referencing of physiological principles in sports-specific scenarios.
• Uses a mixed-learning approach to convey information based on the coach/athlete’s preferred method of learning.

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Capability to proactively build effective working relationships within a multidisciplinary team and to work together as an effective team to advance performance support goals.

Section 2 - Technical knowledge and proficiencies

Knowledge is the technical and/or professional information we have acquired that, as scientists, our analysis, interpretation, and recommendations are anchored to.

Training physiology: sprint/power, endurance, team, mixed

In sports where performance is heavily determined by an athlete’s physiological traits, an extensive understanding of training physiology is essential, as it is primarily the training process where these traits are developed, both acutely and over time. Therefore, knowledge in the following areas is needed:

1. Physiological signals and responses to various training stimuli – acute and chronic
2. Training quantification – general philosophies, sport specific, measurement and analysis methodologies, interpretation
3. Training responses – acute, chronic, interactive, gender, impairment, and maturation level specific
4. Dose-response relationship – physiological theory, measurement methodologies and interpretation
5. Periodisation – acute and chronic
6. Tapering
7. Differences between training modalities
8. Training zones (internal and external) – accurate identification, signal– and dose–response relationships
9. Recovery (kinetics and methods to manipulate) and impact on training performance and adaptive response
10. Role of nutritional status on training performance and adaptive response

Individual athlete profiling: Athlete testing and monitoring methodologies and interpretation

Understanding individual athlete physiological characteristics are important to profile strengths and weaknesses, target training requirements and to optimise the training stimulus and response at an individual level. Testing and monitoring should align to as many of the critical performance factors of the sport as possible. Accurate measurement and interpretation should provide objective data regarding the effectiveness of previous interventions, as well as inform future interventions to enhance performance. Additionally, testing and monitoring may also provide opportunities for exploration into other areas such as talent identification, event selection and competition specific considerations (e.g., warm up, pacing, ergogenic aids).

1. Direct physiological assessment
2. Exercise (e.g., metabolic, thermoregulatory) and other (e.g., haematology, sleep, heart rate variability, hydration)
3. Neuromuscular, anaerobic, and aerobic
4. Laboratory and field
5. Physical performance assessment (e.g., power profiling, critical speed/power assessment, GPS monitoring)
6. Performance analysis – training and competition monitoring
7. Gender specific considerations
8. Para-athlete and impairment specific considerations
9. Development/maturation level considerations
10. Physique assessment (concepts and techniques) and impact on health and performance
11. Behavioural, cognitive, emotional, habitual and knowledge assessment (e.g., wellness questionnaires)

Competition and training performance enhancement/optimisation

In addition to the training process, other interventions may be utilised to enhance competition and/or training performance. A complete understanding of these interventions is important in ensuring all the critical performance factors are taken into account in the preparation process. These may include:

1. Ergogenic aids (nutritional and other e.g., ischemic preconditioning)
2. Environmental (heat, cold, altitude)
3. Recovery
4. Nutrition and hydration
5. Competition schedule specific planning
6. Other: e.g., warm up, pacing, travel, cooling, etc.

Section 3 - Sport specific knowledge

To have a meaningful impact on performance, high level knowledge of the critical performance factors of the sport is imperative. Understanding of the physiological demands of world class competition, and thus the physiological traits required to perform at that level, is essential to support athletes to achieve these standards. Appreciation for the timeframes for development of these attributes across the athlete career span and what to focus on at given points of the development pathway is also important.

Understanding the demands of world class competition

1. National Sporting Organiation (NSO) What It Takes To Win (WITTW) model.
2. Critical performance factors, both physiological and otherwise, to promote a holistic understanding and approach to identifying and solving performance opportunities and problems.
3. Energetic requirements and their relative importance to the competition demands.
4. Strength, power, and endurance requirements.
5. Anthropometric and physique considerations / requirements (weight class sports).
6. Timeframes for development of world class standards.

Understanding the traits associated with world class performance

1. NSO Athlete Development Framework
2. Benchmarks / targets (throughout the pathway)
3. Testing factors (exercise and other)
4. Training factors
5. Anthropometry and physique
6. Performance modelling
7. Performance trajectory modelling
8. Awareness, and fundamental understanding of other Performance Support elements impact on performance
   1. Athlete wellbeing, biomechanics, data science, engineering, medicine, nutrition, performance analysis, physiotherapy, psychology, skill acquisition, strength and conditioning
   2. “Basic” competency in technical skills of one or more interdisciplinary elements (relevant “non-physiology” knowledge and tasks/duties)
9. Long term athlete development
   1. Understanding of how critical performance traits can be used for talent identification and development over time, and how to best foster their development with a long-term view in mind.

Sport specific training, preparation, and competition requirements and considerations

Whilst sports which rely heavily on physiological traits for performance are similar in many ways, the specific nuances between sports can mean that elements of the training and preparation processes are distinctly different. Therefore, understanding these nuances is imperative to support athletes in optimising their preparation for competition. Factors which may influence the training and preparation process include:

1. Modality specific requirements and considerations
2. Event specific race distances
3. Single vs multi event competition formats
4. Competition schedules and progressions
5. Weight bearing vs. non-weight bearing sports
6. Land- vs water-based sports
7. Anthropometric and physique considerations / requirements (weight categories)
8. Common availability issues (injuries, illness, overtraining)
9. Common development and progression rates through the pathway

Section 4 - Data, statistics and technology literacy

One of the key functions of a Physiologist is to provide accurate and comprehensive information and insights regarding physiological phenomena to coaches and athletes. However, many actionable insights are left undiscovered when data are not collected, stored, analysed, or communicated in an effective manner. Having a sound appreciation of data science is essential to maximising the value of physiological data, even if Physiologists engage with other disciplines to put analysis methods into practice. Equally, understanding opportunities, principles of measurement, considerations, limitations, and troubleshooting of technology is important to ensure opportunities can be acted upon confidently with high quality data to inform decision making.

1. Understanding and adherence to Data Ethics and Governance policies
2. Understanding and adherence to Quality Assurance principles (see above)
3. Understanding of first principles of measurement, considerations, limitations, and troubleshooting of technology
4. Data collation and collection design to support comprehensive analysis
5. Fundamentals of data storage
6. Relational and predictive modelling
7. Understanding of different types of data and how to align and create meaningful insight using multiple data sources
8. Ability to apply standard data analysis/ statistical techniques to novel data (e.g., effect sizes, t-tests, linear regression, ANOVA)
9. Ability to interpret variability in data to contextualise meaningful change
10. Working knowledge of a coding language to support data analysis and statistical inference
11. Data visualisation and communication

Section 5 - Research fundamentals

Performance optimisation is ever evolving, and as such, applied research has been fundamental to Physiology Support within the Australian High Performance Sport System. High quality research driven from within performance teams results in knowledge growth in areas of critical need, and when implemented appropriately can have a significant, sustained impact on performance. Research may refer to formal peer review for publication, as well as the application of scientific rigour to answering questions in the daily training and competition environments. To achieve this, skills and understanding in the following areas are required:

1. Understanding what research is, and what it is not
2. Understanding and development of ethical research (refer to National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, opens in a new tab)
3. Critical analysis of literature
4. Study design to successfully answer identified questions
5. Study conduct, including quality assurance of data, data management and statistics (see above)
6. Interpretation of research findings. Evaluating the efficacy of an intervention
7. Translation of information – tailored communication and education of knowledge from research to key stakeholders