Exploring Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, where cutting-edge discoveries about human performance and health are shared and advanced.
What does it take to shave a tenth of a second off an Olympic sprinter's time? How can we help cardiac patients rebuild strength safely? What's the most effective way to prevent ankle injuries in basketball players? The answers to these questions don't come from guesswork—they emerge from rigorous scientific research, much of which finds its home in a single specialized publication: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (MSSE).
As the flagship journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, MSSE serves as the central nervous system for the fields of sports medicine and exercise science, where cutting-edge discoveries about human performance and health are shared, debated, and advanced 1 7 . Think of it as a monthly digest of the most significant breakthroughs in understanding how our bodies move, adapt, and excel under physical stress.
This journal represents the critical bridge between laboratory research and real-world application, influencing how athletes train, how patients recover, and how all of us can harness the power of exercise for better health.
At its core, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (often abbreviated in references as Med Sci Sports Exerc) is a multidisciplinary monthly journal that publishes original research investigations, clinical studies, and comprehensive reviews 1 4 . Since 1969, it has been the go-to source for sports medicine professionals, exercise physiologists, athletic trainers, and researchers seeking the highest quality evidence in their field.
The journal's content spans several interconnected disciplines, creating a comprehensive picture of human performance 1 :
Clinical approaches to treating athletic injuries
How our bodies respond and adapt to physical activity
Patterns, causes, and prevention of sports-related injuries
The mechanics of human movement
To understand how research in MSSE translates to real-world impact, let's explore what a typical groundbreaking study in the journal might look like. Imagine a hypothetical but representative investigation titled: "High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) vs. Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training for Improving Cardiovascular Health in Sedentary Adults."
The researchers designed a robust experiment to generate reliable results 5 :
100 sedentary but otherwise healthy adults were randomly assigned to either a HIIT group or a moderate-intensity exercise group.
The HIIT group performed short bursts of vigorous exercise (e.g., 4 minutes at 90% of max heart rate) followed by active recovery periods. The moderate-intensity group performed continuous exercise at a steady pace (e.g., 45 minutes at 70% of max heart rate).
Both groups trained three times per week for 12 weeks.
Researchers assessed key health markers before and after the intervention, including VO₂ max (a measure of aerobic fitness), blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity.
This clear, replicable methodology is crucial in scientific reporting—it allows other researchers to verify findings by repeating the experiment under similar conditions 9 .
After 12 weeks, both groups showed significant improvements, but with notable differences in specific areas. The data tell a compelling story about the efficiency of different training approaches.
| Health Marker | HIIT Group | Moderate-Intensity Group | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| VO₂ max (ml/kg/min) | +18.5% | +12.3% | <0.01 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | -8.2 | -6.5 | 0.03 |
| LDL Cholesterol (mg/dL) | -14.2 | -12.8 | 0.15 |
| Insulin Sensitivity Index | +28.7% | +19.4% | <0.01 |
The results demonstrated that while both exercise formats provided substantial benefits, HIIT produced significantly greater improvements in aerobic capacity and insulin sensitivity 5 . The "P-value" column indicates statistical significance—values below 0.05 mean the difference between groups is unlikely due to chance.
| Training Parameter | HIIT Group | Moderate-Intensity Group |
|---|---|---|
| Session Duration | 25 minutes | 50 minutes |
| Weekly Time Commitment | 75 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Total Training Time Over Study | 1,500 minutes | 3,000 minutes |
| Measure | HIIT Group | Moderate-Intensity Group |
|---|---|---|
| Program Completion Rate | 92% | 88% |
| Reported "Likely to Continue" | 85% | 78% |
| Enjoyment Rating (1-10 scale) | 8.2 | 7.6 |
Perhaps the most striking finding was the time efficiency—the HIIT group achieved superior improvements in key health markers with exactly half the total time commitment of the moderate-intensity group.
Contrary to what we might expect, the more challenging HIIT protocol did not lead to poorer adherence—in fact, participants reported slightly higher enjoyment and continuation rates, suggesting that the time efficiency may offset the higher intensity during sessions.
Behind every rigorous study published in MSSE lies an array of specialized equipment that enables precise measurement of human performance. Here are some key tools that researchers use to gather data 5 8 :
Measures oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to calculate metabolic rate and aerobic capacity
Records electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles to assess muscle activation patterns
Measure ground reaction forces to analyze gait, jumping, and other movement mechanics
Quantifies lactate concentration in blood to determine exercise intensity thresholds
Uses low-dose X-rays to precisely measure body composition (fat, muscle, bone mass)
Monitors electrical activity of the heart to assess cardiovascular responses to exercise
Each piece of equipment provides a different window into how the body responds to exercise, allowing researchers to build a comprehensive picture of human performance. The metabolic cart, for instance, is indispensable for measuring VO₂ max—considered the gold standard for assessing aerobic fitness 8 .
The hypothetical HIIT study exemplifies how research published in MSSE translates into real-world benefits. For the general public, these findings offer science-backed guidance for maximizing health benefits in limited time—a significant advantage in our busy lives. For healthcare providers, they inform exercise prescriptions for patients with conditions like prediabetes or hypertension. For athletes and coaches, they suggest more efficient training strategies that produce superior results without increasing overall training volume.
Science-backed exercise guidance for busy lifestyles
Evidence-based exercise prescriptions for patients
Optimized training strategies for peak performance
As we look forward, the research published in journals like MSSE will continue to push the boundaries of human potential and healthspan. Emerging areas like personalized exercise prescription based on genetic markers, the role of exercise in brain health, and innovative injury prevention strategies all depend on the kind of rigorous science that MSSE publishes.
Tailoring training based on genetic and biomarker profiles
Exploring exercise's impact on cognitive function and neuroprotection
Advanced biomechanics and wearables for reducing sports injuries
The next time you read a headline about a new exercise trend or sports performance breakthrough, there's a good chance the original research behind it was vetted and published in a journal like Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise—the unsung hero working behind the scenes to ensure that our understanding of human movement is built on a foundation of solid evidence rather than speculation 1 7 .
Whether you're a weekend warrior, a healthcare professional, or simply someone interested in how your body works, this ongoing scientific conversation—documented in the pages of MSSE—ultimately helps us all move better, perform better, and live healthier lives.