Exercise Physiology

Exercise physiology is the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to a wide range of physical exercise conditions. It is important for coaches to have a basic understanding of the physiological responses to training and of the biological development of the young athlete as this knowledge should be implemented to maximize the child's potential.

Tom Vandenbogaerde (PhD) is the lead physiology provider for New Zealand Swimming. He is employed by High Performance Sport New Zealand. Tom has been a member of the support team for Swimming New Zealand at the Beijing and London Olympics, at the 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Championships, and at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He will also be fulfilling this role in July at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona. Tom works with athletes and coaches based at the Auckland High Performance Centre on daily basis; his key role is to deliver physiology monitoring support. In 2010, he graduated as Doctor of Philosophy with the thesis Effects of Acute Nutritional Interventions on Athletic Performance, which he performed at AUT University under supervision of world-renowned statistician and physiologist Will Hopkins.

Below are some relevant articles on swimming physiology.

Art of Recovery from US Swimming

Physiological Perspective