Nathan Dicks

Assistant Professor

Faculty

Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences

Dr. Nate Dicks is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences at North Dakota State University. His teaching and research focus on applied human performance, integrating exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, and tactical readiness across athletic and occupational populations.

Areas of Study & Research

  • Critical Power, Critical Speed, and Fatigue Modeling
  • Load Carriage and Tactical Performance
  • Endurance Training, Interval Methods, and Athlete Monitoring
  • First Responder Health, Fitness, and Readiness
  • Body Composition and Occupational Task Performance
  • Testing and Prescription Pedagogy in Graduate Education
  • Exercise Motivation and Behavioral Regulation

Courses Taught

  • HNES 472: Exercise Assessment and Prescription
  • HNES 476: Exercise Testing Laboratory
  • HNES 761: Physiological and Fitness Assessment in Exercise Science
  • HNES 764: Advanced Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology

Education

  • Ph.D., Exercise Science and Nutrition, North Dakota State University
  • M.S.S., Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College
  • M.S., Exercise Physiology, Minnesota State University, Mankato
  • M.A., Business and Organizational Security Management, Webster University
  • Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, National Strength and Conditioning Association
  • Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator, National Strength and Conditioning Association

Publications

Dicks, N. D., Phuaklee, P., Ketterling, J. J., & Pettitt, R. W. (2025). Evaluating High-Intensity Interval-Training Validity Using Critical Power in Rowing. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance (published online ahead of print)

Dicks, N.D., Mahoney, S.J., Barry, A.M., Christensen, B.K., Pettitt, R.W., & Hackney, K.J. (2025). The Impact of Critical Speed and Lean Body Mass on Load Carriage Performance for Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadets, Military Medicine, Volume 190, Issue 9-10, September/October, p. e1799–e1805

Shoemaker, M. E., Dicks, N. D., Northrup, M. J., Daughters, S. W., Krings, T. N., & Barry, A. M. (2024). Evaluation of Nutrition and Performance Parameters in Division 1 Collegiate Athletes. Nutrients, 16(12), 1896.

Brin, H.N., Sigmund, B.G., Dicks, N.D., DeShaw, K.J., Walch, T.J., Carper, M.J., Barry, A.M. (2024). The Effects of High-Intensity Functional Training on the Perceptions of Exercise in Middle-Aged Females: A Pilot Study. Int J Exerc Sci. Dec 1;17(5):1392-1405.

Dicks N.D., Shoemaker M.E., DeShaw K.J., Carper M.J., Hackney K.J., Barry A.M. (2023). Contributions from incumbent police officers' physical activity and body composition to occupational assessment performance. Front Public Health. Jun 21; 11:1217187.

Dicks, N.D., Brin H.N., Perumal, M.D., Hutcheson, E.L., Kopp, S.R., Walch, T.J., Carper, M.J., Barry, A.M. (2023). Customized Occupational-Specific Graded Exercise Test for Structural Firefighters: An Update. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 65(1): p. 29-33.