My name is Garret Gross and I'm a current Exercise Physiology student. My background as professional combat sports athlete triggered my interest as a teenager. I have always been passionate about understanding how humans adapt to physical training and have ambitions to complete a PhD in the field. My ultimate goal is to contribute to the performance of high-level athletes through providing meaningful research and direct coaching.After completing a degree in psychological sciences, I realised that my passion and strengths would be serve me in exercise physiology and applied strength and conditioning. These transferable skills include:Communication. In the applied setting, understanding how to communicate with clients, patients and athletes is critical to gaining compliance and maximising adherence. As a personal trainer, I have been able to leverage this to motivated clients and achieve consistent training processes.Analytical ability and critical thinking. In both research and applied settings, the ability to identify, frame and address problems in critical. My ability to analyse a situation and identify key contextual factors has allowed me to identify barriers to performance within sporting teams and for individual athletes.Diverse knowledge base and interests. Within the field of sports physiology and science, the tendency to silo disciplines has been a significant limitation. What is needed to translate theory to practice is a multidisciplinary approach to address the complex systems that we face in high-level sports and clinical settings. With education in nutrition, psychology and avid interests in biomechanics, skill acquisition and rehabilitation, I have been able to integrate myself within a team to help see that the whole is more than the sum of the parts.