Sports Science Archives | Blog

Controversial Big Mountain Acclimatisation Method

Posted on: 07/03/2017 /

Categories: Everest, General, Sports Science, Training

As a trained physiologist specialising in the effects of low oxygen and cold environments, a very recent article published by Bloomberg focusing on a relatively modern technique to dramatically cut down time spent on big mountains piqued my interest: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-01/alpenglow-expeditions-controversial-mountain-climbing-method The hypothesis is simple; pre-acclimatise in an altitude tent/chamber at home, allowing you to partake

Read More →

The Basics of Sports Psychology

Posted on: 21/11/2015 /

Categories: Sports Science

As a continuation to my previous Sports Science based articles, I wanted to put an article together to summarise the basics of sports psychology, giving an over view of the subject, an outline of its importance, and a little guidance on how you should incorporate Psychological Skills Training (PST) into your routine. It doesn’t matter

Read More →

Mental Coping

Posted on: 12/04/2015 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

Techniques and Strategies for Mental Coping. There are many areas of PST (Psychological Skills Training) used by psychologists in both medical and clinical settings, however my area of focus for this article is in Mental Coping. I’m sure everyone has heard of and can relate to the term ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. You

Read More →

Training For High Altitude

Posted on: 25/03/2015 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

As a Climber I’m often asked “What is the Best Training for High Altitude?” Regardless of the intended extremity of the altitude, whether it is Mera Peak (6,476m) or Everest (8,848m), people are always surprised by my response that to train for high altitude, swimming is the key. Initially, this doesn’t seem like an intuitive

Read More →

How To Climb Mount Everest

Posted on: 19/02/2013 /

Categories: Everest, Expeditions, Sponsorship, Sports Science, Training

So, you want to climb Mount Everest. Chomolungma or Sagarmatha as they say in Tibet and Nepal. Standing at 8,848m above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth and hence it is on the to-do list of many high altitude climbers including those aiming for the seven summits or even the 14

Read More →

Heart Rate A Barometer Of Health

Posted on: 23/01/2012 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

Introduction This article is inspired by an athlete you’ve probably never heard of, yet was at one point the greatest athlete in his sport, in addition to being analogous to the greatest athletes of all time. David Palmer, a professional squash player from Lithgow, Australia recently retired from the sport at the beginning of November,

Read More →

The Need For Specificity

Posted on: 16/01/2012 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

This article covers arguably the most essential element for effective training; specificity. Having specificity in training is not as hard as you might first imagine, however it’s something which many people lack, and inevitably stops them from reaching their potential. Clearly, having specificity just means being specific in your training; but specific to what? The

Read More →