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Last week, Absolute Radio hosts Andy Bush and Richie Firth visited BNU’s High Wycombe campus to utilise the university’s state-of-the-art Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) to help prepare for their charity bike ride in May. 

Following a discussion on their ‘Hometime’ radio show, Dr Mark Homer, HPL director, exercise physiologist, and Senior Lecturer at the University, reached out to the charismatic duo to offer support in readiness for their upcoming Cash for Kids challenge.

Speaking live to the presenters on the show, Mark said:

“I’d love to offer some support and advice for your upcoming challenge. We can get you into our laboratory and run some fitness tests to make sure you’re ready and provide the perfect training guidance. Having previously worked with Olympic rowers and swimmers, I’ll be able to accurately assess how your training has developed so far and give you hints and tips on how to push on during this last month.” 

The duo comedically responded that they were already “sweaty and scared”.

The HPL, opened by BNU alumni and Paralympic athlete Naomi Riches MBE, is a multi-purpose facility that provides cutting edge support to athletes and students alike, working with teams across multiple disciplines including exercise physiology, biomechanics, strength & conditioning, and sports therapy. The practitioners are on hand to assess fitness and provide guidance to help improve athletic performance.

Alongside key members of their team from Absolute Radio, Bush and Richie also met with HPL practitioner and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Callum Mapley. 

Mark and Callum put Andy and Richie through their paces with two endurance tests: a lactate threshold test and a maximal oxygen consumption test, otherwise known as VO_2max test. Both tests utilised some of the labs most advanced equipment and assessed the DJs response to exercise, allowing the practitioners to assess levels of fitness and provide tailored training advice as the duo approach their challenge.

Speaking on the opportunity, Andy said:

“It was a real pleasure to come down to the university. We were really impressed with the facilities and of course we’d like to offer huge thanks to Mark and the team for inviting us to the University and to the lab!”

Mark commented:

“The tests gave Bush and Richie an idea of their endurance fitness, and some guidance for their training - we gave them some individualised heart rate zones that will help them get the most out of every session they do and understand how to pace themselves during their long-distance challenge.”

 After the endurance tests, the hosts took to the University’s recording studio to record their ‘Hometime’ show live from campus, which you can catch up on .

For more information on our sports courses, follow this link. To book in for your own fitness tests, check out the HPL lab services here.