Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an eight-week weight training program upon leg strength and running speed of middle-school-age boys.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation examines the social and scientific factors which fostered the inclusion of strength training as an adjunct to sport preparation programs. It utilizes Thomas Kuhn's theory of "paradigm shift," outlined in his 1962 treatise The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, to describe how strength training went from an activity perceived as harmful and deleterious to sport, to one which is now considered an indispensable component of optimal performance. In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries physicians, physiologists, and physical educators theorized that the body operated under the constraints of fixed capacities. Increased demands by one component of the body necessarily robbed nourishment from other parts. Under this paradigm, increased muscular strain posed a risk to other organ systems and was advised against. Through a thorough exploration of the scientific literature, this work demonstrates the evolution of the understanding of physiology which precipitated the displacement of the old paradigm. In addition to scientific literature, popular magazines are also utilized because of their importance in the erosion of the old paradigm and in laying the groundwork for the acceptance of the current paradigm of strength training as an adjunct to athletic performance. Moreover, this work discusses the importance of the Second World War, the Cold War, and the Olympics in hastening the demise of the belief that strength training was physically and athletically harmful. The number of athletes training with weights in the United States dramatically increased in the 1950s and the pace accelerated through the 1960s. The endorsement of the new paradigm was cemented with the hiring of specialists in strength training who went on to create their own literature and sponsor their own research. Completion of the paradigm shift is evident in the contemporary ubiquity of weight training which is performed for nearly all sports, all age groups, year-round, often in highly specialized facilities and overseen by individuals certified as strength and conditioning or performance-enhancement specialists. / text

In an attempt to determine the value of dry-land weight training on swimming performance, two groups of twenty four intercollegiate male swimmers were equated based upon pre-swimming performance, swim power values, stroke specialities, and collegiate swimming experience. At the start of a swimming season there were no significant differences (p>0.05) between the swim training group (SWIM, N=12) and the combined weight and swim training group (COMBO, N=12). Throughout the 13 weeks of their competitive swimming season, both SWIM and COMBO swam together six days a week. In addition, the COMBO engaged in a weight training program three days a week between the third and eleventh weeks (for eight weeks) of the season. The weight training program, using free weights, was intended to simulate arm actions and muscle actions similar to those used during front crawl swimming. Both COMBO and SWIM groups had significant but similar power gains (p<0.05) as measured on the biokinetic swim bench and during a tethered swim. Swimmers in both groups experienced a significant (p<0.05) increase in competitive swim performance from 1991 to 1992 (0.89 ± 0.60% in COMBO and 0.87 ± 0.4Q% in SWIM) whereas no change in distance per stroke (p>0.05) was observed throughout the course of this investigation. Mean total testosterone levels were not altered during the weight training period in either group. No significant (p>0.05) differences were found between the groups in any of the swim power and swimming performance tests. In this investigation, dry-land weight training did not improve swimming performance despite the fact that the COMBO was able to increase the weights used during strength training by 25 to 35%. The lack of positive transfer between dry-land strength gains and swimming propulsive force may be due to the specificity of training. / Human Performance Laboratory

It was hypothesized that the number of familiarization sessions may have an effect on the pre-testing measures recorded before a training study. This study considered a group of children (8-12 years old) placed into familiarization (FM, 4 sessions) and non-familiarization (NFM, 2 sessions) groups. Strength values in a vertical chest press and horizontal leg press were recorded for both groups. The FM group displayed strength increases in the chest press, while both groups increased leg press strength (a 0.05). The FM group also displayed significant increases over the NFM group in both exercises. The results demonstrated that, in the FM group, significant changes in chest press strength were made in the last two sessions while significant leg press changes were noted in the first two sessions. It can be concluded that the amount of familiarization sessions performed prior to testing can have an impact on pre-testing strength measures. / School of Physical Education

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / School of Physical Education

Eight males participated in this study to examine the effects of an essential amino acid supplement, Rebuild 1111, on cortisol secretions induced by resistance training. Subjects were randomly allocated to either branched chain amino acids (BCAA) orplacebo (P) groups. The protocol followed a double blind cross-over design whereby both groups participated in three weeks of supplementation followed by a week of resistance training with continued supplementation. Within this week, four resistance training sessions occurred, each of which comprised three sets of six to eight repetitions of leg press, leg curl, leg extension, chest press, military press, latissimus pulldown, dumbbell curl, and tricep pushdown, at 75 - 80% of IRM. This protocol was repeated, consuming the alternative treatment, following a five week period with no supplement or training. Blood was drawn at baseline, after three weeks of supplementation (day 2 1), two days of training (day 24), four days of training (day 27), and 48 hours after final training session (day 28). Serum was analyzed for cortisol (C), testosterone (T), and creatine kinase (CK). Subjects were allocated to either light (Group A) or heavy (Group B) due to the high correlation (r = 0.736 to 0.966) between mass and the measured variables, and theheterogeneous nature of these two subgroups. A repeated measures ANOVA with a significant level set at p<0.05, found no difference between BCAA and P for either group for any of the measured variables. Group A however had consistently lower serum C and CK, and higher T and testosterone:cortisol ratio with BCAA supplementation. Group B hormone response was inconsistent with training and supplementation. Group B CK was consistently lower with BCAA supplementation. Conclusions: There is some evidence that BCAA supplementation may reduce the catabolic stress response and cellular breakdown due to resistance training. Further study investigating the effect of varied dose and mass of subjects is required to elucidate these findings further. For statistical significance, larger sample size is needed. / School of Physical Education

Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.