Advanced Exercise Physiology

In this unit students gain an in-depth understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved during the acute responses to exercise and chronic adaptations to training. The unit focuses on the mechanisms responsible for the adaptations of the various systems (i.e. cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, endocrine, and neuromuscular) of the human body as a result of exercise and training interventions undertaken in both normal and extreme environmental conditions. The unit also examines the impact of the physiological adaptations induced by exercise and training interventions on human health and human performances. Students are introduced to advances in the different sub-disciplines of exercise physiology, including molecular physiology, metabolism, cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, and neuromuscular physiology. During the practical classes, students are familiarised with the laboratory techniques used to measure acute responses to exercise and chronic adaptations of the various systems and training interventions in both normal and adverse conditions (heat and hypoxic conditions are created in the environmental exercise laboratory). During the tutorials, students are given the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and their academic writing skills.