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Sport and Exercise Physiology

The aim of this group is to understand the physiological responses and adaptations to sport and exercise performance. 

Specific areas of interest include strategies to improve exercise performance (Preconditioning, blood flow restriction training and nutritional supplementation), assessment of fatigue, monitoring strategies and interventions to improve recovery from exercise.

Twitter: @StMarysExPhys



PhD students

All research degree students at St Mary’s are part of the  Doctoral College.

Current PhD students

  • Freddy Brown
    Effects of compression garments as part of sport-specific recovery strategies
  • Paul Head
    The application and use of Blood Flow Restriction Training in combination with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
  • Ed Ryan-Moore
    Molecular underpinning of Injury in Elite Football
  • Luke Woodhouse
    An investigation into the physical and fitness characteristics of elite female rugby players and the relationships to match performance  

Previous PhD students

  • Dr Jonathan Griffin
    The effect Ischemic Preconditioning on parameters of athletic performance – 2017
  • Dr Daniel Muniz
    Methodological approaches and related challenges associated with the determination of critical power and W' - 2016
  • Dr Luke Hughes
    Blood flow restriction training as a clinical rehabilitation tool: An examination of methodological aspects of application and effectiveness during post-surgery rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction patients


Selected publications

      • Burden RJ, Pollock N, Richards T, Otto J, Srai K, Busbridge M, Whyte G, Pedlar CR. (2015). Impact of intravenous iron on aerobic capacity and iron metabolism in elite athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47, 1399-1407.
      • Burden RJ, Morton K, Richards T, Whyte G, Pedlar CR. (2015). Is iron treatment beneficial in iron deficient but non anaemic (IDNA) endurance athletes: A meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49, 1389-1397.
      • Glaister M, Pattison JR, Muniz-Pumares D, Patterson SD, Foley P. (2015). Effects of dietary nitrate, caffeine, and their combination on 20 km cycling time-trial performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(1), 165-174.
      • Glaister M, Pattison JR, Woods B, McInnes G. (2014). The influence of aerobic fitness on the recovery of peak power output. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 114(11), 2447-2454.
      • Hill J, Howatson G,van Someren K,  Leeder J, Pedlar C. (2014). Compression garments and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 48 (18), 1340-1346.
      • Hill J, Howatson G, van Someren KA, Davidson S, Pedlar CR (2015). The variation in pressures exerted by commercially available compression garments.  Sports Engineering, 18 (2), 115-121.
      • Patterson, SD, Bezodis NE, Glaister M, Pattison JP (2014). The Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on Repeated Sprint Cycling Performance. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 47(8), 1652 – 1658.
      • Patterson, SD & Ferguson, RA (2010). Increase in calf post-occlusive blood flow and strength following short term resistance exercise training with blood flow restriction in young women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 108, 1025-1033.
      • Waldron, M. & Highton, J. (2014). Fatigue and pacing in high-intensity intermittent team sports: an update. Sports Medicine, 44(12), 1645-58.
      • Waldron, M., Villerius, V. & Murphy, A. (2014). Augmenting distance feedback does not affect 4 km cycling time trials in the heat. Journal of Sports Sciences, 33(8), 786-794.