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		"Spring has Sprung" Sale! Save 20% on ALL Correspondence Programs Home 2010 Schedule About Us ACE Personal Trainer Exam Prep Administration Baby Boomer Fitness Boot Camp Correspondence Courses Exercise & Chronic Health Conditions Fitness Conferences Home Study Programs Online Specials Webinars Shopping Cart	FitBits Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research March 15, 2009 Compiled by Chris Marino, MS, CSCS Director of Education, Exercise ETC "Spring has Sprung" Sale! Save 20% on ALL Correspondence Programs Visit: http://exerciseetc.com/edu.html Use coupon code 4460 at checkout Strength Training for Your Breathing Muscles Commercially available respiratory muscle training (RMT) devices claim to improve performance. The devices require the user to inhale through a valve that applies resistance to airflow. The valves can typically be progressively tightened to increase the challenge. Although there has been support for their use in endurance sports, researchers at Middle Tennessee State University recently studied their effect on intermittent performance. Twenty-seven college soccer players participated in either respiratory muscle training or maintained their regular training program. A RMT device was used 10 times weekly for 30 repetitions each session. Intermittent recovery and dyspnea were evaluated at baseline and 5 weeks. Respiratory muscle fatigue was assessed both at 2 and 10 minutes following the Intermittent Recovery Test (IRT) Respiratory muscle strength increased nearly 20% in the training group, with no reported change amongst controls. Performance was significantly better during post-testing amongst the resistance training group, but not controls. Respiratory muscle fatigue and dyspnea went unchanged following the intervention. Intermittent performance, which is the alternation of very high intensity efforts with recovery periods, is more specific to most team sports in addition to individual sports such as tennis. This study has opened up the potential for natural performance enhancement to a greater number of athletes. Nicks, C.R., et al (2009) The Influence of Respiratory Muscle Training upon Intermittent Exercise Performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 30: 16-21. Amy Norton. Workout for breathing muscles may aid some athletes. Reuters Health. February 27, 2009 Strength Training Ankles Improves Function in Older Adults Balance and mobility are two factors that contribute to quality of life in the elderly by enhancing functional capacity. Solutions to poor balance and mobility can result in greater independence and present cost-savings to both individuals and institutions. Strength training may be that solution. Researchers in Portugal recently studied the effects of resistance band exercise on strength of the ankles and balance in the elderly. Forty-eight elderly participants were divided into either strength training or control groups. Dorsi- and plantar-flexion strength was assessed at baseline along with measures of balance and functional mobility. The balance test assessed the distance the participant could reach forward with the feet stationary. The functional mobility tested the time required to stand up from a chair, walk three meters out and back and return to the seated position. The strength-training group participated in three weekly sessions during which resistance bands were used to train the ankle flexors. The sessions included a five-minute warm-up and cool-down along with 5 minutes of ankle strengthening. Participants were reassessed after 6-weeks. The strength-training group improved maximal isometric dorsi-flexion and plantar-flexion by 50% and 35%, respectively. Balance improved by more than 50% and functional mobility increased by 40%. No changes were found in controls. Improvements in balance, mobility and strength can improve both quality of life and prevent falls amongst the elderly and promote cost reductions to institutions. This study indicates that specific strength training can be a cost-effective solution to a common impairment. Ribeiro, F., et al (2009) Impact of low cost strength training of dorsi- and plantar-flexors on balance and functional mobility in institutionalized elderly people. Geriatrics and Gerontology International. Preventing Patellofemoral Pain in Female Runners Patellofemoral Pain or PFP, described as peri-patellar or sub-patellar pain, is the most common form of knee pain in runners. Many factors contribute to the development of PFP including weak and inflexible quadriceps, fascial restrictions, and poor lower extremity kinematics. In this case, kinematics refers to the relationship of the foot/ankle, knee and hip during the various phases of running. Researchers speculate lower extremity kinematics is responsible for the increased frequency of PFP suffered by women. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers at the University of California reported that increased hip internal rotation is the primary contributor to varied kinematics in women with PFP. Thirty-eight women, half of whom presented with patellofemoral pain, participated in the study. Researchers assessed lower extremity kinematics during running, and performance of the hip muscles in 10 strength tests. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was used to classify the femoral structure for comparison. As expected, those participants with PFP demonstrated greater hip internal rotation on average. Moreover, women with PFP had weaker hip muscles in 8 of the 10 strength tests and greater femoral inclination compared to controls. In this study, the only factor that was predictive of increased hip internal rotation was hip extension endurance. Femoral structure was not linked to increased PFP. Based on these results it would be pertinent to evaluate hip strength in all three planes of motion and to develop strategies to improve hip muscle balance to prevent PFP in female runners. Additionally, professional treatment should involve evaluation of lower extremity kinematics and steps taken to minimize hip internal rotation during running. Souza. R.B., and Powers, C. M. (2009) Predictors of Hip Internal Rotation during Running: An Evaluation of Hip Strength and Femoral Structure in Women with and Without Patellofemoral Pain. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 37:579-587 Do You Really Want Fries or Chips with That? Potato chips and French fries have become a staple of the American diet. Unfortunately, the process by which potatoes are cooked into chips or fries alters their chemical structure and makes ingestion, especially in excess, dangerous. One chemical recently found in French fries that has garnished increasing attention is acrylamide. Acrylamide is a potentially toxic chemical that forms when certain carbohydrate-rich foods (potatoes, breads and cereals in particular) are fried, baked or roasted at high temperatures. Just last month Health Canada recommended that acrylamide be placed on the toxic substances list. Although previous research has found high doses of acrylamide can cause cancer in rats, the risk to human health is relatively unknown. In a recent study, researchers in Poland assessed the relationship between potato chips (known to contain acrylamide) with oxidative stress and inflammation. Fourteen men and women ingested 160 g of potato chips containing 157-mg acrylamide daily for 4 weeks. Researchers evaluated free radical production and C-reactive protein in addition to other less known markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Researchers noted a distinct increase in the number of acrylamide-hemoglobin adducts. An "adduct" is the combination of two or more different molecules. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule that delivers oxygen to the body. An increase in acrylamide-hemoglobin adducts indicates increased toxicity in the blood. Moreover, significant elevation in all markers of oxidative stress and inflammation were found after 4 weeks. Increases in inflammation are thought to result in the enhanced progression of atherosclerosis, in addition to many other diseases and disorders. It appears that reducing consumption of fries and chips can do more than reduce your waistline. It might save your life! Naruszewicz, M., et al (2009) Chronic intake of potato chips in humans increases the production of reactive oxygen radicals by leukocytes and increases plasma C-reactive protein: a pilot study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89 (3): 773-777. It's Our "Spring has Sprung" Correspondence Course Sale! Now Through March 22: Save 20% on ALL Correspondence Courses… including sale items! For a listing of ALL our programs, visit: http://exerciseetc.com/edu.html For a listing of our SALE programs, visit: http://exerciseetc.com/specials.html *Use coupon code 4460 at checkout* To unsubscribe or change your options, scroll to the bottom of this newsletter and click on the link. © 2010 Exercise ETC Inc. 1881 NE 26 Street # 202 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33305 (p) 800-244-1344 (f) 954-566-3937 info@exerciseetc.com