Modelling Energy Expenditure and Recovery: Investigation and validation of a three component hydraulic model

One of the very promising areas of performance modelling is the approximation of energy expenditure and recovery of an athlete during exercise. Advances in this area allow simulation of how much an athlete “has left in the tank” and to optimise rotation schemes or pacing strategies.

A theoretical concept called the “three component hydraulic model” opens up an alternative perspective on expenditure and recovery dynamics. An intuitive representation as liquid flows within tanks is coupled with a system that allows inclusion of complex parameters such as recent energy expenditure history and varying recovery conditions. Fabian discusses his work towards a pathway for transferring a thus far solely theoretical hydraulic concept to the domains of applied Sport Science to make use of its advantages in future work.