Lectures

Introduces foundational concepts of physical activity and exercise in relation to energy expenditure and metabolic strain. Covers short-term homeostatic balancing during exercise, including cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and thermoregulatory responses. Presents homeostasis and hormesis as complementary frameworks for exercise-induced inflammation, contrasting negative feedback dynamics with biphasic dose-response adaptation, and discussing implications for healthy athletes and clinical populations (ME/CFS, Long COVID). Explores the physiology of sleep and wakefulness, including sleep architecture, NREM/REM cycles, and the bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep quality.

Examines the immune system's role in protecting bodily integrity, covering innate and adaptive immunity, the four-phase inflammatory cascade, acute vs. chronic inflammation, and the effects of acute and chronic exercise on immune regulation. Defines the physiological and sports-medical limits of physical performance, including the influence of ageing, the primary and secondary determinants of performance capacity, and the extended definition incorporating age-related mortality. Introduces bioenergetics and energy balance — energy-supply systems and their flow rates, ATP as the energy currency, gross vs. physiological energy values, and the metabolic roles of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.

Establishes the immunological foundations - the structure and cellular components of the innate and adaptive immune systems, the chronological immune response to viral infections, the role of dendritic cells, NK cells, and lymphocytes, and the principles of laboratory diagnostics at three levels of complexity.

Defines the anaerobic threshold as the upper border of the aerobic–anaerobic transition (MLSS), compares fixed (4 mmol/L) and individualised threshold concepts, walks through a Stegmann tangent worked example, and derives heart-rate–anchored training zones — with a critical look at why %VO₂max and %HRmax fall short as prescription anchors.

Introduces the Nes et al. (2011) non-exercise model, which estimates VO₂peak from age, BMI, resting heart rate and a self-reported Physical Activity Index using sex-specific regression equations developed in the HUNT Study. Works the model through three contrasting profiles — a moderately active young male, a highly active young female and an inactive 55-year-old male — including PA-Index scoring, conversion to MET and fitness classification. Interprets the model critically via one-at-a-time sensitivity analysis, the SEE prediction band, the distinction between equation and person comparisons, and the gap between mean-level accuracy and individual-level validity.

Introduces the three energy systems (ATP-PCr, glycolytic, oxidative) by time-course, ATP rate and capacity, and the concept of metabolic thresholds. Treats glucose biochemistry after Lehninger — the four fates of glucose and three fates of pyruvate, glycolysis regulation, the Pasteur and Warburg effects, GLUT4 and type 1 diabetes, fermentation and the Cori cycle, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Covers substrate utilisation across exercise intensities and its hormonal control by catecholamines, insulin/glucagon and cortisol/growth hormone. Develops the lactate paradigm shift — production and clearance, MCT transport and the lactate shuttle, GPR81 signalling, histone lactylation, and the lactate threshold. Closes with fibre-type biochemistry, endurance vs resistance adaptations (AMPK, mTOR, PGC-1α), ROS and hormesis, recovery metabolism (EPOC, glycogen resynthesis, muscle protein synthesis), and exercise as medicine.

Presents the concept and clinical evidence base for Exercise Snacks — isolated, brief, intense bouts repeated through the day — across four domains, namely glycaemic control, muscular adaptation, cardiovascular mortality (VILPA) and immune regulation. Develops the underlying physiological mechanisms — the AMPK-convergent GLUT4 and LPL axes, the three phases of muscular adaptation, the Fick-equation framework for aerobic gains, and the three immunological axes converging on NF-κB suppression. Translates the evidence into prescription, with intensity anchors (%HRmax, RPE CR10), an example one-day protocol, and the safety limits that apply in cardiac rehabilitation and post-exertional malaise.