<< Back to previous page

Workout room becomes experimental lab in J-Term

January 23, 2012

Lauren Sible, '12, uses a sledgehammer behind the Smeds Tennis Center during a workout as part of the J-Term class Energetics and Strength.

Exercise groups test effects of common supplements on body

Pounding a large tire with a sledgehammer behind the Smeds Tennis Center, Carthage senior Lauren Sible was a willing guinea pig.

She’s part of Energetics and Strength, a new January Term class that aims in part to determine the effects of various supplements on the body. While others drink Gatorade, creatine or whey protein, Lauren, ’12, a biology and neuroscience major from Byron, Ill., is part of the control group that takes only water.

Svyat Dubko, '12, carries farmer handles in the basement of the Smeds Tennis Center during a workout for the Energetics and Strength J-Term class.

A student pushes a Prowler, one of the techniques practiceed during the workout portion of the J-Term class Energetics and Strength.

Like the others in her workout group, she enjoys being able to see and feel the effects of bodily processes rather than just memorize text from a book.

“They become the human experiment,” said Prof. Kris Koudelka, an assistant professor of biology and chemistry, who is teaching the class with Prof. Paul Martino.

The class, a Carthage Symposium, is split between classroom lessons and workouts. Besides yoga and mile-long walks, the students follow a unique training regimen three times a week that includes pulling tires filled with weights, carrying sandbags above their heads and, yes, wielding sledgehammers.

Many of the exercises are designed to compensate for muscles that are seldom used in today’s desk-job world. The instructors carefully manage students’ techniques.

“We teach them how to train correctly with balance,” said Prof. Martino, an assistant professor of biology.

The class is heavily loaded with biology or chemistry majors. In the classroom, they learn how the body uses and stores energy. Students say the knowledge gives them an edge when working out.

“Biology kids in the gym are different, because we do it more efficiently,” said Svyat Dubko, ’12, a biology major from Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Many of the participants are involved in athletics. Prof. Koudelka said it’s important for them to understand the effects of commonly available legal supplements on their bodies before deciding whether to use any in the future.

John Egner, ’13, a biology and neuroscience major from Joliet, Ill., plans to sift through body fat measurements and other data to interpret the impact of each supplement. He’ll present the results as part of an Honors Contract, an additional assignment through Carthage’s Honors Program.