Brian Benitez
Visiting Assistant Professor of Health Sciences
Brian Benitez, PhD, is an exercise physiologist whose research integrates the non-invasive assessment of muscle function with computational modeling to better understand human physiological responses to exercise. His work is rooted in a principles-based approach to both science and education, emphasizing the importance of understanding how and why physiological systems behave the way they do.
- PhD, University of Kentucky
- MS, Florida Atlantic University
- BS, Florida Atlantic University
Biography
Benitez encourages students to think critically, engage with foundational concepts, and apply those concepts to real-world settings. Whether in the lab or classroom, he works to create an environment where students learn to connect data to theory and theory to practice. His goal is to support students in becoming clear thinkers who can evaluate evidence and communicate their ideas effectively, whether in clinical, academic, or performance settings.
After migrating from Cuba in 1997, Brian Benitez, PhD, grew up in South Florida, where he completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Florida Atlantic University. He went on to earn his doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Kentucky, where his research focused on the non-invasive assessment of muscle function and the use of computational modeling to better understand human physiological responses to exercise.
His work focuses on the neuromuscular mechanisms that contribute to skeletal muscle adaptation, with particular emphasis on the principles that govern motor unit recruitment and modulation. Benitez also specializes in the development of computational models to examine how physiological systems interact to influence human performance across varying forms of exercise. Coupled with a principles-based understanding of human physiology, these models aim to expand beyond surface-level associations and help uncover the causal relationships that govern adaptation, ultimately guiding more effective exercise interventions.
In addition to his academic work, Benitez has contributed to the development of athletes across a range of sports and competitive levels. His experience includes working with youth athletes, recreational lifters, and international competitors, including Pan-American Team USA representatives. These applied experiences inform his perspective on training and performance and continue to shape the questions he explores in both the classroom and the lab.
More About Brian Benitez
Areas of Expertise
- Exercise Physiology
- Muscle Physiology
- Bioelectrical Signal Processing
- Quantitative Modeling and Data Interpretation
- Data Workflow Automation and Tool Development (R, Python, MatLab)
Course Topics
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Health and Wellness
- Acute neuromuscular profiling of human physiological responses to exercise, with an emphasis on motor unit behavior and the non-invasive assessment of muscle function.
- Longitudinal assessment of resistance training adaptations, examining how the configuration of key training variables influences muscular growth, strength development, and physiological outcomes related to health, function, and neuroprotection.
- Critical evaluation of research practices and methodological approaches in exercise physiology, with a focus on examining how research is conducted, interpreted, and translated in order to strengthen the integrity of the field and improve its relevance to real-world outcomes.
- Hinson, S., Remmert, J.F., Robinson, Z.P., Pelland, J.C., Dinh, S., Elkins, E., Meehan, C., Diaz, D., Benitez, B., Macarilla, C. and Morgan, M., 2025. Mixing Up Muscle Lengths: The Effects of Training at Different Muscle Lengths in the Elbow Flexors. (Under Review, Preprint Available)
- Benitez, B., Kwak, M., Succi, P.J., Mitchinson, C.J., Weir, J.P. and Bergstrom, H.C., 2024. Examination of sex differences in fatigability and neuromuscular responses during continuous, maximal, isometric leg extension. Physiological Measurement, 45(10), p.105001.
- Benitez, B., Dinyer-McNeely, T.K., McCallum, L., Kwak, M., Succi, P.J. and Bergstrom, H.C., 2023. Load-specific performance fatigability, coactivation, and neuromuscular responses to fatiguing forearm flexion muscle actions in women. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 37(4), pp.769-779.
- Pelland, J.C., Robinson, Z.P., Remmert, J.F., Cerminaro, R.M., Benitez, B., John, T.A., Helms, E.R. and Zourdos, M.C., 2022. Methods for controlling and reporting resistance training proximity to failure: Current issues and future directions. Sports Medicine, 52(7), pp.1461-1472.