We can help you explore, understand and enhance your sports performance.
We offer scientific support through a range of packages as well as bespoke programmes designed exclusively for you.
Services we offer include:
- Physiological Profiling
- Psychology
- Nutrition
- Health and Wellbeing
- Strength and Conditioning
- Body Composition
- Environmental Training
Our Services
Improve your performance, understand your improvements and enhance your wellbeing
Browse our services below and find out how we can support you.
Jump to:
Psychology
Maximise your potential and identify your stengths and weaknesses
When you book a session with us you will get the chance to work with an experienced practitioner who has or is working towards registration with the Health and Care Profession Council (HCPC) as a sport and exercise psychologist.
We can help you to maximise your potential, identify and build on your psychological strengths, and identify your psychology weaknesses and build skills to overcome these.
You will learn to enhance strategies to help improve your psychological strengths and overcome your psychological weaknesses in areas such as:
- Confidence
- Anxiety control
- Stress management
- Motivation to train or compete
- Communication
- Performing under pressure
This list is not exhaustive and your intervention will be tailored to your needs.
What do you get?
For Individuals
- You will have a full initial consultation to asses your needs.
- Any interventions that follow the initial consultation will be individually tailored to your needs.
- Follow up sessions will ensure that our interventions are effective.
For Groups
- A full needs analysis can be carried out if required.
- The group session will be tailored towards the group’s needs and can have an educational focus if required.
- Follow up sessions will ensure that our interventions/education sessions are effective.
You may be contacted in advance to provide information for parking if required. Please allow time to park as the campus may be busy. You will need to make your way to the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport.
If you are under 16 please bring a parent or guardian with you to the session.
Check in at the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport reception where you will be shown to the consultancy room.
We will then ask you some questions to build a picture of your experiences which will be used to help formulate your intervention.
You do not need to bring anything with you to the session.
We may use a variety of techniques depending on your needs. These may include:
- Imagery/visualisation
- Self-talk strategies
- Goal setting
- Performance evaluation
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Rational emotive behaviour therapy
Nutrition
Support your dietary decisions with scientific evidence
On this session you will be provided with information to help implement evidence based nutritional interventions to improve sports and exercise performance and optimise training adaptions.
These services will help you evaluate your dietary habits in relation to your sports training programmes or exercise regimes and provide nutritional interventions targeted to improve performance and optimise training adaptions.
What do you get?
For Individuals
- You will have a full initial consultation to asses your needs and be asked to complete a food and physical activity diary.
- Any interventions that follow the initial consultation will be individually tailored to your needs.
- Follow up sessions will ensure that our interventions are effective.
Following the initial consultation and submission of the food and physical activity diary we will provide tailored recommendations of nutritional strategies you could use to optimise your exercise regime, training and/or sporting performance.
For Groups
- We can deliver group workshops and seminars for sports performance (e.g. runners, triathletes), sports team and recreational exercises.
- The level of detail of information will be tailored to the group and can be linked with school and college programmes to have an education focus if required.
- Prior to a seminar or workshop we will discuss your specific requirements and desired outcomes to individualise the content.
Workshops will provide you with an overview of nutritional considerations for improving sports performance and training adaptions. These will be specific to the interests of your group and provide you with information to start developing your own nutritional strategies.
You may be contacted in advance to provide information for parking if required. Please allow time to park as the campus may be busy.
You will need to make your way to the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport.
If you are under 16 please bring a parent or guardian with you to the session.
Check in at the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport reception where you will be shown to the consultancy room.
We will then ask you some questions to build a picture of your experiences which will be used to help inform our advice and then we will ask you to complete a food and physical activity diary.
You do not need to bring anything with you to the session.
Health and Wellbeing
Making informed choices to improve your lifestyle
Groups and organisations can arrange an initial meeting with us to discuss your requirements so we can work with you to design and implement a health lifestyle intervention.
Evaluation design, data collection and analysis can be conducted and findings can be presented in a format that suits your needs (a report, presentation, etc.).
You will get the chance to work with experienced researchers with expertise in the implementation and evaluation of health and well-being interventions.
As part of this service we will:
- Develop and implement a bespoke, evidence based programme.
- Help you to evidence the impact of an intervention you are running, or planning to run.
- Help you understand potential areas for improvement or development based on evidence from your existing intervention and current research.
- Tailor our evaluations to meet your needs, which may include the data required by the Standard Evaluation Framework for Physical Activity.
Strength and Conditioning
Develop your training, identify your strengths and learn to avoid injury
You will get the chance to work with a qualified and experienced strength and conditioning practitioner. If you are interested in maximising your potential we can help you achieve this.
We can identify specific elements of your strength and conditioning requirements, including:
- Which part of the force-velocity relationship you need to work on to maximise performance
- Maximum strength
- Maximum speed — sprint performance
- Acceleration
- Power
- Change of direction ability
We can help you identify how to avoid injury by implementing prehab exercises on an individual or group basis.
There are a variety of techniques that we might use depending on your needs. These may include:
- Mobility/stretching exercise
- Pre-hab exercise
- Periodised training programmes that can include heavy resistance exercise, power training (derivatives of the Olympic weightlifts, loaded jumping/throwing), speed- and agility-specific programming
- Goal and performance setting
What do you get?
For Individuals
- You will have a full initial consultation to asses your needs.
- Any interventions that follow the initial consultation will be individually tailored to your needs.
- Follow up sessions will ensure that our interventions are effective.
For Groups
- A full needs analysis can be carried out.
- The group session will be tailored towards teh groupus needs and will focus on different elements of athlete/club strength and conditioning requirements.
- Follow up sessions will ensure that our interventions are effective.
Results
Our results package will illustrate specific aspects of typical strength and conditioning requirements that will help maximise your performance and will typically include:
- A individualised force-velocity profile
- One repetition maximum strength
- Sprint performance over 5, 10, 20 and 30,
- Load-power profile
- Speed and agility profile
You may be contacted in advance to provide information for parking if required. Please allow time to park as the campus may be busy.
You will need to make your way to the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport.
If you are under 16 please bring a parent or guardian with you to the session.
Check in at the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport reception where you will be shown to the strength and conditioning laboratory.
We will then ask you some questions and ask you to perform a series of physical assessments to create an athlete profile, which will be used to develop your intervention.
You will need to bring your normal training kit to the session.
Physiology
Evaluate your athletic progress and find out how to improve your training
Are you:
- Not progressing in your sport?
- Unsure if you are training at the right intensity?
- Unsure if you are making improvements?
If you have experienced any of the above, our physiological testing services will provide you with an objective means to address you issues. Our sports physiologists possess a wide-ranging understanding of the body, enabling them to advise you of how training and preparation influence performance. If you are interested in maximising your potential then we can help you achieve this. We can:
- Help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your physiology.
- Provide you with bespoke training guidelines to help improve your strengths and weaknesses.
- Help track your progress by using objective scientific data.
What services do we offer?
There are a variety of assessment services that we might use depending upon your needs. These may include:
- Physiological Profiling: V̇O2max and Lactate Threshold
- Environmental Training: Heat and Altitude (including Marathon De Sable clinic)
- Body Composition Assessment Our physiological assessments are carried out in our Sport Science Laboratories (accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences), using state of the art ergometers that ensure a controlled environment to compare exercise test results.
Physiological Profiling: Running, Cycling, Rowing
Level One Assessment (1.5 hours): £100
Recommended for: Recreational, Amateur and Professional Level Athletes
Our entry-level physiological assessment package will provide you objective information about your physiology to allow you to take a scientific approach to training. During this assessment you will complete a submaximal lactate threshold test, which involves completing 6-8 stages of 4 minutes in duration at progressive speeds/power outputs. Heart rate, blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) are measured at the end of each stage to produce a physiological profile. Following your assessment, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including the identification of Training Zones based on recommendations by British Cycling / UK Athletics / GB Rowing.
Level Two Assessment (2.5 hours): £150
Recommended for: Recreational, Amateur and Professional Level Athletes
Our premium-level physiological assessment package will provide you with all the information you need to take a scientific approach to training and competition. During this assessment you will complete a submaximal lactate threshold test (see Level 1 Assessment) and a Maximal Oxygen Uptake (V̇O2max) test. During the V̇O2max test, the exercise intensity is progressively increased until volitional exhaustion.
Throughout both tests, your breathing will be monitored to provide an insight into the amount of oxygen your body is consuming and converting into energy. Your body’s ability to convert oxygen into energy has important consequences for endurance performance.
Within this assessment, you will also receive a full body composition assessment using the Skinfold technique. Following your assessment, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including comparison to elite data and the identification of Training Zones based on recommendations by British Cycling / UK Athletics / GB Rowing.
Triathlete Assessment (2x 2.5 hours): £250
Recommended for: Recreational, Amateur and Professional Level Triathletes
Our triathlete assessment package offers the same great service as our Level 2 Assessment package except you will be assessed on both a treadmill and cycle ergometer with tests completed at a time convenient to you (either same day or different days). Following your assessments, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including comparison to elite data and the identification of Training Zones based on recommendations by British Cycling / UK Athletics / British Triathlon.
Cycling: Functional Threshold Power Test (1 hour): £75
Recommended for: Club and Professional Level Cyclists, Amateur and Professional Level Triathletes
A cyclist’s functional threshold power (FTP) represents the highest physical intensity they can sustain for approximately one hour and has been shown to be an important indicator endurance cycling performance. Many riders think of this as similar to performing a 25-mile time trial effort, as this requires a maximal, but evenly distributed effort for the entire distance.
To accurately estimate your FTP, a 30-minute time trial is performed on our SRM cycle ergometer and the average power sustained during this ride is used to calculate your FTP. Following your assessment, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including comparisons to elite data and the identification of Training Zones (Power Output and Heart Rate) based on recommendations by British Cycling.
Cycling: British Cycling Maximal Minute Power Test (1 hour): £75
Recommended for: Club and Professional Level Cyclists, Amateur and Professional Level Triathletes
A cyclist’s maximal minute power (MMP) represents the highest power output that can be sustained by the aerobic energy system and has been shown to be an important indicator endurance cycling performance. Furthermore, MMP has been shown to respond well to endurance training meaning it is a useful marker of training status.
To measure your MMP, an incremental exercise test (power increases every minute) is performed on our SRM cycle with the power output sustained in the final minute of the test used to calculate your MMP. Following your assessment, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including comparison to elite data and the identification of Training Zones (Power Output and Heart Rate) based on recommendations by British Cycling.
Our Sweat Tests
We’d wager that you don’t pay much attention to your sweat loss during exercise? But you should. It’s crucial to your performance. Rather incredibly, the amount of sweat /sodium lost can vary up to 15 times between seemingly similar individuals.
Everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat, from as little as 200mg per litre of sweat, to as much as 2,000mg/l – this is largely genetically determined. This means that a ‘one-size-fits-all’, off the shelf approach doesn’t work when it comes to hydration.
To find out more information about how much sodium you’re losing when you sweat and how to improve your hydration book a sweat test with us now. To find out more about sweat testing, please visit the website of our partners, Precision Fuel & Hydration.
Advanced Sweat Test: £100
No blood test. No need to bust a gut on a treadmill. No need to wait whilst your sample goes off to a lab for top secret analysis.
Our Advance Sweat Test takes about 45 minutes and all you have to do is sit comfortably whilst we talk to you about how you train, compete and walk you through your Personalised Hydration Strategy.
The test is simple, painless, and extremely accurate.
Advanced Sweat Test+: £120
If you’re feeling active, our Advanced Sweat Test+ service provides the opportunity to gain greater insight into your hydration needs.
You will complete 60-90 mins of exercise in our environmental chamber (conditions can be set to replicate the conditions for your targeted event) designed to elicit a high rate of sweating.
This will allow for the determination of your maximum or competition sweat rate (note these could be different!) and sweat sodium concentration all in one test.
Environmental Training
Heat Acclimation (1.5 hour): From £50 per person
Recommended for: Recreational through to Elite Level Athletes preparing for events in hot and humid climates including the Marathon Des Sables / Ironman Kona, Malaysia, Texas / Ultra Marathon / Badwater / Jungle Ultra
Exercise in the heat poses a significant challenge to your body’s ability to control its internal temperature due to the high rates of metabolic heat production and heat gain from the environment. Heat Acclimation has been to optimise performance in hot and humid conditions.
Heat acclimation is achieved via a process known as Controlled Hyperthermia. Whilst this may sound like a complex process, it simply means we aim to control your body’s internal temperature over a period time to elicit adaptations which mean you will be better able to maintain your internal body temperature during prolonged exercise in the heat.
We do this via repeated sessions (approx. 5 to 10) of heat exposure that aim to elevate your core body temperature.
Optimal heat acclimation occurs when your internal body temperature remains above 38.5°C but below 39.5°C for between 60 and 100 minutes.
Each heat acclimation session in our environmental chamber will be supervised by one of our exercise physiologists and will include the following:
60 to 90 minute exercise (Running/Cycling/Rowing) in the Heat (>35°C).
Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring.
Continuous Rectal Temperature Monitoring.
Pre-Exercise Urine Hydration Status Assessment.
Estimation of Sweat Rate and Fluid Consumption Rate (change in body
mass).
Group Heat Acclimation sessions are available.
Prices are available on request.
Altitude Training (1.5 hour): From £50 per session
Recommended for: Recreation through to elite athletes, mountain trekkers
Altitude training is vital to optimise performance at altitude, but may also be useful to enhance sea level endurance performance.
In our altitude chamber, we are able to simulate altitude up to 6000m to let you experience what it is like to exercise at altitude or to impose an additional training stimulus.
During your altitude training session you can choose to exercise on a treadmill or cycle ergometer under supervision from one of our exercise physiologists.
Group Altitude Training sessions are available. Prices are available on request.
Skinfold Assessment (40 minutes): £40
Recommended for: Professional Endurance Athletes, Weight Classified Athletes, Athletes involved in Aesthetically Judged Sports
The right body composition is essential for almost all athletes to optimise performance.
Your body composition assessment will be completed by a fully trained ISAK Anthropometrist who specializes in body composition analysis.
During this assessment, the thickness of eight skinfold sites at specific locations around the body are measured using precision skinfold callipers to give an estimate of the measure of subcutaneous adipose tissue (i.e. fat beneath the skin).
Following your assessment, you will be provided with a detailed summary of your results including comparison to data from elite athletes in your sport.
What do you get?
For Individuals
- You will have an initial consultation to discuss your needs.
- Any assessment(s) recommended will be carefully selected to meet your specific training or competition needs.
- Follow up assessments will allow you and us to track your progress.
For Groups
- A full needs analysis can be carried out if required.
- The group assessments will be tailored towards the groups needs and can have an educational focus if required. Follow up sessions will ensure that information provided by our assessments / educational sessions are effective.
Results
Working with an experienced practitioner, we will enhance your knowledge of your physiology to help target strengths and weaknesses in your performance in areas such as:
- VO2max
- Speed / Power at Lactate Threshold
- Running Economy / Cycling Efficiency
- Body Composition
- Heat Tolerance
This is not an exhaustive list and the results of any assessment will be tailored to meet your needs.
You may be contacted in advance to provide information for parking. Please allow time to park as campus may be busy.
You need to make your way to the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport.
If you are under 16 please bring a parent or guardian with you to the session.
Check in at the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport reception where you will be shown to the Sport Science Laboratories.
We will then ask you some questions to build a picture of your physical condition which will be used to help formulate that start point for your assessment.
What do I need to bring?
You are required to bring your standard training/racing kit (trainers, shorts and t-shirt/vest).
Cyclists are encouraged to bring their own cycling shoes and pedals for comfort/familiarity.