NU5 -- The effects of the Exercise is medicine personal training program on health and fitness at USC Upstate: Update

Summary: Exercise is Medicine On Campus (EIM-OC) is a global initiative, set in motion by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), that calls upon universities to promote physical activity in faculty, staff, and students, and to use it as a vital sign of health. In an effort to support this initiative, a student led – professor supervised, Personal Training Program was developed by Exercise and Sports Science in the Department of Human Performance and Health at USC Upstate. For college credit, Exercise and Sport Science students were assigned to a client to assess health and fitness and to develop an individually tailored exercise program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the EIM-OC student led Personal Training Program on measures of health and fitness. Design: Participants were recruited by flyer, email, and word of mouth. All participants completed an intake form to assess health status and exercise related risks prior to participation. Inclusion in the program followed ACSM guidelines and agreement to the program requirements. Participants were excluded if they could not meet the requirements of the program, displayed uncontrolled health conditions, and/or did not receive medical clearance. Program participants performed one-on-one exercise with a student personal trainer a minimum of 1x/week, for an average of 10-weeks. Training sessions were designed to 1) improve health and fitness and 2) meet the participant’s SMART goals. Participants were assessed pre and post program for markers of health and fitness analyzed by a dependent T-test using SPSS. Results: Sixty-three men and women participated in the program (2018-2021), ages 18-70yrs. Over a 10-week period, participants displayed significant reductions in resting heart rate (72±1.3 – 69±3.1 bpm), body weight (107±7.3 –105±7.2 kg), BMI (29.2±0.91 – 28.8±0.90 kg/m2), and waist circumference (87.4±3.1 – 86.5±3.1 cm) with significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness (28.75±1.6 – 31.23±1.8 ml/kg/min) and relative muscle strength, muscle endurance, and hamstring flexibility. Conclusion: Participation in the EIM-OC student led Personal Training Program effectively increased fitness in three major components of health (cardiovascular fitness, muscle fitness, and flexibility) and reduced resting vitals and measures of body composition, which are vital signs of health and wellness. Furthermore, increases in cardiovascular fitness in combination with reductions in BMI and waist circumference are well established to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause-mortality. In conclusion, participation in the program resulted in improved measures of health and fitness