Previous research on gymnastics injuries has examined several differences in the types of injuries and event/location where injury is most likely to occur. This research shows that male gymnasts are more likely to have more upper body injuries compared to lower body injuries whereas female gymnasts are more likely to have lower body injuries. The majority of all gymnastics injuries are sprains that are most likely to occur during the landing phase on the floor exercise during routine performance or competition. Gymnastics injuries are also more prevalent in older gymnasts, like those at the collegiate level. However, there is limited research on the effects of limb dominance on injury occurrence in both male and female gymnasts at the collegiate level. This study was designed to examine the effect of both upper and lower body limb dominance on injury occurrence in Division I male and female gymnasts at Arizona State University during competition season. Thirty-seven subjects were recruited from the Arizona State University Men's and Women's Gymnastics teams. Athletic trainers/coaches from each team were asked to record injury incidence during the 2013 competition season from January through April. Injury type, body location, event of occurrence, and location of injury (practice or competition) were recorded along with the gymnast's upper and lower body limb dominance (right or left). Statistical analysis shows that there is a significant difference between male and female gymnasts in that female gymnasts are more likely to be injured than their male counterparts (P = 0.023). However, there were no significant findings between limb dominance and injury incidence. Limb dominance did not show any relationship with side of injury, but a trend in the data shows that right-sided dominant athletes, both upper and lower body, were more likely to be injured overall than left-sided dominant athletes. A trend in the data also shows that injury is more likely to occur on the floor exercise than any other gymnastics event for both men and women.

The U.S. Surgeon General has recommended that all Americans engage in regular physical activity throughout the lifespan as a way to maintain and improve health and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, or other chronic conditions. The recommendation for children is a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate and intense physical activity everyday. As children enter adolescence their level of physical activity often decreases; and active adults were typically active adolescents. More than 50% of adults that begin a physical activity program discontinue the behavior within 9 months. Interventions to increase physical activity have looked at self-esteem and self-efficacy. Locus of control (LOC) is a concept that people either view their own behavior as influencing the events around them (internal) or other events controlling their fate or destiny (external). This study looked at locus of control as a predictor of exercise adherence and future exercise patterns in children ages 6-12 in Mesa, AZ. Locus of control as measured by the Child Nowicki-Strickland Internal External (CNSIE) scale differed by gender and by physical activity group at school at post-intervention. Self-reported physical activity as measured by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) showed differences in physical activity (PA) levels by gender for baseline school PA, by age group for baseline non-school PA, by gender and age group for post-intervention school PA, and by gender only for post-intervention non-school PA. A secondary objective was to assess if the Think Healthy About Nutrition and eXercise (THANX) after school program influenced participants' LOC or PA patterns. This study found that the THANX program had no effect on LOC or PA level at any time point.

Other studies have previously demonstrated that perceived stress and maladaptive stress management can lead to harmful outcomes including depression, morbidity, and mortality. College students (especially freshmen) have more difficulty dealing with stress, which can increase their susceptibility to engage in high risk behaviors. The importance of conducting this research is to discover the effects that perceived stress levels may have on depression outcomes in college students, and to evaluate the influence of health related behaviors on this relationship. This study used a retrospective cross-sectional correlational design to examine correlations between perceived stress, physical activity, and other health behaviors on clinical and perceived depression in college students. A random sample of 20,000 students was drawn from 62,476 students enrolled at Arizona State University (ASU). Participants included 2,238 students who volunteered to take the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) in spring 2009. Supplemental questions for ASU students were developed by ASU Wellness and administered as a part of the ACHA-NCHA II. The university sent an invitation email, wherein students were directed through a hyperlink to the survey website. ACHA provided institutional survey data in an SPSS file for analysis. The data were evaluated with Spearman Rho Correlation Analysis and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. There were more female participants (n = 580) than males (n = 483), both averaged 23 years of age. Men had greater height, weight, and body mass index than females, all were significant mean differences. There were more significant correlations between health factors and having perceived depression than with having real or diagnosed depression. Logistic regression showed that out of all variables and behaviors studied, only high levels of stress, poor general health, substance use, and gender (female) resulted in significant odds in predicting that a participant would be in one of the depression categories. This research suggests that addressing these factors may be important to prevent and reduce depression among college students. This study provides empirical evidence that there is a significant relationship between perceived stress and depression among college students, and that health behaviors such as substance abuse have a negative mediating effect on this relationship.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the energy cost of four modes of resistance training (push-ups, pull-ups, curl-ups, lunges). Twelve well trained men aged 23.6 (SD=2.84) years were recruited to participate in the study. Each of the 12 men completed three trials of each of the four exercises on one visit to the laboratory lasting slightly over one hour (M=72 min, SD=5.9 min). The oxygen consumption of the men was monitored constantly throughout the trial and data was recorded every five seconds. Mean VO2 values were calculated for each exercise. The values for push-ups (M=11.57 ml/kg/min, SD=1.99), curl-ups (M=10.99 ml/kg/min, SD=1.48), pull-ups (M=10.87 ml/kg/min, SD=2.51), and lunges (M=14.18 ml/kg/min, SD=1.78) were converted to METs (Metabolic Equivalents). The MET values (3.31, 3.14, 3.11, and 4.05 respectively) all fall within the range of moderate intensity activity. The findings of this study show that a single set of any of the above exercises will qualify as a moderate intensity activity and can be used to meet recommendations on daily physical activity.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a phrase quickly becoming popularized through current research due to the physical and physiological success this method of training has proven to yield in both untrained and trained individuals. There is no set definition used to describe HIIT, but it typically refers to repeated bouts of fairly brief intermittent exercise. A great deal of research outlines the benefits associated with utilizing HIIT in untrained and recreationally trained individuals. However, research on the effect HIIT has or could possibly have on the well-trained endurance athlete is limited, specifically in the sport of rowing. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of HIIT on VO2 peak and performance in trained rowers when compared to traditional, endurance training. It was hypothesized that HIIT would be just as effective at improving VO2 peak and performance as the endurance training protocol in well-trained rowers. A total of 20 high school female rowers participated in the study (mean ± SD; age = 16 ± 1). Baseline testing was comprised of a 2000m time-trial test on the Concept IIc Rowing Ergometer and a maximal exercise test, which was also completed on the Concept IIc Ergometer, in order to determine VO2 peak. Subjects were randomly assigned to a HIIT or endurance group for four weeks of intervention. Three days/week the HIIT group completed a 6 by 30second repeated Wingate protocol on the Concept II Ergometer at or above 100% VO2 peak, in which each 30s maximal effort was immediately followed by an active recovery of four-minutes. The endurance group completed 30 minutes of sub-maximal rowing at 65% of VO2 peak three days/week. After four weeks of intervention, post-testing took place, which was identical to baseline testing. Results from this study suggest HIIT was just as effective as endurance training at improving 2k time (mean ± SD; HIIT: 498.7 ± 23.1; Endurance: 497.5 ± 17.6). There were no significant within or between group differences in VO2 peak post-intervention (mean ± SD; HIIT: 44.8 ± 4.0; Endurance: 45.8 ± 5.6). The current study suggests four-weeks of HIIT training can yield similar adaptations in performance when compared to endurance training.