Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Dr Lysander Pollitt
Senior Lecturer
After working as a football coach in New York City, personal trainer in London, Lysander completed his MSc before establishing a health and fitness consultancy. He began his PhD and teaching career in 2011 and worked with British Weightlifting.
Towards the end of 2016, Lysander completed his PhD, entitled: Neuromechanical and functional effects of adaptation to dynamic surface instability training. This reflected a period of part-time study alongside teaching at the university and other academic institutes as well as a sport scientist with British Weightlifting. This involved supporting athlete development during training for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Lysander now works as a senior lecturer in biomechanics across all levels on the undergraduate programme, and as part of postgraduate provision. He is currently in the process of publishing his key findings from his thesis, as well as supporting a PhD student through the detailed analysis of some novel research into untested populations, and working with the biomechanics team on an exciting international summer project.
Current Teaching
Lysander delivers on the biomechanics modules across all levels of the BSc Sport & Exercise Science programme, as well as to various modules across MSc Sport & Exercise Science.
Research Interests
Lysander's main area of research addresses the efficacy of surface instability training. Despite widespread popularity, little is known about the benefits of this training addition. While research has indicated it perhaps has little benefit, Lysander's research addressed the more logical subsequent effects of both acute exposure to instability as well as the long-term effects of adaptation, when combining different levels of landing surface instability with drop jumping.
Alongside an interest in neuromuscular theory and the relationship to biomechanics, Lysander also has a keen interest in strength and power development, portable technology for performance analysis, specifically the use and progression of accelerometry, and Olympic weightlifting.
