Nicholas Ratamess

The College of New Jersey | TCNJ · Department of Health and Exercise Science

The aim of this study was to compare the warm-up effects of a treadmill walking warm-up (TW) with a dynamic warm-up (DW) on the responses to cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in youth. A sample of 16 active youth (age 13.6 ± 1.8 yr) were tested for peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) using the Fitkids treadmill test protocol on 2 nonconsecutive day...

Today's youth are weaker than previous generations, and measurable reductions in physical fitness are beginning to emerge. Without targeted initiatives that recognize the foundational importance of resistance training, weaker children and adolescents may be more likely to experience the inevitable consequences of neuromuscular dysfunction and less...

Studies investigating the acute effect of postprandial exercise (PPE) on glucose responses exhibit significant heterogeneity in terms of participant demographic, exercise protocol, and exercise timing post-meal. As such, this study aimed to further analyze the existing literature on the impact of PPE on glycemic control in overweight individuals an...

Studies investigating the acute effect of postprandial exercise (PPE) on glucose responses exhibit significant heterogeneity in terms of participant demographic, exercise protocol, and exercise timing post-meal. As such, this study aimed to further analyze the existing literature on the impact of PPE on glycemic control in individuals with overweig...

Kang, J, Ratamess, NA, Faigenbaum, AD, Bush, JA, Finnerty, C, DiFiore, M, Garcia, A, and Beller, N. Time-of-day effects of exercise on cardiorespiratory responses and endurance performance-A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2022-The time-of-day effect of exercise on human function remains largely equivocal. H...

The aim of this study was to compare the warm-up effects of treadmill walking (TW) with a dynamic (DY) bodyweight warm-up on maximal aerobic exercise performance in children. Sixteen children (10.9 ± 1.5 vrs) were tested for peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) on 2 nonconsecutive days following different 6 min warm-up protocols. TW consisted of walking o...

Time restricted feeding (TRF) as a form of intermittent fasting (IF) has gained popularity because its ability to reduce body mass (BM) without an emphasis on caloric restriction. However, how this dietary protocol may affect health, fitness, and performance in a relatively healthy cohort remains less clear. The purpose of this article was to syste...

This consensus statement is an update of the 1987 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) position stand on the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Substantial data have been collected since the previous position stand, and AAS use patterns have changed significantly. The ACSM acknowledges that lawful and ethical therapeutic use of AAS is...

Kraemer, WJ, Caldwell, LK, Post, EM, DuPont, WH, Martini, ER, Ratamess, NA, Szivak, TK, Shurley, JP, Beeler, MK, Volek, JS, Maresh, CM, Todd, JS, Walrod, BJ, Hyde, PN, Fairman, C, and Best, TM. Body composition in elite strongman competitors. J Strength Cond Res 34(12): 3326-3330, 2020-The purpose of this descriptive investigation was to characteri...

Hormones are largely responsible for the integrated communication of several physiological systems responsible for modulating cellular growth and development. Although the specific hormonal influence must be considered within the context of the entire endocrine system and its relationship with other physiological systems, three key hormones are con...

Ketogenic diets (KDs) have received increasing attention among athletes and physically active individuals. However, the question as to whether and how the diet could benefit this healthy cohort remains unclear. Purpose: This study was designed to systematically review the existing evidence concerning the effect of KDs on body composition, aerobic a...

Background: Gender and ethnicity are factors which influence strength, and hand dominance could be a critical component of handgrip strength (HGS) testing. Providing such HGS percentiles across the lifespan may help to identify weakness-related health concerns. We sought to generate growth charts and curves for HGS by gender and ethnicity in a nat...

Integrative neuromuscular training (INT) has emerged as an effective strategy for improving health- and skill-related components of physical fitness, yet few studies have explored the cardiometabolic demands of this type of training in children. The aim of this study was to examine the acute cardiometabolic responses to a multi-modal INT protocol a...

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the interactive effect of exercise and energy balance on energy expenditure and substrate utilization. Method: Seven men and 7 women underwent three 2-day experimental protocols in a random order. Each protocol consisted of no exercise (NE), exercise only (EO), or exercise with a matched energy replacem...

This investigation examined the interactive effect of bodyweight (BW) exercises and vibration on cardiometabolic responses. Fourteen subjects performed a BW exercise protocol with (BW+V) and without (BW-V) vibration in a randomized order. The BW exercise protocol consisted of three circuits of eight calisthenics-based exercises including prisoner s...

Gadomski, SJ, Ratamess, NA, and Cutrufello, PT. Range of motion adaptations in powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The aim of this study was to investigate range of motion (ROM) and training patterns in powerlifters. Upper- and lower-extremity passive ROMs were assessed through goniometry in 15 male powerlifters (35.3 ± 13.7 year...

Resistance training may differentially affect morphological adaptations along the length of uni-articular and bi-articular muscles. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in muscle morphology along the length of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) in response to resistance training. Following a 2-wk preparatory phase, 15 res...

Data. Note: 30 = 30% of longitudinal distance [Distal]; 50 = 50% of longitudinal distance [Middle]; 70 = 70% of longitudinal distance [Proximal]; CSA = Cross-sectional area; MT = Muscle thickness; PRE = Pre-training; POST = Post-training; RF = Rectus femoris; VL = Vastus lateralis. (XLSX)

Medicine ball interval training (MBIT) has been found to be an effective exercise modality in fitness programs, yet the acute physiological responses to this type of this exercise in youth are unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute cardiometabolic responses to MBIT in children. Fourteen children (mean age 10.1 ± 1.3 yr) were te...

Resistance training may differentially affect morphological adaptations along the length of uni-articular and bi-articular muscles. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in muscle morphology along the length of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) in response to resistance training. Following a 2-wk preparatory phase, 15 res...

Faigenbaum, AD, Kang, J, Ratamess, NA, Farrell, A, Golda, S, Stranieri, A, Coe, J, and Bush, JA. Acute cardiometabolic responses to a novel training rope protocol in children. J Strength Cond Res 32(5): 1197-1206, 2018-The purpose of this study was to quantify the acute cardiometabolic responses to a novel training rope (TR) protocol in children. F...

The influence of baseline strength or muscle size on adaptations to training is not well-understood. Comparisons between novice and advanced lifters, and between stronger and weaker experienced-lifters, have produced conflicting results. This study examined the effect of baseline muscle strength and size on subsequent adaptations in resistance-trai...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the acute cardiorespiratory and metabolic effects of a sandbag (SB) resistance exercise protocol and compare the responses to time-matched treadmill running protocols. Eight healthy, resistance-trained men (21.1 ± 1.0 years; 86.1 ± 7.8 kg) completed four protocols of equal duration in random sequence:...

The purpose of this study was to examine acute hematological and mood perception responses to supplementation with p‐synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine during quiet sitting. Sixteen subjects visited the laboratory on 6 occasions and were given (in randomized double‐blind manner) 103‐mg p‐synephrine (S), 233‐mg caffeine + 104‐mg p‐syn...

The purpose was to examine cardiovascular responses to supplementation with p-synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine during quiet sitting. Sixteen subjects were given (in double-blind manner) either 103 mg of p-synephrine (S), 233 mg of caffeine +104 mg of p-synephrine (LC + S), 240 mg of caffeine (LC), 337 mg of caffeine +46 mg of p-syn...

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in muscle strength and self-selected resistance training intensities between trained subjects who trained under the supervision of a personal trainer (PT) and those who trained without supervision (WoPT). Twenty-one trained subjects, men (n = 12) and women (n = 9), completed three sessions (separ...

PurposeTo compare the effects of two different resistance training programs, high intensity (INT) and high volume (VOL), on changes in isometric force (FRC), rate of force development (RFD), and barbell velocity during dynamic strength testing. Methods Twenty-nine resistance-trained men were randomly assigned to either the INT (n = 15, 3–5 RM, 3-mi...

The complexity of the endocrine pathways during recovery related to anabolic function belie an over simplistic approach to its study. This review is to examines the role of resistance exercise (RE) on the recovery responses of three major anabolic hormones testosterone, growth hormone(s) and insulin-like growth factor-I. Each hormone has a complexi...

Powerlifters routinely focus on three exercises: bench press, squat, and deadlift. This focus may predispose them to the development of muscle imbalances in either the upper or lower extremity which might also influence posture. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the agonist:antagonist strength ratios and their relationship...

Purpose: This study assessed the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) of varying frequency and amplitude on metabolic responses during WBV treatment and subsequent aerobic exercise. Methods: Eight men and eight women (21.0 ± 1.9 years) underwent one no-WBV (NV) and six WBV at 30 Hz/low amplitude (30L), 30 Hz/high amplitude (30H), 40 Hz/low ampli...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the metabolic, lipolytic, and cardiovascular responses to supplementation with p-synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine during resistance exercise (RE). Methods: Twelve healthy men performed a control RE protocol (6 × 10 repetitions of squats) and were randomly assigned (using a doub...

Acute resistance exercise performance is negatively impacted by prior aerobic endurance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2667-2681, 2016-The purpose of the present study was to examine acute resistance exercise (RE) performance after 4 different aerobic endurance (AE) protocols. Eleven healthy, resistance-Trained men (21.0 ± 1.2 years) perform...

Partial least squares regression structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine relationships between the endocrine response to resistance exercise and muscle hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Pre-testing (PRE) measures of muscle size (thickness and cross-sectional area) of the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris were collected in...

The transfer of training effects of multiple-joint isokinetic re-sistance training to dynamic exercise performance remain poorly understood. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to inves-tigate the magnitude of isokinetic and dynamic one repetition-maximum (1RM) strength and local muscular endurance in-creases after 6 weeks of multiple-joint...

Increases in muscle size and strength are influenced by the mechanical and metabolic stresses imposed by resistance training. Mechanical stress is induced by the use of high-intensity training and it is believed it activates a larger percentage of muscle fibers. Conversely, metabolic stress is generated by high training volumes with moderate intens...

The purpose of the present study was to compare energy expenditure (EE) of single- and multiple-set resistance exercise protocols using indirect calorimetry. Twelve men and twelve women (age = 21.4 ± 1.3 yrs) performed a single- (SS) and multiple-set (MS) resistance exercise protocol in random order. The subjects performed two protocols at 70% of t...

Background: Little is known concerning the potential ergogenic effects of p-synephrine supplementation. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of supplementation with p-synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine on free-weight resistance exercise performance. Methods: Twelve healthy, college-aged men perfor...

This investigation compared the effect of high-volume (VOL) versus high-intensity (INT) resistance training on stimulating changes in muscle size and strength in resistance-trained men. Following a 2-week preparatory phase, participants were randomly assigned to either a high-volume (VOL; n = 14, 4 × 10-12 repetitions with ~70% of one repetition ma...

A trend (p=0.06) was observed where the mean RER value in p-synephrine was significantly lower than placebo by 3%. indicating a preference of fat utilization for energy metabolism.  These data indicate that both supplements significantly increased post-exercise ventilation during part (15-20 min) of the recovery period but returned to normal respo...

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Develop a better understanding of three popular adjunct modalities: kettlebells, battling ropes, and medicine balls.Learn how to use these modalities to help infuse fun, new strength training, and cardiovascular fitness challenges into a client’s workout by using goal-specific activities to “break up” an exercise bout.

The purpose of the present study was to quantify and compare the acute metabolic responses to battling rope exercise utilizing two different rest intervals. Twelve men and ten women (age = 20.8 ± 1.3 yrs) performed a control protocol and two battling rope exercise protocols on separate days (48 to 72 hours) in random order while connected to a meta...

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of pre--workout WBV in optimizing energy expenditure and substrate oxidation during subsequent aerobic exercise. Nine male and seven female subjects underwent six sets of 10 body weight squats on a vibration platform with either no WBV (NV), 40--Hz WBV at lower amplitude (1--2 mm) (LV), or 40-...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training muscle groups 1 day per week using a split-body routine versus 3 days per week using a total-body routine on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. Subjects were 20 male volunteers (height = 1.76 ± 0.05 m; body mass = 78.0 ± 10.7 kg; age = 23.5 ± 2.9 years) recruited from a uni...

Changes in muscle morphology and the endocrine response to 8‐weeks of resistance training were examined in 29 resistance‐trained men. Changes in lean body (LBM) and leg mass (LM) were assessed by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Ultrasound images were used to assess muscle thickness (MT) and cross‐sectional area (CSA) in the Vastus Lateralis (VL)...

Physical education (PE) programs are evolving from a traditional skill-centered model to a health-centered model that focuses on time engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, improvements in muscular fitness and fundamental movement skills are prerequisites for continuous participation in MVPA. The purpose of this study wa...

Numerous studies have shown performance benefits from including whole-body vibration (WBV) whether as a training modality or an acute exercise protocol when utilized as a component of the resistance training program. Some studies have indicated that performing dynamic exercises as compared to static position exercises while exposed to WBV might be...

The purpose of the present study was to quantify and compare the acute metabolic responses to resistance exercise protocols comprising free-weight, body-weight, and battling rope exercises. Ten resistance-trained men (age = 20.6 ± 1.3 yrs) performed 13 resistance exercise protocols on separate days in random order consisting of only one exercise pe...

Exercise routines in which intensity fluctuates, such as Spinning® and Treading®, are gaining in popularity in fitness industry. However, literature on how this dynamic protocol may affect the exercise metabolism is lacking. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of intensity fluctuation and its magnitude on oxygen uptake an...

Regimented resistance training has been shown to promote marked increases in skeletal muscle mass. Although muscle hypertrophy can be attained through a wide range of resistance training programs, the principle of specificity, which states that adaptations are specific to the nature of the applied stimulus, dictates that some programs will promote...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between VO2 max and acute resistance exercise performance and the acute metabolic effects of exercise sequencing. Seventeen resistance-trained men were tested for VO2 max and one repetition-maximum (1RM) strength. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a group that performed the sq...

Although dynamic postural control is a prerequisite to the development of fundamental movement skills in children, few studies have examined the feasibility and reliability of assessment techniques that measure dynamic postural control in youth under 13 years of age. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and reliabil...

Resistance training is recommended by national health organizations for incorporation into a comprehensive fitness program that includes aerobic and flexibility exercise. Its potential benefits on health and performance are numerous; it has been shown to reduce body fat, increase basal metabolic rate, decrease blood pressure and the cardiovascular...

Context Integrative neuromuscular training (INT) has successfully enhanced physical fitness and reduced abnormal biomechanics, which appear to decrease injury rates in adolescent female athletes. If not addressed at the proper time, low levels of physical fitness and abnormal mechanics may predispose female athletes to an increased risk of musculos...

To understand the concept of concurrent training and its components.• To learn the effect of different sequences of concurrent training on cardiorespiratory and muscular adaptations.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 3 different volume of resistance training (RT) on maximum strength and average power in college team sport athletes with no previous resistance training experience. 32 subjects (20 men and 12 women, age = 23.1± 1.57 yrs) were randomly divided into 4 groups: Low volume (n=8); 1 set per exercise and...

To examine metabolic interaction between meal and exercise, 10 men and 10 women completed three trials: (1) exercise (E), (2) consumption of a meal (M), and (3) consumption of a meal followed by exercise (M+E). All trials commenced after an overnight fast and were preceded by a rest period in which resting metabolic rate (RMR) was determined. The m...

This study examined the acute effects of different parallel squat post activation potentiation protocols with and without whole body vibration on jumping performance in college athletes. Fifteen males (20.3± 1.3 years, 179.50±5.3 cm, 81.0 ±10.8 kg) performed 3 repetitions of a countermovement jump and best drop jump after three conditions: (i) para...

Kraemer, WJ, Looney, DP, Martin, GJ, Ratamess, NA, Vingren, JL, French, DN, Hatfield, DL, Fragala, MS, Spiering, BA, Howard, RL, Cortis, C, Szivak, TK, Comstock, BA, Dunn-Lewis, C, Hooper, DR, Flanagan, SD, Volek, JS, Anderson, JM, Maresh, CM, and Fleck, SJ. Changes in creatine kinase and cortisol in national collegiate athletic association divisio...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of detraining on fitness performance in 7-year-old children following 8 weeks of muscular fitness training which took place during the first 15 min of regularly scheduled physical education (PE) class. Children from two PE classes were cluster randomized into either an exercise group (n=20) or a...

Few data exist examining the body composition, endocrine, and anaerobic exercise performance changes over a competitive wrestling season. Eighteen NCAA wrestlers were tested for endocrine markers, body composition, hydration, grip strength, and power on four occasions: prior to pre-season training (T1); after pre-season training 3 days prior to the...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of manipulating rest interval (RI) length of the first upper-body exercise in sequence on subsequent resistance exercise performance. Twenty-two men and women with at least 1 year of resistance training experience performed resistance exercise protocols on 3 occasions in random order....

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 8 different parallel squat (PS) postactivation potentiation (PAP) protocols with and without neuromuscular vibration on jumping and sprint performance in college athletes METHODS: 15 male athletes (20.3± 1.3 yr, 179.50±5.3 cm, 81.0±10.8 kg) were exposed to 3 basic conditions: 1) PS with 8...