Training & Performance Lab

The Training and Performance Laboratory conducts research that addresses three critical questions:

  • How can we make exercise more accessible and effective for people with chronic health conditions
  • How can we use exercise training and assessment to help athletes achieve healthy high performance
  • How can we expand access to Registered Kinesiologists to improve health through exercise 

The laboratory is currently looking for:

  • Motivated undergraduate students interested in doing a research study or review of literature (KPE390-KPE490, KPE495)
  • Participants for research studies on interval training to improve performance 
  • Participants for research studies examining Peripheral Arterial Disease and exercise 

Research

Research Area

Topic Question

Stage

Researchers

Exercise and Chronic Disease

What exercise routines are safe and effective for patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease?

Systematic Review on PAD and Data Analysis on PAD participants in Cardiac Rehabiliation 

Determine responses to HIIT

S Thomas (lead)

P Oh (TRI)

S Marzolini (TRI)

J Goodman

C Nguyen (MSc complete)

E Lin (MSc work) 

 

 

   

 

Exercise and Chronic Disease

What are the interactions between exercise and treatment for breast cancer?

Systematic review under way

Cardiac function study in progress Intervention Trial to begin. 
 

S Thomas

P Oh (TRI)

J Goodman

A Bonsignore (PhD work)

 

   

 

Exercise and Chronic Disease

Which handgrip exercise is most effective in reducing hypertension in older women? 

Data collection done

Analysis started

Abstracts

S Thomas

D Bentley

 

   

 

Training Healthy High Performance

What are the physiological demands of wheelchair basketball?  

Data collection completed

Data analysis and writing in progress

S Thomas

E Fernandes (MSc work)

Training Healthy High Performance

Can we use technology to better characterize physical demands of wheelchair sports ?  Data collection in progress. 

S Thomas

M-C Tsai (Can Sport Inst. Pacific)

M Klimstra (U Victoria)

R Rupf (PhD Work) 

 

   

 

Training Healthy High Performance

Does a menthol rinse improve cycling performance in the heat for women? Data collection in progress

S Thomas

H Sprenger

E Gavel (MSc work)

Healthy High Performance Can Heart Rate Variability help identify those at risk of prolonged recovery from concussion Studies in progress 

M Hutchison (PI)

S Thomas

D Richards

A Battista

Oliveira-Dantas, FF, Brasileiro-Santos M do S,  Thomas SG,  Silva AS, Silva DC,  Browne RAV, Farias-Junior LF, Costa EC, da Cruz Santos A. Short-Term Resistance Training Improves Cardiac Autonomic Modulation and Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.  J Strength and Conditioning Research.   2019. 

 

Lin E,  Nguyen CH, Thomas SG. Completion and adherence rates to exercise interventions in intermittent claudication: Traditional exercise versus alternative exercise – a systematic review.  European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.  In Press: DOI: 10.1177/2047487319846997

 

Paniccia M, Taha T, Keightley, M, Thomas S, Verweel L, Murphy J, Wilson K, Reed, N Autonomic Function Following Concussion in Youth Athletes: An Exploration of Heart Rate Variability Using 24-hour Recording Methodology JOVE-Journal Of Visualized Experiments, ISSN 1940-087X, 09/2018, Volume 2018, Issue 139.

 

 Bentley D, Nguyen C, Thomas SG.  Resting blood pressure reductions following handgrip exercise training and the impact of age and sex: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Syst Rev. 2018; 7: 229. DOI: 10.1186/s13643-018-0876-5

 

Di Battista AP, Moes KA, Shiu MY,  Hutchison MG,  Churchill N,  Thomas SG, Rhind SG. High-Intensity Interval Training is associated with alterations in blood biomarkers related to brain injury.  Frontiers in Physiology, section Exercise Physiology. 9: 1367-, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01367

 

Paniccia, M., Verweel, L., Thomas, S., Taha, T., Keightley, M., Wilson, K., & Reed, N.  Heart Rate Variability Following Youth Concussion: How do Autonomic Regulation and Concussion Symptoms Differ Over Time Post-Injury? BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine Oct 2018, 4 (1) e000355; DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000355

 

Nolan RP, Feldman R, Dawes M, Kaczorowski J, Lynn H, Barr SI, MacPhail C, Thomas S, Goodman J, Eysenbach G, Liu S, Tanaka R and Surikova J. A randomized controlled trial of e-counseling for hypertension: REACH. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2018;11:e004420. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.117.004420.

Scientific Team

Graduate Students

Student /Program

Research Topic Area

Location/Contact

A Bonsignore, PhD 

Cardio-oncology; Breast Cancer and cardiac and cardiovascular function

Goldring High Performance Sport Centre 4th Floor 100 Devonshire U of Toronto

J Dellatolla, MSc

Reflection, mental toughness and performance 

Goldring High Performance Sport Centre 4th Floor 100 Devonshire U of Toronto

E Fernandes, MSc

Energy Demands and Response in Wheelchair Basketball 

Goldring and Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, U of T Scarborough, TPASC

E Lin, MSc

Interval Exercise for patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease 

Goldring High Performance Sport Centre 4th Floor 100 Devonshire U of Toronto

M Rosenblat,  PhD

Programming Interval Training To Optimize Endurance Sport Performance

Goldring High Performance Sport Centre 4th Floor 100 Devonshire U of Toronto

R Rupf, PhD

Technology innovations in Wheelchair Sport measurement and analysis

Goldring High Performance Sport Centre 4th Floor 100 Devonshire U of Toronto

H Wykes

Role of health education for adults with congenital heart disease  Toronto Western Hospital 
 

 

 

 Collaborators

Person

Affiliation

Research

Dr L Banks 

Cardiac and Secondary Prevention Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network

High Intensity Interval Training for patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Jack Goodman

Fac. Kinesiology and Phys. Ed., U of Toronto

Exercise and Chronic Disease/Cardiovascular regulation

Dr Susan Marzolini 

Cardiac and Secondary Prevention Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network

Exercise and Chronic Disease in Cardiac Rehabilitation/ Peripheral Arterial Disease

Dr. Rob Nolan

Behavioral Cardiology, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network

Exercise and Chronic Disease/ Hypertension, Heart Failure

Dr. Paul Oh

 

Exercise and Chronic Disease in Cardiac Rehabilitation/ Peripheral Arterial Disease

Dr Ming Chang Tsai

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific  Technologies and High Performance Sport 
   

 

Dr Marc Klimstra

University of Victoria 

Technologies and High Performance Sport