Dr Mel Siff Blog

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This ACSM article which summarises some of the history of sports science and
exercise physiology in the USA may be of interest to list members. If anyone
has come across a comparable resource on sports science in Europe and other
parts of the world, please share them with us. I have provided some of the
history of strength science and training in Ch 1 of my “Supertraining” book
and David Webster has given extensive information in his “Iron Game”. Dr
Terry Todd in Texas has also written a great deal about the history of
strength training and competition.

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http://www.css.edu/users/tboone2/asep/jan11.htm#10.

ACSM and Exercise Physiology
Past, Present, and Future

Roberts A Robergs, PhD

The Historical Development of Exercise Physiology in the United States

A historical perspective on the interaction between ACSM and exercise
physiology provides a developmental scheme that clearly justifies the
professionalization of exercise physiology. History has also clearly
documented the original mission of ACSM, and therefore provides an
interesting comparison to present functions; a comparison that shows how and
why disciplines who contribute to sports medicine must independently pursue
steps towards professionalization.

The Origins of Exercise Physiology in the United States

There is no single widely accepted definition of exercise physiology.
However, a satisfactory definition would be the study of how exercise
influences the structure and function of the human body, both during
exercise, as well as after long term exposure to repeated exercise
participation. It is difficult to state a specific date where one can
recognize the combining of the scientific knowledge of human physiological
adaptation to exercise into the science of exercise physiology. However,
thanks to excellent texts on the history of the ACSM (6), and the history of
exercise science and exercise physiology (9,18), there are sources that
provide answers to this query.

The study of exercise physiology has a long history (5-9,11,12,18). It is
impressive that one of the first monographs written on exercise physiology
occurred as early as 1855 in the American Journal of Medical Sciences (10).
The first textbook on exercise physiology was published in 1888 (Table 1)
(8,9). Many additional monographs followed, and during the 1890s George W.
Fitz had established probably the first exercise physiology laboratory in the
United States within Harvard University’s Department of Anatomy, Physiology
and Physical Training (6). By the 20th century, there was a solid framework
in place for exercise physiology to be a branch of physiology focused on
understanding the body’s physiological responses to exercise stress (8,9).

When reading of the history of exercise physiology, the work and life of R.
Tait McKenzie stand out as pivotal features. McKenzie was trained as a
physical educator (1891) and physician (1892), and became the Chair of the
Department of Physical Education at the University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia in 1904. McKenzie was influenced by the anthropometry work of
Dudley Sargent, and applied his interests in exercise by implementing
physical examinations before and after exercise training to quantify the
beneficial effects of regular physical activity on the human body (5,6).
McKenzie recognized very early the important connection between medicine and
physital education. Therefore, it is fitting that the founders of ACSM stated
in many of their initial speeches that they owe credit to McKenzie for
cementing a strong belief in their lives for the role of exercise in disease
prevention and health promotion (6).

Apart from the life of McKenzie, another landmark event in the recognition
and future development of exercise physiology was the appointment of
Archibald V. Hill as the Joddrell Professor of Physiology at University
College, London in 1923. Hill chose to express the importance of exercise
physiology on normal, healthy individuals in his inaugural address. Hill’s
support of the discipline of exercise physiology impressed Ernest Jokl, a
physical educator and one of the founding members of ACSM, who noted in 1925
that because of Hill, exercise physiology was now an academic topic in its
own right (6,8). Note that these events occurred prior to 1930, over 75 years
ago, and despite this time as a recognized academic topic exercise physiology
is still not a profession.

Pioneering research in exercise physiology occurred at the Carnegie Nutrition
Laboratory during the period between 1910 – 1945. The formation of the
Harvard Fatigue Laboratory in 1927 was also instrumental in adding to
exercise physiology research, and continued until 1947 (6,12). However, the
legacy of the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory continued in the lives of the
researchers who gained experience under its founder Lawrence J. Henderson and
director D. Bruce Dill. Due to the researchers of the Harvard Fatigue
Laboratory, exercise physiology laboratories were developed at the University
of Minnesota (Ancel Keys and Henry L. Taylor), at navy and army military
bases (D. Bruce Dill, Steven Horvath), the University of Southern California
(Laurence Morehouse), and Indiana University (Sid Robinson). By 1950, of the
16 United States universities who had physical education programs with a
laboratory, 15 used the laboratory for exercise physiology teaching and
research (6,12).

In these early years, the discipline of exercise physiology was a component
of the field of physical education, and as such was represented by the
American Physical Education Association (APE), formed in 1919. The APE
eventually combined with what is now recognized as the American Alliance for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) (Table 2).

References:

5. Berryman, J.W. The tradition of the ’six things non-natural’: Exercise and
medicine from
Hippocrates through Ante-Bellum. In Pandolph, K.B. (Ed). Exerc Sports Sci
Rev. 17:515-559,
1989.

6. Berryman, J.W. Out of many, one: A history of the American College of
Sports Medicine. Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, 1995.

7. Books, G.A. The exercise physiology paradigm in contemporary biology: To
molbiol or not to molbiol – That is the question. Quest. 39:232, 1987.

8. Buskirk, E.R. The emergence of exercise physiology. P. 55-74, In Brooks,
G.R. (Ed). Perspectives on the academic discipline of physical education.
Human Kinetics, 1981.

9. Buskirk, E.R. Exercise physiology, Part I: Early history in the United
States. p. 367-396. In Massengale, J.D. & R.A. Swanson. The history of
exercise and sports science. Human Kinetics. 1997.

10. Byford, W.H. On the physiology of exercise. Am J Med Sci. 30:32-42, 1855.

11. Carter, L & C. Bentley. The licensing of exercise physiologists. Fitness
Management. Feb: 36-38, 1997.

12. Chapman, C.B. The long reach of Harvard’s Fatigue Laboratory, 1926-1947.
Persp Biol Med. 34:17-33, 1990.

13. Dill, D.B. The economy of muscular exercise. Physiol Rev. 16:263-291,
1936.

14. Hartwell, E.M. On the physiology of exercise. Boston Med Surg J.
116:297-301, 1887.

15. Jaszeczak, S. (Ed). Encyclopedia of Associations. 32nd Ed’n, Vol.1,
National Organizations of the US. Gale Research, Detroit, MI, 1997.

16. MacFarlane, T.J. (Ed’r). Encyclopedia of International Organizations.
31st Ed, Gale Research, Detroit, MI, 1997.

17. Steinhaus, A.H. Chronic effects of exercise. Physiol Rev. 13:103-147,
1933.

18. Tipton, C.M. Exercise physiology, Part II: A contemporary historical
perspective. p. 396-438 In Massengale, J.D. & R.A. Swanson. The history of
exercise and sports science. Human Kinetics, 1997.

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Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/

For more information on Facts and Fallacies of Fitness by Dr Mel Siff please click here

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