As a 20 year old college student in my 3rd year toward a degree in Exercise Science, it is pretty safe to say that I have accumulated a good amount of experience with professors whether it be physiologists, nutritionists, or teaching assistants.
An alarming consistancy that keeps presenting itself is a blatant lack of knowledge when it comes to information that does not fit into the preset norms discussed in these classes. Every case study or data analysis that professors and textbooks use to validate arguments are based on either non-trained subjects that are average size (i.e. 170 pounds for a male) or what they consider to be trained (usually their definition is eerily close to chest and biceps day 3x a week.) What I want to know is where are the studies on subjects that ACTUALLY train hard? And by this I mean elite level powerlifters, bodybuilders, or weightlifters who have 5+ years of consistent, ball-busting training under their belts. Sure it's cool to see how the vastus lateralis of an average subject responds to 3 sets of 10 reps performed twice a week for six weeks, but maybe just once let's get a 250 pound 8% body fat giant in there and do the same test! I'd sure as hell be more interested in that study as I'm sure most people who have a vesting interest in this topic would be.
It blows my mind when I ask a professor or even some family practice doctors a question about training or nutrition or anything else, and they simply just have no idea. When I was in a meeting with a nutrition professor about getting a letter of recommendation, HE was actually asking ME questions about nutrition! Maybe it's just my opinion, but there seems to be something wrong with this situation. I have the utmost respect for professors and leaders in our field that actually stay educated in topics related to exercise, diet, and health that are somewhat broader than their areas of expertise. However, it is quite unfortunate that this is not the norm.
While I'm still on the topic of ridiculousness in health and wellness fields, can we PLEASE find a different standard for body composition other than the traditional BMI? I understand it is easy and it can be reasonably accurate for average individuals, but I am tired of being labeled as obese by this damn formula! For reference, I am about 235 pounds and 8% body fat at 6 feet 1 inch. It just blows my mind how this can be used as a universal standard for people to change their lifestyles when it does not take into account lean mass or body fat...ok sorry rant over.
Overall, what I am trying to say is that any professor who is qualified to teach hundreds if not thousands of college students should be more knowledgable about the topics they are teaching than the students paying to be taught.
Bryce Calvin - Strength and Conditioning Intern
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