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(Research work
in PDF format to be posted below, at the end of this introduction)
Finally, a journal that deals
with specific and relative information for the personal trainer,
designed to encourage industry participation, and whether dealing
with a person's observations, experiments, or research when working
with individuals. One of the primary problems with 'scientific
studies' is that they focus on group responses, and those who
deviate from 'normal' are averaged out. General and blanket recommendations
then are made, such as 'x' sets are better than 'y' sets, but
without providing limitations or details behind such recommendations,
how exercise was performed or its quality of effort, etc. This
is not how it works in a fitness setting, as practitioners need
to focus on the specific responses of each client - to determine
his or her individual needs relative to genetics, goals, and
mental/physical abilities.
As Andrew Shortt, Fitness Clinician
2004-2006 stated: "It astounds me that millions of dollars
are spent on exercise science every year yet I am bereft to find
useful information from that community. I find it suspect that
all this research is being done but practical applications of
the conclusions are few and far between. Exercise physiologists
report about all sorts of microscopic inner workings of the body
but for some odd reason the info doesn't translate to the everyday
world. It simply makes no sense that professionals who help people
get healthy and fit are left out of the loop."
We would add that one of the
frustrating positions for a personal trainer is when he or she
makes a claim or discovery and is then questioned: "what
research concludes that... what research supports that"?
Unfortunately, it is not unusual for there to be no 'concluding
research' on many topics since often there is no research in
many areas of potential investigation. For example, it can be
concluded by those who know and have experienced that sufficiently
heavy weight training exercise does improve flexibility by placing
the muscles under strain at the point of stretch. This is an
everyday phenomenon that has become obvious with those who have
observed and learned, yet some exercise physiologists would question
if there is supporting 'evidence' through peer reviewed research.
The problem is, unless someone pays research scientists to look
at this phenomenon no one will bother researching it.
For these reasons the Journal
of Applied Fitness has been established, to allow anyone
and everyone to submit critical reports on interesting observations,
patterns, and data that has been useful in achieving results
with clients or one's self, whether that person is injured, a
competitive athlete, or a weekend warrior. And although measuring
results and being accountable can be challenging, limited by
one's scientific instruments and cognitive skills, conclusions
also can be made by way of exercise performance, psychological
tests, and responses to different nutrition programs. But we
are not looking for testimonials on vague assertions. If you
need to measure ROM, then invest in an inexpensive goniometer,
and if you need to measure body composition, the system used
must be equal to or greater than hydrostatic weighing (unless
the research is to compare the contradictions between visual
appearance changes via photographs and the readings provided
by the instrument or mathematical calculations). The possibilities
of research are almost limitless, and whether you are a scientist
or a personal trainer, we encourage you to get involved and demonstrate
your expertise in exercise, nutrition or sport psychology, and
to make this industry more objective, accountable, and productive.
A sample submission and research template will be available soon.
JAF Peer Review Board
JAF Submission Template (Microsoft Word Document Format)
"I
read your Moving too rapidly in strength training . ..
study in the JEP online journal. You did a nice job and I believe
this will help a lot of trainees use better form in their lifting." Ellington Darden
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