FitBits
December 15, 2003

Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research.
Compiled by
Irv Rubenstein, Ph D, CSCS

Los Angeles
Fitness Conference
February 7 & 8

Our annual Los Angeles Fitness Conference is scheduled for February 7 & 8 at the Sheraton Suites Hotel at Los Angeles Airport. We’ve got a great selection of new programs and old favorites this year, and you can earn up to 1.6 / 16.0 CEs in one weekend for as low as $189.00. CEs are accepted by ACE, AEA, AFAA, ACSM, CSCS, ISSA, IFPA, NASM, NSCA, NATA, SFA, WITS and many more. For details, check our web site www.exerciseetc.com or call us at 1-800-244-1344.

Winter, 2004
“Children’s Fitness” Schedule

Our popular “Exercise for Children and Adolescents” program is expanding this Winter! This innovative 2-day program will teach you how to design and implement exercise programs for babies, adolescents, young athletes and everyone in between. We’ll be offering this program this winter in:

• Baltimore
• Ft. Lauderdale
• Minneapolis
• Phoenix
• San Francisco
• St. Louis
• Syracuse

For details, check our web site www.exerciseetc.com or call us at 1-800-244-1344.

For more information on Exercise ETC,
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More Support for Creatine

Creatine monohydrate may be the only non-steroidal supplement with sufficient evidence to support its use in resistance training. It has been demonstrated to increase muscle creatine, phosphocreatine and total creatine. Studies have shown that the variable response to supplementation may be related to the initial concentrations of creatine within the muscle. This study investigated the effect of supplementation on change in muscle total creatine, muscle fiber cross sectional area, body composition, hydration status, and strength improvement in vegetarians (V) and non-vegetarians (NV).

There were 19 vegetarians and 30 non-vegetarians in the study. Some took creatine, others took a placebo. They were supplemented based on a 0.25g dose per Kg of muscle mass. They all did an 8-week, 3 day per week, whole-body split routine at 70% of 1RM. As expected, the vegetarian group increased creatine, total creatine, lean body mass, and total work output more than any other group, probably because they started with the lowest concentrations of creatine. Also, total body water increased for those taking creatine and was proportionate to the increase in muscle mass. Finally, those on creatine increased Type II fiber area by 28% vs. 9% for those on placebo.

Commentary: The science of creatine supplementation continues to focus on its utility. Since it seems as though creatine supplementation will best serve those who have the lowest initial values, it seems as though red meat eaters should not expect as dramatic results from supplementation as those who refrain from meats. This presents another possibility: that a healthy diet, low in red meat, can sustain a resistance training program but that supplementation of Cr may need to be added to that of certain minerals (iron) and vitamins (B-12).

D.G. Burke et al. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 35(11):1946-1995, 2003

Neuromuscular Deficits
Pre-dispose Female Athletes
to ACL Injuries

The high rate of ACL injuries among female athletes continues to perplex researchers. Since females in any given sport suffer from ACL injuries at 4 to 8 times the rate of males, the question is whether the injury rate is due to biomechanical or anatomical differences. The purpose of this study was to determine whether female basketball players land from a jump with more valgus (knee bends inward) knee motion (resulting from ligament dominance) and greater leg strength disparities than do men.

This study compared 47 high school age females to 34 male high school athletes. The researchers discovered that females tend to land from a jump with more valgus knee motion than do males. This valgus position can be due to ligament dominance, which females display more frequently than men when jumping and landing. In addition, females had greater side-to-side valgus differences with the dominant leg demonstrating greater valgus landing motion.

This study suggests that females place more load on their dominant leg during two-legged landings. Females also display greater quadriceps dominance and hamstring dysfunction. This is considered to be a neuro-muscular deficit that predisposes them to ACL injuries. Preventive studies have shown benefits when neuromuscular conditioning, vs. simple strength conditioning, was done.

Commentary: Study after study seems to confirm that, since we can’t change their anatomy fitness training for female athletes whose sports are high risk for ACL injuries should focus on neuromuscular function ,as well as strength training.

K.R. Ford et al. Valgus knee motion during landing in high school female and male basketball players. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 35(10):1745-1750, 2003

For more information on Exercise ETC, our programs and materials, visit our web site at
www.exerciseetc.com

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