To succeed as an athlete, you must be dedicated to your sport. That’s no hardship when you love it as much as you do. But it does take impressive levels of perseverance, dedication and self-discipline.
You’re probably someone who always has the next goal in mind. Maybe you’re focused on the next competition date, perhaps trying to secure a certain position in the team or trying to beat your own personal best.
Whatever your goal, you’re focused on achieving it. And an exercise physiologist can help you work towards it.
How does exercise physiology help athletes?
An accredited exercise physiologist (AEP) is a university-qualified healthcare professional who:
- Understands how the body reacts to physical activity
- Knows how organs and muscles adjust to repeated physical activity
- Creates personalised training programs to help people improve general health and fitness or manage chronic conditions.
Exercise physiologists help athletes improve performance through personalised and evidence-based approaches that address the following:
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Strength and conditioning
- General lifestyle habits that support training
- Motivation and goal setting
- Injury prevention
- Ongoing monitoring and progression.
Our work extends beyond the gym, taking a whole-person view of athlete health and performance. We support you by:
- Understanding the sport-specific demands on your body
- Analysing movement patterns and biomechanics to identify areas of underlying weakness that may make injuries more likely
- Prescribing exercises to help you achieve your sports-related goals.
Sports-specific guidance
Every sport requires a high fitness level if you want to be competitive. Exactly what that means varies considerably from one sport to another. For example:
- Golf requires a high degree of core strength and control, along with mobility in the back and hips so that you can swing the club correctly
- Long-distance running requires a high level of overall fitness, muscle strength, and endurance
- Swimming requires cardiovascular endurance, strength and mobility.
Your exercise physiologist will consider the demands of your sport alongside factors such as any prior injuries and your underlying biomechanics.
A tailored, evidence-based exercise regimen
From there, your exercise physiologist can develop a tailored exercise program to help you achieve your goals. That might include:
- Enhancing your cardiovascular fitness to improve endurance
- This may include interval training, steady-state cardio, and other techniques to challenge your cardiovascular capacity progressively.
- Building strength and muscle mass
- We design resistance training programs to target specific muscle groups and improve strength, power, and muscular endurance.
- Reducing risk factors for injury
- A balanced and robust musculoskeletal system may lower the risk of injuries and support overall performance.
Extensive support
Exercise physiologists also understand how lifestyle and behaviour affect training, so we can help you consider your:
- Everyday habits: general advice on hydration, sleep and recovery around training. If you need a detailed eating plan, we can refer you to a dietitian.
- Focus and motivation: simple strategies such as routines and visualisation to help you stay on track. If stress or mental health is a concern, we can suggest you speak with your GP or a psychologist.
- Goal setting: the driving factors behind an achievable goal and how to build long-term habits to support it.
Monitoring and adjusting over time
We conduct regular assessments, fitness tests and physiological measurements to track your progress. This may include:
- Modifying exercise intensity
- Adjusting training volumes
- Updating your goals as you progress.
Collaborative care
Importantly, exercise physiologists collaborate with other healthcare professionals, coaches, and support staff to create a holistic approach to your athletic development.
This team approach means your care covers the physical side of training as well as injury prevention, rehabilitation, and recovery.
Support for athletes at Physionorth
At Physionorth, we enjoy supporting you to work towards your athletic goals. If you have a current injury, our sports physiotherapists can work alongside your exercise physiologist.
Our exercise physiologists work alongside you using The ConnectTherapy™ framework. This holistic approach considers the complicated network of physical connections in the human body and social and emotional contributors that may be relevant to your progress.
So, if you are an athlete keen to boost your performance, we encourage you to book an exercise physiology appointment today.
*All information
is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Physionorth can consult you to confirm if this advice is right for you.
