Objective: To examine the moderating effect of internalized media messages on ideal body shape and lifestyle in the relationships between physical exercise, self-esteem, physical self-perceptions, and body image satisfaction. Design: pre-test/posttest control group experimental design. Methods: 46 inactive women (mean age = 21.4 ± 2.1 years-old)…

We investigated the relationship between baseline physical training and the use of firefighting thermal protective clothing (TPC) with breathing apparatus on functional balance. Twenty-three male firefighters performed a functional balance test under four gear/clothing conditions. Participants were divided into groups by physical training status,…

Our study explored the contribution of gender role stress (GRS) and sociocultural appearance demands to symptoms of muscle dysmorphia (MD) in a college sample of 219 women and 154 men. For women, five GRS subscales, sociocultural appearance demands, age, and frequency of aerobic exercise predicted MD symptoms (model R[superscript 2] = 0.33;…

Using Sonstroem, Harlow, and Josephs' (1994) expanded version of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model (EXSEM; Sonstroem & Morgan, 1989), we explored how 9 older adults (6 women and 3 men, aged 65-72 years) involved in a resistance training program experienced and perceived changes in physical self-worth (i.e., improved strength, functional…

We investigated responses of adult, novice practitioners (n = 9) to an 8-week traditional mat Pilates program (P) that met 1 hr/day three times/week. Classes consisted primarily of beginner and intermediate level exercises. Compared to an active control group (C; n = 13) that showed no improvements, those in P significantly (p less than 0.05)…

Contemporary accounts of sex differences in perceptual-motor performance differ in their emphasis on nature and nurture. Study 1 examined the effect of extensive training on one of the largest sex differences, namely accuracy in dart throwing, and found that physical differences in height and reach could not explain sex differences in…

The aim of this study was to determine what visual information expert soccer players encode when they are asked to make a decision. We used a repetition-priming paradigm to test the hypothesis that experts encode a soccer pattern's structure independently of the players' physical characteristics (i.e., posture and morphology). The participants…

The recent history of body composition analysis is described. What components should be measured are considered. Methods of measurement are discussed and compared. (Author/MT)

A study was carried out to investigate the potential use of B-mode ultrasound for measuring subcutaneous fat thickness at two arm sites. B-mode sonograms and skinfold measurements were found to be highly correlated for both men and women. (Author/MT)

This article evaluates equations for estimating body density and derived body composition measures in female athletes. Other equations were used to evaluate the "generalized" equations to see which were more accurate. Results are presented. (Author/DF)

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between oxygen uptake (VO[subscript 2]) and heart rate (HR) responses during rest and exercise in Chinese children and youth and to evaluate the relationships between maximal heart rate (%HRmax), heart rate reserve (%HRR), peak oxygen uptake (%VO[subscript 2]peak), and oxygen uptake…

Transient oxygen uptake (VO2) was studied in 28 children ranging in age from seven to fourteen. It was found that the VO2 halftime is similar to that of adults and that younger children attained a steady rate quicker than older children. (Authors/FG)

The increasing use of various VO2 max expressions as test measures is a problem because the magnitude of sex difference varies considerably with each expression. A valid match of male and female test subjects would consider physical activity history and the amount of endurance exercise done in the previous year. (Author/FG)

Adolescent female track-and-field athletes were measured to compare isokinetic strength of leg flexion and extension movements. Throwers, jumpers, middle-distance runners, and sprinters participated in the study. Throwers were found to be stronger in absolute strength, but there were no significant differences in relative strength. Results are…

Muscular and aerobic capacity changes resulting from three months of wrestling training were examined in a group of normally active seven- to nine-year-old boys. Wrestling training was found to improve strength in young boys, but it did not seem to improve aerobic capacity. (Author/DF)