The postpartum period is the stage after childbirth and is associated with many physical and psychological changes. Exercise has been shown to be beneficial for both the physical and psychological health of a new mother. Previous literature has examined the effect of both aerobic and resistance training in this period; however, there have been no clear guidelines and recommendations provided. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review the benefits of exercise in the postpartum period, and to provide guidelines and a sample 6-week aerobic and resistance training program after exercise initiation after delivery and medical clearance. A video abstract describing this article can be found in Supplemental Digital Content 1 (see video, http://links.lww.com/SCJ/A295).

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that may develop in individuals after a traumatic event. Tactical professionals (e.g., military, police, and firefighters) are at an elevated risk for exposure to traumatic events and the onset of PTSD. Exercise and mindfulness training techniques have been shown to be beneficial for both the physical and mental health of the individual with PTSD. Knowing that tactical professionals have an increased risk of exposure to trauma and PTSD symptoms compared to general population, practitioners should understand how to properly train these individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide important considerations and training recommendations for tactical professionals suffering from PTSD.

Loewen, B, Melton, B, Maupin, D, and Ryan, G. Comparing acute responses between single session circuit training and fireground suppression tasks. J Strength Cond Res 37(8): 1667–1678, 2023—The purpose of this study was to compare the cardio-metabolic and perceived demands of task-specific circuit training to fireground suppression tasks (FST). Twenty-three career, structural firefighters performed three separate testing days (i.e., FST, CT, and CTW). FST consisted of performing seven common occupational tasks in full gear (∼22.5kg). The weighted (CTW: 18.9kg vest) and unweighted (CT) circuit utilized seven exercises designed to mimic the FST's. Measurements included relative heart rate (%HRmax), post-training blood lactate (Lapost), change in countermovement jump height (▵CMJ), change in dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength (▵DHG and ▵NDHG), total training time, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and job-specific rating of relevance. A repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Bonferroni post-hoc, was performed for each variable, excluding RPE and rating of relevance. Friedman's ANOVA was used to assess differences in RPE and rating of relevance, with Wilcoxen Signed Rank tests follow-up. Significant mean differences were found in %HRmax between CT and FST (∼8.6%, p < 0.01, d = 1.12) and CTW and FST (∼5.3%, p < 0.01, d = 0.75), ▵CMJ between CT and FST (p < 0.01, d = 1.35) and CTW and FST (p < 0.01, d = 1.09), ▵NDHG between CTW and FST (p = 0.01, d = 0.79), training time between CT and FST (p < 0.01, d = 1.00) and CTW and FST (p < 0.01, d = 1.81), and rating of relevance between CT and FST (PS dep = 0.67). In conclusion, CT and CTW were able to elicit similar metabolic and perceived demands as FST, while producing a lower cardiovascular response. Therefore, while circuit training may be a beneficial training tool for firefighters, it cannot replicate FST.