Skeletal Muscle Performance in Basic and Applied Exercise Studies

Through the course, the participants will be introduced to factors that affect physical work capacity, with an emphasis on muscle mass, strength, function, and aerobic capacity. The topic of the course will be highlighted in healthy people as well as patient groups. Furthermore, focus will be placed on how to measure physiological variables (muscle strength, muscle power, muscle mass, muscle function, and oxygen uptake), both in a clinical setting as well as in larger cohorts.

The course consists of lectures and practical hands-on experience with methods to measure muscle mass, muscle strength, muscle function, and aerobic capacity. The topic of the course and the experience with the methods will be put into practice through case-based group work, with focus on study design with physical work capacity as a primary outcome.

Participants

The course is for clinicians as well as human physiologists who seek insight into factors that affect functional ability and knowledge of how to measure physical capacity.

Programme

Day 1 – 20 April

8.15 – 8.30 Welcome and introduction
8.30 – 9.00 Senior Researcher Jakob Agergaard – Physical capacities of the human body
9.00 – 9.15 Short break
9.15 – 10.00

Prof. Per Aagaard – Assessment of human skeletal muscle mass and strength: from athletes to old adults to clinical patients, effects of exercise intervention
10.00 – 10.30 Coffee break
10.30 – 11.15 Prof. Morten Tange Kristensen – Measurement of muscle function in clinical practice
11.15 – 11.30 Short break
11.30 – 12.20 Student presentations
12.20 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.30

Lab tour with hands-on experience with tests and analysis

1. DXA, Postdoc Anne Theil Gates
2. Ultrasound, PhD, Physiotherapist Rikke Høffner
3. Kincom/Biodex, Postdoc Kenneth Mertz
14.30 – 14.45 Coffee break
14.45 – 16.00

Workshop

Ultrasound measurements of muscle – Senior Researcher Rene Svensson and PhD, Physiotherapist Rikke Høffner

Day 2 – 21 April

8.15 – 9.00 Prof. MD. Michael Kjær – Trajectories in musculoskeletal function with aging
9.00 – 9.10 Short break
9.10 – 10.00

Student presentations
10.00 – 10.30 Coffee break
10.30 – 11.15 Prof. Lars Andersen – Assessing muscle function in working population
11.15 – 11.30 Short break
11.30 – 12.15 Prof. Mette Aadahl - Measurement of muscle function, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in large populationbased studies
12.15 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.30

Lab tour with hands-on experience with tests and analysis

1. Functional tests, PhD. Theresa Bieler
2. Muscle power tests/Jump test, Postdoc. Anne-Sofie Agergaard
3. MRI, Postdoc Anne Theil Gates and Ph.D., Physiotherapist Rikke Høffner
14.30 – 14.45 Coffee break
14.45 – 16.00

Workshop

MRI-scan measurements – Senior Researcher Monika Bayer and Senior Researcher Jakob Agergaard

Day 3 – 22 April

8.15 – 9.00 Aerobic capacity of elite athletes – Field- and lab-based measurements. PhD Sports physiologist Peter Møller Christensen and Ph.D. student Tue Rømer, Team Denmark
9.00 – 9.10 Short break
9.10 – 10.00

Student presentations
10.00 – 10.30 Coffee break
10.30 – 11.15 Associate Prof. Christian Have Dall – Measuring aerobic capacity in a clinical population
11.15 – 11.30 Short break
11.30 – 12.15 Project Manager, PhD Mikkel Hansen – Estimating cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) at rest using Seismocardiography
12.15 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.00

Lab tour with hands-on experience with tests and analysis

1. VO2 max measurements – CPET and seismocardiography, Associate Prof. Christian Have Dall and Project Manager Ph.D. Mikkel Hansen
14.00 – 14.15 Coffee break
14.15 – 15.45

Group work

Senior Researcher Jakob Agergaard
15.45 – 16.00

Questions and evaluation

Dates, time and venue

  • April 20, 2026: From 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM
  • April 21, 2026: From 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM
  • April 22, 2026: From 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM

Venue: Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Bispebjerg Hospital, Nielsine Nielsensvej 11, 2400 Copenhagen NV

Course Director

Jakob Agergaard, Senior Researcher, PhD, Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Bispebjerg Hospital

Email: jakob.agergaard@regionh.dk

Registration, deadline and fee

Fee: 6,120.00 kr. 

Please register through the course catalogue

Enrollment Deadline is 12 March 2026