Exercise Science Commons^™

You’Re Too Slow! Self-Selected Volitional Efforts Reveal Unexploited Neuromuscular Reserve Capacity Compared To Maximal Efforts During Fatiguing, Load Equated Resistance Exercise, Brian Benitez

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

This investigation examined how movement intent influences neuromuscular excitation strategies during fatiguing resistance exercise, comparing maximal intended concentric efforts versus self-selected volitional efforts during load-equated Smith machine back squat exercise to quantify reserve capacity and characterize underlying neuromuscular mechanisms. Twenty-three resistance-trained participants (12 males, 11 females) completed a repeated-measures design, with replication, across six visits, performing smith machine back squat repetitions-to-failure at 70% 1RM under maximal intent (accelerate rapidly) and volitional intent (self-selected effort) conditions. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions used rapid (instantaneous 10-second effort) and ramp (5-second build-up, 5-second maximal) protocols. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded from vastus lateralis and …

Gene Expression In Relation To Bone Fractures In Throughbred Racehorses, Anna M. Rauber-Ramos

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Evidence that fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses are outcomes of chronic bone microdamage has led to extensive research into identifying horses at increased risk of fracture. This includes the use of biomarkers and messenger RNA (mRNA) as a measure of bone turnover. Previous research has found expression differences in horses with fractures compared to controls. Utilizing pre-race whole blood samples collected over an 18-month period from Thoroughbred racehorses in Southern California, RNA-sequencing was conducted on horses with bone fractures and race-matched controls to identify differences in gene expression. Focusing on third metacarpal (MC3) and proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures, differentially expressed …

International Society Of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyrate (Hmb), John A. Rathmacher, Lisa M. Pitchford, Jeffrey R. Stout, Jeremy R. Townsend, Ralf Jäger, Richard B. Kreider, Bill I. Campbell, Chad M. Kerksick, Patrick S. Harty, Darren G. Candow, Brandon M. Roberts, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak, Douglas S. Kalman, Jose Antonio

Faculty Publications

Position Statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) bases the following position stand on an analysis of the literature regarding the effects of β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate (HMB). The following 12 points have been approved by the Research Committee of the Society: 1. HMB is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine that is naturally produced in both humans and other animals. Two forms of HMB have been studied: Calcium HMB (HMB-Ca) and a free acid form of HMB (HMB-FA). HMB-FA appears to lead to increased appearance of HMB in the bloodstream when compared to HMB-Ca, though recent results are mixed. 2. …

Menstrual Cycle Phase Effects On Exercise Thermoregulation And Performance In The Heat, Kailei J. Eustis

All Master's Theses

Hormone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle (MC) may influence physiological responses. This study examined whether thermoregulatory measures differ across MC phases, and if these changes impact running performance in the heat. Ten eumenorrheic adults completed two treadmill runs in simulated conditions (wet bulb globe temperature 31.7 ± 1.4°C) during early follicular (EF) and midluteal (ML) phases. First 45min was a constant self-selected light pace followed by a 15min performance test for distance. Core temperature (Tc), mean skin temperature (Ts), heart rate (HR), perceived exertion (RPE), thermal perception (THERM), and comfort perception (COMF) were assessed every 5min. Sweat perception (SP), sweat …

Evaluation And Treatment Of Baseball Pitchers: There’S More To Assess Than The Arm, Matthew L. Gauthier, Casey A. Unverzagt, George J. Davies

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Injuries are commonplace in the overhead athlete, with many occurring to the shoulder and elbow. The increasing prevalence of injuries to the shoulder and elbow has been discussed at length in recent years, with increased research focus being placed on arm care for rehabilitation and prevention strategies. Even though the pitching motion is well-established as a whole-body kinetic chain movement, most attention in rehabilitation and prevention efforts is often placed on the upper extremity. The purpose of this clinical commentary is to highlight the impact the lower extremity and trunk have on the upper extremity during the throwing motion, better …

Canine Agility On The A-Frame Obstacle, Derek Wheeler

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Agility dogs rely on speed, strength, and precision to safely complete obstacles, such as the A-frame. These athletes can experience injuries in training or competition and the variability in multiple repetitions is undocumented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether canine mass and trained contact behavior affected performance variables, including number of footfalls, obstacle completion time, and velocity between repetitions. Twenty-one actively competing dogs, at the masters level in American Kennel Club agility, were recorded completing two repetitions of the A-frame under standardized conditions. Paw placements were tracked manually frame by frame in XMALab and statistical analyses including …

Hip Strengthening In Female Collegiate Soccer Players: Effects Of Gluteus Medius Strengthening On Biodex Balance Scores, Caitlin Bruni, Morgan Shansky

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of gluteus medius (Gmed) strengthening program on single leg stability in collegiate female soccer players. Given the role of Gmed in stabilizing the hip, improving its strength may reduce lower extremity injury risk. Weakness in Gmed has been linked to conditions such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears and Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). This study investigates whether an 8-week strength program improves single-leg stability, measured using the Biodex Balance System. Thirty-three female soccer players (18-23 years) from The University of Akron were recruited, with 22 completing the study. Participants underwent …

Review Of Research On Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (Red-S), Paige Mcmaster

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following research article review serves to summarize and evaluate peer-reviewed research articles on the topic of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). The paper will cover RED-S's effect on males versus females, endurance athletes versus non-endurance athletes, recreational athletes versus competitive athletes, and different age groups. Methodology includes strategically reviewing current literature and providing common themes or key points. The goal is to effectively summarize the subject of RED-S, provide in-depth understanding of the condition, and establish the need for education to prevent or reduce the incidence of RED-S.

Enhancing Health And Wellness In Female University Students: A Study On The Impact Of Self-Monitoring, Goal Setting, And Feedback, Halle Landies

Masters Essays

Incorporating exercise into daily routines helps female university students navigate the challenges of university life, promotes long-term health, and fosters a balanced and productive lifestyle (Kohl, 2013). This study aims to expand the research on applied behavior analysis by examining the effectiveness of self-monitoring, goal setting, and feedback in helping female students achieve daily goals related to step count, exercise, distance walked, etc.. Using a changing criterion design, participants recorded data via an Apple Watch, with the intervention's effectiveness evaluated weekly over a six-week period.

Patient Handling Interventions And Their Role In Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Healthcare Workers, Ashley L. Hawke

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prominent among healthcare professionals, especially those who perform manual patient handling tasks. Assistive devices (e.g., slider sheet, gait belt, mechanical lift) have been used for patient handling. However, the effectiveness of these devices in reducing MSD risk factors is varied. Additionally, the relationship between healthcare workers’ acceptability of patient handling devices and organizational policies that facilitate or hinder widespread implementation is not well understood. The goal of my dissertation was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of existing patient handling devices and their role in mitigating MSD risk among healthcare workers. For Study 1, I conducted a …

Using Accelerometry To Determine Loss Of Active Eccentric Control During The Nordic Hamstring Exercise, Makenna Kulzer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Hamstring strain injuries are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries in sports with high recurrence rates. The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) is a commonly used eccentric exercise intervention to reduce injury risk but has generated controversy regarding its utility due to limited sport specificity. Research examining how NHE performance affects its efficacy remains scarce. Therefore, this study investigated whether accelerometry data could describe the loss of active eccentric control (Q2) and if there is an interaction between leg preference and repetition on time to Q2. METHODS: Thirty college-aged students with >3 months of resistance training experience (1-2x/week). were recruited. Participants …

Association Between The Intensity Of Exercise In The First Trimester And Early Second Trimester And The Risk Of Gestational Diabetes, Takaki Tanamoto, Misa Hayasaka, Tetsuya Kawakita

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

Although some studies show that exercise decreases the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the optimal exercise intensity during pregnancy remains unclear. We examined GDM risk according to exercise intensity in pregnant individuals.

Methods

We analyzed data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers‐to‐Be (nuMoM2b), a prospective study enrolling nulliparous individuals in the first trimester. Participants with pregestational diabetes or delivery before 20 weeks were excluded. Exercise intensity during the first (6–13 weeks’ gestation) and early second (16–21 weeks’ gestation) trimesters was categorized by metabolic equivalent of task hours per week (MET‐hr/week) as none, low intensity (< 7.5), moderate intensity (7.5–14.9), or high intensity (≥ 15). The primary outcome was GDM; secondary outcomes included preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, preterm birth, small‐for‐gestational‐age birth, and stillbirth. Adjusted relative risks (aRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a generalized linear mixed‐effects model with a Poisson distribution and robust error variance, controlling for the random effects of individuals and potential confounders.

Results …

"On The Mat They Will Get Treated The Same": Male High School Wrestlers' Attitudes Towards Female Opponents, Emily Ann Kaht

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Wrestling has historically been considered a male sport. Until recently, so few girls wrestled that those who did had no choice but to take on male opponents. Media reports and the literature indicate that those girls faced a wide range of attitudes from their opponents. While some women reported feeling supported by their male teammates, others reported hostility. Some stakeholders have, in the past, argued that wrestling is inherently unsuitable for girls, and some girls had trouble securing matches due to widespread refusal of boys to wrestle against them. Reasons given for boys forfeiting against girls have included a fear …

College Athlete Workload Management To Improve Performance, Brody Reid

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Load management is an often used and misunderstood term within the realm of sport science. It has been described as the reason behind numerous soft tissue injuries as well as being the reason star athletes sit on the bench for games. This review aims to synthesize the existing literature regarding the workload management paradox within sport. Seminal work in this topic has been gathered mostly by Tim Gabbett in the paper “The Injury Prevention Paradox” where a relationship between fitness gain and fatigue accrued is outlined. This theory was first proposed by Roger Bannister in 1975. This paper …

Utilization Of Sprint Interval Training In Intermittent Sports, Marcus David Garcia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sprint interval training (SIT) is a powerful training method that involves short, maximal sprint efforts followed by brief recovery periods. This modality shares similar physical demands of intermittent sports, where athletes repeatedly transition between maximal exertion and submaximal efforts or rest. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of SIT on key performance metrics in intermittent sports, such as sprint speed, repeated sprint ability (RSA), aerobic capacity, and anaerobic power. SIT not only enhances anaerobic performance but also promotes adaptations like faster phosphocreatine resynthesis, increased glycolytic enzyme activity, and shifts in muscle fiber composition. These adaptations contribute …

Variations Of Hex Bar Deadlifts On Post-Activation Performance Enhancement In Collegiate Baseball Athletes, Samuel Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Single-session resistance priming protocols are used by strength and conditioning coaches to acutely improve neuromuscular mechanisms that are beneficial to athletic performance. This study aimed to examine if a concentric-only hex bar deadlift (CHBDL) would produce a similar post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) effect as a full-range-of-motion hex bar deadlift (THBDL) and mitigate perceived measures of fatigue and soreness in collegiate athletes. 19 NCAA Division I baseball athletes completed the study. A repeated measures design with randomized assignment and counterbalanced order was utilized. Over two weeks, the CHBDL and THBDL were added into a typical priming protocol used by the team’s …

Pregnant Adults' Interest In Physical And Mental Health Behavior Change Interventions Using Mobile Technology, Natalie M. Yarish, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Alicia Moulder, Meredith I. Turner, Danielle Symons Downs, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

Improving the health and well-being of pregnant adults is an important public health priority in the USA, and mobile health (mHealth) interventions may provide a scalable strategy to disseminate behavior change programs to pregnant adults. This study assessed pregnant people’s use of mobile technology, interest in making health behavior changes during and after pregnancy, and their willingness to use mHealth interventions. Participants were 133 pregnant adults (M_age = 27.86; 81% White) living across the USA recruited from social media to complete an online survey. Measures assessed mobile technology use and beliefs about improving mental/physical health in pregnancy and postpartum …

Associations Of Different Types Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior With Self-Rated Health In Children And Adolescents: A Systematic Review Of Research From 2010 To 2024, Yahan Liang, Xihe Zhu, Ji-Hye Yang, Fei Wang, Danqing Zhang, Xingyi Yang, Sitong Chen, Yang Liu

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the common measures to evaluate individuals’ overall health. Many studies have explored the associations between different types of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and SRH in children and adolescents. These studies report inconsistent findings and sometimes highlight gender differences. This systematic review aims to synthesize findings to provide a comprehensive evaluation of these associations.

Development Of A Personalized Conversational Health Agent To Enhance Physical Activity For Blind And Low-Vision Individuals, Soyoung Choi, Jooyoung Seo, Ashwath Krishnan, Sanchita Kamath, Justin Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: With the advancements in mobile health (mHealth) technologies, sighted individuals can benefit from mobile apps and wearable devices to more easily manage their physical activity (PA) and wellness data through intuitive touch gestures and effective data visualizations. However, for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, these conventional interaction methods are often challenging, not only limiting their ability to use these technologies but also potentially diminishing their motivation to adopt them to support health-promoting behaviors. We aimed to develop a health monitoring application called Personalized and Conversational Health Agent (PCHA) that supports BLV individuals with self-monitoring and management of their PA …

Comparative Effectiveness Of High-Intensity Interval Training And Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training On Cardiometabolic Health In Patients With Diabesity: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna, Eric Tsz-Chun Poon, Barry A. Franklin, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, John A. Hawley, John M. Jakicic, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Jonathan P. Little, Linda S. Pescatello, Deborah Riebe, Walter R. Thompon, James S. Skinner, Sheri R. Colberg, Jonathan K. Ehrman, George S. Metsios, Helen T. Douda, Norsuhana Omar, Abdullah F. Alghannam, Alexios Batrakoulis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Objective

To evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cardiometabolic health-related outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and concurrent overweight/obesity (diabesity).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Data sources

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception up to January 31, 2025.

Eligibility criteria for selected studies

RCTs comparing HIIT alone ≥ 2 weeks in duration with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Participants were adults with diabesity.

Results

A total of 26 RCTs qualified, involving 790 patients (50/50 female/male ratio; age: 59.8 ± 12.9 …