Book excerpt: Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Seventh Edition With Online Video, provides a comprehensive approach to physical fitness appraisal and exercise prescription. The text bridges the gap between research and practice and synthesizes concepts and theories from exercise physiology, kinesiology, measurement, psychology, and nutrition to provide a clearly defined approach to physical fitness testing and the design of individualized exercise programs. The accompanying online videos enhance the learning experience and teach the techniques necessary for conducting fitness testing and program design. More than 40 clips featuring common exercise assessments will help users learn essentials of fitness testing, such as calibration of blood pressure cuffs, functional movement assessment, and push-up and pull-up testing. Unlike introductory texts, which typically focus on field testing for evaluating physical fitness, this text includes both field and laboratory assessment techniques. Readers will find the latest information on maximal and submaximal graded exercise testing in healthy populations, muscular fitness testing protocols and norms for children and adults, and field tests and norms for evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, body composition, flexibility, and balance. The seventh edition of Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription reflects current guidelines and recommendations, including new physical activity recommendations from the U.S. government, American Heart Association, and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), as well as the latest ACSM guidelines for medical exam and exercise testing requirements before beginning exercise programs. Additional updates to the seventh edition include the following: • New research substantiating the link between physical activity and disease risk • Expanded information on prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and overweight and obesity, including updated statistics on the global prevalence of obesity • New dietary guidelines for Americans, including information on MyPlate • Inclusion of SCORE system to estimate 10-year risk of fatal cardiac event due to atherosclerosis • Expanded information on the use of technology to monitor physical activity • Updated information on the use of exergaming and social networking to promote physical activity and exercise • Additional OMNI pictorial scales for ratings of perceived exertion during exercise • Latest ACSM FITT-VP principle for designing aerobic exercise programs • Whole-body vibration as an adjunct to resistance training and flexibility training Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Seventh Edition, is organized around physical fitness components, providing information on assessment followed by guidelines for designing exercise programs to improve each fitness component. The text begins with an overview of physical activity, health, and chronic disease, followed by discussion of preliminary health screening and risk classification, including the principles of fitness assessment, exercise prescription, and exercise program design. The remainder of the text provides in-depth coverage of assessment and exercise prescription for each of five physical fitness components: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness (strength, endurance, and power), body composition, flexibility, and balance. In each chapter, key questions help readers focus on essential information. Key points, review questions, and key terms reinforce concepts and summarize chapter content. An instructor guide, test package, chapter quizzes, and presentation package plus image bank provide tools for lecture preparation, creative content delivery, and class assessment. New to the seventh edition are online video clips for both students and instructors to further aid comprehension of the text and provide an additional tool for classroom demonstration. By integrating the latest research, recommendations, and information into guidelines for application, Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Seventh Edition, bridges the gap between research and practice for fitness professionals. Its unique scope, depth of coverage, and clearly outlined approach make it a valuable resource for students and exercise science professionals who want to increase their knowledge, skill, and competence in assessing clients’ fitness and designing individualized exercise programs.