Boise State Human Performance Lab

Congratulations to the HPL’s finest, Calais Schneider, for graduating with her Master’s Degree in Kinesiology today! Calais has been an incredible student, graduate assistant, laboratory guru, and best of all an amazing human being. The lab is better because of you, and lucky for us we get to keep you for a little while longer!

Today we celebrate our very own graduate Austin Lee!
Austin is our stellar student lab technician here in the HPL who graduates today with his BS in Kinesiology!

To help you all get to know Austin a bit better, we caught up with him before he officially completes his degree.

What’s your favorite memory work in the lab?: - When families will come in and I can give kiddos tours of the HPL and let them look at all the equipment we have in there that they probably haven’t seen yet. I open up the BodPod and let them go in and scream as loud as they can and they really enjoy it.

One highlight as an undergrad?: The blessing and opportunity to study abroad in Torino, Italy for a semester is something I will always cherish. The experiences, places I visited, and people I met is something I will never forget and will forever be grateful for.

Future goals: After graduation, I will continue working in the HPL and get my ACSM-EP certification and continue to build my skills and experience. Once my time in the lab comes to an end, I will be pursuing a career in the Pharmaceutical Sales industry.

Congratulations Austin once again! Thanks for being such a great member of our team!

Today is the day! Join us at for our science behind your stride information night!

When: Tonight, August 18th @ 6:00pm
Where: Neckar Coffee – 117 S 10th Street, Boise, ID

Open to runners of all levels
Register via the QR code on the flyer or link below (not required, but appreciated!)

https://forms.gle/uTY1iYKbNk6VxmTE8
Link in bio to register or learn more

Runners, this one’s for you!

Ever wonder how lab testing can help you run smarter, train stronger, and race faster? Whether you’re chasing a race PR or training for a new distance, we’ve got the tools to help you optimize performance through data.

Join us at for an evening dedicated to the science behind your stride. We’ll break down how physiological testing (like VO₂ max, lactate threshold, and running economy) can guide your training and pacing strategy.

Come for the coffee, stay for the performance insights!

When: Monday, August 18th @ 6:00pm
Where: Neckar Coffee – 117 S 10th Street, Boise, ID

Open to runners of all levels
Register via the QR code on the flyer or link below (not required, but appreciated!)

https://forms.gle/uTY1iYKbNk6VxmTE8
Link in bio to register or learn more

Cycle Night Recap 🚴‍♀️

Huge thanks to everyone who came out last night to learn how performance testing at the HPL can help you crush your cycling goals!

Shoutout and thank you to for hosting us—and congrats to our raffle winners who scored free testing sessions at the lab! 👏

Keep an eye out for our next info night... Runners, you’re up next 👀👟

If you attended, we’d love to hear your thoughts—drop us some feedback through the link in our bio!

Calling all cyclists! Enjoying the Tour de France so much that it’s got you curious about what you can do?

Want to know more about your cycling performance? Or what tests you can do to help improve your training, fitness and performance?

The Human Performance Lab at Boise State is hosting an information night at Necker Coffee to answer all your questions and get your feedback on what you want from our lab!

Open to keen cyclists of all levels! Register via the QR code or link below! (Registration is not required but appreciated)

Link: https://forms.gle/ckktfu9L7eyJTMep9 (also found in our Bio)

When: Wednesday 16th July @ 6:00pm
Where: Neckar Coffee, 117 S 10th Street, Boise, ID

Earlier this summer here at the HPL we had the pleasure of working with , a professional ice hockey player who came to our lab looking to collect some baseline fitness data as she transitions into the off season training block.

Malia can be seen here crushing the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT), a common lab assessment test designed to measure anaerobic power and capacity through short maximal cycling efforts. The test is designed to push the anaerobic energy systems (ATP-CP and glycolytic pathways) to their limits in order to better understand an athlete’s ability to produce lower body power.

The Wingate Anaerobic Test provides several key metrics:
Peak Power Output (PPO): The highest mechanical power generated during any 5-second interval. (higher peak power = explosive on-ice movement)
Fatigue Index (Rate of Fatigue): The percentage decline in power output from peak to minimum during the test. (Lower fatigue index = greater ability to sustain power output)
Relative Peak Power Output: Peak power normalized to body weight. (allows for comparisons between individuals of different sizes and comparisons to normative data for athletes)

By understanding these power metrics, we help athletes like Malia tailor their training to maximize performance and hit their off-season goals with precision.

Want to test your power potential? Book a Wingate test with us at the Boise State Human Performance Lab today. (Link in our Bio)

Get to know the members of our lab!

Starting with Dr. Blake Densley! Dr. Densley is the director of the Human Performance Lab. He took on the role because he enjoys bridging the gap between theory and action with students, subjects, and the community. He enjoys running, mountain biking, and lifting weights in his free time.

Dr. Densley is also the most recent recipient of the Golden Apple Award for the College of Health sciences!!! This award honors faculty for their excellence in teaching.