ISSUED: 26 February 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — This event has been postponed.
Shepherd University’s Human Performance Lab is hosting an open house on Saturday, March 28, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. so the public can see improvements made in the lab with a $30,750 grant from the Shepherd University Foundation’s WISH (Women Investing in Shepherd) group. The lab is located in the Butcher Center room 127 and, with new flooring, an additional treadmill, and more modern and updated equipment, will be open by appointment to members of the public who want to have health assessments done.
“Not everyone wants to be a gym-goer, so this facility will be able to give baseline fitness testing and data to individuals who do not belong to a gym but want to improve their health,” said Jessica Graham, human performance lab director.
Graham, who is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a Certified Personal Trainer, said community members can schedule appointments to have assessments done by her or Alex Jones, head strength-conditioning coach, who is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
“We’ll give them baseline information that they can take to their own facility, or for us to help them with program design to get them on a healthier track,” Graham said.
The cost of an assessment, which includes Submaximal Vo2, flexibility, muscular endurance, body composition, and baseline vitals such as resting heart rate, blood pressure, and body mass index, is $50. Post-testing fitness and nutrition consultations are available for additional fees and clients can be tested in the hydrostatic tank for $75.
“It’s where we place you in a tank and measure the displacement of water,” Graham said. “Hydrostatic is the most accurate way we have without using a bipod or infrared to do body composition testing.”
Graham recommends testing be done every four to six weeks, which she said is enough time in between to gauge results.
“The testing gives a true value of their current fitness level and encourages them to take their fitness into their own hands,” Graham said. “We’re also going to open the lab up to local schools to come in and we’ll do educational lectures for them as well.”
For more information, contact Graham at jgraham@shepherd.edu.
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