WE ARE RECRUITING NOW!!

ETC Lab’s Director, Dr. Sean Mullen (Principal Investigator), and his co-Investigator, Dr. Laura Rice, were awarded ~$30K for their grant proposal entitled, “Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Home Ecological Application of Thermotherapy, Walking and Vascular Effects (HEAT WAVE) Study.” The study is targeting middle-aged adults with pre-hypertension and mobility issues.

Dynamic logo for exercise technology and cognition lab featuring a stylized flame and wave design, emphasizing heat waves, exercise, and cognitive enhancement in health technology research.

Primary aims | To test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 10-week, at-home aerobic walking and warm water bathing intervention for reducing blood pressure in middle-aged adults with perceived mobility impairment.

Secondary aims | To assess the degree of behavioral adherence and engagement, as well as intervention transfer effects on psychosocial outcomes, including changes in stress, heat tolerance, and pain.

In 2015, Dr. Mullen was awarded a UIUC Campus Research Board grant for a project entitled, “Heat and Aerobic Training (HEAT) with Pre-hypertensive Middle-aged Adults.” The HEAT study enabled our lab to gather the first evidence supporting the preliminary efficacy for the combination of aerobic exercise immediately followed by fully immersive heat therapy or “thermotherapy” (via steam-room). The novel intervention showed greater cardiovascular and cognitive health benefits than either exercise or thermotherapy alone.

Unfortunately, few people have access to steam-rooms or saunas, and we are shifting gears to test a more practical, scalable, at-home solution involving walking and warm water bathing.

Our prior heat-related research has been published in the scientific conference proceedings below, and we have several papers coming out in preprint very soon!

  1. Cohen, J. D., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Hua, A. K., Schroyer, R., Wong, B., Wilund, K., Woods, J., Kramer, A. F., & Mullen, S. P. (March-April, 2016). Chronic cognitive effects of sauna following aerobic exercise on processing speed. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Behavioral Medicine. Washington, DC. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(Suppl 1), S238. Abstract C038.
  2. Mullen, S. P., Cohen, J. D., Bullard, T., Woods, J., Wilund, K., Schroyer, R., Angadi, S. S., Buman, M., & Wong, B. (March-April, 2016). Effects of exercise combined with thermal therapy on blood pressure and psychosocial outcomes: A pilot RCT. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Behavioral Medicine. Washington, DC. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(Suppl 1), S239. Abstract C040.
  3. Mullen, S. P., Cohen, J., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Phansikar, M., North, J., Wong, B., & Wilund, K. (April, 2018). A pilot RCT testing effects of steam-room usage after exercise on cardiovascular functioning among pre-hypertensive adults. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.
  4. North, J., Cohen, J., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Phansikar, M., Wong, B., & Mullen, S. P. (April, 2018). Increased sleep efficiency through heat therapy and exercise. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.
  5. Phansikar, M., Palac, D., Cohen, J. D., Bullard, T., North, J. R., Wilund, K., Wong, B., & Mullen, S. P. (April, 2018). Complementary effects of exercise and heat therapy on mindfulness and cognition. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.

ETC Lab Launches the #GustavChallenge

Advanced exercise equipment in the Exercise, Technology, & Cognition Lab designed for innovative research.
Gustav Fechner (1801-1887)

On January 23rd, Dr. Mullen and several members of his lab started the “Gustav Challenge.” In 1857, Gustav (56 years old at the time) published a self-study of his personal muscular endurance gains. For 60 straight days, approximately 2 hours after breakfast, he performed maximum repetitions of overhead (shoulder) press with 9.5 lb dumbbells, at a 1-0-1 tempo, until failure.

By the end, Gustav reported achieving more than 700 reps in a single day. That’s an extraordinarily impressive feat or is it too good to be true? Well, it certainly raises some questions. What about muscle soreness or fatigue? To achieve 700 reps with a steady 1-0-1 tempo, it would take more than 30 minutes, and yet no rest is reported within the manuscript. He reported using a metronome, so that reflects a truly dedicated scientist aiming for rigor and replicability.

We are going to assume that Gustav was doing single sets until failure, and that he did not count multiple attempts to accumulate repetitions throughout the day. Fechner’s findings and our sheer curiosity has led a handful of us to try the #GustavChallenge. If nothing else, it will be a fun exercise in futility. We are kinesiologists with expertise in exercise physiology and psychology. We will undoubtedly stick to the program, but we remain highly skeptical of the potential for gains within the 60-day window.

What do you need to do the #GustavChallenge? You need only 9.5-10 lb dumbbells (or weights of some kind; note that a gallon milk jug weighs ~ 8 lbs) and a metronome set to 60 beats per minute (bpm). There’s a free web-based metronome here.

We are uncertain if Gustav stood up or sat down. We are standing.

Will you stand with us and test your muscular endurance?

Mullen awarded $5k Broadening Inclusion Grant

A person running with a brain inside their head, integrated with a clock tower and digital elements, representing exercise, technology, and cognition research at the Exercise, Technology, & Cognition Lab.
TIPSTART Study Logo

Dr. Mullen has been awarded $5,000 funding for the Broadening Inclusion Grant for his proposal: A New Start to TIPSTART with a Diversified Stride by The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Mullen appointed CSBS affiliate

Today, Dr. Mullen was appointed, “Center for Social and Behavioral Science Affiliate.” CSBS Affiliates are expected to participate in research and program activities at the CSBS including playing a key role in our workshops, summits, reviewing small grant applications, and identifying future recipients of these grants. For a list of all CSBS Affiliates, visit their website.

Mullen appointed affiliate of GSD – New Minor at Illinois

Dr. Mullen was appointed faculty affiliate of the Games Studies & Design program. The research conducted by the ETC Lab and Mullen’s courses (KIN 247: Intro to Sport Psychology, KIN 474: Tech-Driven Health, KIN 594: Play for Health) intersect well with the new minor. We hope the new minor and the GSD graduate program attract new students to our lab! All are welcome!