Martin Buchheit

I am a very passionate strength and conditioning coach that progressively developed into an applied sport performance scientist, with a main emphasis on football (soccer). My work (>200 publications) has focused on intervention strategies and profiling assessments that may improve players’ physical and technical potential, using a scientific approach whenever possible. Using my background in strength & Conditionning (2 Msc), statistics (1 Msc) and a PhD in exercise physiology, I have developed different training 'tools' such as the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness to program high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and the 5'-5' (now 4'-3') running test to monitor training status using accelerometers, GPS and heart rate (variability). I also have extensive experience with fitness and strength training, injury prevention, recovery, nutrition, match analysis and youth development. I have been ranked as the 4 (2019) to 6th (2021) scientific expert in Soccer in the world.

Currently, I hold the position of Head of  Performance at Olympique Lyonnais, and I still  speak and consult for various organizations (including City Football group since June 2022)

More recently, I was in charge of the Performance Departement at Lille OSC (2021-2023), and was holding the role of Head of Performance Research at Kitman Labs, working for the Performance Intelligence Research Initiative with Derek McHugues (2020-2023).

Over the past 20 yrs, I have worked and consulted a bit all over the world and in various sports (Soccer, Handball, AFL, Rugby, Basketball, individual sports), worked at the Aspire Academy in Qatar (2009-2014), which allows me to merge theory, experience and pragmatism for a holistic and contextualized approach of high performance. This has lead me to the position of Head of Performance at Paris Saint Germain, which I held from July 2014 to July 2020.

Co-founder of HIITScience (The Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training, HIIT), a web platform (course, book & podcast) aimed at improving our understanding of the use of HIIT for performance in elite sports, I am also the editor of Sport Performance & Science Reports, the first review-free, open-access scientific journal.