Ball State University has opened a new Strength Research Laboratory to fill existing gaps in the field of resistance training research, according to program administrators.
Opened in January and located on the second floor of the Human Performance Laboratory, the new lab provides the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct world-class research in the area of resistance training, said David Pearson, a physical education professor directing the lab.
There are various projects being planned, and the first official project will focus on the conditioning of post-competitive athletes.
The lab serves undergraduate and graduate academic programs but is not a training facility open to athletes or the public.
"This is not a new weight room," Pearson said.
There is some traditional equipment such as a bench press and Olympic free weights in the laboratory. It has the most advanced strength training equipment available, Pearson said. The lab is a 1,200 square-foot concrete room with high ceilings that is to remain uncluttered for filming by biomechanics researchers, Pearson said.
Some equipment is one-of-a-kind and developed at Ball State. Astronauts that have flown on the space shuttle have used a piece of equipment in the lab. The equipment is currently in Russia for use by astronauts involved with the International Space Station. Dr. Scott Trappe, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory, designed the machine, which is a strength-training device for the lower leg.
Pearson is in the process of obtaining NCAA sponsorship in the form of a grant. From an academic standpoint, he coordinates activities in the lab, such as undergraduate laboratory sessions and the activities of other professors using the lab for research.
"I'm doing the initial legwork, and hopefully other universities will get involved in the project," Pearson said.
Pearson also hopes to attract graduate students to do research. Their acceptance will depend on their real interest in relation to strength and conditioning, Pearson said.
"We don't have such a program to attract them now, but we want to build one," Pearson said.
The biomechanics program at Ball State has a strong relationship with the lab that is uncharacteristic of any other university, Pearson said.
"There's a huge void in scientific research for strength training. The lab has the potential to do great work because it has the technology it needs and good people," said Chris Hasson, graduate student in biomechanics. Hasson works in the biomechanics lab connected to the new Strength Research Laboratory.
"The combination of the two programs has the potential for a very powerful multifaceted research base," Pearson said. Potential projects include everyone from children to older adults as well as recreational athletes and college or professional athletes.
People over the age of 65 are one of the hottest topics because they are one of the fastest-growing health club clienteles, Pearson said.
"It is hoped that the projects will find their way into the literature," Pearson said. There have been projects done in the facility before it became the official Strength Research Laboratory that are probably being written for scientific journals, Pearson said.
Publications such as the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the Medicine, Science and Sport Journal and the Journal of Physiology are possible places of future publication, Pearson said.
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