About this Research Topic

Background

Exercise training results in integrative physiological adaptations that help to meet the demand of, and confer success in sport. For the athlete, a high premium is placed on performance (i.e., bigger, stronger, faster) which determines the structure of training, compared to overall health, per se. High levels of fitness are additionally protective against numerous chronic diseases that run rampant in the modern world, and is associated with increased quality and quantity of life years. As such, chronic, structured exercise training throughout the lifespan is one of the most potent and cost-effective strategies to improve and maintain health. In many (but not all) instances, the athlete phenotype is desirable and their physiological profile is one that has the capacity to teach us about optimal ways to live longer, healthier lives.

The goal of this Research Topic is to translate what is known about the training and physiology of athletes to improve and optimize health in other populations. In this context, athletes are viewed as the gold-standard and a sedentary lifestyle is viewed as abnormal. If an individual needs to improve certain physiological parameters (i.e., cardiac output, muscle strength, mass) in order to attenuate disease progression or improve functional capacity, what insights can they obtain from athletes who have optimized these systems? In essence, we believe that applying the underlying strategies (training, nutrition, etc.) used by athletes to excel in sport can yield insight into improving health in wide-ranging populations. While the absolute exercise parameters (volume, intensity) will clearly necessitate adjustments based on a given individual's condition, there is much that can be learned by non-athletes and clinincal populations from the general concepts and structure of an athlete training for peak performance.

We welcome articles including original research, brief research reports, clinical trials, as well as systematic reviews, reviews, and mini-reviews. Case reports, perspectives, and opinion pieces are also encouraged to disseminate real-world observations and theories consistent with a translational approach.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
-Training interventions in aging/diseased populations
-Exercise testing strategies to identify performance limitations contributing to exercise intolerance
-Cross sectional and longitudinal data of athletes and non-athletes
-Mechanisms of exercise adaptation in conferring health and performance augmentation
-Nutrition, supplementation, and pharmaceutical strategies complementing exercise training and physical performance

Keywords: nutrition, strength, endurance, aging, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, brain health, blood flow, oxygen, human performance, exercise physiology, metabolism, skeletal muscle, cardiovascular physiology

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