From Lab to Field: Translating Exercise Physiology into Real-World Athletic Performance

Exercise physiology and sports performance research rely on laboratory studies to identify physiological mechanisms and evaluate training, nutritional, recovery, and performance-regulation strategies. However, the controlled conditions that enhance internal validity may not capture the complexity of training and competition, where athletes experience accumulated fatigue, tactical demands, psychological pressure, environmental stress, variable schedules, and individual differences in responsiveness. As a result, findings that appear promising in the laboratory do not always produce meaningful improvements in real-world performance. Recent advances in portable physiological monitoring, wearable technologies, field-based testing, and individualized interventions have made it increasingly possible to examine athletes without removing performance from its ecological context. Nevertheless, important gaps remain in understanding how laboratory-derived mechanisms translate across sporting environments, why intervention efficacy differs between controlled and competitive settings, and which physiological markers can support reliable decisions in practice.This Research Topic aims to narrow the gap between mechanistic exercise physiology and applied sport practice by examining how laboratory-derived knowledge can be validated, adapted, and implemented under ecologically relevant conditions. It will consider how acute and chronic interventions influence performance, fatigue resistance, recovery, readiness, pacing, decision-making, and the regulation of effort in training and competition. Particular emphasis will be placed on studies that compare laboratory and field responses, test established interventions in realistic sporting contexts, investigate inter-individual variability in adaptation, and evaluate whether physiological measures can provide actionable information for athletes and practitioners. The Research Topic also seeks to integrate physiological, perceptual, psychological, environmental, and contextual factors that shape performance outcomes.To gather further insights into the translation of exercise physiology across laboratory, training, and competitive settings, this Research Topic will focus on athletes from endurance, strength and power, team, combat, racket, and mixed-demand sports, including recreationally trained, competitive, elite, youth, female, and para-athlete populations. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:Laboratory-to-field validation of physiological and performance outcomesAcute and chronic training interventions in ecologically relevant settingsSports nutrition, supplementation, and ergogenic strategiesRecovery, sleep, readiness, and fatigue managementNeuromuscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic responsesEnvironmental, competitive, and psychosocial stressorsPerception of effort, mental fatigue, motivation, pacing, and decision-makingAthlete monitoring, wearable technologies, and portable physiological assessmentIndividual differences in adaptation, responsiveness, and performanceTranslating physiological markers into actionable training and competition decisionsEcological validity, reproducibility, and implementation of exercise physiology researchAppendix: Relevant article types include Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Clinical Trials, Methods papers, Systematic Reviews with or without meta-analysis, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, and Hypothesis and Theory articles. Topic editors: Goran Sporis, Javad Mehrabani Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84880/from-lab-to-field-translating-exercise-physiology-into-real-world-athletic-performance