Exercise Physiologist Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of an Exercise Physiologist includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Working in collaboration with other sport and exercise professionals such as physiotherapists, dietitians, strength and conditioning coaches and sport psychologists;
- Using specialist resources and equipment such as aqua pacers, osmometers and electronic timing systems;
- Raising awareness of health and fitness issues and promoting the benefits of sport and exercise;
- Providing benchmark physiological information to enable long-term athletic development;
- Attending local, regional and national meetings, seminars and conferences;
- Teaching on academic courses.
- Engaging with coaching staff to maximise the effects of training;
- Educating and advising athletes and coaches on areas such as heart rate monitoring, recovery techniques, hydration strategies, overtraining, acclimatisation and periodisation (the breaking down of a training programme into a cycle of sub-programmes);
- Providing regular monitoring and reassessment of an athlete’s training plan;
- Fitness testing of athletes and team members so that an accurate physiological profile of the individual can be obtained;
- Developing specific fitness training programmes and monitoring adherence to them;
- Producing reports and longitudinal studies;
- Keeping up to date with ongoing research;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Exercise Physiologist duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Exercise Physiologist roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.