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Carmelo Bosco was a leading Italian sports physiologist. He worked for many years in Finland as a researcher in the laboratory of Sports Biology at the University of Jyvaskyla and as the Director of the Laboratory of Biomechanics and Physiology of Sports in Kuortane.

He published over 200 scientific publications, covering a wide area of exercise and performance physiology. His main areas of study were muscular mechanics, mechanical power measurement, hormones and work on vibrations as a training method.

From his studies on muscular mechanics and the effects of pre-stretching in the early 1980s originated the battery of tests known as "Bosco Tests" used today all over the world. Using the result of these studies he developed the EgoJump System, an innovative non-invasive system for the measurement of power output and muscular work. The Ergo-Power and Muscle-Lab systems followed.

While continuing to teach in Finland, Bosco became full professor at the Semmelweis University in Budapest, where he collaborated with Atko Viru in studies of hormones and exercise. His last general research topic was vibration, ultimately leading to the use of Neuro-Muscular Mechanical Stimulation (NEMES) to enhance fitness and health.

Bosco Fitness Tests

• See the Bosco Ergo Jump System for details about the tests:
  • Squat Jump (SJ)
  • Squat Jump with extra weight (SJ+)
  • CounterMovement Jump (CMJ)
  • Abalakov Jump (ABK)
  • Drop Jump (DJ)
  • Repetitive Jump (RJ)
• Bosco-Vittori Test (Stiffness) - 5 seconds of continuous jumping test (5sCJ) (Bosco, 1992). This test is a simpler alternative to the Drop Jump. The test involves measurement of time of contact and flight time of a person who performs a series of consecutive jumps (5 - 8) in quick succession on the timing mat, using the arms and trying to bend the knees as little as possible.

Selected Article Bibliography

• 2000: Bosco C; Colli R; Bonomi R; von Duvillard S P; Viru A Monitoring strength training: neuromuscular and hormonal profile. Medicine and science in sports and exercise 2000;32(1):202-8.
• 1999: Bosco C; Colli R; Introini E; Cardinale M; Tsarpela O; Madella A; Tihanyi J; Viru A
  Adaptive responses of human skeletal muscle to vibration exposure. Clinical physiology (Oxford, England) 1999;19(2):183-7.1994: Bosco C; Cotelli F; Bonomi R; Mognoni P; Roi G S Seasonal fluctuations of selected physiological characteristics of elite alpine skiers. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 1994;69(1):71-4.
• 1986: Bosco C; Tihanyi J; Latteri F; Fekete G; Apor P; Rusko H. The effect of fatigue on store and re-use of elastic energy in slow and fast types of human skeletal muscle. Acta physiologica Scandinavica 1986;128(1):109-17.
• Bosco C, Luhtanen P, Komi PV (1983) A simple method for measurement of mechanical power in jumping. European Journal of Applied Physiology 50:273-282.
• Bosco C; Komi P V; Tihanyi J; Fekete G; Apor P Mechanical power test and fiber composition of human leg extensor muscles. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 1983;51(1):129-35.
• 1982: Viitasalo J T; Bosco C Electromechanical behavior of human muscles in vertical jumps. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 1982;48(2):253-61.

Books

• "La valutazione della forza con il test di Bosco", by C. Bosco
• Bosco, C. (1999) Strength assessment with the Bosco's Test. Rome: Italian Society of Sports Science.

Related Pages

• Bosco Ergojump System
• More Fitness Testing History Makers

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