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Bilde av Byrkjedal, Per Thomas
Bilde av Byrkjedal, Per Thomas
Assistant Professor School of sport sciences per.t.byrkjedal@uit.no Alta You can find me here

Per Thomas Byrkjedal

Job description

Per Thomas Byrkjedal is an Assistant Professor (Universitetslektor) at the School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, campus Tromsø. He earned his PhD at the University of Agder (UiA) in 2024 with the dissertation “Physical fitness and external load in ice-hockey and football”. Byrkjedal holds earlier degrees in sport science from UiA. His academic profile is in exercise physiology and performance analysis in team sports.

  • Aron Gauti Laxdal, Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Andreas Ivarsson, Ólafur Sigurgeirsson, Tommy Haugen :
    Fact or Fiction? Examining the Veracity of Common Myths Related to 7-meter Throws in Handball
    The Journal of Human Kinetics 23. September 2025 DOI
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Thomas Bjørnsen, Live Steinnes Luteberget, Andreas Ivarsson, Matthew Spencer :
    Assessing the individual relationships between physical test improvements and external load match parameters in male professional football players—a brief report
    Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2024 DOI / ARKIV
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Atle Thunshelle, Matthew Spencer, Live Steinnes Luteberget, Andreas Ivarsson, Fredrik Tonstad Vårvik et al.:
    In-season autoregulation of one weekly strength training session maintains physical and external load match performance in professional male football players
    Journal of Sports Sciences 2023 DOI / ARKIV
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Thomas Bjørnsen, Live Luteberget, Kolbjørn Andreas Lindberg, Andreas Ivarsson, Eirik Haukali et al.:
    Association Between Physical Performance Tests and External Load During Scrimmages in Highly Trained Youth Ice Hockey Players
    International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance (IJSPP) 2023 DOI / ARKIV
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Live Luteberget, Thomas Bjørnsen, Andreas Ivarsson, Matthew Spencer :
    Simulated Game-Based Ice Hockey Match Design (Scrimmage) Elicits Greater Intensity in External Load Parameters Compared With Official Matches
    Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2022 DOI / ARKIV
  • Nicki Winfield Almquist, Ine Løvlien, Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Matthew Spencer, Morten Kristoffersen, Knut Skovereng et al.:
    Effects of Including Sprints in One Weekly Low-Intensity Training Session During the Transition Period of Elite Cyclists
    Frontiers in Physiology 2020 DOI / ARKIV
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Vitensporten: Med data skal serien vinnes
    Fædrelandsvennen 2024
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Martin Kjeøen Erikstad, Bjørn Tore Johansen :
    A successful first season implementation of VAR in Football: The Norwegian story
    2024
  • Matthew Spencer, Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Association between body composition and external load data variables in male professional football matches – a case study
    2024
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Physical fitness and external load in icehockey and football An exploration of the relationships between physical test performance and external training and match load in highly trained players
    Universitetet i Agder 2024 ARKIV
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Vintertrening og forberedelser mot neste sesong
    2023
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Fysisk trening og testing for dommere
    2023
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Bjørn Tore Johansen :
    Vi er forberedt – er du?
    2023 FULLTEKST
  • Matthew Spencer, Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Live Steinnes Luteberget, Andreas Ivarsson, Thomas Bjørnsen :
    Assessing the individual relationship between physical fitness improvements and external load match performance in male professional football players – a case study
    2023
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Atle Thunshelle, Matthew Spencer, Live Steinnes Luteberget, Andreas Ivarsson, Fredrik Tonstad Vårvik et al.:
    In-season autoregulation of one weekly strength training session maintains physical performance in professional male football players
    2023
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Thomas Bjørnsen, Live Steinnes Luteberget, Kolbjørn Andreas Lindberg, Andreas Ivarsson, Eirik Haukali et al.:
    Relationship between external load from simulated ice-hockey games and physical test performance
    2022
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Har forsket på Oilers
    Rogalands Avis 2022
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Forskning på Ishockey
    2022
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Har forsket på Oilers
    30. September 2022 FULLTEKST
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Forskning på ishockey
    Dagsavisen 2022 FULLTEKST
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Er de sterkeste og raskeste hockeyspillerne også de beste på isen?
    2022 FULLTEKST
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hva gjør alle kampene med stjernespillernes kropper?
    26. July 2021
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hva gjør alle kampene med stjernespillernes kropper?
    26. July 2021
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hva gjør alle kampene med stjernespillernes kropper?
    26. July 2021
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hva gjør alle kampene med stjernespillernes kropper?
    26. July 2021
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hva gjør alle kampene med stjernespillernes kropper?
    25. July 2021
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal, Thomas Birkedal Stenqvist, Monica Klungland Torstveit, Kristina Bergsvik, Matthew Spencer :
    No effect of a three-week post-season transition period on markers of RED-S in highly-trained male cyclists
    2020
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hvorfor løper fotball­spil­lere rundt med en sports-bh? Og hvorfor bruker norske klubber flere millioner kroner på det? Utstyret gir enorme mengder informasjon, men blir kjøpt inn og tatt i bruk uten systematisk testing.
    22. June 2020 FULLTEKST
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Kroppsskanning og lasermåling. Nytt samarbeid skal hjelpe Start på et viktig område.
    03. September 2020
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    Hvorfor løper fotballspillere rundt med en sport-bh? Og hvorfor bruker norske klubber flere millioner kroner på det? KRONIKK: Utstyret gir enorme mengder informasjon, men blir kjøpt inn og tatt i bruk uten systematisk testing.
    16. June 2020 FULLTEKST
  • Per Thomas Byrkjedal :
    UiA-forskar sparkar i gang samspel med Start
    04. September 2020
  • Hilde Lohne-Seiler, Monica Klungland Torstveit, Bjørn Tore Johansen, Andreas Pedersen, Trine Brynjulfsen, Per Thomas Byrkjedal et al.:
    FROM UNTRAINED 55+ TO A TRIATHLETE. A PILOT STUDY.
    2020

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    Research interests

    My research interests are primarily centered around team sports and physical performance, with a special focus on external load monitoring – often referred to as "GPS tracking" or local positioning systems (LPS). I am particularly interested in how physical capacities relate to in-game performance and how we can tailor training based on detailed load data to improve athlete development.

    In my work, I have examined how various physical tests – such as sprinting, strength, jump height and endurance – correlate with match load and performance in football and ice hockey. By using tracking technology, I analyze external load variables like accelerations, sprint distance and intensity, and relate them to lab-based fitness measures and player roles.

    My main research areas include:

    • Physical training and performance development in team sports
    • External load monitoring using GPS and LPS technologies
    • Relationships between fitness and match demands
    • Training individualization and recovery in elite sport
    ResearchGate
    ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8537-9758
    MH øst Kontor


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