center dot Exercise snacks are a sustainable, cost-effective approach to engaging inactive men and women of all ages towards a physically active lifestyle.center dot By integrating short bursts of physical activity into daily routines, exercise snacks empower people to take charge of their well-being, one exercise snack at a time.

Purpose:Determine the impact of a 6-week YouTube-instructed bodyweight interval training (BW-IT) program on cardiometabolic health, muscular strength, and factors related to exercise adherence in adults with obesity. Methods:Fourteen adults (30.7 ± 10.3 yrs, BMI 35.5 ± 5.4 kg/m2) participated in this study. The BW-IT program progressed bi-weekly from a 1:3 to 1:1 work-to-rest ratio, using maximum effort intervals of high knees, squat jumps, scissor jacks, jumping lunges, and burpees. Pre- and post-intervention measures included peak oxygen consumption ( V ˙ O2peak), relative quadriceps isometric muscular strength, waist circumference (WC), body composition via bioelectrical impedance, and cardiometabolic blood markers (blood glucose, insulin, lipid panel, and C-reactive protein). Self-efficacy (task and scheduling) and physical activity enjoyment (PACES) were also assessed. Results:Relative isometric muscular strength increased by 12.5% (p = 0.02, dz 0.4) and absolute V ˙ O2peak by 4.2% (p = 0.03, dz = 0.2). WC reduced by 2.1% (p < 0.001, dz = 0.2). Task self-efficacy was similar pre- to post-intervention (p = 0.53, dz = 0.2), while scheduling self-efficacy was reduced (p < 0.004, dz = 1.1). PACES scores were 9.6% higher week one compared to week six of BW-IT (p = 0.003, dz = 0.6). No changes occurred in body composition or cardiometabolic blood markers. Conclusion:In previously inactive adults with obesity, 18 sessions of YouTube-instructed bodyweight interval training elicited small to moderate effects on lower extremity muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and waist circumference. Future studies may benefit from longer interventions and adding a greater variety of calisthenics to determine interventions that improve physiological health and maintain or enhance factors associated with exercise adherence.

center dot Training programs that combine aerobic exercise and resistance exercise have more profound health benefits than either modality alone.center dot Hybrid training programs, such as circuit weight training, combine aerobic and resistance exercise in time-efficient sessions.center dot Peripheral heart action training is a simple application of circuit weight training that may improve aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and muscular strength.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) is used by athletes to improve performance during high-intensity exercise as it enhances blood buffering capacity. Given that the dose required to increase buffering capacity is relatively high (i.e., ~ 25 g for an 80 kg individual), a common side effect of NaHCO 3 is GI distress, with symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, and belching. Physical work in the heat and associated hyperthermia is also known to increase gastrointestinal (GI) distress and induce GI injury, which can result in increased intestinal permeability. As a result, endotoxemia may occur, where lipopolysaccharides from the intestinal lumen translocate into circulation, and can contribute to exertional heat stroke. However, it is unknown if NaHCO 3 exacerbates GI distress, GI injury, or endotoxemia during exertional heat stress. OBJECTIVE & HYPOTHESIS: We tested the hypothesis that NaHCO 3 would exacerbate GI symptoms and increase markers of GI injury and endotoxemia. METHODOLOGY: In a randomized double-blind, crossover design, eight participants (three females) completed two experimental trials consisting of walking two hours on a treadmill at 65% of their maximum heart rate in a heat chamber (40 °C, 20% relative humidity). One hour prior to exercise, participants ingested identical number of capsules containing either NaHCO 3 (0.2 g/kg of body weight) or a corn starch placebo (PLA) after a high carbohydrate meal (1.5 g/kg of body weight). Serum samples from pre-ingestion and post-exercise were analyzed using ELISA kits for markers of GI injury (intestinal fatty acid binding protein, I-FABP) and endotoxemia (lipopolysaccharide binding protein, LBP; and soluble cluster of differentiation 14, sCD14). GI symptoms via a validated questionnaire were assessed pre-, one hour-, and post-exercise. Mixed effects models were conducted to assess the effects of time (pre, post), condition (NaHCO 3 , PLA), or time x condition interaction on serum markers. A Wilcoxon signed-ranked test was used to compare the incidence of GI symptoms between NaHCO 3 and PLA groups. A significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in GI symptoms between conditions (p=0.13). There was a significant decrease in I-FABP (p=0.03) from pre- to post-exercise, but no effect of condition (p=0.58) or interaction (p=0.76), as the change (Δ) for PLA (Δ - 412 ± 327 pg/mL) and NaHCO 3 trials (Δ -382 ± 416 pg/mL) were similar. There was no effect of time (p=0.37), condition (p=0.68), or interaction (p=0.32) for LBP (PLA Δ: 1.73 ± 4.53 μg/mL, NaHCO 3 Δ: 0.92 ± 2.65 μg/mL). For sCD14, there was no significant main effect of condition (p= 0.84), time (p=0.11), or interaction (p=0.12) (PLA Δ: 19.7 ± 174.1 ng/mL, NaHCO 3 Δ: 198.9 ± 209.6 ng/mL). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that acute NaHCO 3 supplementation (0.2 g/kg) taken with a high carbohydrate meal does not increase GI distress, markers of GI injury, or endotoxemia during two hours of treadmill walking in the heat. These results suggest that this dose of NaHCO 3 may be safely used during physical activity in the heat without exacerbating endotoxemia. University of New Mexico’s Graduate and Professional Student Association’s New Mexico Research Grant This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore secondary physical educators' acceptance and use of PLT4M ("Plat-form"), a software for fitness-based curricula. Method: Cross-sectional mixed methods included a survey instrument guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) completed by secondary physical education teachers using PLT4M. Results: Regression analysis of active users (n = 184) found that performance expectancy (beta = 0.342, p < .001), attitude (beta = 0.260, p = .002), and price value (beta = 0.266, p < .001) predicted behavioral intention to use the app when teaching. Qualitative data revealed three themes: (1) differentiation and modifications, (2) accessibility, and (3) limitations and challenges. Discussion/Conclusion: Physical education teachers shared positive attitudes toward using PLT4M, including mid-late career stage teachers. Future studies including larger sample sizes and the UTAUT-2 instrument are needed to increase validity and reliability of physical education teachers' acceptance and use of technologies. Qualitative research methods can provide insight into how teachers use specific technologies.

ABSTRACT:Mang, ZA, Beam, JR, and Kravitz, L. The acute and chronic effects of superset resistance training versus traditional resistance training-A narrative review. J Strength Cond Res 39(11): 1216-1234, 2025-Resistance training (RT) leads to several health and performance benefits for a variety of people, including ball-sport athletes, occupational athletes, general population lifters, and elderly adults. Despite these well-established effects, a surprisingly high percentage of adults do not participate in consistent RT (∼80%), and several cite "perceived lack of time" as their primary barrier to RT. Superset training, which involves performing 2 or more consecutive sets of different exercises separated by short rest intervals, presents a time-efficient RT modality that reduces session duration by ∼50% compared with traditional RT (TRAD). Several applications of superset training exist, but this review focuses exclusively on the acute and chronic effects of agonist-antagonist paired sets (AAPS), reciprocal supersets (RSS), and total-body supersets (TBSS). The literature is particularly heterogeneous in its definitions, dependent variables, methodologies, and results, but acute data have generally demonstrated that muscle activation and training volume do not differ between supersets and TRAD. By contrast, power production is typically greater during TRAD, while training density, hormonal responses, blood lactate, energy expenditure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and perceived exertion are greater during supersets. Exceptions exist, but chronic data generally indicate that supersets and TRAD lead to similar adaptations for endurance, hypertrophy, power, and strength. Considering the superior training density of AAPS, RSS, and TBSS, we tentatively conclude that superset programs deliver similar adaptations as TRAD in a more time-efficient manner.

Autophagy and heat shock protein (HSP) response are proteostatic systems involved in the acute and adaptive responses to exercise. These systems may upregulate sequentially following cellular stress including acute exercise, however, currently few data exist in humans. This study investigated the autophagic and HSP responses to acute intense lower body resistance exercise in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with and without branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) supplementation. Twenty resistance-trained males (22.3 ± 1.5 yr; 175.4 ± .7 cm; 86.4 ± 15.6 kg) performed about of intense lower body resistance exercise and markers of autophagy and HSP70 were measured immediately post- (IPE) and 2, 4, 24, 48, and 72 h post-exercise. Prior to resistance exercise, 10 subjects were randomly assigned to BCAA supplementation of 0.22 g/kg/d for 5 days pre-exercise and up to 72 h following exercise while the other 10 subjects consumed a placebo (PLCB). There were no difference in autophagy markers or HSP70 expression between BCAA and PLCB groups. LC3II protein expression was significantly lower 2 and 4 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise. LC3II: I ratio was not different at any time point compared to pre-exercise. Protein expression of p62 was lower IPE, 2, and 4 h post-exercise and elevated 24 h post-exercise. HSP70 expression was elevated 48 and 72 h post-exercise. Autophagy and HSP70 are upregulated in PBMCs following intense resistance exercise with autophagy increasing initially post-exercise and HSP response in the latter period. Moreover, BCAA supplementation did not affect this response.

PURPOSE: Aerobic exercise has been proposed as a strategy to mitigate cognitive and mood-related consequences of overweight and obesity. The ideal exercise intensity for overweight and obese individuals seeking to gain cognitive and mood benefits remains to be determined. This study was done to establish whether six weeks of home-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. moderate-intensity walking improves cognition, depression, and anxiety in overweight and obese women. METHODS: Twelve sedentary women characterized as overweight or obese were randomized into either a six-week body-weight HIIT (n = 6, 26.6 ± 8.9 years, 37.4 ± 4.9% body fat) group or a six-week moderate-intensity walking (n = 6, 22.5 ± 3.7 years, 40.2 ± 4.1% body fat) group. Pre- and post-intervention, participants completed: 1) Body composition via air displacement plethysmography; 2) Aerobic fitness test (VO2max); 3) Beck depression inventory-II, state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-S, STAI-T), three-factor eating questionnaire; and 4) Cognitive battery with functional near-infrared spectroscopy of the prefrontal cortex. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess variables of interest RESULTS: No within or between group differences were observed for body fat, VO2max, cognitive interference, processing speed, inhibitory control, or executive function. A significant interaction was observed for episodic memory suggesting that the walk group (58.7 ± 7.4 to 73.7 ± 2.1), but not HIIT group (62.5 ± 15.5 to 63.3 ± 12.5), improved significantly. A significant improvement in BDI-II was observed in the HIIT group (12.7 ± 4.3 to 6.0 ± 4.8) and walk group (17.5 ± 10.2 to 9.8 ± 9.0). Significant improvements in anxiety were observed in the HIIT group (STAI-S: 39.7 ± 8.6 to 28.7 ± 3.1, STAI-T: 45.8 ± 7.7 to 36.8 ± 5.0) and walk group (STAI-S: 37.0 ± 11.3 to 37.0 ± 11.3, STAI-T: 49.2 ± 14.8 to 41.8 ± 10.9). CONCLUSION: Six-weeks of walking contributed to episodic memory improvements. Six-weeks of home-based HIIT did not contribute to cognitive improvements across any domain. Both groups saw significant improvements in depression and anxiety. Results suggest that overweight or obese women may primarily yield mood but not cognitive benefits in response to six-weeks of aerobic exercise at either a high- or moderate-intensity level.

Obesity is associated with cognitive deficits. With the increasing rates of obesity and negative consequences of cognitive impairments, an understanding of interventions that may reduce cognitive impairment is of utmost importance. One intervention that has been proposed to mitigate cognitive deficits in individuals with obesity is the use of aerobic exercise. Despite the evidence that aerobic exercise may improve cognition in individuals with obesity, the exact mechanisms responsible for the cognitive improvements remain to be elucidated. This review explores three possible mechanisms that contribute to aerobic exercise-induced cognitive improvements in individuals with obesity including: 1) Improved cerebral blood flow, 2) Reduced neuroinflammation, and 3) Increased neurogenesis. Future directions will also be discussed.

Apply it! By reading this article, you will learn: • Repetition tempo, which is sometimes referred to as repetition duration, describes movement velocity during eccentric, isometric, and concentric phases of one repetition. Thus, repetition tempo plays a major role in set duration, which is commonly referred to as time under tension (TUT). • When a general population client is training for hypertrophy, the effective duration range for one repetition is 0.5 to 8 seconds. The key is making sure your client is training close to momentary muscular failure. When strength is the primary goal, there is evidence that repetition durations of less than 1 to 20 seconds are effective. Although power can be improved with a variety of tempos, a 2-second eccentric duration followed by a maximal speed concentric duration ( i.e. , “X”) is the most effective. • For those working with elderly patients, strength, power, and physical function can be improved with 3/3- and 3/X-second tempos, but the latter is most effective. • For those working with patients in cardiac rehabilitation or patients with cardiovascular disease, it is important to keep TUT short, which is accomplished by using faster repetition tempos ( e.g. , 1/1 vs. 2/2 seconds).

Apply It! • In the case of both low- and high-intensity resistance training (RT), fitness professionals should teach their clients to lift near failure without achieving complete momentary muscular failure (MMF), as indicated by a ratings of perceived exertion value of 8 to 9 or repetitions in reserve value of 1 to 2. • MMF and volitional interruption (VI) elicit comparable improvements in strength and hypertrophy at high intensities (75% to 85% 1RM), so both may be integrated into a single training session ( i.e. , 4 sets of bench press, first three performed to VI, final set to MMF). • Program failure training to align with your client's goals — performing RT sets to failure — may be more effective for hypertrophy, whereas nonfailure sets may be more beneficial for power.

Purpose To investigate the effect of repetition tempo on cardiovascular and metabolic stress when time under tension (TUT) and effort are matched during sessions of lower body resistance training (RT). Methods In a repeated-measures, cross-over design, 11 recreationally trained females (n = 5) and males (n = 6) performed 5 sets of belt squats under the following conditions: slow-repetition tempo (SLOW; 10 reps with 4-s eccentric and 2-s concentric) and traditional-repetition tempo (TRAD; 20 reps with 2-s eccentric and 1-s concentric). TUT (60 s) was matched between conditions and external load was adjusted so that lifters were close to concentric muscular failure at the end of each set. External load, total volume load (TVL), impulse (IMP), blood lactate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), HR, and muscle oxygenation were measured. Results Data indicated that TVL (p < 0.001), blood lactate (p = 0.017), RPE (p = 0.015), and HR (p < 0.001) were significantly greater during TRAD while external load (p = 0.030) and IMP (p = 0.002) were significantly greater during SLOW. Whether it was expressed as minimal values or change scores, muscle oxygenation was not different between protocols. Conclusion When TUT is matched, TVL, cardiovascular stress, metabolic stress, and perceived exertion are greater when faster repetition tempos are used. In contrast, IMP and external load are greater when slower repetition tempos are used.

Apply It! center dot Several types of exercise promote fat burning, which provides flexibility in exercise prescription to achieve benefits in fat metabolism. center dot Individualized exercise prescription, with any type of exercise, promotes exercise adherence and optimizes the training-related benefits in fat metabolism.

Abstract Realzola, RA, Mang, ZA, Millender, DJ, Beam, JR, Bellovary, BN, Wells, AD, Houck, JM, and Kravitz, L. Metabolic profile of reciprocal supersets in young, recreationally active females and males. J Strength Cond Res 36(10): 2709–2716, 2022—Reciprocal supersets (RSSs) are a time-efficient style of resistance exercise (RE) that consist of performing 2 consecutive exercises with opposing muscle groups while limiting rest times between them. Previous research in men indicates a RSS has an increased physiological response when compared with traditional RE (TRAD). No between-sex comparison of metabolic data for RSSs exists. The purpose of this study was to create a metabolic profile for RSSs in men and women. Eighteen resistance-trained individuals underwent 2 bouts of volume-load equated RE: RSS and TRAD. Reciprocal superset exercises were split into 3 clusters: (a) hexagonal bar deadlift superset with leg press, (b) chest press superset with seated row, and (c) overhead dumbbell press superset with latissimus dorsi pull-downs. The TRAD protocol, doing the same exercises, emulated hypertrophy emphasis training. Oxygen uptake (V̇o2), heart rate (HR), blood lactate ([BLa]), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) were measured. Aerobic and anaerobic energy expenditure were estimated using V̇o2 and lactate, respectively. The level of significance set for this study was p ≤ 0.05. Regardless of sex, a RSS elicited significantly greater average V̇o2, HR, [BLa], RPE, and anaerobic and aerobic energy expenditures, and was completed in a shorter time compared with TRAD (p ≤ 0.05). When compared with women, men had significantly greater EPOC, average [BLa], and anaerobic and aerobic energy expenditures during RSSs (p ≤ 0.05). The average [BLa] and aerobic energy expenditure of the men were also significantly greater than the women during TRAD (p ≤ 0.05). This study suggests that a RSS is a metabolically demanding RE session that may elicit increases in musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, and physiological adaptations while decreasing the duration of exercise.

ABSTRACT The principle of specificity confers that physiological adaptations to exercise reflect the specific stimuli applied during an exercise training program. When applied to resistance training (RT), the principle of specificity implies that the acquisition of strength, which is often measured as a 1 repetition maximum, is specific to several variables of an RT program such as intensity, contraction type, and motor pattern. Although the principle of specificity holds true, a phenomenon called “transfer” also occurs when a lifter increases their strength in an exercise that they did not train. For example, if a lifter performed lunges in lieu of back squat, but their back squat strength increased anyway, there would be transfer between the lunge and back squat. This column summarizes recent research that reported transfer between bilateral exercises, unilateral to bilateral exercises, and single-joint to multiple-joint exercises and provides several recommendations for practical applications along the way.

Apply It! • Several types of exercise promote fat burning, which provides flexibility in exercise prescription to achieve benefits in fat metabolism. • Individualized exercise prescription, with any type of exercise, promotes exercise adherence and optimizes the training-related benefits in fat metabolism.

Apply It! By reading this article, fitness professionals will learn: • Aging is associated with loss of muscle, strength, and power, and fitness professionals are encouraged to apply the entire force-velocity curve when prescribing power training for their elderly clients. • Health and fitness professionals may use machines such as the leg press and chest press and have their elderly clients perform high-velocity contractions using intensities such as 20%, 50%, and 80% of their one-repetition maximum to enhance muscular power. • When sufficient levels of strength, power, and balance have been achieved, health and fitness professionals can prescribe plyometric exercises such as jumps, bounds, and medicine ball throws, which may be perceived as a more interesting way to develop power for older adults.

Generally, skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise are perceived through a dichotomous lens where the metabolic stress imposed by aerobic training leads to increased mitochondrial adaptations while the mechanical tension from resistance training leads to myofibrillar adaptations. However, there is emerging evidence for cross over between modalities where aerobic training stimulates traditional adaptations to resistance training (e.g., hypertrophy) and resistance training stimulates traditional adaptations to aerobic training (e.g., mitochondrial biogenesis). The latter is the focus of the current review in which we propose high-volume resistance training (i.e., high time under tension) leads to aerobic adaptations such as angiogenesis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and increased oxidative capacity. As time under tension increases, skeletal muscle energy turnover, metabolic stress, and ischemia also increase, which act as signals to activate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, which is the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. For practical application, the acute stress and chronic adaptations to three specific forms of high-time under tension are also discussed: Slow-tempo, low-intensity resistance training, and drop-set resistance training. These modalities of high-time under tension lead to hallmark adaptations to resistance training such as muscle endurance, hypertrophy, and strength, but little is known about their effect on traditional aerobic training adaptations.

Pramkratok W, Yimlamai T. Effects of Acute Hypoxia on PsychoPhysiological Response and Muscle Oxygenation during Incremental Running Exercise. JEPonline 2021;24(3):44-54. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute hypoxia exposure on physiological and perceptual responses, and muscle oxygenation during maximal incremental running exercise. Seven male elite rugby sevens players volunteered to participate in this study. In a randomized crossover design, the subjects completed two incremental running exercise tests either under normoxia (FiO2 = 20.9%) or after a 3-hr exposure to hypoxia (FiO2 = 14.5%). During both exercise conditions, pulmonary gas exchange was measured using a portable Metamax3B, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) using Borg's (6-20) scale, and muscle oxygenation at the quadriceps using a portable near-infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that VO2peak, VEpeak, HRpeak, vVO2peak, and time to exhaustion were significantly lower (P<0.05), while the tissue oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin were significantly higher (P<0.05) in acute hypoxia than in normoxia. There was no significant difference in RPE scale during maximal exercise between the conditions (P>0.05). In addition, there was a strong positive correlation between RPE and time to exhaustion (r = 0.930) only in normoxia but not in hypoxia, with no correlations observed in other variables in both conditions (P<0.05). The present finding suggests that despite hypoxia-induced higher physiological and metabolic stress during maximal exercise, perceptual response did not differ between the conditions. These findings suggest that RPE scales may be used as a viable method for monitoring and prescribing exercise intensity during exercise, independent of hypoxia.