A test of 32 children's hip and knee extensors found that children born blind or with low vision are at risk of developing weak lower-limb extensors, with congenitally blind children at greatest risk. After correcting for lean body weight, the differences between sighted children and those with low vision were insignificant. Results support the…

Provides practical guidelines for a strength training program for cardiac patients which may be modified to fit a particular program. The recommendations include criteria for admission, procedures for orientation and instruction, and techniques for supervision. (SM)

The training phase of a rehabilitation program for football players who have sustained lower back injuries proceeds after the pain-control phase, and seeks to minimize risk of reinjury. This phase emphasizes movement training and exercise for strengthening abdominal muscles to stabilize the lumbar spine. A removable exercise guide is included.…

Reports on a study of the physical effects of fear on 236 college-age students. Compares pulse rates and the ability to perform physical exercise while viewing a video on a nuclear war or a nonfrightening incident. Finds that fear was effective at moderate levels of arousal, but high levels of arousal eliminated or reversed the effects. (CFR)

Australian and English professional rugby players completed various physical fitness performance tests to determine differences when grouping players into three different rugby positional categories. Results found minimal differences in test scores on the basis of players' specific positions on a team, however, when players were grouped according…

Examined the impact of sociocultural influences and the moderating role of self-esteem and negative affect on body dissatisfaction and body change strategies for adolescent boys and girls. Surveys indicated that sociocultural pressures significantly predicted body dissatisfaction and body change strategies among both sexes. Both boys and girls…

This study assessed muscular torque and rate of torque development following concentric (CON) or eccentric (ECC) isokinetic training. Thirty-eight women were randomly assigned to either CON or ECC training groups. Training consisted of knee extension and flexion of the nondominant leg three times per week for 20 weeks (SD = 1). Eccentric training…

This guidebook for a self-directed physical fitness program offers information on: (1) What is physical fitness; (2) How is physical fitness measured; (3) What is body composition; (4) How to improve fitness; (5) What is the new presidential physical fitness award program; and (6) What exercises qualify for the Presidential Fitness Award. A…

A study tested two hypotheses: (1) If physical performance relates to mental performance, then aerobically fit individuals will demonstrate higher academic achievement or predicted achievement; and (2) The integrity of the cardiovascular system (as measured by distance covered in 12 minutes) will have some degree of positive association with…

A study assessed the relationship of weight reduction to the strength of various muscle groups in conjunction with a pre-season and in-season training and conditioning program. Twenty-nine high school wrestlers, with an average age of 16 years 4 months, significantly reduced their body weight. In the process, there were losses in lean body weight.…

This report acknowledges the problems faced by industrial/organizational psychologists who must make personnel decisions involving physically demanding jobs. The scarcity of criterion-related validation studies and the difficulty of generalizing validity are considered, and a model of physical performance that builds on Fleishman's (1984)…

The purpose of this study was to construct a valid instrument that would accurately measure parental attitudes toward the motor development of young children. A Likert scaled attitude statement was developed with responses ranging from "very strongly agree" to "very strongly disagree." Parents were asked to reply to 20 statements on the subject. A…

The effects of increasing the load of materials to be moved on rapid movement of these materials were measured using two dependent variables. The first analysis involved overall mean movement time (MT) and segmental movement times. The second analysis dealt with movement time variability evidenced by within subject MT and segmental MT standard…

Running is a popular form of exercise which people do for different reasons. Competitive runners (N=99) and noncompetitive runners (N=28) responded to a survey of 10 reasons for running by choosing their most important reasons for running. Subjects also indicated their age, sex, how long they had been running, their average weekly mileage, how…

The need for physical activity to maintain good health is emphasized in this book. Regular exercise and a balanced diet are regarded as being of prime importance. The nutritional and caloric values of various diets are discussed in relation to their energy producing potential as well as their effect on body weight. Photographs, charts, and line…