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32 The College of New Jersey Magazine "He is pretty much the main source of pediatric exercise science," Bukowsky says. "He is the guru. I call him the GOAT, the greatest of all time." Faigenbaum remains fueled by a sense of urgency over what he describes as "a vortex of inactivity" in the United States, where less than a third of children between 6 and 17 years of age meet the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity per day. These days, he is leveraging his research to push for policy changes. Since 2020, he has twice won the ACSM's prestigious paper of the year award; one paper highlighted the impact youth fitness programs can have on mental health, while the other delved into an emerging passion, his efforts to overhaul the physical activity pyramid that serves as a guide to health and wellness recommendations for kids. The current pyramid prioritizes aerobic activity as its base and relegates strength training to twice a week; Faigenbaum argues that updating the pyramid to make strength training as foundational as aerobic activity will help children acquire the skills they need to embrace physical activity — and the sooner they start, the better. "Once they get to first grade, we engineer physical activity right out of their life," Faigenbaum says. "I often tell folks that if we wait until high school to intervene we are 10 years too late." Give me strength Here's a workout that Avery Faigenbaum says every kid (and adult) can try. 1. Dumbbell press: Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing forward; push one dumbbell up from the shoulder until arm is straight; return arm to starting position and repeat with other arm. Perform exercise 10 times with each arm. 2. Step over a series of mini hurdles: Start in front of first hurdle and lift right foot with knee facing forward and quickly place foot down on other side of hurdle; lead with left foot to step over next hurdle. Once you cross all hurdles, return to the front hurdle and repeat series 10 times. 3. Kettlebell biceps curl: Hold a kettlebell in each hand; stand straight with arms down and palms facing forward; alternating arms, curl kettlebell up toward chest; lower arm to starting position. Perform exercise 10 times with each arm. Faigenbaum's work — once considered controversial — has been cited more than 26,000 times to date. 1

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