Christophe Hausswirth, PhD, has been the senior physiologist at l'Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance (National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance, or INSEP) since 1995 and is an associate professor and leader in recovery and nutrition guidelines in the research department. In 1996 he earned his PhD in biomechanics and physiology of human movement at the University of Orsay, France. In 2000 he earned his diploma in supervising research dealing with the energy cost of locomotion in long-duration sport events. He also serves on the scientific board of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.
Hausswirth has performed extensive research on the physiological aspects of endurance sport performance by manipulating cadence in several sports. He has published more than 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 3 books, and 10 book chapters. He is responsible for running a mission providing clinical counseling and education of athletes, research, student supervision and teaching, development of educational resources, and organization of food service via fact sheets. His research interests include fluid needs for optimal performance; carbohydrate metabolism and performance of exercise in BMX cycling; pacing strategies in triathlon; recovery strategies in synchronized swimming, soccer, and handball players; precooling strategies for exercise in temperate and hot conditions; and postexercise recovery.
Inigo Mujika, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of physiology, faculty of medicine and odontology, at the University of the Basque Country in Leioa, Spain. As a researcher, sport science practitioner, and coach, Mujika is widely considered one of the most respected experts on tapering and peaking for optimal performance.
Since 1992 Mujika has been devoted to the research of applied sport physiology. He has published 3 books, more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and 28 book chapters. He has also presented nearly 200 lectures on sport physiology and training at conferences and seminars worldwide.
As a sport physiologist, Mujika works closely with elite athletes and coaches in a variety of individual and team sports. From 2003 to 2004, Mujika was senior physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport. In 2005, he worked as physiologist and trainer of the professional road bicycle racing team Euskaltel Euskadi. Between 2006 and 2008 Mujika was the head of the department of research and development for the Spanish professional football team Athletic Club Bilbao. In the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympics he was the physiologist of the Spanish swimming team. He is also a coach of world-class triathletes, including Olympians Ainhoa Murua (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012) and Eneko Llanos (Athens 2004).
Mujika serves as associate editor of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. In 1995 he earned a doctoral degree in biology of muscular exercise from the University of Saint-Etienne in France, and in 1999 he earned a second doctorate in physical activity and sport sciences along with an Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the University of the Basque Country in Spain. In 2002 and 2007 he received the National Award for Sport Medicine Research from the University of Oviedo in Spain. He has also received two awards for his work with triathletes: Best Coach of Female Atthlete (2006) from the Spanish Triathlon Federation and the High Performance Basque Sport Award (2007) from the Basque Sport Foundation.
Fluent in four languages (Basque, English, French, and Spanish), Mujika has lived in California, France, South Africa, and Australia. He currently resides in the Basque Country, Spain. Mujika enjoys surfing, cycling, swimming, strength training, and hiking, as well as cinema and traveling.
