Peter Cunningham Ph.D. CSCS - Physiologist with RYA
Contact Details
Telephone: +44 (0) 1243 816327
Fax: +44 (0) 1243 816080
Office: South House
Email: p.cunningham@chi.ac.uk
Education
BA (Hons) Sports Studies (Chichester, 1993).
PGCE (University of Portsmouth, 1997)
PhD (University of Southampton, 2004)
Personal Introduction
I Started lecturing on a part time basis in Exercise Physiology in 1993 at Chichester. Also started working for the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) in 1993 as an applied exercise physiologist. Since 1998 I have been employed on a full time basis as the RYA’s exercise physiologist working with the Olympic sailing team. This has included attending the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics Games as the British sailing Team’s exercise physiologist. I remain based at the University where the first class sports science labs are used to monitor the fitness levels of the Olympic sailors. Consultations include some of Britain’s best known sailors including the likes of Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy, Shirley Robertson, Ian Walker and Ellen MacArthur. Personal sporting interest is windsurfing where I was once competitive (Worlds top 20 for speed-sailing), but now more of a recreational interest as opposed to a competitive one.
Research Interests
- The physiological demands of Olympic sailing
- The effect of static and dynamic weight training on subsequent sailing performance
- Temperature regulation in extreme environments
Publications (2000-present)
2004 Cunningham, P. and Hale, T. Physiological responses of elite Laser sailors to 30 minutes of simulated up-wind sailing. Journal of Sports Sciences (in press).
Conference Presentations
The 4th European Conference on sailing sports science and sports medicine, Auckland, New Zealand. January 2003. Physiological responses to 30 minutes of dynamic simulated dinghy sailing.