Dr Christopher Kirk PhD FHEA CSci CSCS
Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology
Summary
I am a BASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist, NSCA certified strength & conditioning coach and researcher. I teach exercise physiology and strength & conditioning on both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. My interests are in the application of physiological first principles to improving combat sports performance and athlete health across the lifespan, with my main focus being MMA.
About
I completed my BSc (Hons) here at Sheffield Hallam in 2003, my MSc (by Research) at the University of Central Lancashire in 2014, and my PhD at Liverpool John Moores University in 2022. I have been teaching and lecturing since 2006, first in a number of FE colleges and then at the University of Derby before joining SHU in 2020. I use my breadth of experience to make the science of sport and exercise accessible and applicable for all our students to allow them to achieve their goals and pick their own futures. In my applied practice I have provided S&C coaching and physiological interventions for a wide range of sports including rugby, American football, GAA, taekwondo, MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, para-swimming, athletics and Olympic weightlifting. My practice includes novice athletes and international standard performers, but I approach each with the same goal - to utilise physiological first principles to improve their performance and health throughout their lives. My research is focussed on the performance and health of combat sports athletes, with MMA being my main area of interest. I work closely with the International MMA Federation, the English MMA Association and I maintain strong links with gyms, coaches, promoters, governing bodies and research groups across the globe.
Teaching
Courses
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science
MSc Strength and Conditioning Coaching
Modules
Undergraduate
Foundations of Physiology and Nutrition for Physical Activity and Sport;
Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise;
Applied Physiology for Sport and Exercise;
Research Project Supervisor
Postgraduate
Professional Practice in Sport and Exercise Science
Research Project Supervisor
Research
Measurement of training load and fatigue;
Training loads and training practices of combat sports;
Weight management and weight making in combat sports;
Performance outcome measures for combat sports;
Brain trauma occurrence and management in training environments.
The Physiological Society Representative for Sheffield Hallam
In my research and applied practice I work closely with the International MMA Federation, the English MMA Association and a range of high level combat sports clubs, coaches and athletes.
Publications
Journal articles
Weldon, A., Cloak, R., Kirk, C., Ruddock, A., Langan-Evans, C., Detanico, D., ... Kons, R. (2024). Strength and conditioning (S&C) practices of judo athletes and S&C coaches: a survey-based investigation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 38 (4), e160-e173. http://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004673
Lundberg, T., Tucker, R., McGawley, K., Williams, A., Millet, G., Sandbakk, Ø., ... Hilton, E. (2024). The International Olympic Committee framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations does not protect fairness for female athletes. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. http://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14581
Kirk, C., & Stebbings, G. (2024). Letter to the editor from Kirk & Stebbings: “The Impact of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Physical Performance”. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. http://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae129
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D.R., & Morton, J.P. (2023). The relationships between external and internal training loads in mixed martial arts. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. http://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0037
Kirk, C. (2023). A 5-year analysis of age, stature and armspan in mixed martial arts. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. http://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2023.2252473
Kirk, C., & Childs, C. (2023). Combat Sports as a Model for Measuring the Effects of Repeated Head Impacts on Autonomic Brain Function: A Brief Report of Pilot Data. Vision, 7 (2). http://doi.org/10.3390/vision7020039
Baribeau, V., Kirk, C., Le, D.Q., Bose, A., Mueller, A., French, D., ... Murugappan, K.R. (2023). Rapid weight gain and weight differential predict competitive success in 2100 professional combat-sport athletes. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 18 (1), 85-94. http://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2022-0204
Spanias, C., Kirk, C., & Ovretveit, K. (2022). Position before submission? Techniques and tactics in competitive no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas, 17 (2), 130-139. http://doi.org/10.18002/rama.v17i2.7410
Kirk, C., Malone, J., & Angell, P. (2022). Intra-unit reliability and movement variability of submission grappling external load as measured by torso mounted accelerometery. Biology of Sport, 40 (2), 457-464. http://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.114287
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D.R., & Morton, J.P. (2021). Quantification of training load distribution in mixed martial arts athletes: A lack of periodisation and load management. PLOS ONE, 16 (5). http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251266
White, T., & Kirk, C. (2021). Pre-competition body mass loss characteristics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors in the United Kingdom. Nutrition and Health. http://doi.org/10.1177/0260106020983800
Kirk, C., Clark, D.R., Langan-Evans, C., & Morton, J.P. (2020). The physical demands of mixed martial arts: A narrative review using the ARMSS model to provide a hierarchy of evidence. Journal of sports sciences, 38 (24), 2819-2841. http://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1802093
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., & Morton, J.P. (2020). Worth the Weight? Post Weigh-In Rapid Weight Gain is Not Related to Winning or Losing in Professional Mixed Martial Arts. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 30 (5), 357-361. http://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2019-0347
Kirk, C., Atkins, S., & Hurst, H.T. (2020). The pacing of mixed martial arts sparring bouts: A secondary investigation with new analyses of previous data to support accelerometry as a potential method of monitoring pacing. Human Movement, 21 (4), 88-96. http://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2020.94194
Vasconcelos, B.B., Protzen, G.V., Galliano, L.M., Kirk, C., & Del Vecchio, F.B. (2020). Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training in Combat Sports: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 34 (3), 888-900. http://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003255
Kirk, C. (2018). The relationship between age and divisional rank in professional mixed martial arts. Facta Universitatis, Series: Physical Education and Sport, 16 (1), 073. http://doi.org/10.22190/fupes180329007k
Kirk, C. (2018). Does anthropometry influence technical factors in competitive mixed martial arts? Human Movement, 19 (2), 46-59. http://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2018.74059
Kirk, C. (2016). Does Stature or Wingspan Length Have a Positive Effect on Competitor Rankings or Attainment of World Title Bouts in International and Elite Mixed Martial Arts? Sport Science Review, 25 (5-6), 334-349. http://doi.org/10.1515/ssr-2016-0018
Kirk, C. (2016). The influence of age and anthropometric variables on winning and losing in professional mixed martial arts. Facta Universitatis Series : Physical Education and Sport, 14 (2), 227-236.
Kirk, C., Hurst, H., & Atkins, S. (2015). Comparison of the training loads of mixed martial arts techniques in isolated training and open sparring. Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts, 6 (1), 15-20. http://doi.org/10.5604/20815735.1174226
Kirk, C., Hurst, H.T., & Atkins, S. (2015). Measuring the Workload of Mixed Martial Arts using Accelerometry, Time Motion Analysis and Lactate. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 15 (1), 359-370. http://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2015.11868798
Stephen Atkins, H.T.H. (n.d.). Reliability of a Portable Accelerometer for Measuring Workload during Mixed Martial Arts. Journal of Athletic Enhancement, 03 (05). http://doi.org/10.4172/2324-9080.1000172
Conference papers
Kirk, C., & Childs, C. (2023). A case study of automated pupillometry changes over a 48-hour period following mixed martial arts sparring (Oral presentation and abstract). In BASES Conference 2023, Coventry, 16 November 2023 - 17 November 2023.
Kirk, C., Maden-Wilkinson, T., & Childs, C. (2023). Pilot Pupillometry Data Examining The Effects Of Mixed Martial Arts Sparring On Autonomic Brain Function. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 55 (9S), 489-490. http://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000984384.71511.19
Kirk, C., Maden-Wilkinson, T., & Childs, C. (2023). Pilot data of the effects of mixed martial arts sparring on autonomic brain function (Oral presentation and abstract). In ECSS Annual Congress 2023, Paris, 4 July 2023 - 7 July 2023.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2022). Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on performance in simulated mixed martial arts bouts (Poster and abstract) – Runner up for ECR Best Poster Presentation Award. In The Physiological Society: The Biomedical Basis of Elite Performance 2022, Nottingham, 12 April 2022 - 13 April 2022.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2021). The relationships between external and internal training loads in mixed martial arts (Oral presentation and abstract) - Awarded BASES Conference Grant: Sport and Performance Division. In BASES Conference 2021, Online, 16 November 2021 - 18 November 2021.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2021). Exploratory factor analysis of relationships between latent training load and overreaching variables in mixed martial arts (Poster and abstract). In The Physiological Society: Future Physiology 2021, Online, 19 April 2021 - 21 April 2021.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2020). The perceived intensities and distribution of training modes in mixed martial arts (Poster and abstract). In UKSCA Conference 2020, Online.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2020). The training characteristics, loads and effects of mixed martial arts (Oral presentation). In ACSM Combat Sport Special Interest Group Conference 2020, Online, 4 May 2020.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2019). The relationship between training variables and sleep quality amongst mixed martial arts competitors (Poster and abstract). In The Physiological Society: Future Physiology 2019, Liverpool, 2019 - 2019.
Kirk, C., Clark, D., Langan-Evans, C., & Morton, J. (2019). An exploratory case study examining the training loads and effects of mixed martial arts competition preparation (Oral presentation and abstract). In BASES Conference 2019, Leicester, 19 November 2019 - 20 November 2019.
Kirk, C., Langan-Evans, C., Clark, D., & Morton, J. (2022). Body composition changes but no physiological adaptations following a mixed martial arts pre-competition training camp (Oral presentation and abstract). In BASES Conference 2022, Leicester, 15 November 2022 - 16 November 2022.
Other activities
- BASES The Sport and Exercise Scientist magazine Editorial Group member
- BASES Sport and Performance Division CPD Representative
- International MMA Federation athlete weight management task force member
- NSCA Combat Sport Special Interest Group executive committee Chair
- Review Editor for Frontiers in Sport and Active Living
- Associate Editor for Research Directs in Strength and Performance
- Associate Editor for Journal of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences
- External examiner for BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Central Lancashire
- External examiner for MSc Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Central Lancashire
Postgraduate supervision
Current Research Students
PhD Oct 2023 - Present (DoS) John Callan: Head accelerations and training load in elite amateur boxing
MPhil Oct 2023 - Present (DoS) John Watchorn: Determining the frequency and magnitude of head accelerations in elite amateur boxing training and competition
I am happy to meet with anyone interested in undertaking a PhD or an MPhil research degree in any of the areas of study listed in the Research section of this profile. Please see the links below for how to apply, and contact me directly to discuss:
PhD: https://www.shu.ac.uk/courses/sport-and-physical-activity/phd-sport-and-physical-activity/full-time
MPhil: https://www.shu.ac.uk/courses/sport-and-physical-activity/mphil-sport-and-physical-activity/full-time