Dr Nathan Smith

PhD
Lecturer - Exercise & Sport Science

Email: nathan.smith@nd.edu.au

  • Biography

    Nathan specialises in the area of exercise physiology. His PhD investigated how to incorporate cycling with blood flow restriction into endurance cyclists’ training. Upon completion of his PhD in 2023, Nathan joined the school of Health Sciences as a lecturer in exercise and sport science where he teaches on courses across the undergraduate program.

    His research interests span from improving human performance to improving health. He has specific interests in exercise prescription and the use of blood flow restriction (BFR) during aerobic exercise. Nathan’s primary focus is applied exercise science and he is dedicated to translating research into practical applications.

  • Teaching areas

    Undergraduate Exercise and Sport Science

    • Exercise Physiology
    • Nutrition
    • Data Analysis & Experimental Design

  • Research expertise and supervision

    Research Expertise

    • Aerobic exercise with blood flow restriction
    • Aerobic exercise prescription

  • Journal articles and proceedings

    2024

    • Smith NDW, Scott BR, Girard O, & Peiffer JJ. (2024). A comparison of physiological and perceptual responses to fixed-power and perceptually-regulated cycling with and without blood flow restriction in trained cyclists. European Journal of Sport Science. DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12068

    2023

    • Sewell KR, Smith NDW, Rainey-Smith SR, Peiffer JJ, Sohrabi HR, Erickson KI, & Brown BM. (2023) The effect of acute exercise on objectively measured sleep and cognition in older adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1207199. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1207199
    • Smith NDW, Abbiss CR, Girard O, Scott BR, & Peiffer JJ. (2023) Blood flow restriction is associated with more even pacing during high-intensity cycling. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2022-0372
    • Smith NDW, Scott BR, Girard O, & Peiffer JJ. (2023) Blood flow restriction reduces self-paced aerobic interval mechanical and cardiovascular demands without modifying neuromuscular fatigue characteristics. European Journal of Sport Science. Published ahead of print. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2062056

    2022

    • Smith NDW, Peiffer JJ, Girard O, & Scott BR. (2022). Self-paced cycling at the highest sustainable intensity with blood flow restriction reduces external loads but not internal loads. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2022-0021
    • Smith NDW, Scott, BR, Girard O, & Peiffer JJ. (2022). Aerobic Training with Blood Flow Restriction for Endurance Athletes: Potential Benefits and Considerations of Implementation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Published ahead of print. DOI: 10.1519/jsc.0000000000004079

    2021

    • Smith NDW & Burke DJ. (2021). Influence of angular position on radar gun peak cricket ball speed measurements. Sports Biomechanics, 1-14. Published ahead of print. DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2021.1887343

  • Conference papers

    Oral

    • Sewell KR, Smith NDW, Rainey-Smith SR, Peiffer JJ, Sohrabi HR, & Brown BM. (2023). Practice makes perfect: Learning Effects on a Computerised Cognitive Assessment (CogState) in Older Adults. Symposium of Western Australia Neuroscience. Perth, Australia
    • Lee SJL, Smith NDW, Sim M, Van Rens FECA, Reeve W, & Peiffer JJ. (2022) The effects of menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive use on substrate utilisation and fatigue resistance in female cyclists. Science and Cycling. Copenhagen, Denmark.
    • Smith NDW, Girard O, Scott BR, & Peiffer JJ. (2021). Influence of self-paced interval cycling with and without blood flow restriction on neuromuscular function. Exercise and Sports Science Australia – Research to Practice. Virtual Conference.

    Poster

    • Smith NDW, Girard O, Scott BR, & Peiffer JJ. (2024). Prescribing blood flow restricted cycling using RPE balances the physiological and perceptual demands in healthy adults. Exercise and Sports Science Australia – Research to Practice. Sydney, Australia.
    • Merrells R, Cripps A, Freeman B, McCulloch K, Baldwin K, Smith NDW, Badenhorst C, & Rønnestad B. A validation of a novel running economy protocol and comparison of two carbon plated running shoes in female long-distance runners. Exercise and Sports Science Australia – Research to Practice. Sydney, Australia.
    • Robertson A, Smith NDW, & Lloyd AB. (2021). Skin viability and microvascular function under localised applications of heat and pressure. Experimental Biology. Virtual Conference.

  • In the media

    Podcast appearances

  • Professional affiliations

    • Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA)

  • Community engagement

    Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) (2024)

    • Online Masterclass: Teaching Applied Sport Science to ATAR students.