Abstract

We all want to live longer, healthier lives. A large part of our jobs as strength and conditioning specialists and personal trainers is to help people to reach their physical potential through proper training techniques. Being physically fit helps all of us to prevent injury as well as to enhance performance. This, in turn, helps our quality of life and, as some of the recent research indicates, also our quantity of life. In other words, it reduces the risk of mortality. There is a body of literature that links enhanced aerobic fitness and higher levels of physical activity to a reduction in premature mortality. However, not much is known yet about the relationship between musculoskeletal fitness and risk of death. The purpose of this study by Katzmarzyk and Craig was to examine the association between several indicators of musculoskeletal fitness and risk of death. The goal was to extend the findings of previous studies by including a measure of trunk flexibility in addition to indicators of strength and endurance. Einleitung