The lab’s services range from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, testing that assesses body composition to various aerobic and anaerobic fitness tests. The lab can measure a cadet’s VO2 maximum, the maximum amount of oxygen the cadet can use during intense exercise. Another feature is an altitude control chamber that simulates oxygen-rich, or sea-level, and oxygen-depleted environments up to 18,000 feet.
Staff at the lab integrate the nutrition, physiology and psychology performance principles to create comprehensive individualized plans. These plans optimize cadets’ physical capability, mental hardiness and nutritional strategies to meet the unique demands of military operations and athletic excellence.
“We facilitate the development of future warfighters through the science and practice of high-performance approaches for building strength, durability and adaptability for mission dominance,” said Human Performance Lab Assistant Director Dr. Nicholas Dinan.
By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
In recent years, the lab has expanded to include high-performance nutrition and psychology services.

Preparing cadet-athletes for high-altitude challenges

The Human Performance Lab plays a role in developing cadets as future warfighters in three performance areas. Those areas are the holistic optimization of performance, sustainable peak performance and data-driven insights for success.
“The staff provided me with the analysis of my DEXA scan results which has definitely helped me,” said Lu. “In a sport such as boxing, where you’re cutting weight, there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. Since gaining more information and education, I can now cut weight, maximize my energy level and perform well in the ring.”
The lab staff combines physiological conditioning, tailored nutrition protocols and psychological hardiness training to achieve sustainable peak performance. This combination enhances recovery, reduces injury risk and raises readiness for sustained high-performance outputs.
“Consistent with best practice in performance domains, we take some of the available equipment out of the lab and meet individuals where they are training and competing,” Dinan said. “This could include heart rate monitoring for conditioning sessions to determine nutritional fueling and hydration recommendations or using GPS information with teams to determine training intensity and evaluate how each athlete responds to that stimulus. This will allow us to further understand the stress demands on cadets and determine proper modifications to enhance readiness and facilitate recovery.”
“By simulating sea-level conditions or hyperoxic training, we can increase workout intensity during interval and maximal effort training,” Dinan said. “This type of training challenges heart and lung function to provide a more intense and productive workout. Conversely, hypoxic training reduces the oxygen content and helps our athletes acclimate to high-altitude conditions, like those experienced at the summit of Mount Denali in Alaska.”

The lab’s positive impact on cadet athletes

The HPL also offers a vision performance lab that focuses on intercollegiate athletes’ hand-eye speed and coordination, depth perception and other areas relating to memory, focus and concentration.
The lab staff leverages transdisciplinary data from performance testing, dietary analysis and psychological assessments for data-driven success insights. The data informs training regimens that prepare athletes to excel under dynamic and high-pressure scenarios across cadets’ Academy and military careers.
“Advancements within the Athletic Department have championed a new vision for the Human Performance Lab by investing in human capital and physical resources to grow performance training,” Dinan said.

Holistic optimization of performance

The U.S. Air Force Academy Women’s Soccer Team poses for a photo after completing training with Dr. Dillon Small, Human Performance Lab director of performance psychology, on performance culture in Polaris Hall Sept. 3, 2024. (Courtesy photo provided by Lt. Col. Marci Walton)
See more photos of the Human Performance Lab.

Cadet 1st Class Andrew Lu performs VO2 max training in the Human Performance Lab Jan. 3, 2025. The U.S. Air Force Academy boxer has incorporated data from the testing into his training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Sustainable peak performance

Lu notes the importance of dropping weight in an intentional manner with professional guidance.
One cadet athlete who has seen results from his work in the lab is Academy boxer Cadet 1st Class Andrew Lu, a Legal Studies major. He has noticed performance improvement from his V02 max testing.
The lab is in the Cadet Fitness Center near the water polo pool. Its hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Data-driven insights for success

“When I was initially introduced to V02 testing and learning about training and different heart zones, I wanted to see areas where I could improve,” Lu said. “Taking this test showed me the actual data on how my body works. From there, I was able to adjust how I practiced and trained. I learned from the data the areas where I’m strong and where I could improve that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”

U.S. Air Force Academy cadet athletes train in the Human Performance Lab’s altitude control chamber Jan. 3, 2025. The chamber simulates oxygen-rich, or sea-level, and oxygen-depleted environments up to 18,000 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Supporting increasing performance for all cadets

To achieve the expansion, the lab hired additional staff. The expansion involved hiring specialists in five primary areas of expertise: performance psychology, performance nutrition, performance diet, performance science and performance optometry. The lab’s specialists work closely with Academy athletic teams through consultations with individual cadet athletes, team-based training sessions and wearable technology and data analytics.
“Ultimately, the insights gained from these evidence-based approaches will be used to create adaptive frameworks for the ever-evolving military demands,” Dinan said. “This will foster innovation and flexibility in both training and application. By empowering cadets with actionable insights, we will assist them in reaching their peak capability, mission success and career longevity.”

Expansion of available services and additional staff

Human Performance Lab Director Dr. Matthew Hawkey applies Cadet 1st Class Andrew Lu’s mask before his VO2 max training Jan. 3, 2025. The U.S. Air Force Academy boxer has experienced performance improvement from the testing that measures cardiovascular endurance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
“We want to take our applied research approach, collect data from athletes and translate findings across the cadet wing. We can help improve various areas, such as sleep quality or maintaining peak physical and cognitive performance. This is essential for mission success,” Dinan said.
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The staff at the Human Performance Lab facilitate the physiological development and performance of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.
The lab’s services are available to non-intercollegiate athletes since all cadets participate in the Academy’s athletic program. They are required to take physical education courses, pass physical fitness tests and compete in intercollegiate and intramural competitive sports. While the lab’s priority is intercollegiate athletes, the staff applies their knowledge, skill and ability to support the optimization of performance throughout the Cadet Wing.
“We currently use a performance and analytic platform that serves as an information broker that turns raw data into an integrative model of information,” Dinan said. “Essentially, each professional lane inputs relevant information about individual athletes that can then be interpreted by the appropriate staff member to enhance medical outcomes and improve training or game performances.”