BBC presenter in Sports Science elite tests

04 January 2012

The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences recently put BBC North West Tonight presenter Stuart Pollitt through a series of exercises that demonstrated the link between the practices of elite athletes and the general public. This took place at LJMU’s Tom Reilly Building which provides world-class sports and science facilities.

Professor of Sports Science and former Olympian modern pentathlete, Greg Whyte and Research Fellow Dr John Dickinson led Stuart through the sub-disciplines of sports science - physiology, nutrition motor control, biomechanics, performance analysis and psychology.

Professor Greg Whyte was also interviewed about the training and guidance he has given to celebrities including David Walliams and Eddie Izzard. He emphasised that sports science is a broad spectrum and that the key element is the enhancement of performance, which can sometimes have the greatest effect on those who are just starting to get fit.

The tests Stuart Pollitt took part in included an assessment of maximal lung function, an assessment of heart function in the Environmental Chamber, which recreated exercise in an environment exactly like the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and post exercise recovery in an ice bath, which is the cooling strategy incorporated by elite athletes to reduce body temperature following exercise in the heat.

The University's Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES) is already in the process of sharing this knowledge with schools across the North West following a People Award from the Wellcome Trust and a Royal Society Partnership Grant. RISES is now hosting a series of events in north west museums and schools leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games, capitalising on heightened interest in sport.

LJMU's Dr John Dickinson, who is leading this Face to Face with Sports Science project said:

"The purpose of Face to Face with Sports Science is to expose students to key scientific and technological developments in Sports and Exercise Science in a hands-on and accessible manner. We can't all be professional footballers or Olympic athletes but we can all have an interest in health, nutrition and exercise."

Watch the BBC coverage again at: 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b018xsh3/North_West_Tonight_03_01_2012/ (approx 27 minutes in)