1. Physiological testing can provide information regarding an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses in his/her sport; this information can be used as baseline data to plan individual exercise training programs. As discussed earlier, athletic success in most sports involves the interaction of several physiological components (Fig. 20.1). In the laboratory, the exercise scientist can often measure these physiological components separately and provide the athlete with information about which physiological components require improvement in order for the athlete to raise his/her level of athletic performance. This information becomes the foundation for an individual exercise prescription that concentrates on the identified areas of weakness (53).