High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) Improves Fitness in Recruit Firefighters.

Background: Firefighting is a strenuous profession requiring adequate levels of fitness for effective job performance. Providing firefighters with a safe and effective fitness program is essential for optimal performance. The purpose of this project was to examine changes in various parameters of physical fitness and firefighter ability following a 7-week high intensity functional training (HIFT) program.

Fitness Fights Fires: Exploring the Relationship between Physical Fitness and Firefighter Ability.

Regular exercise in firefighters may be effective in preventing or attenuating ill health (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and obesity), as well as improving their firefighting ability.

Of Sound Mind and Body: Exploring the Diet-Strength Interaction in Healthy Aging.

Strength is a vital component of healthy aging. However, "strength" comes in different forms (includes both physical and mental aspects) and can look different at various phases of adult life. Healthy eating and regular exercise are clearly important pillars for strength.

Individual differences influence exercise behavior: how personality, motivation, and behavioral regulation vary among exercise mode preferences.

Unlabelled: Personality traits, participatory motives, and behavior regulation have been linked to physical activity engagement. It is possible that these dimensions are associated with the type of physical activity one chooses to engage. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in those participating in various primary modes of physical activity (PMA) and determine which individual differences are predictive of exercise frequency.

High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) and competitions: How motives differ by length of participation.

High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) is a unique fitness method that promotes an active lifestyle and has seen exponential and continual growth over the last two decades. Motivation to exercise is likely to change over time as individuals' motives to initiate exercise may be different than those which motivate them to maintain an exercise program. The purpose of this study was to examine the motivational factors reported by individuals who actively engage in HIFT with varying length of participation and competition levels.

Mood State Changes Accompanying the Crossfit Open™ Competition in Healthy Adults.

Background: Specific mood states were examined during the CrossFit Open, a consecutive 5-week fitness competition involving five separate CrossFit workouts, to determine whether the unique design or strenuous workouts of the competition resulted in acute and/or chronic mood state alterations.

Methods: Participants ( = 8) completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire one-week prior to the competition (baseline), prior to (PRE), immediately post (IP), 30-min post- (30P) and 60-min post-workout (60P) each week. Tension, depression, anger, confusion, fatigue and vigor were derived from the POMS, as was Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) and an Energy Index (EI).

Testosterone and Cortisol Responses to Five High-Intensity Functional Training Competition Workouts in Recreationally Active Adults.

To determine the salivary steroid response to high-intensity functional training (HIFT) competition workouts, saliva samples were collected from ten recreationally trained male and female competitors during a 5-week (WK1⁻WK5) international competition. Competitors arrived at their local affiliate and provided samples prior to (PRE) their warm-up, immediately (IP), 30-min (30P), and 60-min (60P) post-exercise. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of testosterone (T), cortisol (C), and their ratio (TC).