ASEPNewsletterDecember2004.html

ARTICLES

DEPARTMENTS

December BOD Editorial
"From the Editor"
Lowery, L.

JEPonline
Mucosal IgA Response To Intense Intermittent Exercise In Healthy Male And Female Adults
Engels H., et al.

PEPonline
The Recent ACSM and AACVPR Initiative Regarding Exercise Physiology
Wattles, M.

Contact Information
New web page (click) and new email address: contact@asep.org

Important Dates to Remember!
ASEP Annual Meeting & EPC Exams!
The Editors

Seventh Annual Meeting Abstract Submissions
Due Date: December 15, 2004
The ASEP Editors

Ask the Professor
Have Your Question Appear Online!
with Dr. Don Diboll

Happy Holidays to ASEP-Newsletter subscribers and anyone receiving this issue! As 2004 winds down, I find myself amazed that I've been working on this publication in one capacity or another for three years! In that time I've seen a Summit on Licensure, a number of National Meetings, some very high-quality leadership, and a steady move toward a formal way of doing business. A thorough business plan is in place with strict deadlines that are being aggressively met. A marketing plan within that business document is well underway, bringing hope to exercise physiology (and exercise science) graduates who didn't previously know ASEP existed... graduates who often work for pitifully less salary than similarly (or less) educated counterparts in other healthcare professions.

But don't take my word for it. The proof is in the pudding when one interacts with college grads at the grass roots level. Below is a quote from a concerned gentleman I met recently who is "post-EP" (as some of us have come to call those who've moved on despite their expensive college exercise science degree), and who is currently working as a landscaper:

I am a graduate of... and Ohio State University (BS, EP [late 1990s]). Yes, I know I graduated a while ago. I only found out two days ago about the ASEP, and this was through the NSCA, through which I am certified (CSCS). Interestingly enough, the ASEP was right on the money when it mentioned that professors lauded the ACSM [the curriculum I followed], but never made any mention of the ASEP.

To make a long story short Dr. Lowery, I have worked in health/ fitness/ wellness centers as a trainer/ salesman, in warehouses, in a chemical plant, in a clinical plasma lab, in a chemical R&D lab, and now, yes... landscaping. I mean to tell you that I have been through the ringer and although maybe I should have given up on my degree, I do not want to.

This man was the third recent or soon-to-be exercise science graduate that I was hearing from in under two weeks. He was frustrated and weary but at the same time, he impressed me with his determination and his knowledge, which he was trying in earnest to keep from atrophy. A guy who has paid tens of thousands for a degree, received good grades and can still launch into discussions on the onset of blood lactate and muscle fiber types deserves more than the past professional/ political climate has given him. Grad school (with a wiser outlook on future earning potential) and ASEP appear to be in his near future. I congratulate him on his perseverance.

But I digress. In addition to the accomplishments I've seen ASEP's very sincere leaders make, there are also the new Exercise Physiologist Survey (see ASEP's President's quote below), the 2005 National Meeting (see link in Table of contents, above) .

Exercise Physiologist Survey
The profession of Exercise Physiology needs your help! ASEP has developed a comprehensive online survey that will help the ASEP leadership better understand and serve the exercise physiology profession. You can access the survey by clicking on the link below:

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB223W44TEEM8

The survey will be available online until 02/01/2005. Please complete the survey as soon as possible and forward the survey to as many exercise physiologists or students you know! The results of the survey will be presented at the 7th ASEP National Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

And lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention one final accomplishment. Congratulations to the University of Evansville, Indiana! These fine people just became the seventh ASEP accredited program in the U.S. The Accredited status of their Movement Science major (to be re-named to the Exercise Physiology major) is retroactive to September 2004. Best wishes... and display your Certificate of Accreditation proudly!

As we head toward a new year, please make that extra effort to stay involved with ASEP and reach out to friends and colleagues who don't know that there is help: Help for university graduates to stay involved with a profession they love; help for schools and faculty who realize the ethical issues inherent to the creation of (unlicensed) under-competitive Exercise Science grads; help for those who know that political change and licensure are the ways to build a legal profession. Fight academic atrophy and small paychecks. Send an email to the Contact Information link in the Table of Contents at the top of this Newsletter. Make plans right now to attend the 2005 Meeting next April. Help us help you get the credit you deserve!

Q.) I am a student of Queen Margaret University College studying M Sc Physiotherapy. Please shed some light on the skeletal muscle fiber type shifting in response to exercise training, physiological basis and clinical implications.

I shall be highly grateful.
Shobhit Saxena

To begin with, muscle fibers are differentiated based on metabolic and contractile characteristics. Metabolic characteristics refer to the type of metabolic process utilized to produce energy (i.e., synthesize ATP), and is either glycolytic (sometimes referred to as anaerobic) or oxidative (sometimes referred to as aerobic). Contractile characteristics refer to how fast the fiber can complete one contraction cycle (fast vs. slow contraction velocity). The two generally accepted categories are slow-twitch (Type I) and fast-twitch (Type II). Additionally, fast-twitch fibers are often subdivided into fast glycolytic (FG; Type IIb) and fast oxidative-glycolytic (FOG; Type IIa). These fast-twitch subtypes differ in that FOG fibers have a greater oxidative capacity, which means they are more fatigue resistant and somewhat similar to slow-twitch fibers. In other words, FOG fibers have characteristics of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers.

Current research does suggest that skeletal muscle fiber types do adapt to the type of activity or training they are exposed to. A term that is often used for these adaptations is muscle plasticity. The noted changes in fiber type occur at the molecular level. In particular, structural changes in the myosin (thick) filaments have been observed, along with changes to the myosin ATPase, the enzyme that catalyzes the reaction to release stored energy from ATP in order to power muscle contraction.

Although changes within skeletal muscle fibers do occur with training and are specific to the type of training, it is believed the changes do not result in a complete conversion from slow-twitch to fast-twitch fibers or vice versa. What is believed to happen is that the muscle fibers change to exhibit more of the characteristics that will adapt them to meet the demands of the particular training. For example, endurance training will convert FG fibers to FOG fibers, but they will not convert completely to slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, explosive strength training (e.g., Olympic lifts) will cause slow-twitch fibers to hypertrophy and, therefore, increase strength, but the fibers will not convert to fast-twitch fibers. The good news is that, as a whole, skeletal muscle will adapt and become better suited to perform the tasks they are trained for. So, individuals can improve muscular performance that is desired. However, it is likely our inherited muscle fiber-type composition that dictates, at least in part, the degree of muscular performance that can be achieved.

***December 15, 2004 Abstracts due for ASEP 7th Annual Meeting and Conference***
(Abstract submission can be made online at www.asep.org)

January 15, 2005 Abstracts awarded
(Abstracts awarded and schedule announced for the Annual Meeting)

April 8 & 9, 2005 ASEP 7th Annual Meeting and Conference
Hilton Minneapolis /St. Paul Airport
(100 % of last years attendees stated they would recommend the ASEP conference to colleague.)

And keep in mind: For more information on professional scope of practice, professional standards and code of ethics for exercise physiologists, accreditation of academic programs, board certification examination, and other important tasks already completed by ASEP in establishing a profession, visit: www.asep.org