A survey of 20 men who went through 12 weeks of strength training found that those with personal trainers got stronger faster than those who trained alone, said Scott Mazzetti, a researcher in Ball State's Human Performance Laboratory.

"Directly supervised, heavy-resistance training in moderately-trained men resulted in greater strength gains compared with unsupervised training," Mazzetti said. "Direct supervision is an integral component to obtain optimal strength performance from highly-motivated and moderately-trained individuals.

"At the same time, the unsupervised group also had increases in strength and muscle size," he said. "Hiring a personal trainer is not necessary for all individuals interested in fitness."

The study is based on previous research that tied fitness improvement to supervised training, Mazzetti said.

Twenty men ages 18-35 were chosen for the study. All had a year or two experience with weight training, but had never worked with a personal trainer. Each participant had his body fat measured and was tested for squat and bench press performance, jump squat power and bench press endurance.

One group was directly supervised by a trainer who increased strength-training levels during one-on-one sessions. The unsupervised group kept their own logs and selected their own increases in weight lifted at each workout session.

Mazzetti said there were no differences in the two groups at the start of the study, but after 12 weeks it was obvious the supervised group had made improvements over their unsupervised counterparts.

Individuals in the supervised group not only increased their muscle size, but also reached that level in 30 percent less time.

The supervised group may also have benefitted from the personal attention of the trainers, who provided motivation in reaching certain goals, Mazzetti said.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, Mazzetti may be reached by e-mail at matuzak@hotmail.comor by phone at (765)285-1148.)