Located in the Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall on UNL's City Campus, the Human Performance and Body Composition Laboratory operates under the expert direction of Dr. Terry Housh. The lab serves as a cornerstone for advanced studies in exercise physiology and nutritional science while serving two essential functions:
- A dynamic educational environment where students engage with advanced concepts through hands-on learning experiences.
- A state-of-the-art research center for advancing the scientific knowledge of human performance optimization and physiological adaptations across diverse populations.
Our facility is equipped with precision equipment which enables comprehensive assessment of human performance and body composition:
- Digitimer Nerve Stimulator: Delivers precise electrical stimulation to nerves to assess neuromuscular function, measure nerve conduction velocity, and evaluate muscle fatigue characteristics.
- Lode Corival Cycle Ergometer: A precision bicycle ergometer that provides accurate workload control for cardiovascular fitness testing, exercise prescription research, and performance assessment.
- Treadmills: Used for cardiorespiratory fitness assessment, gait analysis, and exercise protocols requiring controlled walking or running conditions.
- Monark Cycle Ergometers: Mechanical or electronically-braked cycle ergometers used for Wingate testing, cardiorespiratory fitness assessment, and submaximal exercise protocols.
- Biodex System 3 & System 4 Dynamometer Systems: Advanced isokinetic testing systems that measure muscle force, torque, power, and endurance across multiple joint movements and speeds.
- Biopic Data Acquisition System: Collects and analyzes physiological data including heart rate, blood pressure, and other biometric signals during exercise interventions.
- Delays EMG Decomposition System: Analyzes electromyographic signals to identify individual motor unit action potentials, providing insights into neuromuscular recruitment patterns.
- Delays High Density EMG System: Captures detailed surface electromyography data using multiple electrodes to map muscle activation patterns during various movements.
- GE Ultrasound Systems: Provides real-time imaging of muscle architecture, thickness, and pinnation angles to assess musculoskeletal adaptations to training.
- Underwater Weighing Body Composition System: Gold-standard method for determining body density and calculating body fat percentage using Archimedes' principle.
- Free Weights: Used for resistance training studies, strength assessment, and researching acute and chronic adaptations to resistance exercise.
- Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer: Measures body composition by sending a low-level electrical current through the body to determine fat mass and fat-free mass.
- Tendo Strength and Power System: Measures movement velocity during resistance exercises to calculate power output and monitor explosive strength development.
- Parvo Metabolic Carts: Analyze respiratory gas exchange to determine oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and energy expenditure during exercise.
- Wingate Anaerobic System: Assesses anaerobic power and capacity through a 30-second maximal cycling protocol, measuring peak power, mean power, and fatigue index.
Our laboratory investigates the interplay between muscular function and human performance. We examine muscular adaptation, fatigue mechanisms, and performance optimization while exploring how nutritional supplementation affects health and athletic outcomes.
Integrated Approach
We combine kinesiology (the study of human movement through mechanics, anatomy, and physiology) with nutrition and exercise physiology to analyze and enhance the physiological foundations of health and fitness.
Research Spectrum
Our work spans multiple domains:
- Nutritional supplement development for athletic performance enhancement
- Growth and development patterns in young athletes
- Fatigue analysis and its performance implications across populations
- Physiological adaptation mechanisms to various training stimuli
This integrated research approach allows us to develop evidence-based protocols that serve both athletic performance advancement and broader health applications.
Faculty
2020 Boyd Epley Award for Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Terry J. Housh
nsca.com/membership/awards/2020-award-winners/
Graduate Students
Former Graduate Students
Bobby Smith
Tyler Neltner
In the News
- CEHS Dean Pace visits the Human Performance and Body Composition Labs to learn more about their research, 4/23/2024
- What to Expect After Going to the Gym for a Month
- Does Strength Depend on More Than Muscle?
- How My Approach to Working Out Changed After Becoming an Exercise Physiologist
Publications
2023
Smith RW, Housh TJ, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Arnett JE, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Application of the Ratings of Perceived Exertion-Clamp Model to Examine the Effects of Joint Angle on the Time Course of Torque and Neuromuscular Responses During a Sustained, Isometric Forearm Flexion to Task Failure. J Strength Cond Res. 2023 May 1;37(5):1023-1033. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004357. Epub 2022 Nov 17. PMID: 36730581.
Smith RW, Housh TJ, Arnett JE, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Ortega DG, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Utilizing the RPE-Clamp model to examine interactions among factors associated with perceived fatigability and performance fatigability in women and men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2023 Mar 1. doi: 10.1007/s00421-023-05163-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36856798.
2022
Neltner TJ, Sahoo PK, Smith RW, Anders JPV, Arnett JE, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO, Natarajan SK, Housh TJ. Effects of 8 Weeks of Shilajit Supplementation on Serum Pro-c1α1, a Biomarker of Type 1 Collagen Synthesis: A Randomized Control Trial. J Diet Suppl. 2022 Dec 22:1-12. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2022.2157522. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36546868.
Salmon OF, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Keller JL, Anders JPV, Johnson GO, Schmidt RJ, Smith CM. Changes in Neuromuscular Response Patterns After 4 Weeks of Leg Press Training During Isokinetic Leg Extensions. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Dec 16. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004418
Smith RW, Housh TJ, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Arnett JE, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Time course of changes in torque and neuromuscular parameters during a sustained isometric forearm flexion task to fatigue anchored to a constant rating of perceived exertion. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2022 Dec 1;22(4):455-464. PMID: 36458383; PMCID: PMC9716304.
Garrett J, Keller J, Anders JP, Hergenrader K, Neltner T, Housh T, Schmidt R, Johnson G. Echo intensity is weakly associated with muscular strength and endurance in young, healthy adults. Res Sports Med. 2022 Jul-Aug;30(4):371-382. doi: 10.1080/15438627.2021.1888109. Epub 2021 Feb 11. PMID: 33573413.
Neltner TJ, Anders JPV, Keller JL, Smith RW, Housh TJ, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Velocity-Specific Coactivation and Neuromuscular Responses to Fatiguing, Reciprocal, Isokinetic, Forearm Flexion, and Extension Muscle Actions. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Mar 1;36(3):649-660. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004190
Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Smith CM, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Are there Sex-Specific Neuromuscular or Force Responses to Fatiguing Isometric Muscle Actions Anchored to a High Perceptual Intensity? J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Jan 1;36(1):156-161. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003394
2021
Jenkins NDM, Miramonti AA, Hill EC, Smith CM, Cochrane-Snyman KC, Housh TJ, Cramer JT. Mechanomyographic Amplitude Is Sensitive to Load-Dependent Neuromuscular Adaptations in Response to Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Nov 1;35(11):3265-3269. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003276
Hill EC, Housh TJ, Smith CM, Keller JL, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. High- vs. Low-Intensity Fatiguing Eccentric Exercise on Muscle Thickness, Strength, and Blood Flow. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Jan 1;35(1):33-40. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002632