5 Things You Need to Know About Kinesiology

1. So Many Kinds and So Little Time

The field of kinesiology has many different branches. Applied kinesiology is muscle testing and is used by many alternative medicine practitioners to diagnose diseases. Other kinesiologists study ergonomics, health and safety, health promotion and disability management. If you're recovering from a stroke or long-term illness, you may encounter a disability kinesiologist that creates a plan for recovery. If you have a personal trainer, he may be an exercise kinesiologist. Depending on the type, degree requirements vary.

2. Ouch! Now That Really Hurt

An exercise and fitness kinesiologist assesses your present condition and notes which muscles are weak. If you don't maintain balance in the muscle groups or if you move more rapidly than your body is ready for, you could pull muscles. That results in pain that can slow down or halt your fitness regimen. Kinesiologists also isolate muscle groups and individual muscles you need to develop before you can start a full training program. Without the aid of their expertise, you may be saying ouch for a very long time.

3. They Make It Mechanical

A good exercise kinesiologist can explain your body like it's a machine because it really is! The mechanics of the body depend on a series of lever systems that are all designed to function in different areas on different tasks. For example, the elbow is one type of lever, with the muscles pulling the forearm lever up or down. When you know how the body works, you know the best way to work with it. The difference between the three lever systems is the placement of the axis and whether the resistance or the force is pushing against the lever. Correlating training with lever types creates safer and effective training.

4. Check the Range of Motion

If you've even had an injury, an exercise kinesiologist can help you back to full rehabilitation. She studies your level of progress and frequently may tell you not to do a full range of motion. This simply means that you do the exercise, but avoid stressing the muscles or ligaments by not pressing beyond the pain. Pay close attention to the advice to avoid further damage or delay in recovery.

5. Create a Physical Education Curriculum

Kinesiology study is the basis for curriculum development for developing physical education programs. It studies the way the body works and develops and uses specific exercises for different stages of development to achieve maximum benefit. Every day, our children reap the benefits of exercise kinesiologists' expert knowledge as they participate in physical education programs.

Last updated on: Nov 19, 2009

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