So I must write yet another research paper

[Skilzat85X]

Hmm ok so I've procrastinated enough and have less than a week until I must turn in my final research paper for my class, as well as give a small oral presentation on my thesis.

Well I'm too lazy to think of anything meaningful, so I thought I'd resort to fitness related subjects again, since those are relatively easy and fun.

But I've done a million papers related to this, what do you guys think would be a good thesis for this one?
The paper must be both a research project but also persuasive in nature, so I must argue some thesis.

So what do you guys think would be a nice subject to try to inform my class about some aspect of training, conditioning, health, nutrition, fitness, etc.
My tentative thesis is "women don't know crap about working out", but I might have to get a more politically correct one...

[DarkXacreD]

Just thinking out loud here, so to speak:

fitness myth and misconceptions with regard to most women's misunderstanding of training, conditioning, health, nutrition, fitness, etc. and its effect on how they make their fitness goals based on said misunderstandings???

I think to be entirely politically correct you'd have to go with what women generally want, and how they usually try to achieve it, and then evaluate those methods; looking at the specific goals, instead of like "women are doing it wrong" which makes it sound like only women have those goals.

I hope you can understand what I'm talking about; it's kinda ramble-y

[Skilzat85X]

Well, by women I mean both women and the common male in society, it's just that women tend to always be wanting to work out and get sexy again significantly more than men, in my opinion.

[DarkXacreD]

Well I was trying to narrow it down a little for you.

I thought you were gonna go with how women (and some men) don't wanna lift weights cuz they're scared they'll end up looking like Antoine.

Maybe that's been done to death, I dunno.

[Skilzat85X]

To be honest the line about women was just a joke hahah. One of those jokes that is true though.

[DarkXacreD]

On a completely unrelated note: Your avatar looks like you're flying back from a bullet to the head.

Maybe you could do something about supplements and how it's kinda hyped up in that people are using it without really knowing how it works, and wasting their money.

[chicanerous]

PROBLEM: WOMEN DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT TRAINING

SOLUTION: SQUATS AND MILK, BABY!!!

[chicanerous]

Seriously though, I would write about the benefits of solid leg training -- a commonly neglected focus for many college gym goers. Talk about:

1. The legs and hips are the primary source of power in almost all athletic endeavors. You could throw in a bit here about vertical jump training since it's directly correlated to leg power. Be sure to break down the relative use of muscles in jumping (e.g. focusing on calves is not the way to end up dunking).

2. The exercises involved in leg training elicit the largest hormonal response. (Hence, help pack on mass the fastest.)

3. The exercises involved in leg training (e.g. deadlifts) have some of the greatest potential for strengthening the back musculature to ward against future injury.

3. Maintaining strength through the legs and hips (along with the back) helps ensures a high quality of life into old age.

4. The largest muscles of the body are located around the legs and hips. Since cardiovascular fitness is a response to the demands placed on the muscular system, properly focusing on these muscles puts the greatest possible demands on the cardiovascular system. Hence, attributes like VO2 max and lactate threshhold, which are important for everything from recovery from physical exertion to the healing of wounds to quality of sleep, can be drastically increased in this way.

5. Misconceptions on the safety of these exercises, as well as possible contraindications (e.g. existing back or knee injuries).

6. The role of milk in leg training... IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Make sure to accompany the lecture component with slides of homoerotic depictions of bodybuilder's greased up legs and pictures of strong, majestic horses. The juxtaposition of the two will create the appropriate effect.

[Karnoa]

PROBLEM: WOMEN DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT TRAINING

SOLUTION: SQUATS AND MILK, BABY!!!

SQUATS AND MILK FTW

[Rahf]

I reckon chicanerous is on the right track. You could also go with just how misunderstood supplements are and how much faith people puts in them as well. Open up with asking some random person in class "just what does whey protein do?" and I reckon you'll get some hilarious answer, after that you kick in with your thesis etc. Might be abit boring maybe.

[JacktheHero]

Wow, guys, there is some serious "leg love" going on here. I'm waiting for anfeyd's contribution. *trots off to squat*

[Flowers]

"Who, Why, or What is Whey?"

[chicanerous]

Wow, guys, there is some serious "leg love" going on here. I'm waiting for anfeyd's contribution. *trots off to squat*
I don't know what you're talking about. It's our great love of dairy that brings us to the squat rack.

[Nicholai]

haha legs

[Skilzat85X]

Thanks guys!

The one of these that grabbed my interest the most is the putting faith in supplements idea by sir Rahf. I think I may expand upon this to putting faith in "healthy foods" and putting faith in workout regimes, as well as gimmick workout products.

:smile:

EDIT: I should also inform you that unfortunately I must use two non-Internet sources as well. Gay! I'm too lazy. However, I miiight take the easy way out and crack open a couple of my mom's women's fitness magazines, snag some quotes from there as bad examples or misleading quotes, and then call those my sources. Mwahah!

[anfeyd]

Wow, guys, there is some serious "leg love" going on here. I'm waiting for anfeyd's contribution. *trots off to squat*

That is because it is so neglected we have to compensate for the deficit.

I'm going to wear one of those beer helmets with two glasses of milk in it instead and drink it while I am squatting.

[Skilzat85X]

Alright I've started writing it. My introduction takes up a whole page haha, I just couldn't cram it into one paragraph. My actual thesis is stated at the end.

---------------------------
Is Your Fitness Faith Supported by Fitness Facts?
.....Today we are bombarded by good looking people. On the TV, in magazines, on billboards: we see attractive people with aesthetic, conditioned bodies. And in our relatively materialistic society, we will stop at nothing to look like them! Surely this isn’t a bad thing. After all, if the human body was created with such aesthetic potential, why not try to utilize that potential? However, it is not always as easy as it seems. As much as individuals will struggle to try to achieve they’re perfect body, it never gets any easier. But people want the results, and they want them now.
.....This desire for physical appeal can be readily taken advantage of by many individuals and corporations. To that end, many ideas are produced by said entities in an effort to influence others that they’re appealing physiques lay just around the corner. Through this, many misconceptions arise over many aspects in regards to attaining fitness of the human body. Why? Because they seem easy! What people want is to get their results as fast as possible with as little work as possible, which leads many to snatch up the quickest plan, gimmick, or idea that they can. All of their faith and hope go into these plans, and that is not inherently bad.
.....However, are these ideas and systems actually applicable? Or, do they more likely fail, and leave the poor soul down in the dumps? In the rush to attain that ever-elusive sexy body, many try to snatch up any tidbit of information at face value. Namely: information regarding nutritional supplements, dietary plans, and modification of bodily shape and/or structure. This paper will provide the reader with information in regards to a factual and moderate view on these commonly misconceived subjects, so one can make effective application of them in their lifestyle.
-----------------

Suggestions of course. I'd like to try to be funny with this one, but my class this semester is focusing more on formal writing. Plus I'm lazy so I'm going to try to stick to just the whatevers.

[Rahf]

One point of focus should be that physical change takes time in terms of months and years of dedicated training. Make that a staple and powerful message, it does not have to be long but should have a certain amount of emphasis. You should also make it sound fairly easy to accomplish (because in essence, it is) but that, as you say, it takes some knowledge and effort.

Good first draft.

[Skilzat85X]

Why thank you sir!

Anyways, I've decided to finish one focal point of the thesis about supplements. It only covers about a page and a half, bumping it up to two would be nice. Plus, since this is a research paper, I'll just have to write it all first then find places where I can put in some quotes or citations or some crap haha.

Of course feel free to provide any suggestions or corrections as needed. I will most likely add on to this section with better examples and uhh more good stuff or whatever else.
Keep in mind I'm writing to a typical small college class composed of individuals who most likely do not have much knowledge on this subject. Some wording is most likely off at this point.
--------
Nutritional Supplements: Magical Pills?
.....Some look at dietary supplements the same way they do as over-the-counter drugs. They may fall under the belief that by taking a supplement, they’re body is going to get a magical boost, in regards to the intended effect of the particular product they are using. And who can blame them entirely for this, since many supplements are labeled in such a way that states that they will have these dramatic effects. Treating supplements as drugs or any other extra substance can lead to misuse of these tools, or inconclusive results.
.....One way to illustrate this is by the use of supplementary angles in dealing with Geometry. In mathematics, supplementary angles are two angles which add to 180 degrees. If one angle is a certain number of degrees, its supplement will be one which completes the 180 degree angle. To that end, dietary supplements follow the same principle. They complete one’s dietary needs, in regards to whatever nutrition they are in need of. Supplements should only be used if one does not get the sufficient amount of whatever nutrient (that they are supplementing) in their regular diet.
.....If one gets enough of a certain amount of nutrient in their diet, there should be no need for them to supplement it with dietary supplements. If a body builder looking eats enough protein in his regular diet for his goals, he has no need for protein supplementation. In fact, the excess in protein could be detrimental to his body. Eating extra protein won’t make his positive results any greater. Another example could be that of supplementing calcium. If one doesn’t get enough calcium in their diet, and they need to maintain strong bones, then supplementing it may be an option. While that works, one must not slip into the mentality that taking extra calcium will make extra strong bones. Only the body’s necessary need for calcium will be fulfilled, and all excess calcium will be disregarded, possibly leading to further health problems, such as kidney stones.
.....Supplementing anything in one’s diet should be about getting a sufficient amount of whatever needed nutrients, not trying to pack on more to these. The body does not operate in a manner that allows an excess of any particular natural nutrient to reap an excess of results. Therefore, when considering dietary supplementation, one should view these supplements almost as another type of food. One way of thinking of them is as a food that only contains one type of nutrient. Of course, since nutritional supplements do only contain one (or more) concentrated amounts of a particular nutrient, they should be used with moderation. Most supplements come with reasonable instructions on the amount and regularity with which to take them.
.....Dietary supplements do their job as fulfilling the necessities of one’s diet. They (usually) contain the same nutrients that are found in food, only in focused amounts. Therefore, they should be treated as a tool to fulfill the nutritional needs of an individual, and not as some magical formula derived to increase potential. If at all possible, it is best to gain all of one’s nutritional needs (depending on their goals, the average person not participating in any specialized activity most likely won’t need any supplements) through actual foods. This is not always possible of course, especially with certain more obscure nutrients, therefore we have supplements to do this for us.
------------------------------
I'm too lazy to finish this all in one sitting, but too not wanting to totally fail to procrastinate until Sunday night, so I'll try to crank out one page or a point of the thesis each day.

[Karnoa]

yo, Skilzat. If this is meant to be a formal piece, I'll offer a few suggestions later on. I read the first draft and saw a few things that could be tweaked. I'm about to head to wushu now, but when I get back, I'll take a look at the second part.

[Karnoa]

Okay. Sorry it took so long. Been busy. Of course, these are only my suggestions and what I would do were it my paper.

First line, add in the words "by images of" after bombarded. Good looking people aren't crashing into us.

Sixth line, take out "to try." No one struggles to try. They struggle or they try. Also, change they're to their.

In the first sentence of the second paragraph, you might want to reconsider your use of the word individuals, simply because it's generally not individuals who market products.

In the next sentence, again, change they're to their.

In the second sentence of the third paragraph, reconsider your choice of words. I'm referring to "leave the poor soul down in the dumps." The reason I mention this bit is that it's just... not formal. I would definitely change down in the dumps to something like, dissatisfied, discouraged, disheartened, etc. Changing poor soul is less important, but if it were my paper, I would probably just use "user."

[Skilzat85X]

Thanks! I guess I should probably have looked over it some more after writing it, tehehe. I'll be sure to make those changes.

Ugh, I'm too lazy to write more today ahah, but I'll probably have to finish my draft tomorrow.

[Karnoa]

For the second part, I wouldn't really change much except when you talk about eating protein, you might want to change one of those to consume. You don't want to overuse a single word because it sounds redundant. Also, toward the beginning, first or second sentence, again, change they're to their.

REMEMBER:
they're = they are
their = possessive form of they

[Skilzat85X]

For the second part, I wouldn't really change much except when you talk about eating protein, you might want to change one of those to consume. You don't want to overuse a single word because it sounds redundant. Also, toward the beginning, first or second sentence, again, change they're to their.

REMEMBER:
they're = they are
their = possessive form of they

Haha yea I know, I just always get those mixed up when I'm typing and don't review my work...which happens often. :smile: