The Scope of Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Educational Objectives and the Pervasiveness of Human Movement

• The study of exercise science and kinesiology aims to foster an appreciation for the pervasiveness of human movement, physical activity, and exercise in daily life.

• Core goals include defining and thinking about physical activity and exercise through precise academic frameworks.

• It is essential to understand the disciplines of exercise science and kinesiology as distinct yet related fields.

• Knowledge in exercise science is acquired through three primary pillars: exercise experience, scholarly research, and professional experience in program implementation.

• A preliminary understanding of what constitutes a profession is necessary, alongside an exploration of the diverse career possibilities emerging from exercise science.

The Role of Professionals in Movement Rehabilitation and Performance

• A significant portion of injuries affecting tactical athletes—such as fire, military, and police personnel—are musculoskeletal. For example, Sue, an athletic trainer, works with Nate to recover neuromuscular skills and strength after a shoulder injury.

• Rehabilitative exercise programs are informed by Three Pillars:

  • Exercise science knowledge.

  • Professional knowledge.

  • Client goals and values.

• Human life is inherently movement-dependent. People seek professionals for various needs:

  • Strength and Conditioning Coaches: Use knowledge of technique, training, and motivation to help athletes reach performance potential.

  • Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, and Exercise Physiologists: Use clinical skills to recover healthy and effective movement after injury or disease.

  • Elite Athlete Specialists: Monitor nutrition, performance, and training to prescribe programs aligned with competitive schedules.

• Exercise science professionals are increasingly involved in preventive programming to counteract low levels of activity that contribute to disease, operating in community centers, schools, fitness centers, and public health programs.

Defining Physical Activity and the Newell Formulation

• Physical activity consumes the majority of daily life, including routine tasks like getting out of bed, brushing teeth, getting dressed, attending class, cleaning, and organizational chores.

• Technical definitions are required to ensure a common understanding among professionals, as everyday language often lacks the precision needed for scientific building blocks.

• The Karl Newell (1990) Definition: Physical activity is defined as "intentional, voluntary movement directed toward achieving an identifiable goal."

• Characteristics of Newell’s Definition:

  • Energy Requirements: The definition does not stipulate a specific level of energy. It includes large-muscle activities (swimming, marathons, lifting weights) and small-scale activities (typing, handwriting, sewing, and surgery).

  • Irrelevance of Setting: Physical activity occurs in diverse environments. Tossing paper into a wastebasket is physical activity, just as shooting a basketball is. Pole-vaulting and jumping over a fence are both forms, as are wrestling, skiing, and performing sign language.

  • Movement vs. Physical Activity: Movement is a "necessary but not sufficient condition" for physical activity. Human movement is any change in the position of body parts relative to each other. Physical activity must be purposeful.

• Exclusions from the definition of physical activity:

  • Involuntary reflexes.

  • Physiological movements controlled by involuntary muscles (e.g., peristalsis, swallowing, eye blinking).

  • Voluntary movements without a goal (e.g., absentminded hair twirling, scratching one's head, or the repetitive movements of a compulsive-obsessive psychiatric patient).

The Nature and Mastery of Physical Activity

• Physical activity is a medium for exploring and discovering the world. Linking movement with complex cognitive plans defines human identity.

• A significant part of a lifetime is spent mastering physical activities, ranging from early reach-and-grasp skills to complex skills like hitting a baseball, doing somersaults, or playing the piano.

• Extraordinary Performance Examples:

  • Steph Curry: Sinking three-point shots consistently from $30\,feet$ ($9\,m$) away.

  • Yo-Yo Ma: Precise skill in positioning a bow on cello strings.

  • Pilots: Landing fighter jets on aircraft carriers tossed by the sea.

The Academic Disciplines: Kinesiology vs. Exercise Science

• Enrollment in physical activity majors grew dramatically from the early 2000s to 2016, making them among the fastest-growing majors in higher education.

• Discipline Definition: A body of knowledge organized around a certain theme or focus, embodying knowledge deemed worthy of study by learned people.

  • Biology focuses on life forms.

  • Psychology focuses on the mind/mental processes.

  • Anthropology focuses on culture.

• Historical Context: Programs were originally called "physical education" in the late 1800s, pioneered by physicians for health promotion in college students.

• Kinesiology: The larger discipline focusing on all aspects of physical activity, including its impact on health, society, and quality of life.

• Exercise Science: A discipline focusing on evidence-based exercise prescribed by physical activity professionals.

• Interdisciplinary Nature: Kinesiology integrates biological, medical, philosophical, psychological, and social-humanistic perspectives. It is "interdisciplinary," meaning knowledge from subdisciplines must be integrated rather than viewed separately.

• Other Uses of the Term "Kinesiology":

  • Clinical Kinesiology: Functional anatomy in OT/PT programs.

  • Dental Kinesiology: Analysis of jaw and tongue motions.

  • Behavioral Kinesiologists: Use of biofeedback.

  • Spiritual Kinesiologists: Healing by uniting body and soul.

  • Applied Kinesiology: Alternative medicine/chiropractic manual testing of muscle strength to diagnose disease.

  • Kinesiology Tape: Elastic tape (though little peer-reviewed research was used in its development).

Defining Exercise and Its Subcategories

• Exercise: Voluntary human movement consisting of evidence-based prescription based on specialized field knowledge. It is more specific than the general term "physical activity."

• Example: Running $3\,miles$ ($5\,km$) for generic purposes is physical activity. An "exercise prescription" for cardiovascular fitness includes specifics on warm-up, speed, grade/incline for metabolic conditions, and cool-down.

• Training Exercise: Programmed movements for improving athletic, military, work-related, or recreation-related performance. Professionals often pursue the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

• Health-Related Exercise: Undertaken to maintain a sound working body, reduce disease risk, and promote longevity. Research in the mid-1990s concluded major health benefits come from moderate activity on most days of the week.

• Cosmetic Exercise: Intended to reshape the body for aesthetic reasons (e.g., bodybuilders, models, weight loss for a trip).

• Therapeutic Exercise: Specialized, individualized movements to restore/develop capacities lost to injury, disease, aging, or behavior.

  • Remedial: Correcting/accommodating injury.

  • Habilitative/Prehabilitation: Proactive, preventive training to reduce traumatic or overuse injury risk.

Three Sources of Knowledge in Exercise Science

• Exercise Experience: Direct personal experience of observing or performing exercise; practicing testing and monitoring skills.

• Scholarship of Exercise Science: Researching, reading, and discussing theoretical and practical aspects. It involves models, experiments, and laboratory work.

  • Subdisciplines often have "parent disciplines" (e.g., Biomechanics draws from Physics; Exercise Physiology from Physiology; Motor Behavior from Psychology).

• Professional Experience: Designing and implementing programs for clients within a scope of practice (e.g., athletic trainers, cardiac rehab specialists, physical therapists).

• Knowledge is only part of the "official" discipline when embedded in university curricula or universally accepted by scholars. Professionals specializing in research typically hold a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), which is a research degree, unlike professional doctorates (DAT, DPT, MD, DO), which focus on practice skills.

Career Paths and Graduate Study

• Entry-Level Degrees (BS/BA): Preparation for fitness leadership, coaching, strength and conditioning, and health promotion.

• Advanced Study (MS/EdD/PhD):

  • Specializations: Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Statistics, Pedagogy, Epidemiology, Sport Analytics, Sport History/Philosophy/Psychology.

  • Allied Health Prerequisites: Required for admission to programs like Physical Therapy (DPT), Athletic Training (DAT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Medicine (MD/DO).

• Higher education levels typically correlate with higher pay in exercise science careers.

Holistic Nature of Exercise Science

• Holism: The interdependence of mind, emotion, body, and spirit.

• Physical activity is not just bodily movement; it is cognitive, emotional, and spiritual activity.

• The five major subdisciplines highlighted are:

  1. Biomechanics

  2. Exercise Physiology

  3. Motor Behavior

  4. Sport and Exercise Psychology

  5. Physical Activity Epidemiology (focuses on population-based health and longevity).

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• EBP originated from medicine at Oxford University in the late 1980s.

• It integrates three types of evidence:

  1. Scientific research.

  2. Professional/clinical experience.

  3. Client values and characteristics.

• Ethical Requirements: Professionals must provide high-quality service through equity, evidence-based practice, and expertise.

Discussion and Case Studies

• Kevin Guskiewicz: A Kenan Distinguished Professor at UNC Chapel Hill and an athletic trainer who received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship ("Genius Grant") for his work on sport-related concussions in the NFL. He currently serves as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• RugbySmart Program: Developed by Dr. Patria Hume and colleagues in New Zealand. A 10-point strategy that substantially reduced serious spinal injuries in rugby. It served as a proof-of-concept for other "Smart" injury prevention programs.

Exercise Science Organizations and Publications

• Key Organizations:

  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

  • American Kinesiology Association (AKA)

  • National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

  • National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK)

  • British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)

• Key Journals:

  • Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

  • Journal of Applied Biomechanics

  • Kinesiology Review

  • Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport

  • Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport