Jacob Wilson and his team of students have been hard at work in the Human Performance Lab at the University of Tampa. The lab is located within the Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance and is a feature in the new documentary Generation Iron.
The Human Performance Lab works with some of the most elite athletes in the world. One of these athletes is Ben Pakuliski. Pakuliski is one of the world’s top seven bodybuilders. He is training for the Mr. Olympia competition, which takes place in Las Vegas, Nev. Sept. 26-29.
According to Wilson, the competition is like the “Super Bowl of bodybuilding.” Pakuliski’s presence has brought new attention to the lab in the form of the new documentary. Generation Iron came out on Sept. 20 and follows the top seven bodybuilders of the world as they prepare for the Mr. Olympia competition. When he decided to come to the UT to train, the cameras followed.
Established in 1965, the Mr. Olympia competition took the sport of bodybuilding to a whole new level, according to bodybuilding.com. It became the “ultimate test” for bodybuilders, where they could test their skills against the best of the best. Only the winner could receive the “ultimate prize,” the title of Mr. Olympia. This year’s Mr. Olympia Competition takes place Sept. 26-29.
According to Generation Iron’s website, the film contains a behind-the-scenes look into the sport of bodybuilding. It focuses on the life and journey of the sport’s top athletes as they prepare for the biggest competition of their career. It not only focuses on their life in the training room, but outside it as well. The documentary emphasizes the athletes’ ability to overcome their toughest situations. Each bodybuilder in the film takes a different path of training and routines, but they all have the same goal: to be crowned Mr. Olympia, the number one bodybuilder in the world.
The content of the documentary may be surprising for some viewers due to preconceived notions about bodybuilding. However, bodybuilding is a science that requires research and technology, according to Wilson.
“A body builder’s goal is to be as large as possible and as lean as possible,” Wilson said.
However this is easier said than done, which is where the Human Performance Lab comes in. In the lab they use many different technologies to help Pakuliski become as lean as possible without losing size. Essentially, the goal is to have most of a bodybuilder’s weight come from muscle.
One of the technologies that the Human Performance Lab uses to accomplish this is biofeedback electromyography. Biofeedback electromyography is used to determine which muscles are being used to ensure Pakuliski is targeting the muscles he needs to.
This muscular aspect is important to Wilson and has actually played a part in his personal life. Wilson was once a semi-pro hockey player that needed to accomplish the large but lean ratio. He had trouble putting on muscle as an athlete, which led to his focus on human performance.
“I became really obsessed with this topic. I knew that my calling was to be a scientist,” Wilson said.“I wanted to learn how to increase muscle while decreasing body fat, and discover the genetic boundaries in people revolving around this topic.”
That is just what Dr. Wilson and his students have been doing in the Human Performance Lab at UT. Dr. Wilson said that working with Pakuliski has been a learning opportunity for the lab and has provided the students with great experience.
“With Ben we learned about all the fine details and the importance of every little thing,” said Ryan Lowery, a senior majoring in Human Performance and exercise physiology.
In the Human Performance Lab, Lowery worked alongside Wilson and was able to have the opportunity to work with Pakuliski during his training. Lowery also has received the Undergraduate Student Research Award for his work with Wilson.
Wilson emphasized the fact that the lab here at UT is a great experience for students and provides them with hands on knowledge of the subject.
“It is a rare opportunity for the students and provides them with great career exposure,” Wilson said. “UT is exploding in this department both national and international. It is a think tank for expanding human performance research.”
With the hard work of Wilson and his students, the Human Performance Lab at the University of Tampa has become a center for knowledge.