Articles by Wayne Westcott
Staying Healthy While You Get Fit: A New Perspective
By Wayne L. Westcott My experiences as a participant and presenter at the annual American College of Sports Medicine World Congress on Exercise is Medicine meetings have enhanced my understanding of the fitness, health and medical benefits associated with both resistance exercise and aerobic activity. In addition to well-known adaptations in our muscular and cardiovascular…
Read MoreEffects of Exercise and Nutrition on Bone, Muscle, and Blood Pressure
By Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., Jose Vaighese, M.D., Nancy Moynihan, M.S., Rita La Rosa Loud, B.S., Scott Whitehead, B.S. According to recent research reported by the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 55, fewer than 2.5 percent of older adults (age 60 and above) attain 30 or more minutes of…
Read MoreRe-examining Exercise Repetition Speed
By Wayne L. Westcott Movement speed has long been a controversial area in the field of strength training. Although fast movement speeds may permit heavier weight loads, this is largely due to momentum. For example, if Jim performs barbell curls with his back against the wall he can use an 80-pound weight load. However, if…
Read MoreAddressing the Obesity Epidemic
By Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., and Rita La Rosa Loud, B.S. Based on body mass index (BMI), more than 70% of American adults are classified as overweight or obese.6 Unfortunately, this height and weight calculation seriously underestimates the number of middle-aged and older adults who have too much fat and too little muscle. This…
Read MoreA Basic Exercise Program for Beginning Participants
By Wayne L. Westcott and Rita La Rosa Loud Have you ever felt confused about the myriad of strength training models presently being promoted in the fitness market? Do you wonder why there are so many different strength training protocols and workout programs? Variety aside, do you wish that there was a simple and…
Read MoreAvoiding Muscle Loss as We Age
By Wayne Westcott and Rita La Rosa Loud Inactive aging is associated with significant amounts of muscle loss on a year-by-year basis. Adults who do not perform some type of strength training sacrifice more than 5 pounds of muscle tissue every decade, and older adults lose even more than that. Because our muscles function…
Read MoreDifferential Effects of our Exercise and Nutrition Program on Weight Loss Participants and Arthritis Patients
By Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., Rita La Rosa Loud, B.S., Michelle Pearson, M.S., and Samantha Vallier, A.S. Approximately 70 percent of American adults are overweight or obese,6 even though almost the same percentage of men and women report that they are following reduced calorie diet plans.12 It would, therefore, appear that dieting alone is not…
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