COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (BRAIN)—Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) has launched a new research & development department. Leading this new department will be Stanford University exercise and sport sciences researcher, Dr. Stacy Sims.
“Establishing an R&D Department has been one of my goals from the very beginning of Carmichael Training Systems,” said CTS founder and CEO Chris Carmichael. “As we celebrate our 10th Anniversary, this development really completes the company. We have the industry’s only in-house coaching education program, an outstanding coaching quality-assurance program, a dedicated customer service department, and now an in-house research and development program. I look forward to having Dr. Sims working with my team to develop, test, and apply new practices that will enhance the products and services CTS offers to all athletes.”
Carmichael met Dr. Sims in January 2010 when they, along with Dr. Allen Lim, were working with seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong during a training camp in Kona, Hawaii. Over more than a decade as a researcher, Dr. Sims has investigated thermoregulation in athletes and responses to cooling strategies, the impact of sodium loading on exercise performance in hot environments, and many other topics that have direct applications to the professional, amateur, and enthusiast athletes coached by Carmichael Training Systems.
The goal of the CTS R&D Department is to improve the performance of CTS-coached athletes. This will be an ongoing process that includes a balanced, critical and objective evaluation of emerging science as well as current practices in endurance coaching. Research findings will then be used to develop new techniques, services and products for CTS Athletes, and Dr. Sims will be in charge of testing these new techniques, services, and products to prove their efficacy before making them available to CTS Athletes. “The goal is not to simply add more science to coaching, but to decide what science makes sense to add, to integrate it into the art of coaching, and to make sure it actually results in improved performance,” Carmichael said.
Asked about her position as the leader of the CTS Research & Development Department, Dr. Sims said, “As an exercise physiologist and a competitive athlete, I’m passionate about improving performance for all levels of sport and competition. Like Chris and CTS, I’m fortunate to work with some of the best athletes in the world, and I look forward to helping CTS implement new ways to help pros and everyday athletes perform at their best.”
In addition to researching and implementing new training and nutrition methods for use with CTS-coached athletes, the CTS R&D Department will continue the company’s tradition of performing research and development work for companies inside and outside the endurance sports industry. Over the past 10 years, CTS has worked with food producers, telecommunications companies, sports nutrition manufacturers, and others to develop marketable consumer products.
