Andrew Usher Sport Science

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Andrew Usher Sport Science A sports science and approach to training. From aspiring individuals to team sports, we offer a modern approach, backed by our leading research.

Nice little article on some of our football based research projects.
12/05/2026

Nice little article on some of our football based research projects.

An Abertay study, carried out in collaboration with St Johnstone FC, used Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and GPS metrics to study the demands of high-speed running on footballers’ hamstrings

20/01/2026

We still have some places left for this first cohort of 2026

Cohort 3 officially wrapped!And with that, we've completed three cohorts in the past year, bringing together over 60 coa...
24/11/2025

Cohort 3 officially wrapped!

And with that, we've completed three cohorts in the past year, bringing together over 60 coaches, athletes, and practitioners from a wide range of sports and backgrounds.

Across the 8 weeks, we've had some incredible deep dives into:
🧠 Energy systems & athlete physiology
📈 Data that actually means something
🔬 NIRS, muscle oxygenation, and real-world application
💥 Conditioning protocols that go beyond the textbook

The conversations have been varied, insightful, and (at times) wonderfully challenging — just how I like it. The aim has always been to bridge science with practical coaching and applied physiology, and it’s been amazing to see so many take that and run with it.

A massive thank you to everyone who’s been involved so far — this mentorship continues to grow because of the people in it.

Next Cohort starts early next year, join the waitlist:
performance.education

We’re excited to share our latest study, now published in Muscles (MDPI):🧠💪 “Muscle Oxygenation Response During Duplicat...
11/11/2025

We’re excited to share our latest study, now published in Muscles (MDPI):
🧠💪 “Muscle Oxygenation Response During Duplicate Sprints in Professional Football Players”

This original investigation explores how the re**us femoris and bicep femoris muscles respond to repeated sprint efforts — revealing key differences in oxygen utilization and recovery that could influence both performance and injury risk in elite footballers. ⚽️

Our findings suggest that the bicep femoris recovers slower than the quadriceps, highlighting the need for targeted hamstring conditioning to support high-speed performance and reduce injury risk.

👨‍🔬 Authors: Andrew Usher, John Babraj, and Adam Younger
🏫 Abertay University, Dundee, UK

🔗 Read the full open-access article here:
👉 https://www.mdpi.com/2813-0413/4/4/54

Football requires repeated sprint ability for game-changing moments; however, the demand on the skeletal muscles is unknown. The aim of the current study was to determine the muscle oxygen response during duplicate sprints in professional footballers. Eight male professional footballers (age: 29 ± ...

Great post from Ed Lea over on LinkedIn about how tools like NIRS devices can offer deeper insights into applied physiol...
29/10/2025

Great post from Ed Lea over on LinkedIn about how tools like NIRS devices can offer deeper insights into applied physiology and help us better understand the real physiological demands of sport.

12/09/2025

🚨 Final 2 Spots Remaining – Energy System Development Mentorship
This is your last chance to join our final cohort of the year for the Energy System Development Mentorship — an 8-week deep dive into applied physiology for coaches and practitioners.
Across the mentorship, we’ll cover topics such as:
✅ Metabolic profiling
✅ Heart rate kinetics
✅ NIRS and HR data for real-world training decisions
✅ Weekly modules + 4 live sessions for in-depth discussion and Q&A
We’ve had some incredible coaches join us in past cohorts — including Becky Summers from the UFC Performance Institute.
Here is what she had to say about the mentorship.
📩 DM me to secure one of the final spots.

🚨 3 SPOTS LEFT — Must fill this week! 🚨The Energy System Development Mentorship returns this September — and we’re nearl...
11/09/2025

🚨 3 SPOTS LEFT — Must fill this week! 🚨

The Energy System Development Mentorship returns this September — and we’re nearly at capacity.

If you’re a coach or sport scientist who wants to truly understand conditioning — not just follow templated programs — this is for you.

Here’s what Strength & Conditioning Coach Peter Clark had to say after completing it 👇

“Andrew delivered a simplified but powerful framework for conditioning and energy systems that finally connected the dots between what I learned at uni and real-world application.
I now confidently assess, prescribe, and program for athletes across sports and even clinical settings.”

This 8-week mentorship gives you:
✅ Weekly expert content on VO₂Max, mVO₂, NIRS, HR kinetics & more
✅ Access to our data portal to work with real athlete metrics
✅ 4 live Q&A + data breakdown sessions
✅ A coaching community to sharpen your practice
✅ Real-world application from day one

⚡️ Only 3 places remain — and they’re going fast.

🔗 Apply now via our website over at: performance.education
Don't miss your chance to level up your coaching.

🥊 NEW SHORT COURSE — NIRS for Combat SportsWe're excited to announce the upcoming launch of a specialist short course de...
05/06/2025

🥊 NEW SHORT COURSE — NIRS for Combat Sports
We're excited to announce the upcoming launch of a specialist short course designed to help you master the use of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) in combat sports.
This course will cover everything you need to know, from the science to the practical application:
✅ What NIRS is and how it works
✅ Optimal sensor placement for combat athletes
✅ How to acquire high-quality data during testing and training
✅ Interpreting muscle oxygenation profiles to assess energy system use
✅ Applying NIRS data during sparring to support tactical decisions
✅ How to use NIRS in performance testing and fatigue monitoring
✅ Pitfalls to avoid and best practices from real-world applications
✅ Muscle physiology essentials to understand what you're seeing
We’ll also break down our own research (Usher & Babraj) on how to build muscle oxygenation profiles in combat athletes, and how to use them to individualize conditioning and recovery.
Whether you're a coach, practitioner, or athlete looking to sharpen your edge with cutting-edge sports science — this course is for you.
📘 JOIN THE WAITLIST NOW
http://performance.education

🧠 The next Energy System Development Mentorship cohort starts this June…And if you’re wondering whether it’s worth it — ...
16/05/2025

🧠 The next Energy System Development Mentorship cohort starts this June…

And if you’re wondering whether it’s worth it — here’s what Strength & Conditioning Coach Bill Smart had to say 👇

“The calculated system Andrew presents for assessing, measuring, and progressing training is a definitive game changer, and these methods have directly influenced how we program and train our UFC athletes. If you want to go deeper in your understanding and application of conditioning, I highly recommend Andrew's and James ESD course.”

This 8-week mentorship gives you:

✅ Full access to our online data portal
✅ Weekly content on VO₂Max, mVO₂, HR kinetics, NIRS, athlete profiling & more
✅ 4 live sessions with me for data breakdowns and open Q&A
✅ A community hub to discuss ideas and apply the learning together
✅ Real-world case studies from elite athletes — including track, soccer, and boxing

⚡️ June cohort is now open — limited spots available!

If you're ready to turn deep science into real-world performance, this is for you.

🚨 Cohort 2 of our Energy System Development Mentorship is NOW OPEN! 🚨After our first cohort filled up in just a few days...
05/05/2025

🚨 Cohort 2 of our Energy System Development Mentorship is NOW OPEN! 🚨
After our first cohort filled up in just a few days, we’re back with another intake— and we expect spots will go fast.
This isn’t just another online course.
This is a mentorship experience designed to help athletes, coaches, sport scientists, S&C professionals, and physiologists go far deeper into the science of performance — and actually apply it in the real world.
Over 8 weeks, you’ll gain access to:
✅ Our online data analysis portal
✅ Our published research and the methods I use with elite athletes, actors, and general populations
✅ A private community platform for questions, discussion, and collaboration
✅ Four live sessions where we break down real data and build real solutions
✅ Weekly content covering systemic & peripheral physiology, HR kinetics, VO₂Max, NIRS, energy systems, assessment protocols, and more
📅 Here’s what you’ll learn week-by-week:
🔹 Week 1 – Technology, data capture, common pitfalls & using our data portal
🔹 Week 2 – Energy systems, substrate use, calcium’s role & sprint metabolism myths (plus a soccer case study)
🔹 Week 3 – VO₂Max vs mVO₂, systemic vs peripheral physiology — and why it matters
🔹 Week 4 – HR kinetics & NIRS explained + case studies in CPET and track athletes
🔹 Week 5 – Understanding energy demands in professional boxing
🔹 Week 6 – Athlete assessments & training protocols: what works, what transfers
🔹 Week 7 – How to analyse performance data and use it to shape programs
🔹 Week 8 – Putting it all together: build your own ESD Blueprint
💬 Whether you’re working in team sport, combat sport, or endurance — this mentorship gives you the insight, tools, and support to take your athletes to the next level.
🔗 Spots are limited — apply now before they’re gone!
Let’s raise the standard in how we understand and develop human performance.
👇
www.performance.education

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PH12 8QN

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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