Local prof elevates athletic performance with advanced exercise physiology
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Dr. Danilo Fernandes da Silva, an Assistant Professor in the Sports Studies department at Bishop’s University (BU), has been making significant contributions to the field of applied exercise physiology since his arrival in 2022. With academic roots in Brazil, where he completed his BSc, MSc, and PhD at the State University of Maringá, Dr. da Silva’s research primarily focuses on exercise prescription and training monitoring, with a particular emphasis on female athletes. His innovative work with BU sports teams, including the women’s soccer and rugby teams, showcases his commitment to enhancing athletic performance and well-being through scientific methods.
Innovative collaboration with BU sports teams
In an Aug. 8 interview, Dr. da Silva detailed his ongoing collaboration with the BU women’s soccer and rugby teams, a partnership that began in the fall of 2023 with the rugby team and extended to the soccer team in the winter of 2024. His work centers on monitoring training loads to optimize performance and prevent injuries.
At the core of this collaboration is the use of the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), a well-established metric that athletes use to rate their exertion on a scale from 0 to 10 after each training session. This subjective measure is then compared with more objective physiological data, such as heart rate, to provide a comprehensive picture of an athlete’s response to training. “We apply a very popular metric… The coach can be aware because we can quickly turn around and provide weekly reports of the sessions,” Dr. da Silva explained.
The detailed process involves collecting planned RPE data from the coach before each session, which represents the intensity the coach expects the athletes to experience. After the session, the actual RPEs are collected from each athlete. Dr. da Silva and his research assistants then compare the planned and actual RPEs, along with heart rate data, to identify any discrepancies.
This data-driven approach enables coaches to refine their training prescriptions in real time. “We can minimize potential discrepancies with prescriptions,” Dr. da Silva insisted.
