Professor Lawrence L Spriet

Dr Lawrence L. Spriet is a professor and Chair of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He has been an active researcher in a number of areas of exercise physiology, particularly skeletal muscle metabolism during aerobic and sprint exercise and also following exercise training. He examines the regulation of the key enzymes in the pathways of carbohydrate and fat metabolism, which provide the substrate for the production of energy during exercise in human skeletal muscle. His laboratory also examines the performance and metabolic effects of numerous compounds purported to be ergogenic aids. His research appears in numerous scientific journals, including American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Applied Physiology, and Journal of Physiology. Dr Spriet is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Sports Medicine and is Chair of the U.S. based Gatorade Sports Science Institute Expert (XP) Panel. He is also the Chair of the Canadian Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Dr. Spriet teaches senior undergraduate courses in the “Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Metabolism” and lecture and laboratory sections in “Human Cardio-Respiratory Physiology”. He also advises a number of undergraduate students in literature review courses and senior level research projects. At the graduate level, he teaches a course in “Skeletal Muscle Metabolism” and advises 3-5 Ph.D and M.Sc. students at any given time. He is an expert speaker on the regulation of skeletal muscle carbohydrate and fat metabolism during aerobic exercise and the provision of “anaerobic” energy during high intensity exercise. He also speaks on the effects of potential ergogenic aids on athletic performance, including blood doping, and the ingestion of caffeine, pyruvate, taurine and selected nutraceuticals. Dr Spriet has carried out hydration and sweat testing on elite junior and professional ice hockey and basketball players, as well as numerous amateur ice hockey, soccer, volleyball and basketball teams. Dr Spriet is an avid hockey player in the winter and runner and cyclist in the summer. He is married to Anne and together they have three grown children, Andrew (24 y), Stephanie (23 y), and Sarah (20 y). The common winter theme is ice, as Anne has been a member of the local synchronized skating team, Andrew and Sarah are also hockey players, and Stephanie is a figure skater! In the summer the family spends time at a cottage in Long Point, on the sandy shores of Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada.