VO2 Max Testing: What it is and What we can do with the Results

Doctor Hagberg is a Professor in the Kinesiology Department at the University of Maryland. His major academic emphasis is research and teaching and he has been funded by NIH (National Institutes of Health), the VA (Veteran's Affair), the American Heart Association and the US Olympic Committee. His current professional research is addressing the effects of genetics, aging and physical activity on conventional and novel cardiovascular disease risk factors. He is also doing research on the VO2 Max Levels of runners on the track and cross country teams at University of Maryland. In the following video, Doctor Hagberg explains what VO2 max testing is and how it is done. There are other factors regarding the track athletes that would effect their performance other than VO2 Max that we can test. Running economy and lactate threshold can be measured as a prediction of performance and a representation of current fitness level. I asked Doctor Hagberg about the other aspects of running performances. The following is his response. In this video, Doctor Hagberg goes into great detail about blood lactate testing. Blood lactate levels can be tested by having a person run for a period of time and prick their finger in order to find out the lactate level. As intensity increases over time, the lactate level should be tested again, in order to check for changes.

Greg Hauprich Explains the Difference Between AM and FM Radio

Before interviewing Greg, I had a chance to look into his blog post about AM and FM radio. Before reading his blog, I was unaware of the actual difference between AM and FM radio other than the fact that I would actually listen to FM radio and I would never listen to AM radio other than the times that I am trapped in a car with my father while he is listening to this talk radio shows. In Greg's blog, he explains that AM radio sounds old and FM radio sounds better, although still not up to par with the sound of Sirius XM radio. After listening to all three, I would have to agree with his statement. A very important aspect of Greg's blog was explaining WHY there are differences in the fidelity between AM and FM radio. In the following clip he explains the difference between the two.

listen to ‘Greg interview 1’ on Audioboo

The differences in fidelity betwen AM and FM radio have resulted in different types of programs being played. AM radio typically consists of mainly news and talk stations, therefore appealing to those seeking information about news, traffic alerts or weather updates. Additionally, FM radio has a higher fidelity, thus, FM radio stations typically play only music for people to listen to. According to Greg's blog, AM listeners are willing to put up with lacking signals to get their news, yet still trust it enough to return to AM radio. Although AM radio has its disadvantages, it is still popular among people to get news. There are far more AM radio stations for news than FM, however there are almost twice as many total FM stations than AM. With the higher fidelity, it definitely attracts more listeners and produces more revenue.

Coach Desmond Dunham: His Road to Coaching

Coach Desmond Dunham had not always wanted to be a coach as he was growing up. It was a good decision to become one on his part due to his great success as a high school track coach. His girls' 4x800 relay team broke the National Record in 2008. He was named the Coach of the Decade by The Gazette (2000-2010), and his history-making 4x800 relay team was named the ESPN/Dystat Relay of the Decade. In this clip, Coach Dunham talks about his introduction to coaching and the impact it had on his life.

listen to ‘The Beginning’ on Audioboo

He is not only a great coach in that he can produce champions on the track, but he also help produce champions in life. As the current head distance coach of the University of Maryland Track and Field Team, Desmond Dunham is always the first to promote doing things the right way instead of the easy way. He wants his athletes to excel in all aspects of life which makes him a great person along with a great coach. He likes to push people to their limits, and he goes into more detail about this in the following clip.

listen to ‘Favorite Part of Coaching’ on Audioboo

In the 2008/2009 school year, he switched from coaching at Eleanor Roosevelt High School to coaching at University of Maryland as the head distance coach. His successes here include former athlete Alex Lundy qualifying for Nationals in cross country in 2010.