By Sang Hwan Kim, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD, Suzanne Schneider, PhD
Pranayama Breathing
Pranayama (abdominal or diaphragmatic) breathing has been shown to improve immune function, hypertension, asthma, autonomic nervous system imba...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
One variable of interest in Paoli and colleagues’ study was excess postexercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. This represents the oxygen consumption, or energy expenditur...
By Colin Carriker, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
By Roger Vaughan, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise professionals devote fervent attention to learning the intricate mechanisms of muscle actions and understanding how the contractile proteins (such as myosin and actin...
By Micah Zuhl, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Before we can compare HIIT and continuous endurance training, it’s important to review how the body’s cardiovascular system adapts to an aerobic workout. During ae...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Issues such as the poor economy and smaller work forces are leading more people to work longer hours. Many exercise professionals train clients who work in the fields of healt...
By Amenda Ramirez, Len Kravitz, PhD
O’Connor, P.J., Herring, M.P., & Caravalho, A. 2010. Mental health benefits of strength training in adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4 (5), 37...
By Aaron Bubbico, Len Kravitz, PhD
Muscle hypertrophy, or muscle cell enlargement, is a topic of great debate and interest in all fields of health, fitness and sports. How the body responds to muscular overload...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Garber, C.E., et al. 2011. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adu...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Lee, D., et al. 2010. Mortality trends in the general population: The importance of cardiorespiratory fitness. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24 (11), 27–35.
By Kenneth Fowler, Len Kravitz, PhD
Introduction and Origins of Plyometric Training
According to Russian sports literature, plyometric training had its early roots in the mid-1960s (Radcliffe & Farentino...
By Kenneth Fowler, Len Kravitz, PhD
As a fitness professional, you are committed to maintaining and improving the functional independence and physical performance of your clients. Most exercise professionals agr...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
A major goal of weight management strategies and programs is to create an imbalance between energy intake (decreasing) and energy expenditure (increasing), in order to facilit...
By Kenneth Fowler, Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise professionals are committed to maintaining and improving the functional independence and physical performance of their clients. Most exercise professionals agree that...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), children and teens should be physically active for at least 60 minutes on most, if not all, days of the we...
By Maria-Victoria Montes, Len Kravitz, PhD
Elevated stress is a risk factor for cancer, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (Block et al. 2009). How stress influences eating behaviors and leads to obesity is...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Although the list of exercise benefits is impressive, it is apparent that just hearing about them does not assure consistent exercise compliance in most individuals. Regular e...
By Jonathan N. Mike, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
One of the principal areas of concern for exercise professionals is assessing, recognizing and explaining disease risk factors and other physiological variables for clients. F...
By Aaron Bubbico, Len Kravitz, PhD
During many movements, an eccentric muscle action occurs as a braking, or opposition, force in response to a concentric (shortening) action, in order to protect joint structur...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Magee, C.A., et al. 2010. Examining the pathways linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity. Journal of Obesity, 2010, doi:10:1155/2010/821710.
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Irvine, C., & Taylor, N.F. 2009. Progressive resistance exercise improves glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review. Australian Journa...
By Len Kravitz, PhD and Adam Martinez
Lloyd-Jones, D.M., et al., on behalf of the American Heart Association Strategic Planning Task Force and Statistics Committee. 2010. Defining and setting national goals for ca...
By Nicole J. Achenbach, Len Kravitz, PhD
Cellulite is a skin alteration often described as an “orange peel,” “mattress” or “dimpling” appearance on the thighs, buttocks and somet...
By Christopher Pauls, Len Kravitz, PhD
With the release of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, Christopher McDougall’s book about the Tarahumara Indians...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise professionals regularly exclaim the benefits of exercise for maintaining and improving bone mineral density and bone health. They describe the benefits of gravitation...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
A plethora of scientific evidence clearly
depicts how regular aerobic exercise and resistance training can help to prevent and/or manage hypertension, coronary heart disease...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2009), by 2030 the portion of the U.S. population aged 65 and older will double to about 71 million. The growi...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
In his research paper, Hill notes that body weight and obesity are increasing in all segments of the population in most, if not all, countries around the world. Further, altho...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
A primary function of muscles is to create tension and produce force for movement of the body's skeletal system. The intrinsic capacity of muscles to go through a full or opti...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
The recent American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) position stand on physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss reflects an update from the previous guidelin...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
A primary function of muscles is to create tension and produce force for movement of the body’s skeletal system. The intrinsic property of muscles and joints to go throu...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
For years, researchers and exercise professionals have been proclaiming the health benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise. There is strong scientific evidence that modera...
By Michelle G. Kulovitz, Len Kravitz, PhD
By Len Kravitz, PhD
As personal trainers, you are continually seeking new and better programs to help clients attain their aerobic activity goals and maximize caloric expenditure in their enduran...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
The new report from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) regarding progression models in resistance training for healthy adults adds to the previous 2002 position st...
By Alison Morag Murray, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Have you ever visualized yourself winning a race, completing a physical feat or attaining a performance goal—and it happened? There are numerous anecdotal stories and ...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Research on women’s health is surging with medical developments and new study findings on exercise benefits,
By Lawrence Herrera, Len Kravitz, PhD
Ormsbee, M.J., et al. 2007. Fat metabolism and acute resistance exercise in trained men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 102, 1767–72.
Am I burning fat while doing res...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Maximal aerobic power is a useful, meaningful and motivational physiological measurement that all types of fitness professionals use to track their clients’ progress. ...
By Jonathan N. Mike, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Recovery from exercise training is an integral component of the overall training program and is essential for optimal performance and improvement. If rate of
recovery is imp...
By Jerry Mayo, PhD, RD, Len Kravitz, PhD
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Water is colorless, tasteless and odorless. Because of its numerous and diverse functions in the body, it is often regarded as the most important nutrient. Most people can sur...
By Roxanne Horwath, Len Kravitz, PhD
The goal of many researchers, strength
and conditioning professionals and personal trainers is to enhance the acute
and chronic effects of resistance training on a perso...
By Len Kravitz, PhD, Lawrence Herrera
Buford,
T.W., et al. 2007. A comparison of periodization models during nine weeks with
equated volume and intensity for strength. Journal of Strength and
Conditioni...
By Luis M. Alvidrez, Len Kravitz, PhD
Hormones, secreted by endocrine glands in the body,
are substances that regulate the function of body cells, tissues, organs or
systems. Hormones are released from a num...
By Trevor L. Gillum, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
McGehee, J.C., Tanner, C.J., & Houmard, J.A. 2005. A comparison of methods for estimating the lactate threshold. Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research,
19 (...
By Aditi Majumdar, Len Kravitz, PhD
Ahrens, J.N., et al. 2007. The physiological effects of caffeine in women during treadmill walking. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21 (1), 164–68. Caffeine i...
By Doyeon Kim, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Fitness professionals know that the
number of overweight or obese children in the United States and other developed
countries is increasing at an alarming rate. However, it ...
By Jonathan N. Mike, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
According to the American Heart Association (AHA 2004), over 79 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). One in three deaths in th.....
By Len Kravitz, PhD
People of all ages can improve the quality of their lives and reduce the risks of developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and type 2 diabetes with ongoin...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
When personal fitness trainers (PFTs) design resistance training programs, they regularly discuss with clients the issue of training to failure—or momentary muscular...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Weight management programs abound,
and they employ countless strategies and
approaches. But all these programs
should include three principal components:
(1) an exerc...
By Nicole M. Harmon, Len Kravitz, PhD
How does music affect exercise—and the
exerciser?
By Len Kravitz, PhD
research
by Len Kravitz, PhD
Winning at Losing: Secrets of Long-Term Weight Loss
The secret is that there is no secret; there are just some commonsense behaviors and strateg...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Drummond, M.J., et al. 2005. Aerobic and resistance exercise sequence affects excess postexercise oxygen consumption. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19 (2), 33...
By Gavin C. Hillman, Len Kravitz, PhD
Hypertension is a widespread health problem that affects nearly 25% of the adult population in the United States (Fang, Wylie-Rosett & Alderman 2005). Hypertension increas...
By Byung-Kon Yoon, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Advancing age is often associated with a number of physical changes, such as losses in skeletal muscle mass, strength and power, and an increase in fat mass. These factors...
By Byung-Kon Yoon, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Stability ball training has been used for many years to improve spinal stability and to reduce the risk of back pain. It is frequently employed in both the physical therapy an...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Swain, D.P., & Franklin, B.A. 2006. Comparison of cardioprotective benefits of vigorous versus moderate intensity aerobic exercise. American Journal of Cardiology, 97, 141...
By Phil Block, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Techniques of exercise periodization for developing muscular fitness have been made popular by a growing body of research. Studies consistently demonstrate that periodization ...
By Iris Poole, Len Kravitz, PhD
Many people strive to attain a lifestyle that includ...
By Nova Morrisette, Len Kravitz, PhD
A primary duty of fitness professionals is to ensure that ...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Flexibility training has been promoted for decades as an integral part of fitness that may help decrease the risk of injuries; release pain associated with musculoskel...
By Young sub Kwon, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Charge, S.B.P., & Rudnicki, M.A. 2004. Cellular and molecular regulation of muscle regeneration. Physiological Reviews, 84, 209–38.
Fitness professionals spend co...
By Paige Kinucan, Len Kravitz, PhD
Most personal trainers and fitness professionals ...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Statistics demonstrate that countries around the globe are experiencing a spectacular increase in obesity. Worldwide there are an estimated 1 billion obese persons (body mass ...
By Robert A. Robergs, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
During exercise, regardless of whether it is strength or c...
By Phil Block, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise program designs are generally based on available research and applications of theoretical knowledge, but since numerous aspects of program design have not been th...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Robergs, R.A., Ghiasvand, F., & Parker, D. 2004. Bi...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
As you “retool” and re-educate yourself to prepare for new career opportunities and challenges in the 21st century, you may decide to focus on fitness for olde...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Gotshalk, L.A., Berger, R.A., & Kraemer, W.J. 2004. Cardiovascular responses to a high-volume continuous circuit resistance training protocol. Journal of Streng...
By Phil Block, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Aerobic exercise is a decisively important component of any fitness program. However, establishing and maintaining ideal exercise intensities for optimally safe and effective ...
By Chantal A. Vella, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Just pick up a recent trade magazine and you are almost sure to read about a new exercise program that will accelerate the rate at which you burn fat after you complete a work...
By Mariana Shedden, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
As a personal trainer, you probably know that exercise has been shown to increase bone strength, as measured by bone mineral density (BMD), in people of all ages. But did you ...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Numerous recreational exercisers complete their
cardiovascular and strength training workouts either during the same training session or within hours of each other. This seq...
By Mariana Shedden, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
By Mariana Shedden, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Questions Answered
by Industry
Leaders
By Mariana Shedden, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
Asthma
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Walking Intensity and Bone Mineral Density
Fogleman, K.M., Borer, K.T., & Sowers, M.R. 2003. Walking intensity stimulates increases in BMD in post-menopausal women. Medic...
By Johndavid Maes, Len Kravitz, PhD
By Carole Conn, PhD, RD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Pick up any packaged food, and you will see the number of calories listed on the label. Of course, nonpackaged foods, such as fresh produce, have calories, too; they just don&...
By J. Kofoed, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
By Jennifer Kofoed and Len Kravitz, PhD
ACSM Review: Progression Models in Resistance Training
Following some special guidelines can help you maximiz...
By Lance Dalleck, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
OOne of your clients, a recreational runner, tells you that she has just registered for a 10K road race and would appreciate your input in designing a training program. Wantin...
By Chantal A. Vella, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
Gender Differences
Gender Differences in Fat Metabolism
The incidence of obesity in the United States is on the rise. Approximately 20 percent (%) of U.S. adult females and 1...
By Len Kravitz, PhD, Lance Dalleck, PhD
What are the physiological limitations of the human body? How much are your clients capable of doing?
By Lance Dalleck, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
January 2002 idea health & fitness source
By Chantal A. Vella, PhD, Jeffrey Janot, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
A Review of the Impact of Exercise on Cholesterol Levels
WHY HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, OR HDL, CHOLESTEROL LEVELS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED RISK
R
OF HEART DISEASE-...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Low-Back Stability Training
I
n the fitness world today, the terms core function, core strength, and core stability have found their w...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise and Resting Blood Pressure
H
igh blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a major health problem affecting 43 million A...
By Jeffrey Janot, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
B Y J E F F R E Y M . J A N OT, M S, A N D L E N K R AV I T Z , P H D
Maxim izing Functional Abilities in the Older Adult
A research review comparing the benefits of resis...
By J. Reynolds, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
By Jeff M. Reynolds and Len Kravitz, PhD
Resistance Training and EPOC
fter cardiovascular exercise or weight training, the body continues to need oxygen at ...
By H. Weingart, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
Heidi M. Weingart, MA, and Len Kravitz, PhD
Resistance Training and Bone Mass
esearch has begun to emphasize the potential benefits of adding resistance tra...
By Derek Marks, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
update
By Derek Marks, MS, and Len Kravitz, PhD
Hormones and Resistance Exercise
H
ormones play a large role in the muscle hypertrophy and strength gained from r...
By Andrea Talmadge, MS, Robert A. Robergs, PhD, Len Kravitz, PhD
T
The ultimate goal of
pregnancy is a positive outcome--that is, a healthy mother and child. One way fitness professionals can help pregnant women ensure a positive outcome i...
By Len Kravitz, PhD
research
UPDATE
By Len Kravitz, PhD
Exercise and Psychological Health
esearch literature continues to expand in support of the major health benefits associated with regular...
By T. Astorino, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
UPDATE
By Todd Astorino, MS, and Len Kravitz, PhD
Glycogen and Resistance Training
T
he role of glycogen (stored carbohydrate in muscle) in aerobic exercise has ...
By Chris Frankel, MS, Len Kravitz, PhD
research
UPDATE
By Christopher C. Frankel and Len Kravitz, PhD
Periodization
eriodization is an organized approach to training that involves progressive cycling over a spec...
