A Northern Michigan University graduate assistant is seeking participants ages 18-40 for an exercise research study in exchange for a free PEIF gym membership. Nadine Sikora of the School of Health and Human Performance would like to expand on the relatively sparse research to date that provides guidelines on physical activity for transgender individuals. She is recruiting cis-gender females and males, along with transgender men, to assist with her project.
“Hormones play a major role in muscular development and when introducing more testosterone to one's body, the physiological changes are plentiful,” Sikora said.
Participants will be randomly assigned into either an exercising group, which will compete a 12-week personalized strength training program with a coach, or a non-exercising group that will participate in all other testing.
“In addition to the free PEIF membership, other benefits include improvements in strength and body composition for the exercising group and an opportunity for all participants to learn more about their body composition and contribute to exciting new research.”
Participants should have no experience with resistance training six months prior to the study and be willing to exercise four days per week for 12 weeks. They will be asked to complete surveys no longer than 15 minutes and consent to three blood draws and DEXA scans to determine muscle mass.
For more information, or to join the study, contact Sikora at nsikora@nmu.edu.