Q&A: A New Book for Strength and Conditioning Practitioners — Grounded in the Latest Science, Aiming to Optimize Performance By Nicholas A. Ratamess, Ph.D. Viewpoints presented in SMB commentaries reflect opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ACSM. Nicholas Ratamess, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. He has authored and co-authored several scientific articles, review papers and book chapters related to strength training and conditioning, including co-authoring the 2009 update of the “ACSM Position Stand on Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults.” Ratamess also was a contributing author for the 6th edition (2009) of ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. In late 2011, Dr. Ratamess published ACSM’s Foundations of Strength Training and Conditioning, through a collaborative arrangement with ACSM’s publishing partner, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The book is a unique and extensively illustrated resource to help professionals and students develop safe and effective strength-and-conditioning programs for athletes and those individuals striving to improve their fitness levels. The book offers practical application of physiologic responses and adaptations to exercise, information on training program design and assessment, and translations of the most recent scientific advances into strength and conditioning program design. SMB: As primary author, what were the motivating factors leading you to write this textbook? Dr. Ratamess: I was presented with the exciting opportunity to write a textbook focused entirely on strength training and conditioning for ACSM. The field of strength and conditioning has grown immensely in recent times, and there is an increasing need to disseminate research-based information to students, athletes and practitioners. The goal was to provide the reader with a comprehensive review on the physiology and practice of strength training and conditioning. Other aims include assisting faculty who teach related courses, teaching students human physiology and exercise prescription more effectively, and helping coaches and athletes develop scientific training programs to optimize performance. SMB: How have you designed and organized this book to effectively help students, faculty and strength-and-conditioning professionals meet their exercise and pedagogy needs? Dr. Ratamess: The book consists of four organizational units: foundations; physiological responses and adaptations; strength training and conditioning program design; and assessment. The foundations unit covers basic terminology, a brief history of strength training and conditioning, and basic biomechanics. The second unit covers basic physiology and subsequent response and training adaptations of the nervous, muscular, connective tissue, endocrine, metabolic and cardiorespiratory systems. The third unit covers principles of training and resistance, aerobic, sprint, plyometric, agility and flexibility training program design. The last unit covers performance assessment and evaluation. In addition, this text has several unique features and includes many practical examples to illustrate key program design concepts. Each chapter contains case study questions, myths and misconceptions, text boxes containing related research foundations, sidebars, and review questions. The training chapters have descriptions of many exercises, and many variations are also discussed. The ancillary package contains a video of several exercises, as well as PowerPoint slides. SMB: We understand that one goal is to promote greater dissemination and reading of current research by strength and conditioning professionals. What strategy did you use to promote that aim? Dr. Ratamess: Several chapters include a brief “Interpreting Research” section that highlights a seminal article in the field. This section contains a brief explanation of the study design and results, and it concludes with a summary of the salient findings. The intent is that these sections will foster interest and lead athletes, students or practitioners to journals where they may read articles in their entirety. In addition, each chapter is referenced with an extensive bibliography, and readers are encouraged to acquire references of interest to gain further insight into the research method. Research is summarized within the text in a comprehensible manner. SMB: Any final points you wish to share about this new resource? Dr. Ratamess: I believe the book has a broad audience. Although it was designed as a textbook to be used in courses emphasizing strength and conditioning or exercise science, there is a large applied element that can benefit athletes