​Physiology support
As physiologists we look at the physical demands of a sport and how we can help an athlete to improve performance through enhancing training and recovery.
What is physiology support?
As physiologists we look at the physical demands of a sport and how we can help an athlete to improve performance through enhancing training and recovery. This might be through lab or field based testing or monitoring, or by carrying out or applying research to solve problems and answer questions. We can also help an athlete prepare for training or competing in extreme environments (e.g. heat or altitude), and provide educational workshop on topics from avoiding illness to enhancing recovery.
We work closely with the coaches and practitioners from other disciplines (nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy and strength & conditioning) to ensure our athletes get the best support possible.
How we work
Our Performance Support team works extremely closely with our coaches and athletes on the ground, to ensure we are able to offer timely responses to their needs. Every week, each sport will have a multi-disciplinary team meeting where we discuss how we can work together to solve problems, enhance performance and ultimately help the coach and athletes reach their goals.
In between this, our practitioners are always supporting each other and discussing the sport and athletes to ensure nothing gets missed. We keep up to date with the latest research; not only through just reading it, but by carrying out our own applied research projects, supported by undergraduate and postgraduate students within the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
We also have ever-strengthening links with the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, which allows us to pick the brains of many of Loughborough’s sector leading academics and apply their findings to our delivery across a variety of sports. Some of our staff are also directly involved in the academic side of sports science, as well as supporting athletes. This gives athletes and coaches alike the confidence that everything we do is grounded in science, leaving no stone unturned.
Experience of our team
Our team has many years of experience of supporting a wide range of athletes and sports, from endurance sports to team sports. As well as our performance sport athletes, we have worked with professional sports such as rugby league, cricket, football, motorsports, ironman, and have supported athletes doing events such as the Marathon des Sables, The 8 Hours of Suzuka and high altitude marathons.
We ensure that everything we do is grounded in science and look for innovative ways to apply science to enhance performance.
Our physiology team
Rhona Pearce
Physiology Lead
Rhona has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from Loughborough University, and has been a BASES Accredited Physiologist for 20 years. Managing and co-ordinating the delivery of physiology support to both our student-athletes and members of the public, Rhona provides applied support to the commercial side of our service, specialising in endurance sports.
Steven Harris
Performance Physiologist
Steve graduated from the University of Bath studying Sport and Exercise Science before completing a Masters Degree in Physiology at Loughborough University. After supporting the University Cycling team during his time at Loughborough, Steve has returned to support the squad with extensive physiology testing and implementation of tailored physiology training to establish Loughborough University as the leaders in University Cycling. Steve has also recently moved into the interdisciplinary team for Athletics with a key focus on their endurance athletes. Since joining the physiology team in 2019, Steve has worked extensively with our external clients ranging from Superbike Riders to Mountaineers to Ironman Athletes.
Hannah Bashford
Physiologist
Hannah completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Birmingham in 2021 and graduated from her MSc in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise at Loughborough University in 2023. Alongside her part-time MSc, Hannah completed a 2-year placement with us, leading the provision of Physiology support to Loughborough Triathlon Performance Centre. Hannah has since joined our staff team and now supports Loughborough Swimming's Performance Programme alongside working with our commercial service. The experience Hannah has developed whilst at Loughborough covers a wide scope of athlete performance levels, ranging from lab to field-based testing and monitoring, in addition to supporting athletes preparing for performance in extreme environments.
Pippa Bailey
Performance Physiologist
Pippa has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from Loughborough University and is currently studying for a PhD titled ‘What it takes to win’ with British Wheelchair Basketball and the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability sport. During her MSc, Pippa undertook a 2-year physiology placement supporting the University Athletics and Triathlon teams. Pippa has a wide range of experience working in sports such as Swimming, Cricket and Wheelchair Basketball. Pippa now supports the commercial side of the Loughborough Physiology service.
Lois Fileman
MSc Placement
Lois completed her BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University and is now undertaking an MSc in the Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise. As part of her MSc placement role, she provides physiology support to performance athletes within Loughborough Cycling Academy and the Lightning Cycling Team as well as supporting athletes within Loughborough Student's Athletics Club. Alongside this, Lois works to provide applied physiology support to commercial customers within Loughborough Sport Services and has supported a range of different athletes from ultra-runners to rowers and boxers. Lois has previous experience working within Loughborough's Performance Triathlon Centre providing support for both the Performance and the Development Squad alongside her undergraduate degree.
Alex Fraser
Full time BSc placement
Alex is an undergraduate at Loughborough University, pursuing a degree in BSc Mathematics and Sports Science. He currently holds the role of Undergraduate Physiology Placement Student, where he assists with the delivery of commercial services at Loughborough Sport. Beyond his academic pursuits, Alex is an avid triathlete, actively participating in the Student Triathlon Club on campus. This firsthand experience enables him to apply his physiological knowledge to a real-life situation to optimise his own athletic performance.
Max Holgate
MSc voluntary placement (year 2)
Max is currently on the Physiology and Nutrition MSc at Loughborough, having completed his undergraduate studies here in Sports and Exercise Science. This year Max has joined the physiology team as a placement student to support the Loughborough Students Athletics Club, specifically Jumps, Sprints and Combined Event athletes, with future ambitions to continue physiology support and coaching in elite level endurance sport.
Hannah Johnston
PhD voluntary placement
Hannah has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Birmingham, an MSc in Physiology and Nutrition from Loughborough University, and is now undertaking a PhD researching the physiological considerations for para athletes with Cerebral Palsy within the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport. During her MSc, Hannah was on a placement as a Performance Physiologist for Loughborough Athletics and has remained in the physiology team to continue supporting the para athletics programme alongside her studies.
Lucija Petrovic
Physiologist
Lucija completed her BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University before moving on to the MSc in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise starting in 2022. Her primary focus is providing physiology support to the LTPC (Loughborough Triathlon Performance Centre) as part of her MSc placement. Separate from this role, Lucija provides applied physiology support to the commercial side of Loughborough Sport services. She has experience working with a wide range of sports, performance abilities and environmental conditions (eg. heat & altitude acclimation).
Meg Smith
BSc volunteer
Meg Smith is a final year student at Loughborough University studying BSc Sport and Exercise Science and is currently working with our Triathlon Development Squad as a Physiology Volunteer.
During Meg's first 2 years at Loughborough, she was part of the Loughborough Lightning Cycling Team, and following her passion for Performance Support and Coaching, has since gone on to focus on her development and experience working with athletes. Meg undertook a full-time undergraduate placement with the Physiology team 2022 – 2023, working with the commercial service. During Meg's final year of her degree, she will support the Triathlon Development Squad and the commercial service, and continue her cycle coaching and Sports Director Commitments.
Dan Thornton
Dan has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Swansea University and is currently studying part-time for a Masters’ degree in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise at Loughborough University whilst undertaking a placement with the physiology team. His primary role is to provide physiology support to the LTPC (Loughborough Triathlon Performance Centre) and additionally offers support to Loughborough Sports’ commercial physiology services. Dan also has experience in providing support including aspects of testing, monitoring, and performance analysis to swimmers during an undergrad placement role.