Professor and students test exercise theory

By Emily Race

It’s all about the students,” Dr. Scott Mazzetti reiterates time and again. Oddly enough, he’s not referring to a new campus ministry or academic program. He’s talking about a six-week research project, one of his own design and initiative, entitled Influence of Explosive Muscle Action on Resting Metabolic Rate.

“The basic issue,” he explained, “deals with when a person goes into the weight room with the intention of using weight training for weight loss.” Most professional trainers will tell you that “general toning,” or a slower workout with lighter weights but more reps, is your best bet. But Mazzetti has a different theory. His own studies of muscle, combined with other researchers’ findings, have led him to believe that an “explosive” workout is much more beneficial in the end. To test his hypothesis, he developed a study that measures the difference in how the body responds to the same workout (in this case, a set of squats) performed either slowly or explosively (more aggressively). He also built a stool of adjustable height out of an old O.C. Lewis Gym bleacher to assist the squats. Cost-conscious and resourceful, he reflected, “Why spend more money than we have to?”

So where do the students come in? Well, the subjects themselves are male AU students who have volunteered to get up early — some start their session at 6:45 a.m. — to help out their professor, get some training, and receive a free supplement bar. “People love free food!” Mazzetti said. Moreover, students in the kinesiology program are helping Mazzetti in researching, collecting data, and eventually helping to write up the findings. The students themselves will present the findings at a regional conference at Ball State University. This is a great opportunity for the students, Mazzetti pointed out, as they will then be going into the work field with actual research experience.

In the future, Mazzetti hopes that this research project — the first to be executed in the Kardatzke Wellness Center and possibly the first of its kind — will be the springboard for more projects in the future. He foresees the potential research that could either follow up or build upon this project, hoping that he is starting a tradition of research projects for kinesiology students. However, if ever there was a researcher who cared more about his subjects and assistants than himself, it is Mazzetti, who looks proudly at his students as they come in for a group picture. “It’s all about these guys,” he said. “It’s all about the students.”