This course examines how muscle physiology and neuromuscular function shape performance and adaptation to training. Students examine how muscles produce force, respond to training, fatigue, recover, and adapt in people with varying exercise backgrounds and fitness levels. Using case studies, movement analysis, and current research, students evaluate performance, injury risk, and strategies for improvement with emphasis on evidence-based exercise prescription and understanding how factors such as age, training history, and lifestyle influence muscular adaptation. Students develop skills to design individualized programs that optimize muscular function, health, performance, and long-term outcomes.
Syllabus
Coming soon
Prerequisites
One year each of biology and chemistry at university level.
Travel on Study Tour
You only take one Core Course per semester, and each Core Course includes two Study Tours: one Short Study Tour to a nearby destination for three days, and one Long Study Tour to another European country for six days.
Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.
Bath and Loughborough both stand out in the United Kingdom for their strong connections to sports, exercise science, and human performance. Set among honey colored Georgian streets and historic Roman heritage, Bath is home to the University of Bath, one of the UK’s leading centers for sport science, physiotherapy, biomechanics, and elite athlete development. Its Sports Training Village attracts Olympians and Paralympians, making the city an inspiring destination for anyone interested in cutting-edge research or high performance sport environments.
Loughborough, meanwhile, is internationally recognised as a powerhouse of sports, exercise science, and athletic innovation. Loughborough University consistently ranks as the UK’s top institution for sport related subjects, hosting world class facilities such as the High Performance Athletics Centre, the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, and the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub. The town’s identity is deeply shaped by its student and athlete community, giving visitors a chance to experience a place where sports are not just studied but lived daily.
Additionally, you will also experience the cities’ cultural highlights, learning more about British history and contextualizing your studies.
Learning outcomes
Analyze how sports and exercise science research is applied in high-performance environments through exposure to leading sport science facilities, athlete support systems, and interdisciplinary approaches to human performance
Evaluate the social, physiological, and behavioral factors that influence participation in sports and physical activity, drawing on perspectives from researchers working in public health, physical activity promotion, and sports engagement
Compare different models of sports research, innovation, and athlete development at two internationally recognized institutions and assess how research informs practice across elite sports, health, and exercise settings
Possible activities
Hear from researchers involved with the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub at Loughborough University
Visit the Sport Science Lab in Bath and understand how sports scientists can help sportspeople maximize their training
Visit the Centre for Sport, Physical Activity and Health Equality in Bath and hear from experts who focus on the barriers and the drivers that shape how people engage with physical activity and sports-related consumption
Short Study Tour
Sweden
About this tour
As part of your Core Course Week, you’ll take a short Study Tour to Stockholm, Sweden: a premier hub for sports science and research, full of world-renowned institutions. In Stockholm, you will explore exercise and sports science in real-world settings, and gain a better sense of what challenges and developments are impacting the field in Scandinavia.
Alongside your academic visits, you’ll also embark on cultural visits where you will learn about Swedish history, culture, and local life.
Learning outcomes
Examine contemporary approaches to exercise and sports science research by engaging with leading Scandinavian researchers and institutions, gaining insight into how scientific evidence informs athletic performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and more
Analyze the physiological and biomechanical mechanisms underlying human movement and exercise adaptation through exposure to cutting-edge research in exercise physiology, sports medicine, and muscle neuromechanics, while considering their applications in sports and health settings
Evaluate current challenges and emerging developments in exercise and sports science by exploring interdisciplinary perspectives from academia, technology, and healthcare, and reflecting on how innovation is shaping the future of human performance and physical activity research
Possible activities
Visit the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences and hear from researchers working at the Sports Performance and Sports Medicine group
Hear from researchers of the Molecular exercise physiology group at Karolinska Institute and understand how physical training induces health-beneficial adaptations at the molecular level
Visit the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and dive into experimental and computational methodologies to non-invasively estimate muscle neuromechanics
