Magazine Features Expert in Six Online Fitness Stories

Throughout December, Coordinator and Instructor for the Exercise Science, B.S. program Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., was quoted in six Women’s Health fitness articles.

On December 2, Rothstein’s insight was featured in a story about walking with ankle weights. While wearing weights can help “up the burn,” Rothstein warned walkers to be aware of how the weights also affect natural gait. To minimize injury risk, he advises users to make sure they can walk normally while wearing the added resistance and gradually increase weight by no more than ten percent with each adjustment.

One week later, Rothstein was quoted in the December 9 articles “How Many Miles Should You Walk a Day for Maximum Health Benefits?” and “Power Walking Amps Up the Health Benefits of a Daily Stroll—Here’s How to Do It Right.” These stories were quickly followed by a December 12 article about muscle memory, in which he explained that muscles do not actually “remember” movements, but the continued practice of certain movements can enhance the coordination between the nervous system and the body’s muscles and joints.

The following week, on December 19, he was quoted in a story about blood flow restriction (BFR) training, a strength-training technique that involves applying pressure to specific limbs using lighter weights or one’s body weight. “The goal is to create a challenging metabolic and energy demand—not because the weight is heavy, but because of the systemic stress,” says Rothstein, adding that a muscle burn sensation is the cornerstone of BFR’s effectiveness.

Finally, to close out the month, Rothstein was quoted throughout a December 27 article about incline walking vs. the stairmaster. While both can provide a challenging workout, he notes that the stair stepper typically provides a bigger calorie burn. “More people struggle with the stair stepper because, if it was moving at the same speed as a treadmill, the act of having to lift your leg the full distance is technically harder,” Rothstein says.