My Internship Experience: Investigating Ischemic Pre-Conditioning as a Recovery Tool for Athletes – seamus coleman.

In addition to study planning, a large portion of my role included collecting portable force plate data from athletes. This data collection provided many metrics that are commonly used as measures of athlete recovery, and in this case, allowed us to investigate the effect of IPC on their recovery. While our group is still collecting data and preliminary results are currently being analysed, this internship provided many positive experiences.

This internship has provided many new experiences such as the amount of time and effort it takes to conduct a study, the challenges of working in human research, and using innovative technologies to further explore questions in the sports science field. One of the greatest assets in research like this is finding ways to problem solve when challenges arise. For example, there were several times that our team had to adjust because of technological issues or to ensure participants could attend testing days, both of which are common barriers when conducting sport science research. Working with my supervisors provided a strong example of the importance of communicating with our research team and the athletes, being creative to solve problems when they arrive, and remaining calm throughout data collection. They provided their time, equipment, and expertise, all of which proved crucial over the course of the internship. Because of this, I met like-minded people in the industry, seeking advice from other publishers in the field and practitioners, who apply innovative ideas into athletes programming.

This internship has really opened my eyes to the possibilities within sports science as a researcher and the impact that researchers can have on athletes, by ensuring findings can be put into practice. I would advise any future interns to work and research a title which you are passionate about. I have always had an interest in innovative tools like IPC and blood flow restriction and the possibilities that they may aid in athlete performance and recovery. I would like to think that my research involvement in my final year project and this internship have paved the way for my future, as I start a new role with Trinity College Dublin as a strength and conditioning intern, while simultaneously starting a MSc in Elite Performance in DCU.