Interval training research opens doors of opportunity

Presenting research on a national stage wasn’t the only treat for one Bloomsburg University exercise science graduate assistant this summer. It was also a great opportunity to get a clearer picture of her career path.

Meghan Magee ‘17, who is pursuing a master’s in exercise science, recently presented her analysis of young male athletes utilizing a popular exercise training program to discover the differences in muscular growth at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Conference in Indianapolis.

“I was able to not only gain experience doing research, but I was also able to network with professionals in the field,” Magee said. “I met a lot of great people, and it was an incredible experience being around people who were passionate about the work they do.”

Magee began her research with the goal to discover whether maturity related differences in muscular growth in youth male athletes who are following a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program exists. HIIT is a cardiovascular exercise program that combines shorts bust of high-energy exercise followed by a period of rest completed in an alternating fashion.

Utilizing data collected at the University of Central Florida, Magee analyzed that within the 27 males studied, this type of training only showed results in post pubescent males.

According to Magee, attending the conference also served as a steppingstone to achieve her goal of earning a Ph.D. and eventually become a professor, then further conduct research involving strength and conditioning with athletes.

“There is so much to learn and there are a lot of great minds in the field,” Magee said. “This was a great experience for me, and I look forward to going to more conferences in the future.”