Martin Sénéchal

Biography

Dr. Sénéchal did a bachelor and a master in kinesiology from University of Sherbrooke. He did his Ph.D. in gerontology investigating the impact of muscle strength on cardiometabolic health of obese individuals. Dr. Sénéchal did a first postdoctoral fellowship at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) in Louisiana. His second postdoctoral fellowship was performed at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) in Winnipeg, where he spent three years.

Dr. Sénéchal is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton and a Certified Exercise Physiologist from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP-CEP). He joined the Faculty of Kinesiology July 1st 2015 and teaches Pediatric Exercise Science, Physical Activity & Public Health, and Exercise Physiology.

Dr. Sénéchal’s research focuses on the impact of physical activity and exercise training on cardiometabolic health in individuals living with obesity or type 2 diabetes. His program includes three main pillars: (1) investigating why some individuals respond positively to exercise while others do not, with the goal of identifying predictors such as blood biomarkers of exercise response; (2) exploring how to optimize exercise response through innovative exercise interventions or modifications of exercise parameters, aiming to better to better manage obesity, type 2 diabetes and reduce complications; and (3) identifying mechanisms that enhance individual responses to exercise.

Current research studies

• Understanding the GUT Microbiome Through a Fitness Intervention of Aerobic and Resistance Training for Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (GUTFIT Study).
• Testing the feasibility of BloOd flOw reStriction Training to enhance the HEALTH benefits of exercise in individuals with type 2 diabetes (BOOST-HEALTH Trial).
• Maximizing Your Research in Obesity, cArdiometabolic health and Diabetes (MyROaD).
• Comparing Lactate Elimination and Accumulation across Recovery intervals in highly trained female and male endurance runners (The CLEAR Study).

Selected peered-review publications (* students):

Thomson, A.M.*, Paudel, Y. *, Rioux, B.V.*, Peskett, L.*, Hrubeniuk, T.J.*, Sénéchal, M. The Impact of Aerobic Exercise on Irisin Levels in Individuals with Different T2DM Durations. (Applied Physiology Nutrition & Metabolism, 2025 Jun 1:50:1-11.

Arnason J.K.*, Thomson A.M.*, Peskett L.E.*, Nankievill D.*, Bouchard D.R., Sénéchal M. Age-Related Differences in Adaptations of Lean Body Mass, Muscle Strength, and Performance Following 6 Weeks of Blood Flow Restriction Training in Young and Older Adults. (J Frailty Sarcopenia Falls. 2025 Mar 1;10(1):37-47.)

Thomson A.M., Cull IC., Peskett L.E., Bouchard DR., Sénéchal M. The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Duration on Physical Functioning, Frailty Status, and Glycemia in Older Adults After 16 Weeks of Resistance Training: Results from the Band-Frail Study (Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 2025 Mar;49(2):95-103.e3)

Rioux BV.*, Paudel Y. *, Thomson AM. *, Peskett L.E. *, Sénéchal M. An Examination of Exercise Intensity and its Impact on the Acute Release of Irisin Across Obesity Status: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial. (Applied Physiology Nutrition & Metabolism, 2024 Dec 1;49(12):1712-1728.)

Peskett L. E.*, Thomson A.M.*, Arnason J.*, Paudel Y.*, Sénéchal M. Impact of Early and Late Morning Blood Flow Restriction Training on Body Composition and Skeletal Muscle Performance in Older Inactive Adults (Translational Exercise Biomedicine, vol. 2, no. 1, 2025, pp. 41-50.)

Thomson A.M.*, Rioux BV.*, Hrubeniuk T.J.*, Bouchard DR. Sénéchal M. Does Type 2 Diabetes Duration Influences the Effectiveness of Aerobic Exercise Training in adults: Results from the INTENSITY Study. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0304341.

Hrubeniuk T*., Bouchard D.R., Gurd B.J., & Sénéchal M. The Impact of Increasing Aerobic Exercise Intensity in Individuals with Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus to Rescue Exercise Non-Responders: A Double Blinded Randomized Exercise Trial. (Journal of Applied Physiology Nutrition & Metabolism 49(6): 792-804.)