Sport and Exercise Science Course

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Exercise Science

Defines exercise science scope, subdisciplines, and career pathways. Contextualises the field within health, sport, and rehabilitation professions.

Lesson 2 • Research Literacy in Exercise Science

Develops ability to read, evaluate, and apply peer-reviewed exercise science literature. Supports evidence-based practice across all course modules.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Physical Fitness

Introduces FITT-VP principles and fitness components including strength, endurance, and flexibility. Links fitness concepts to health outcomes and learner performance goals.

Lesson 1 • Energy Systems and Metabolism

Covers ATP-PCr, glycolytic, and oxidative energy pathways and their exercise applications. Connects metabolic knowledge to training intensity and duration decisions.

Lesson 2 • Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise

Analyses heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and blood pressure changes during exercise. Establishes baseline for understanding aerobic training adaptations.

Lesson 3 • Neuromuscular Physiology

Explores motor unit recruitment, muscle fibre types, and neuromuscular fatigue mechanisms. Links neuromuscular function to strength, power, and endurance training outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Respiratory Physiology During Exercise

Examines ventilation, gas exchange, and respiratory control during physical activity. Connects breathing mechanics to aerobic capacity and endurance learner performance.

Lesson 1 • Gait and Locomotion Analysis

Analyses walking and running gait cycles, ground reaction forces, and stride parameters. Applies gait knowledge to learner performance enhancement and injury prevention.

Lesson 2 • Fundamentals of Biomechanics

Introduces kinematics, kinetics, and key mechanical concepts including force, torque, and momentum. Provides the analytical framework for all movement analysis in this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Musculoskeletal Mechanics

Examines lever systems, muscle moment arms, and joint reaction forces during movement. Connects anatomical structure to mechanical efficiency and injury vulnerability.

Lesson 4 • Sport-Specific Movement Analysis

Applies biomechanical principles to throwing, jumping, cutting, and striking movements. Develops skills to identify technique flaws and prescribe corrective strategies.

Lesson 1 • Energy Availability and Body Composition

Addresses energy availability, relative energy deficiency in sport, and body composition assessment. Links caloric balance to health, hormonal function, and learner performance outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Macronutrient Roles in Sport

Examines carbohydrate, protein, and fat functions in energy provision and tissue repair. Establishes macronutrient knowledge as the basis for athlete dietary planning.

Lesson 3 • Ergogenic Aids and Supplementation

Evaluates evidence for common supplements including creatine, caffeine, and beta-alanine. Addresses safety, efficacy, and anti-doping compliance considerations.

Lesson 4 • Micronutrients and Hydration

Covers vitamins, minerals, and fluid balance critical to athletic function and health. Identifies deficiency risks common in active populations and corrective strategies.

Lesson 1 • Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditioning

Designs conditioning programmes using continuous, interval, and repeated-sprint methods. Matches energy system demands of specific sports to conditioning modalities.

Lesson 2 • Power and Speed Development

Applies plyometrics, Olympic lifting derivatives, and sprint mechanics to develop explosive learner performance. Links force-velocity relationships to power training prescription.

Lesson 3 • Load Monitoring and Athlete Management

Introduces internal and external load metrics, readiness monitoring, and training dose management. Develops skills to prevent overtraining and optimise adaptation timelines.

Lesson 4 • Resistance Training Fundamentals

Covers training variables—volume, intensity, frequency, and rest—and their manipulation for specific adaptations. Provides the programming foundation for all resistance training design.

Lesson 1 • Attention and Concentration Skills

Examines attentional focus styles, concentration disruptions, and refocusing strategies. Connects attentional control to consistent learner performance under competitive pressure.

Lesson 2 • Stress, Anxiety, and Coping

Analyses competitive anxiety, stress appraisal, and evidence-based coping strategies. Prepares learners to identify and address anxiety in athlete populations.

Lesson 3 • Team Dynamics and Leadership

Examines cohesion, communication, leadership styles, and role clarity in sport teams. Applies group dynamics theory to improve team learner performance and culture.

Lesson 4 • Psychological Foundations of Sport

Introduces motivation, self-efficacy, goal-setting, and arousal-learner performance relationships. Establishes psychological constructs that underpin all mental learner performance interventions.

Lesson 1 • Return-to-Sport Decision Making

Introduces functional testing, psychological readiness, and multidisciplinary criteria for return-to-sport clearance. Develops systematic decision-making skills for safe athlete reintegration.

Lesson 2 • Common Sport Injuries and Management

Examines ankle sprains, ACL injuries, hamstring strains, and shoulder pathologies in athletes. Applies evidence-based management strategies for each injury category.

Lesson 3 • Tissue Healing and Rehabilitation Phases

Covers inflammatory, proliferative, and remodelling healing phases and their rehabilitation implications. Guides exercise prescription aligned with tissue healing timelines.

Lesson 4 • Injury Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Analyses injury incidence, prevalence, and intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors across sports. Establishes the evidence base for targeted prevention programme design.

Lesson 1 • Performance Testing and Monitoring

Selects and administers valid, reliable learner performance tests and interprets results for programme adjustment. Links testing data to evidence-based programming decisions.

Lesson 2 • Integrated Programme Design

Combines strength, conditioning, nutrition, and psychological strategies into a unified training plan. Applies periodisation to balance concurrent training demands across disciplines.

Lesson 3 • Athlete Needs Analysis

Conducts sport demands analysis and athlete profiling to identify learner performance gaps. Provides the diagnostic foundation for individualised programme design.

Lesson 4 • Technology in Performance Analysis

Applies GPS, heart rate variability, and video analysis tools to athlete monitoring and feedback. Develops competency in selecting and interpreting sport technology outputs.