The Fitness Assessment, Exercise Training and Performance topic area covers the broadest array of topics in the fields of exercise science and sports medicine, and we have presentations for everyone from researchers, academics and practitioners to fitness professionals, educators and students. This year we have focused on including more international experts and female-related topics and perspectives. As always, our topic area covers all ages and fitness levels as well as some more focused information about specific sports and activities.

We are excited to present our Highlighted Symposium “Military Human Performance Optimization and Injury Prevention: International Perspectives” on Friday, May 29, at 3:15 p.m. Heikki Kyrolainen, Ph.D., FACSM, of the University of Jyvaskyla, will discuss ‘Human Performance Optimization in the Finnish Military’;  Julie Greeves, Ph.D., of the British Defense Forces, will discuss ‘Current Findings from the British Military Women in Close Combat Task Force’; Herb Groeller, Ph.D., of the University of Wollongong, will discuss ‘Physical and Cognitive Resilience Enhancement Strategies in the Australian Army’; and session chair Bradley Nindl, Ph.D., FACSM of the University of Pittsburgh, will discuss ‘Human Performance Optimization Science and Strategies in the US Army.’ This international group of speakers will include in their talks how the general practitioner can use this science in their own training environments.

Other exciting symposia include “4^th Trimester [Postnatal] Training: When and how to return?” by Craig Sale, Ph.D., FACSM, and Raul Artal, M.D., FACSM, on Wednesday, May 27, at 9:30 a.m.; “The Pediatric Athlete in the 21^st Century from Injury to Prevention” by Mary Lloyd Ireland, M.D., FACSM, Andrea Stracciolini, M.D., FACSM, Angela Smith, M.D., FACSM, Avery Faigenbaum, Ph.D., FACSM, and Lyle Micheli, M.D., FACSM, on Wednesday, May 27, at 3:15 p.m. and “Sex Matters in Performance: The Female of the Species are Better than the Male?” by Drs. Glyn Howatson, Ph.D., FACSM, Sandra Hunter, Ph.D., FACSM, Kirsty Hicks, Ph.D., Stuart Goodall, Ph.D., and Paul Ansdell, MSc, on Friday, May 29^th at 1:00 p.m. The more applied tutorial sessions include one by Andrew Jones, Ph.D., FACSM, on “Prescribing Endurance Training from Physiological Tests” Thursday, May 28, at 4:55 p.m. and another by Dawn Coe, Ph.D., FACSM, Karin Pfieffer, Ph.D., FACSM, Leah Robinson, Ph.D., FACSM, and Shannon Siegel, Ph.D., FACSM, on Friday, May 29, at 4:25 p.m. on “It Only Takes a Hop, Skip and a Catch: Ways to Improve Physical Activity and Sport Participation.”

Thematic poster sessions provide a wonderful opportunity to see several posters in an area of interest while also getting to hear from and interact with the presenters in a meaningful environment. This year’s thematic poster topics include aging, blood flow restriction, hormones and cytokines, pediatrics, sleep and an all-soccer session. The new format rapid fire session will be on incorporating wearables into training and performance. Don’t forget our traditional slide presentations which will include strength, size and power, exercise training, intensity and fitness, and endurance and interval training.

We don’t want to be sedentary for too long, so feel free to take activity breaks during regular sessions and remember that the poster hall allows for more opportunity to move around. As usual, there are a multitude of traditional poster sessions on the above topics as well as body composition, health and wellness, interval training, military/police/firefighters, monitoring, recovery, running, special populations, fitness testing and winter sports. With so many abstracts and interest in this topic area, there are related posters at every single poster session time, every day of the conference!

We look forward to you joining us at the 2020 ACSM Annual Meeting in San Francisco to learn more about fitness assessment, training and performance. For all our ACSM Certified professionals you can ensure you are employing the most current evidence based practices as well as earn your CEUs to maintain your certifications. Not certified? You can learn more about ACSM certification there, too! Safe travels!

Learn more about the ACSM Annual Meeting program. Ready to join us in San Francisco? Register today!

Melissa W. Roti, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-EP, ACSM-GEI, is a Professor and Director of the Exercise Science Program at Westfield State University. She is a member of the ACSM ActivEarth Task Force and the ACSM Annual meeting Program Committee. 
Connect with Dr. Roti on Twitter: @MelissaRoti.