Professor Alfonso Jimenez

Professor Jimenez is a truly international scholar. Prior to joining Coventry, Professor Jimenez served as Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Health, Exercise and Sports Science at the European University of Madrid (Spain), and main academic leader of the Real Madrid Graduate School; Professor, Deputy Dean and Head of School of Sport and Exercise Science at Victoria University in Melbourne (Australia); Professor and Head of the Centre for Sport Science & Human Performance at the University of Greenwich in London; and Chairman of the Standards Council at EuropeActive (the former European Health & Fitness Association in Brussels, Belgium).

He is currently serving as Visiting Professor and International Research Associate at ISEAL, Victoria University, Visiting Professor at the University of Greenwich, member of the Scientific Advisory Board of UKActive Research Institute and Chair of the Research and Dissemination Commission at the Healthy & Active Living Foundation in Spain. Professor Jimenez received an Honorary Membership from EuropeActive for his service as Chairman of the Standards Council from 20009 to 2012, a Professorial Merit Award for outstanding contribution at Greenwich in 2011, and was the first non-British member to achieve Fellowship status at the Leadership Foundation of Higher Education. His research interests focus in the areas of health and fitness, clinical exercise, active living and worksite health promotion, having led and managed as PI 27 competitive research and consultancy projects with a total funding allocation exceeding £1.5 million. As a result of this extensive professional and consultancy background, Professor Jimenez has featured at more than 200 seminars, conferences and lectures in 18 different countries.

• Beedie, C., Mann, S., Jimenez, A., Lane, A., Kennedy, L., Domone, S., Wilson, S., and Whyte, G. (2015) ‘Death by Effectiveness: Exercise as Medicine Caught in the Efficacy Trap!’. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
• Beedie, C., Mann, S., and Jimenez, A. (2014) ‘Community Fitness Centre-Based Physical Activity Interventions: A Brief Review’. Current Sports Medicine Reports 13 (4), 267-274.

• Mann, S., Beedie, C., Balducci, S., Zanuso, S., Allgrove, J., Bertiato, F., and Jimenez, A. (2014) ‘Insulin Sensitivity in Response to Different Modalities of Exercise: a review of the evidence’. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reiews 30 (4), 257-268.

• Mann, S., Beedie, C., and Jimenez, A. (2014) ‘Differential effects on cholesterol and lipid profile of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities: review, synthesis and recommendations’. Sports Medicine 44 (2), 211-221.

• Cooper, R., Naclerio, F., Allgrove, J., and Jimenez, A. (2012) ‘Creatine Supplementation with Specific View to Exercise/Sports Performance: an update’. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 9, 33.

• Balducci, S., Zanuso, S., Nicolucci, A., Fernando, F., Cavallo, S., Cardelli, P., Fallucca, S., Alessi, E., Letizia, C., Jimenez, A., Fallucca, F., and Pugliese, G. (2010) ‘Anti-inflammatory effect of exercise training in subjects with type2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome is dependent on exercise modalities and independent of weight loss’. Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases 20 (8), 608-617.

• Zanuso, S., Jimenez, A., Pugliese, G., Corigliano, G., and Balducci, S. (2010) ‘Exercise for the management of Type 2 Diabetes. A review of the evidence’. Acta Diabetologica 47 (1), 15-22.

• Zanuso, S., Balducci, S., Jimenez, A., Bergamin, M., and Pugliese, G. (2009) ‘Similar energy expenditure from resistance training at moderate and vigorous intensity in subjects with type 2 diabetes’. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 85 (3), e40-41.

• Zanuso, S., Balducci, S., and Jimenez, A. (2009) ‘Physical activity, a key factor to quality of life in type 2 diabetic patients’. Diabetes/Metabolism Research & Reviews 25 (S1), S24-S28.

Books

• Rieger, T., Naclerio, F., Jimenez, A., and Moody, J. (Eds.) (2015) Europe Active’s Foundations for Exercise Professionals. Champaing, Illinois: Human Kinetics. ISBN-13: 9781450423779.

• Santos-Rocha, R., Rieger, T., and Jimenez, A. (Eds.) (2015) EuropeActive’s Essentials for Fitness Instructors. Champaing, Illinois: Human Kinetics. ISBN-13: 9781450423793.

• Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Ageing (PAHA). The Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Ageing (PAHA) project is a tailored intervention for older adults with different functional capacities. Through a supervised and structured exercise programme for senior citizens (55-65 years-old), PAHA intends to convert currently inactive people into regular exercisers at a level that is beneficial to their health, supporting the EU Guidelines on Physical Activity and the European Week of Sport. In each one of the 8 project partner countries – Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom – 3 fitness centres will run 3 trial sessions of supervised exercise of 6 weeks duration, for 15 participants at each session. For that purpose, the fitness coaches, instructors and other community workers involved in the project will receive specific training on both motivational skills and in active ageing promotion.
• Development of the Fitness Industry Association Research Institute (today named as UKActive Research Institute). The Research Institute aims to bridge the evidence gap between traditional laboratory based ‘exercise is medicine’ research and real world interventions. This is achieved by conducting research assessing the effectiveness of interventions on directly measured physical activity levels, clinically relevant markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, and other core variables in real world interventions. The ukactive Research Institute conducts research that is publishable in a peer-reviewed journal, will constitute the basis of a major policy report/insight document, or will produce otherwise strategically relevant data. Engagement with Local Authorities presents the opportunity to influence health policy and place physical inactivity on other policy agendas.
• The FIT & WELL Study (FITness industry, public health and WELLbeing study). This study will help to quantify the impact and effectiveness of fitness industry services in Australia.  It is only with evidence such as this that Fitness Australia can pave the way for the fitness industry to be a recognised and integrated partner in public health and wellbeing strategies.
• Design, Development and Implementation of the Strategic Plan to promote Physical Activity & Exercise “Galicia Saudable”. A Strategic Plan to promote physical activity and exercise at Regional level, by reshaping the existing resources and programmes and tailoring those to the inactive population needs. The plan is organised in several levels of intervention, targeting specific population groups, but the critical element for its success is that is based on an effective coordination of the existing resources and public services to promote an active lifestyle. With an initial assessment of the participants, delivered from a network of community-based “Units for Exercise Promotion”, the plan has developed a database of facilities, resources and programmes across the region, so anyone can identify existing opportunities to be active, where, when and how to access it (with a similar look to Google maps).
• Victoria University Active Living Program for Employees. Using Active Living research to promote job satisfaction, performance and health amongst Victoria University employees. An exercise in Active Living knowledge exchange to benefit and engage our staff in their work and their wellbeing.
• Sanitas Wellbeing-UEM Research Programme: the Sanitas Smile Study (**awarded the 2011 Best Innovation Award in Health-care in Spain by Diario Medico). A 1-year intervention trial based on structured exercise at different volumes and intensities delivered at the workplace for Sanitas headquarters employees.
• Power Plate Research Institute on Vibration Training Project.
• Air-displacement plethysmography system (BOD-POD) to expand research opportunities within Sport, Nutrition and Analytical Sciences. RCIF Competitive Internal funding programme of the University of Greenwich.
• Validation of a new cycloergometer with vibration system, “PowerBike”: physiological and biomechanical testing.
• Exercise in Metabolic Disorders Project. Postdoctoral research fellow supported by the RAE 2010 Competitive Internal funding programme of the University of Greenwich.