Skip to main content

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Trinity Menu Trinity Search



You are here Trinity Electives > Hacking your health: the science of exercise and fitness

Hacking your health: the science of exercise and fitness

Why should I take this Trinity Elective?

Exercise training enables the human body to do incredible things like run 100m in under 10 seconds or finish a marathon in under 2 hours. But exercise science is not just about breaking records - it has the potential to change the health of the world. Research shows that regular exercise can significantly reduce risk of cancer, heart and metabolic disease and improve mental health. If you want to know more about the science of exercise – from the physiology of elite athletes to how physical activity guidelines shape the health of the general population -  then this is the Trinity Elective for you.

What will I learn?

  • You will learn about the physiology of exercise and the biological differences between sedentary people, recreational exercisers and trained athletes.
  • You will discover the history of the development of population guidelines on physical activity and describe how regular exercise can prevent disease.
  • You will investigate methods of measuring physical activity, including the use of wearable technologies.

What will I do?

  • View lectures and videos prepared by experts in exercise science and discuss the concepts they cover in tutorials and workshops (no prior knowledge required).
  • Use wearable technologies to monitor your own physical activity and visit an exercise lab to understand how we can measure fitness and health in the general population and in elite athletes.
  • Produce an individual scientific report based on data you have collected.
  • Work with a group to research a ‘hot topic’ in exercise science and present your results.

How will this be delivered?

  • Face-to-face tutorials and workshops (9 hours) and online lectures and videos (18 hours)
  • Visit to the exercise laboratory (3 hours)
  • Private study and assessment preparation (approximately 70 hours)

How will this be assessed?

  • MCQ and on-line assessment: fundamentals of exercise science (50%)
  • Practical report on exercise and activity measurement (20%)
  • Group presentation on ‘hot topic’ in exercise science, including production of summary infographic (30%)

Who can take this Trinity Elective?

  • Any student eligible to take a Trinity Elective can select this module except for the students from the following programmes: Moderatorship in Physiology, Human Health and Disease.

More Information (PDF 158KB)