Evidence suggests a positive relationship between physical activity, exercise, and mental health. Exercise as a treatment modality is now being considered alongside psychotherapeutic and pharmacological approaches, and the role of specifically trained exercise specialists and personal trainers is an important component of the multi-disciplinary team.

The purpose of this article is to help both personal trainers and clients with seven main concepts within exercise physiology that will improve training effectiveness and assist in explaining the body’s response to exercise.

This article explains Fartlek training as well as how it can be programmed and individualized for different clients.

This article examines ways that personal trainers can take steps in order to effectively reduce the risk of clients suffering a training-related injury.

This article will briefly discuss physiological and psychological adaptations, as well as review general guidelines for beginning aerobic and resistance training exercise during pregnancy.

Many personal trainers work with clients who are dealing with musculoskeletal pain that has negative consequences both on the client’s ability to exercise and their activities of daily living. This article discusses the different types of pain, and describes targeted approaches for training clients with persistent musculoskeletal pain.

This article seeks to explain monitoring body composition, including how to assess it properly for an accurate evaluation to minimize errors in body fat estimation and maximize physical training.

Nearly all fitness professionals are forced to address low back pain (LBP) to some extent, regardless of the age or population with which they work. The purpose of this article is to shed light on contemporary research surrounding LBP.

Ashley Jackson, Nicole Dabbss, and Kourtney Thomas have been very influential in each of their careers in the field of strength and conditioning and are a part of the executive council of the National Strength and Conditioning Associations (NSCA) Women’s Committee. They talk with NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about their journey in the field of strength and conditioning and how to teach and influence future coaches. Topics under discussion include: internships, experience, networking, mentorship, and current/ future roles of women in strength and conditioning.

This article outlines some programming considerations for the recreational surfer.