Your academic and scientific trajectory intersects Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, and High-Performance Sports Training, among other dimensions of sport. We would like to start by exploring your remarkable scientific career. Aquatic sports, which stand out as a key focus in your research, were they an early passion?
It was a relatively early passion. During my undergraduate degree, I specialised in “Sports Training - Swimming,” motivated by my background as a swimmer and my desire to understand the methodologies underlying coaches’ decisions in youth development all the way up to high-performance. My research focused on physiological and biomechanical variables that determine swimming performance, which I applied practically in my final-year dissertation on the relationship between ammonia concentrations in venous and capillary blood. In my Master’s, I continued this line through a longitudinal assessment of pre-junior swimmers. My doctoral thesis (2000-2006), one of the first in the institution following the Scandinavian model (thanks to the vision of Professor João Paulo Vilas-Boas, my academic mentor), detailed the physiological and biomechanical responses of university, national, and international-level swimmers to efforts at speeds corresponding to maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and until exhaustion. Later, as a supervisor of Master’s and PhD students, this scientific framework expanded to other sports, both cyclic (running, cycling, triathlon, rowing) and acyclic/open (tennis, water polo, surfing, CrossFit), applying concepts and methods initially developed in swimming to broader competitive and research contexts. Our success is owed to the outstanding students I have had the privilege to supervise, my colleagues with whom I have shared guidance, and the institution that provided conditions for experimental work. More recently, my focus has shifted to occupational health and safety, in partnership with colleagues from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

Your research has focused on biomechanical and physiological variables with a direct impact on performance. What results have been particularly striking, especially for those unfamiliar with training science?
I don’t consider sports training a pure science but rather an applied, interdisciplinary field drawing on physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and pedagogy, with its own methodological principles guiding practice. It also has an element of art and pedagogy, as each athlete and context requires adaptive decisions beyond scientific evidence. I see it as practice grounded in science, enriched by the experience and intuition of the coach. One of the most striking findings was that small technical adjustments, often imperceptible to the naked eye, can produce significant gains in overall performance. In the first article of my doctoral thesis, we demonstrated that swimming at severe intensity levels reveals critical technical and physiological patterns for performance. Small changes in hand/forearm attack angle, trunk rotation, or coordination between upper and lower limbs decisively influence propulsion efficiency and, therefore, the final result. In competitions decided by hundredths of a second, optimising body rotation timing in freestyle and backstroke, refining coordination and undulatory motion in butterfly, or reducing hydrodynamic resistance in breaststroke can be as important as increasing aerobic and anaerobic energy availability. Another surprising finding was that elite swimmers spend less time at VO₂max than recreational swimmers. This seems counterintuitive but is not: elite swimmers are more powerful and, relative to that intensity, less economical.

In your view, which correlations between biomechanical and bioenergetic variables are particularly decisive for refining training strategies and maximising competitive performance?
The relationship between stroke frequency and amplitude, integrated with physiological variables such as oxygen consumption, heart rate, lactate production, and tolerance, is crucial for performance in individual and cyclic sports. In a 2010 study led by Pedro Figueiredo (my first PhD student), we analysed swimmers of varying levels and found that maintaining high mechanical efficiency at near-maximal intensities allows better fatigue resistance and preservation of technical form. We identified technical profiles combining greater propulsive force with lower energy cost, sustaining high speeds. Key moments along the exercise intensity spectrum (anaerobic threshold and VO₂max) show significant changes in energetic and technical patterns, making systematic monitoring of physiological and biomechanical variables essential. These insights directly inform training processes, ensuring load is optimised to maximise power without degrading technique. For young athletes, avoiding overload and promoting efficient motor patterns is critical, supporting better long-term development and reducing early dropout. Integrating physiology and biomechanics helps create personalised training programmes that optimise performance and longevity, impacting both grassroots development and elite sport. One of our preferred research and teaching areas is defining training zones based on biophysics, the convergence of physiology and biomechanics.

Beyond high-performance sport, you have also explored muscular and postural training with therapeutic applications. What are the main contributions of biomechanics research to health and rehabilitation?
Biomechanics applied to health and rehabilitation provides rigorous tools to assess movement patterns and design personalised interventions. We use 3D analysis, force platforms, and markerless capture to identify asymmetries and postural deviations in clinical populations. For example, a six-week technical running programme for young footballers improved kinematics (longer stride, shorter ground contact) and reduced hamstring injury risk. In swimming, coordination between agonist, antagonist, and synergist muscles, combined with core strengthening, prevents overuse injuries and optimises joint mobility, with postural awareness reducing spinal and shoulder stress. Elite swimmers show high contralateral symmetry, allowing detection of clinically relevant technical imbalances. In tennis, torque production and shoulder asymmetries affect power and stability, highlighting the importance of compensatory training. Optimising technique and neuromuscular coordination has highly positive effects. Integrating physiology and biomechanics enables more effective rehabilitation programmes, accelerates recovery, prevents recurrence, and provides actionable guidance to physiotherapists, doctors, and coaches, benefiting both elite athletes and public health.

You are currently involved in the ALFAC – Aquatic Literacy for All Children project, promoting aquatic literacy from early childhood. Could you share the project’s main objectives and expected social impact?
ALFAC develops aquatic competencies from early childhood, fostering safety, enjoyment, and inclusion. Aquatic literacy is critical, integrating safety, motor development, and water confidence, and is linked to higher swimming proficiency, lower drowning risk, and better physical and cognitive development. Reliable assessment tools track progress, identify areas for improvement, and ensure teaching and intervention programmes meet children’s needs. The concept of aquatic literacy provides a comprehensive framework integrating motor, cognitive, and psychosocial domains for safe and sustained engagement. The consortium maps literacy on a large scale, creates inclusive programmes adapted by age, context, and ability, trains instructors, and produces accessible resources. Implemented with schools and municipalities, it has already benefited hundreds of children, improving water adaptation and self-regulation in risky situations. This approach complements our competitive swimming research, where principles like technical efficiency and energy economy apply to initial learning. ALFAC reduces inequalities in access to swimming while fostering safer, more participatory, and active communities, translating science into lasting social impact. This continues a 20-year research and teaching line on pedagogical progressions for teaching swim techniques, starts, and turns.

You are a member of the Governing Board of the University of Porto Biomechanics Laboratory (LABIOMEP). The lab develops cutting-edge resources such as instrumented surfboards. What is the potential of these technologies, and what new research directions are you pursuing?
Emerging technologies, such as instrumented surfboards that measure forces, accelerations, and weight distribution in real time, have been applied across aquatic sports. For instance, an instrumented rowing boat with force transducers and angular sensors allows precise characterisation of force magnitude, timing, and distribution throughout the stroke, generating key performance indicators. Another advance was an instrumented swimming starting block measuring 3D forces and reaction times, providing immediate feedback critical for individualised training. Alongside the free VO₂FITTING software for ventilatory analysis, we conduct 3D analysis in cyclic sports like running and inline skating, and acyclic/open sports like tennis (serve biomechanics), CrossFit (power and fatigue profiles), acrobatic gymnastics (mechanical efficiency and fitness), karate (circular kick timing), and water polo (external load and movement patterns). These tools offer immediate feedback, allowing technical adjustments, load optimisation, and injury prevention. Their versatility extends to aquatic rehabilitation, personalised training, and ergonomic equipment development. LABIOMEP also collaborates with the textile, footwear, and sports equipment industries, as well as sports federations.

Technology has accelerated everything, from data collection to personalised training. Which technological or methodological innovations do you believe will have the greatest impact in the next decade of sports science?
Over the next ten years, integrating artificial intelligence with real-time data collection will transform sports training. Recent studies, including ours in 'Frontiers in Sports and Active Living', show that complex biophysical assessments can be translated into everyday training zones. Explainable AI models can predict swimming performance accurately from simple training, anthropometric, and physical test variables, providing transparent, useful insights. This applies to running (portable sensors for technique and efficiency), rowing (power and cadence metrics), CrossFit (power and fatigue profiling), tennis (serve biomechanics), and water polo (monitoring specific internal and external loads). Tools like markerless capture (reducing analysis time) and the validated VO₂FITTING software streamline oxygen kinetics modelling and post-exercise recovery analysis. Imagine an athlete receiving immediate feedback on technical efficiency, pacing, and fatigue during training, adjusting instantly. Augmented reality and contextualised simulations will allow training under competitive conditions, ensuring personalisation while keeping human judgement central.

Future generations will coach athletes with increasingly accessible tools, both physical and intellectual. What advice would you give to upcoming coaches and researchers?
I would advise future coaches and researchers to maintain curiosity and critical thinking: question, test, and validate. Innovation arises from the link between scientific rigour and practical applicability. Cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration: high-impact projects, such as our 2010 swimming efficiency study, the mandibular advancement device (improving time-to-exhaustion by 6 - 12% and ventilatory variables), or sensor integration in cyclic sports, were only possible through diverse teams. Always place the athlete at the centre: science and technology only have real impact when they improve performance, health, and wellbeing. Physiological monitoring and AI studies with firefighter teams illustrate that biophysical analysis has relevance beyond competition. This extends to school sport, where the TEXP@CT project develops wearable tech for biomechanical and electrophysiological data, enabling objective, personalised assessments. In adapted sport, systems like WalkinSense® demonstrate reliable measurement of gait spatiotemporal variables, supporting inclusion and injury prevention. The future lies in applying cutting-edge knowledge and technology across populations, ensuring innovation and social responsibility go hand in hand.

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