Fitness coaches seem to play an essential role in the field of exercise as they help prevent sedentary lifestyles and promote overall health, quality of life, and well-being. This study aimed to explore the effects of fitness coaches’ behavior perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and enjoyment of exercisers on their long-term fitness and health, as well as their commitment to exercise. A total of 202 individuals participated in the study that was developed over three data gathering occasions (baseline, three months and six months). To this end, three psychometric scales were used as part of a multi-section survey: FCBS-Fit (perception of the fitness coach’s behavior), IMIp (intrinsic motivation of exercisers), and PACES (enjoyment in exercise), along with the assessment of four health/fitness variables: anthropometry (i.e., waist-hip ratio), strength (i.e., handgrip strength), flexibility (i.e., sit-and-reach), and cardiorespiratory fitness (i.e., VO₂máx.). Overall, the results suggested that the perception of the fitness coach’s behavior, the exerciser’s intrinsic motivation, and enjoyment were predictors of the health/fitness outcomes, and seemed to be related to the exercise commitment at the end of three and six months. The novelty of this study is the examination of psychological and physiological factors in an integrated and longitudinal manner within the scope of exercise in fitness and health clubs. Therefore, these findings shed light on fitness coaches as an important element in the propagation and maintenance of exercise habits, accomplishment of tangible outcomes by exercisers, health promotion and the fitness sector’s growth.

Several systematic review studies highlight exercise’s positive impact on brain health outcomes for frail individuals. This study adopts a Comprehensive Review of reviews (CRs) approach to amalgamate data from existing reviews, focusing on exercise’s influence on brain health outcomes in older frail and pre-frail adults. The methodology involves a thorough search of Portuguese, Spanish, and English-indexed databases (i.e., Ebsco Health, Scielo, ERIC, LILACS, Medline, Web of Science, SportDiscus) from 1990 to 2022, with the AMSTAR-2 tool assessing evidence robustness. The search terms “physical exercise”, “elderly frail”, and “systematic review” were employed. Results: Out of 12 systematically reviewed studies, four presented high-quality (with metanalyses), while eight exhibit critically low quality. Positive trends emerge in specific cognitive and neuromotor aspects, yet challenges persist in psychosocial domains, complex cognitive tasks, and ADL outcomes. This study yields reasonable and promising evidence regarding exercise’s influence on quality of life and depression in frail older individuals. However, the impact on biochemical markers remains inconclusive, emphasizing the need for standardized methodologies. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging methodological nuances for clinicians and policymakers when translating these results into impactful interventions for aging populations. This emphasizes the necessity for a comprehensive and customized approach to exercise interventions aimed at fostering the sustainability of overall well-being in older individuals, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.

Although the coach–athlete relationship has been widely examined across competitive levels, limited research has focused on its dynamics within elite national team settings. This study explored the coach-athlete relationship in the context of national team coaches participating in major international competitions (e.g., European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games). A semi-structured protocol was used to interview 13 elite national team coaches from team and individual sports. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed three higher-order themes: (1) Coaching identities are shaped through experience and transition, highlighting how national team coaches build their profiles through personal pathways, lifelong learning, and relational competence; (2) Constructing performance beyond skill, showing that athlete selection transcends technical-tactical criteria, integrating psychosocial fit and team dynamics; and (3) Navigating connections in high-stakes contexts, illustrating how relational management, closeness, and complementarity influence sports success across competition phases. These findings expand existing knowledge by offering an in-depth understanding of coach-athlete relationship in elite national team settings, emphasising the interplay between individual profiles and relational processes. This study reinforces the importance of relational expertise as a core coaching skill and underlines the value of adaptive leadership in managing interpersonal dynamics. The practical implications include guiding the design of professional development programmes to strengthen interpersonal coaching skills and informing selection and communication strategies within national teams. By addressing a gap in the literature, this study contributes to enhancing the quality of coach–athlete interactions in high-performance environments and offers practical insights for federations, coaching organisations, and sport governing bodies aiming to optimise professional development and team performance.

The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify the relationship between the perceived behaviour of fitness instructors and the intrinsic motivation of exercisers, (2) examine the differences between exercisers according to socio-demographic characteristics, (3) and identify the predictive potential of the two scales’ dimensions. The study included 220 exercisers in a fitness/health club. The results indicate significant correlations between the perception of the fitness instructor’s behaviour and the intrinsic motivation of the exercisers, with differences in the socio-demographic aspects relating to the participants and in the predictive capacity of the different variables. These results emphasise the importance of promoting high-quality interactions between fitness instructors and exercisers in order to improve their intrinsic motivation and consequent long-term adherence to exercise. El objetivo de este trabajo fue: (1) identificar las relaciones entre la percepción del comportamiento de los instructores de fitness y la motivación intrínseca de los practicantes, (2) examinar las diferencias entre los practicantes atendiendo a las características sociodemográficas, (3) y identificar el potencial predictivo de las dimensiones de las dos escalas. Participaron en la investigación 220 individuos que realizaban ejercicio físico en un centro de fitness/club de salud. Los resultados indican correlaciones significativas entre la percepción del comportamiento del instructor de fitness y la motivación intrínseca de los praticantes, con diferencias en los aspectos sociodemográficos de los practicantes y en la capacidad predictiva de las distintas variables. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia de fomentar interacciones de alta calidad entre el instructor de fitness y los individuos que hacen ejercicio para mejorar la motivación intrínseca y la adherencia al ejercicio a largo plazo. O objetivo deste estudo foi: (1) identificar as relações entre a perceção do comportamento dos instrutores de fitness e a motivação intrínseca dos praticantes de exercício físico, (2) examinar as diferenças entre os praticantes de exercício físico de acordo com as caraterísticas sócio-demográficas, (3) e identificar o potencial preditivo das dimensões das duas escalas. Participaram no estudo 220 indivíduos que praticavam exercício físico num centro de fitness/clube de saúde. Os resultados indicam correlações significativas entre a perceção do comportamento do instrutor de fitness e a motivação intrínseca dos praticantes, com diferenças nos aspectos sócio-demográficos relativos aos praticantes e na capacidade preditiva das diferentes variáveis. Estes resultados sublinham a importância de promover interações de alta qualidade entre o instrutor de fitness e os praticantes de exercício físico para melhorar a sua motivação intrínseca e consequente adesão ao exercício a longo prazo.