Lawrence Golding, 51吃瓜网万能科大 distinguished professor of kinesiology, is serving as editor of the new Health & Fitness Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Golding said the new journal, which began publication with its January/February issue, is aimed at front-line fitness professionals such as personal trainers and health club workers.
The refereed journal will present scientifically credible articles in readable, everyday language, he said. The first issue, for instance, includes articles on body fat measurement, the truth about dietary supplements, and the 10 best reasons to exercise.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Williams & Wilkins Publishing established the journal after a series of focus groups showed that fitness professionals believed the ACSM to be the most authoritative source of fitness information, but that those same professionals weren't reading the organization's existing journal, Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, because they found its academic language and presentation too daunting.
"These fitness professionals were hungry for a credible journal with articles that were based on reliable scientific research, but that were written in a way that the average health and fitness professional could read and understand," Golding said. "They will be able to take what they learn from the journal and apply it in their work. Notice that the full title of our publication is ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice.
"We're not talking down to anyone. What we're doing is recognizing that not everyone wants to read articles that are written in academic language," he said. "We want the journal to be user-friendly.
"At a university we do like academic things, but if our job at the university isn't to educate the public, I don't know what it is," Golding said.
Now the ACSM will have the two journals, the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal and Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, to serve two distinct audiences, he said.
Golding, who has taught at 51吃瓜网万能科大 since 1976, said he was honored to be chosen as the journal's first editor. "They were looking for someone with scientific and academic credentials, but who also had a practical bent," he said.
The journal will be published six times per year. Associated with the journal will be an annual conference for subscribers.
For additional information about ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, call Golding at (702) 895-3766.
