Exercise Physiology vs. Exercise Science: Understanding the Difference
| 5 Min Read
Exercise science is a broad study of human movement that blends nutrition, biomechanics and physiology to improve health, fitness and performance. Exercise physiology is a more specialized field that focuses on the acute and chronic physiological adaptations and responses of the body to exercise.
Think of exercise science as the umbrella discipline within the field, and exercise physiology as the core, more specialized area within the field. This guide explores the key distinctions between the focus, available career paths and educational requirements of both fields. The online Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Exercise Science program at Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP Global) helps you gain a deeper understanding of exercise science to build the skills and knowledge required for a career in fields like coaching, fitness, personal training and rehab.
What Is Exercise Science?
Exercise science is an interdisciplinary field that studies human movement. It covers a wide variety of topics, like biomechanics, sports nutrition, psychology, exercise prescription and program design.
This field focuses on practical applications in fitness, wellness and performance, using exercise as medicine to prevent disease. Exercise scientists may work in broader fitness roles in clinical settings, sports performance and rehabilitation.
What Is Exercise Physiology?
Exercise physiology is a specialized subset of exercise science that focuses on the body’s physiological responses to movement and physical activity. This field focuses more sharply on using exercise to address chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic diseases.
Professionals in the exercise physiology field typically find roles in clinical settings, health assessment or physical therapy. Another example includes fitness trainers and instructors.
How Do Exercise Physiology and Exercise Science Differ?
The most important distinction between exercise science and physiology is that exercise science is a broad, interdisciplinary field that studies human activity to improve health. Exercise physiology is a more specialized, narrow focus on the biological, metabolic and chemical responses of the human body to exercise.
In practice, exercise science focuses on fitness and wellness to improve general population health, as well as tasks such as personal training and fitness assessment. This field typically applies to sports performance, exercise coaching, and strength and conditioning in corporate wellness, sports management and health coaching.
Exercise physiology focuses on prescribing exercise to help treat chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Tasks include rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and assessing and managing physiological factors such as cardiovascular efficiency and metabolic or hormonal responses.
Both fields require a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, exercise science or exercise physiology. Those who wish to obtain roles as a clinical exercise physiologist or an advanced research position should also have a master’s degree, and those who want a role in university-level teaching, specialized rehabilitation or high-level research should have a Ph.D. or doctorate.
Certifications may also be required for specific roles or settings, such as Certified Exercise Physiologist or Clinical Exercise Physiologist certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Some states also have specific licensure requirements for practicing exercise physiologists.
What Career Paths Does Exercise Science Offer?
A degree in exercise science offers access to a wide range of career paths. Common fields include physical fitness, wellness or clinical healthcare. Here are some examples of common exercise science roles:
- Personal training and fitness management: This role involves designing custom exercise plans for groups or individuals and focuses on engagement, quality programming and follow-up.
- Corporate wellness and community health programs: These roles focus on designing, implementing and managing programs that improve mental and physical health to boost employee productivity or support community well-being.
- Strength and conditioning coaching: Strength and conditioning coaches design and implement individualized training programs geared to enhance athletic performance, improve physical readiness, and reduce injury risk through proper techniques and collaboration with a sports medicine team.
- Sports performance analysis and athletic development: Professionals in these fields work with coaching staff to optimize athletic potential, improve technique, and prevent injuries through data analysis or tailored training regimens.
What Career Paths Does Exercise Physiology Offer?
Exercise physiology offers diverse career roles spanning health promotion and elite sports performance to clinical rehabilitation. This field also serves as a foundation for more advanced healthcare degrees, such as physician assistant, physical therapy or medicine. These are some potential roles for those with a degree in exercise physiology:
- Clinical exercise physiologist roles in medical settings: A clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) works in medical settings to evaluate, monitor and prescribe exercise for patients with chronic diseases.
- Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation specialist: This specialized rehabilitation role works with patients to help them recover from heart attacks, major surgeries or other cardiac events.
- Research opportunities in exercise science laboratories: Several research opportunities in exercise science labs are available, including investigating and analyzing methods for disease prevention, studying physical responses to exercise, and examining muscle biology and biomechanics.
- Health assessment and metabolic testing: This role conducts comprehensive health assessments and metabolic testing, like Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and VO2 max, to accurately measure cardiovascular fitness, caloric needs and fat/carbohydrate metabolism.
Which Field Is Right for Your Goals?
How do you decide which of these two fields is the right fit for your goals? First, consider your interest in working in clinical roles versus general fitness applications, such as training or community health.
It’s also important to weigh your preferences for working in a medical environment versus a wellness setting. You should also assess the educational commitment and certification requirements for both roles. Ultimately, align your career aspirations with your preferred specialization to determine which field is best for you.
Start Your Journey in Exercise Science
The fields of exercise science and exercise physiology both offer a range of career opportunities. Each requires a foundation that includes a comprehensive education in exercise science.
If you’re ready to start your journey in exercise science, explore the online B.A. in Exercise Science degree at CSP Global to learn more. Or, if you’re ready to enroll, complete your application today.
Learn more about CSP Global’s online B.A. in Exercise Science program.