FSI Lab Research

Athlete behavior and sports nutrition

This line of research aims to investigate post-exercise recovery processes in football players following matches and training sessions, including the evaluation of active and passive recovery strategies, including sleep, through observational and experimental studies, to inform evidence-based approaches for optimizing recovery, readiness, and performance.

Intermittent pneumatic compression

Research examining the use of intermittent pneumatic compression as a recovery strategy in football players, analysing its effects on muscle recovery, circulation, perceived fatigue and readiness following training sessions and competitive matches.

Melatonin

Research focused on the role of melatonin in regulating sleep–wake cycles and recovery in football players, exploring its relationship with sleep quality, circadian rhythms and post-exercise recovery processes.

Female player's body composition

Research analysing body composition characteristics in female football players, investigating factors such as fat mass, lean mass and their relationship with performance, health and training adaptations across different competitive levels.

No articles have been published on this research line yet.

Tracking off-training behaviors

Research dedicated to monitoring athletes’ behaviours outside formal training sessions, including sleep habits, physical activity, recovery practices and lifestyle factors that may influence readiness, recovery and overall performance.

No articles have been published on this research line yet.

Sleep

Research focused on sleep patterns and sleep quality in football players, analysing how sleep duration, timing and disturbances affect recovery, cognitive function, physical performance and injury risk.

Tournament Preparation

Research on evidence-informed strategies to prepare national teams for the FIFA World Cup and elite international tournaments, integrating load management, recovery, neurocognitive readiness and team cohesion under compressed schedules, travel and demanding environmental conditions.

The Ten Performance Pillars: An evidence-informed expert statement for teams preparing for the FIFA Men's World Cups and elite international tournaments

The Ten Performance Pillars: An evidence-informed expert statement for teams preparing for the FIFA Men's World Cups and elite international tournaments

Paweł Chmura, George P. Nassis, Carlo Castagna, Magni Mohr, Christopher Carling, Morten B. Randers, Xiaobin Wei, Ida Lysdahl Fahrenholtz, José M. Oliva-Lozano, Jordan Webb, Naomi Datson, Sigrid Olthof, Ersan Arslan, Fábio Yuzo Nakamura, Hugo Sarmento, Fangmin Sun, Ye Li, Gibson M. Praça, Sławomir Czarniecki, Stefan Altmann, Toni Modric, Tomas Maly, Paulo Borges, Tomás García-Calvo, José C. Ponce-Bordón, Hongyou Liu, Karim Chamari, Marco Beato, Rodrigo Aquino, Tim J. Gabbett, Peter Krustrup

DOI: 10.1016/j.footst.2026.100059