Providing a field with the fuel needed for advancement is one of the key purposes that research serves (Marczyk, DeMatteo & Festinger, 2010). Every day, researchers work tirelessly to uncover insights which allow their disciplines to achieve progress. To ensure that the insights from their work are reliable and accurate, the researchers are expected to follow guidelines and principles. Design is one of the elements of research where standards and guidelines particularly apply. As they develop their research, scholars need to ensure that the design is such that it allows for accurate measurement of the issue being examined. Brentano, Daniel Umpierre and Lucas Porto Santos (2016) collaborated with other scholars to examine the impact of supersets on the amount of energy that individuals expend. While their research design possesses some flaws, it is largely in line with established standards and it allows the researchers to determine the true impact of supersets on energy expenditure.
When reviewing the design of a study, it is helpful to examine if the design is in line with established standards and principles. Internal validity is one of these principles. Essentially, internal validity concerns ensuring that a study is designed such that it is able to accurately measure the factor in question. To determine the amount of energy that the participants expended, Brentano and his colleagues measured the amount of oxygen uptake. This decision raises the question of whether oxygen uptake is a reliable measure of energy expenditure. After a review of similar studies, it was determined that oxygen uptake is a routinely used measure for evaluating the amount of energy that an individual expends during physical exercise. For example, Beltrame (2016) and a team of other scholars relied on oxygen uptake to understand how much energy the participants in their study spent as they exercised on the treadmill. Other researchers have also used oxygen uptake as a standard measure. Therefore, since they rely on a standard approach, it can be concluded that the findings from the research by Brentano are credible and accurate.
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Ensuring internal validity only goes so far in imbuing a study with reliability and accuracy. Researchers are also expected to eliminate factors other than those being investigated that could lead to erroneous findings (Watt & Berg, 2002). This measure is intended to enhance the internal validity of a study. Careful selection of the sample is one of the strategies used to eliminate the effect of extraneous factors (Watt & Berg, 2002). Researchers should ensure that the sample is uniform and representative of the larger population. Brentano and his colleagues clearly recognize the importance of following research guidelines. For their study, they placed participants with different body fat levels in different groups. This was clearly aimed at ensuring that the amount of fat did not influence the amount of energy that the participants expended. Therefore, the research that they carried out was designed such that it leads to accurate and reliable findings.
Measuring the impact of the variable being examined under different conditions is one of the standard measures that researchers adopt (Watt & Berg, 2002). For example, a researcher could explore the observations made when a variable is present versus when the variable has been withdrawn. This measure allows the researcher to ensure that there is covariance. This means that the observations made are the direct result of the variable being measured. When designing their study, Brentano and his colleagues must have set out to deliver credible and accurate insights. The amount of energy expended is the dependent variable that they explored. To measure this variable, they had the participants perform supersets of varying intensity (Brentano et al., 2016). The oxygen uptake was then measured during and after the exercise session. By measuring the oxygen uptake at two moments, the researchers followed the guidelines that govern scientific research. Therefore, the findings of their study are indeed credible and reliable.
The sample size is one of the issues that should be considered when designing the research. Ideally, researchers should recruit as many subjects as practicable. However, such constraints as the cost of recruiting participants make it nearly impossible to have large samples. In many instances, researchers are forced to work with few participants. While small samples are easier to work with, the insights obtained from studies involving these samples are usually unreliable and of limited practical application. In his discussion, Hackshaw (2008) describes a sample with fewer than 22 participants as being too small. A small sample size is one of the serious flaws in the design of the study by Brentano and his colleagues. They only recruited 22 men. These men are supposed to represent a diverse population with members whose body fat content varies widely. It is difficult to establish with certainty if the small sample size led to inaccurate results. However, what one can conclude confidently is that the findings of this study are of limited use. They can only be applied to a small segment of the population that is represented by the 20 participants. In their article, Jorge Faber and Lilian Fonseca (2014) caution that samples that are too small erode the external and internal validity of a study. The findings that Brentano and his colleagues share in their article should therefore be treated with caution.
The discussion above has focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the design of the study that Brentano and his fellow researchers conducted. While the design may be nearly perfect, the study is useless unless it sheds new light on builds on existing knowledge. After conducting their study, Brentano and the other scholars established that “in physically active men, ST (strength training) supersets do not influence total EE (energy expenditure) during and 60 minutes after a single session” (p. 41). There is no question that this finding is indeed significant. More importantly, the finding presents practical implications for physical exercise and strength training. Relying on this finding, training experts can challenge individuals to engage in intense supersets without the worry that they will expend too much energy. The discipline of physical exercise and therapy also benefits from the findings that Brentano and his colleagues share. Thanks to their article, it is now established that supersets have no significant impact on the amount of energy expended. It is important to note that it is indeed surprising that the observations that Brentano and his colleagues made conflict with those made by other researchers. For example, Christopher Scott, Michael Leary and Andrew TenBraak (2010) observed that more energy was expended when the participants engaged in intensive supersets. The study by Brentano and the other scholars offers an opportunity for further research. The research should aim to conclusively establish the true impact of supersets on energy expenditure.
In conclusion, research is among the drivers of human progress. The efforts of researchers have allowed mankind to uncover interesting and important insights. Brentano and his fellow researchers are among the members of the research community who endeavor to promote human development. Through their research, they shed light on the effect that supersets have on energy expenditure. For the most part, they comply with established standards and principles. However, there are some flaws which raise questions about the validity and accuracy of their study. These flaws underscore the need for further research and for researchers to follow research guidelines.
References
Beltrame, T., Amelard, R., Villar, R., Shafiee, M. J., Wong, A., & Hughson, R. L. (2016).
Estimating Oxygen Uptake and Energy Expenditure during Treadmill Walking by Neural Network Analysis of Easy-to-Obtain Inputs. Journal of Applied Physiology, 121 (5), 1226-33.
Brentano, M. A., Umpierre, D., Santos, L. P., Lopez, A. L., Fernando, L., & Kruel, M. (2016). Supersets do not Change Energy Expenditure during Strength Training Sessions In Physically Active Individuals. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 14 (2), 41-6.
Faber, J., & Fonseca, L. M. (2014). How Sample Size Influences Research Outcomes. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics, 19 (4), 27-9.
Hackshaw, A. (2008). Small Studies: Strengths and Limitations. European Respiratory Journal, 32, 1141-3.
Marczyk, G. R., DeMatteo, D., & Festinger, D. (2010). Essentials of Research Design and Methodology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Scott, C. B., Leary, M. P., & TenBraak, A. J. (2010). Energy Expenditure Characteristics of Weight Lifting: 2 Sets of Fatigue. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 36 (1), 115-120.
Watt, J. H., & Berg, S. (2002). Research Methods for Communication Science. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
