Sports Books

Some of the principles in this books I've come across in random articles I've read on the internet or in other books I have on my bookshelf, but I never really understood the science behind it. It isn't so bogged down with scientific jargon that it is hard to decipher, however, it's not exactly a bedtime story either. A little background in fitness and nutrition may be helpful, but not entirely necessary. I believe this is a very valuable source of information for anyone with an interest in health and fitness whether they be a professional athlete/trainer, or a weekend warrior layman.

I purchased this book several months ago and was more than a bit confused when I read it the first time. The authors do a great job of providing the scientific evidence to back up their claims, but they failed miserably in making the book "user friendly" where it needed to be. Mainly in the guidelines for making your own drinks based upon; your weight, exercise intensity, goals, etc. I had to reread the book twice and then sit down with a notebook and paper in order to figure out exactly what I needed to take, in what quantities, and at what times in order to achieve the goals I was looking for. Now having said that, let's delve into the results.

I used the guidelines in this book for about 2 months now (as of the writing of this review) and have noticed increases in muscle mass where I expected and have lost some inches where I wanted. Whether this is entirely due to the NTS is questionable, but what is not in question is that the combination of using this system and the weight training schedule I am utilizing has shown results. Admittedly, had my diet been better I am sure I would have lost weight as well. However, as it currently stands, I haven't lost any weight perse, but I know that my body fat has gone down while my lean muscle mass has increased.

I would recommend purchasing this book, however please keep in mind that you will really have to sit down and figure out the right formula for you as the book just doesn't cover it.

After reading this book you will find what you are consuming after your workout is not what it should be. This book explains the 3 critical stages of nutritional timing: Energy, anabolic and growth.
Easy to read for anyone who's been involved in bodybuilding for a while, concepts are easy to implement!!

Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition

This book has great science behind it, that's what compelled me to try it out in the first place. After reading through the book (there's alot of pure science in there to justifiy their claims) I was sold on the approach. I searched the web for products that would line up with their recommendations. I ended up purchasing the following products:

For the NTS Energy Phase (pre-work out/during workout): Accelerade
For the NTS Anabolic Phase (post-work out): Endurox R4

I haven't looked hard nor found the appropriate supplement for the NTS Growth Phase. I got the above supplements directly from the maker - Accel Sports. I haven't checked but understand you get them at GNC stores as well.

In any case, I started using them. I am 55 years old and hadn't worked out much in the past few years so I thought I could use all the help I could get. I am rather lean (5'10" and 160lbs). I found using these supplements before and after workouts have helped me alot. I feel more energy during workouts and feel like I recover quicker after them. I also had my 16 year old son use them for his workouts (he has a much more vigorous workout than I could even imagine). He says the same thing, he has much more endurance and feels better after using these supplements.

Lastly, they all taste pretty good! We have orange and lime flavored Accelerade and Vanilla and Tangy Orange Endurox.

If you know less than nothing about nutrition, spending five minutes on Google will give you more useful information than reading this book. If you want to buy a book, this one would be at the very bottom of my list.

It's misleading and dishonest in the way it promotes itself.

It says the nutrient timing can be divided into 3 phases. It describes the first phase, it then goes on to describe the 2nd phase but forgets and carries on describing the first phase. As far as I can see all three phases are roughly the same.

So I propose a new "revolution" as the authors call it: Nutrient timing can be divided into one big phase and I'm going to call it "Life" and it's exactly the same as the Phase 1, 2 and 3 of this silly book. What I propose is you eat adequate carbs, protein and fat, before during and after working out. I'm going to call it a revolution and publish it in a book. I'm going to pad it out with schoolboy essays about the different nutrients to make it look like it's backed by science when it isn't.


I got this book half price and feel like I've been robbed, it's really that bad. Badly written, misleading, dishonest and just not worth even half the price.

I have read over a dozen books on stretching, and own several that I ound useful. Though if I had found this book early on I woould have saved a lot of time. If you want results use this book.

After some nagging running injuries I purchased three books on stretching.

"Stretching scientifically" is not really a guide to injury prevention, or even flexibility training. It's more of a guide as to how to do splits. If you want to do splits, it might be worthwhile. If you're an athlete, trying to prevent injuries, or trying to increase performance, it's not much help at all. The inner cover is filled with13 pictures of readers who learned to do splits. The front cover is a picture of a split. So is the back cover.

Everything is the book ties into doing splits. There are many common and useful stretches missing. There is nothing for the calves, hips, nothing really for the quads, back (maybe a few of the split stretches will target some of these indirectly, but not as a primary goal.) When I'm injured, I research my injury on the web and try to figure out what stretches might have helped it. As a result, I've learned many interesting and useful stretches over the years - and NONE of them were in this book.

Plus, the book is loaded with techno speak. Even as an aerospace engineer trained in reading massive technical volumes my eyes still glazed over reading this book. A lot of technical references, but who cares (no way to read the cited articles, done just to impress)? There was a lot of information presented, some of which might be good, but it was hard to make sense of. I lacked a clear summary and goal set after reading the book. It's the authors job to know everything and present it in a clear, concise, organized, and usable form. What I got was a ton of raw data for me to organize.

There was nothing on which stretches prevent which injuries. Not much on how and when to stretch. Not anything on how to tell if you're overstretching. If you had a specific question it's even hard to find out what chapter to go to - the information is spread out all over. On the plus side, I liked the question and answer portion of the book at the end. I think he'd probably be an all right guy to deal with in person, one on one. However, the introduction to the chapter reads "Does this method really work?" At this point, I realized I couldn't summarize what his method really was.

I think this Mr. Kurz really does know what he's talking about - but is having a hard time communicating it in a simple and effective fashion. Again, it's for the kick boxer who wants to do splits - not for endurance athletes who want to minimize repetitive motion injuries.

At the same time I also purchased "Stretching Anatomy." A good solid book, lots of good stretches, some new to me, all my favorite stretches included. However, no tie in between the various stretches and different sport and injuries was made. I'd certainly want to know what stretches were good for a runner with Achilles problems, for example. You have to figure that out on your own. Still, there's lot of good general commentary on what each stretch achieves, and it's no big task to narrow it down to what could help you. Very visual, information is very easy to absorb and apply quickly, you can't be using it in 10 minutes, and isn't that what most of us want?

The last book I purchased was "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. Its is a pretty good book as well, equal but different from "Stretching Anatomy." The information was a little harder to digest, but still not bad. Perhaps a few more tidbits of information compared to "Stretching Anatomy." There's nice section showing a group of stretches that apply to a variety of sports, from running to bull riding! Also a section on massage tools. Lots of nice summaries, good organization, once I read it a few more times it might become my favorite stretching book.

So, overall, two yeas and one nay. Tossing "Stretching Scientifically," using "Stretching Anatomy" TODAY, going to re-read "Stretching" a few times. Still haven't found the perfect stretching book, but two are definitely worthwhile.

BUY!
Have been studying Martial Arts for a good 25 years+...(TKD, Judo, Hapkido, Tai Chi, Bagua, Hsing I, Jujitsu...)
Never could do the splits nor "high kicks" until reading this book, understanding the physiology (as explained by Kurz)and then developing my own system based on this book. There are no quick and easy solutions out there. So if youre expecting the book to do it all for you...well, sorry...it's not going to happen... Like anything in life...YOU must do the work. But I can honestly say (I'm 37 yrs old) that my overall flexibility, my side and front splits! are completely the result of Kurzs' scientific lessons on stretching...
Before, I would stretch and stretch for hours on end with steadily DIMINISHING results...Now I do my 8-minute dynamic stretching routine in the morning...and can kick to Max High within the hour and then for the rest of the day! It's an old book and the layout is kinda funky...(hence the lack of 5 stars)...But the results I've obtained merit 10 STARS.

As an amateur contortionist I thought I knew everything about stretching, but I borrowed a friend's copy of Stretching Scientifically and my ego took a blow because I had never even heard of isometric stretching. Once I started applying it I instantly gained more flexibility. East bloc training wins again. I am so glad I came across this book.

As the title implies, this is a scientific and somewhat technical book on stretching. It is also insightful, helpful, and fascinating. It will show you how to learn to stretch physically, and it may stretch your mind as well. This is not a book that shows a series of activity or sport specific stretches for say running, tennis, or golf. It explores what is known about stretching, what is good and bad about stretching.

A very enjoyable (and informative) book. The author's ability to entertain the reader makes this collection of articles special.

I have to agree with other reviewers. The message is a good one but it takes way too many pages to make the key points. There are also too many stories of PGA golfers and not enough of regular Joes using his technique. He writes well and the science was interesting but I didn't really get to the meat until the last 60 or 70 pages.

Great book,

This book is a must have in your library. there's plenty useful information that can be put into practice.

Ramon A. Puchales

Fearless Golf is a total transformation of our attitude about golf. It is simple but gives you peace of mind when playing with only concern for your personal game. When practiced, Fearless Golf not only greatly enhances your game but also how you feel and enjoy the great game. The philosophy applies not only to golf but to all aspects of life. The major point of the book is driven home relentlessly, often to the point of redundancy. This is not a one time read. Keep it in sight at all times and go back to it over and over.

Excellent book on the mental game. Good tips. Book was shipped promptly and was in better condition than stated.

Being a golfer who can shoot in the 70's on one day, then in the 90's the next, I figured the best thing I could add to my bag was a book or several on the mental aspects of the game. And, this is one of the most useful I've read. The author applies Professor Albert Bandura's credible concept of self-efficacy to a game that is oh so mental (I suggest you read Bandura's 1994 hallmark paper entitled "Self-efficacy" for more insight). Clearly, this book is helping me go lower and play more consistently. My primary criticism of the book is that the author takes way too long to deliver the message. I was compelled to skip pages containing endless examples and redundant messages. I guess Valiante wanted to hit the 200 page standard to justify the price, but he could have written it in 50 pages.

Nonetheless, if you experience rather wild fluctuations in performance, this book will likely ring true for you.

Eliot Asinof played minor league baseball briefly, but his claim to fame is this riveting account of the 1919 World Series. The heavily favored Chicago White Sox lost the best of nine series to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games. In the following season, the White Sox were engaged in another pennant race when a newspaper expose revealed that several key players had conspired with professional gamblers to throw the World Series (less well known is the fact that a few of the same Chicago players were also implicated in throwing regular season games during the 1920 American League title race).

Asinof did not have the benefit of computerized statistical data bases that are an aid to contemporary baseball historians and researchers, so there are a few mistakes and omissions in the book, but it is nonetheless an important book that remains relevant to this very day.

Film director John Sayles adapted Asinof's book and made the story into a engrossing motion picture that took great care to get the historical details correct, but the screenplay had to compress the material to accommodate the requirements of a conventional movie running time. I suggest you read the book before seeing the movie.

That eight members of the heavily-favored Chicago White Sox baseball team conspired with gamblers to throw the World Series in 1919 to the underdog Cincinnati Reds was somewhat in dispute -- until about 1920. After a sensational trial that year and several other investigations the general outline of "the fix" became well known, though Mr. Asinof apparently wasn't satisfied. This baseball-loving author was himself born in 1919 and obsessed enough to gather every detail -- and there's *lots* of detail here -- one would ever want to know about the scandal culled from sources still around in the early 1960s. `Eight Men Out' is the noble 1963 result, which addresses every possible *how* one could ever want about this fascinating bit of history. Too bad it suffers badly when it comes to *why*.

Simply put, Asinof doesn't tell much of a *story* -- at least in the sense of identifying the various character's motives, the fundamental conflicts, and of course how these are finally resolved. We get a smattering of the main character's backgrounds (including a great nugget of the famous gambler Arnold Rothstein pulling a knife on his adorable brother when they were children because the latter got more attention) and are informed, of course, of Sox owner Charles Comiskey's famous stinginess with player salaries but teasing out the motivation for and ultimate consequences of the fix is left largely in the reader's hands. While I can't find much fault with readers drawing their own conclusions -- and especially from a journalistic account this detailed -- `Eight Men Out' unfortunately doesn't quite stay "objective." Perhaps aware that a dry retelling of facts (many of them legal and arcane) makes for a stiff tale, Asinof drops several *hints* to keep his plot moving (e.g., sports gambling was fairly prevalent at the time, many players openly cavorted with gamblers, baseball itself had little to no policing of its players actions) and even makes a few clumsy attempts to recreate obviously apocryphal conversations. (One between Sox manager Kid Gleason and gambling shill Abe Atell is especially painful.)

This compendium of detail punctuated with a little narrative color gets the job done: I now know the undiluted who, what, where, when and how of this famous account. But given its renown and continuing resonance through the sports world I was frankly expecting much more. What were the *real* reasons the players got involved -- especially since at least one of them (third baseman Buck Weaver) clearly didn't "play soft" during the Series and several received no money at all? Was the baseball establishment justified in appointing a take-no-prisoners commissioner (ex-Federal judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis) who subsequently banned -- for life -- all the involved players from the major leagues? Did baseball itself -- with its cheapskate owners, publicity-seeking officials, and infamous "reserve clause" that created near-servitude conditions -- contribute to conditions that tempted the players?

Clearly interesting questions to ponder but Asinof doesn't even frame them terribly well, much less ask or answer them directly. As he admits in his introduction, the author had a difficult time getting the involved parties to talk about the scandal -- even several decades later. Strangely, even after a mountain of fact-gathering, he seems equally reticent to directly question this most damaging episode in American professional sports. I finished his book informed of everything and persuaded of nothing. No terrible thing, really -- but to fill out the story I'd strongly recommend John Sayles' excellent 1988 film of the same name.

Originally published in 1963, rereleased in 1987 to coincide with the "Major Motion Picture" trumpeted on the cover.

The story of the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal, when eight members of the Chicago Sox team of another stripe conspired to throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, a heavy on-paper underdog. The eight Sox were charged, tried, and acquitted, but immediately banned from organized baseball for life by new baseball commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, hired specifically for this purpose.

This story is an American tragedy; the reader is drawn to the likable yet gullible baseball players being played for fools by the gambling interests and baseball owners, both with the wherewithal and organization to act to protect their interests and sacrifice the baseball players in a sordid morality tale.

The movie is a faithful recreation of the book, taking very few liberties with the historical account.

"Eight Men Out" was first published in 1963 but may still be considered the definitive account of the 1919 Black Sox scandal which is often brought up in today's media as a reference to the current black spot on baseball ("steroids is the biggest scandal since 1919..."). The Chicago White Sox's loss in the 1919 World Series caused by eight (well, one of the 8--Buck Weaver--actually played to win) players who agreed to throw the series as part of a gambling conspiracy was very complex with many names involved. The strongest part about Asinof's book is how clearly he explains the workings of the series fix. The official trial documents were lost and most of the survivors of that time who were in anyway close to the fix refused to cooperate with the author.

Asinof had to rely in large part on newspaper articles either contemporary or later accounts that revealed hitherto unknown facts about the case. Despite such limitations, Asinof clearly reveals the workings of the gambling world, the motivations of the players involved in the conspiracy, the suspicions of the newspapermen who covered the series, and the response of the higher ups like Charles Comiskey and AL President Byron Johnson in dealing with the scandal. Conjectures were made in the process, but Asinof includes relevant background information on the characters involved to give validity to his interpretations.

The planning of the conspiracy (probably the most difficult part of the story to tell) and the games themselves are the most comprehensive and intriguing parts of the book. The trial and the aftermath were also well-written and thorough covering the fates of almost every character involved. I saw a sports memorabilia catalogue that offered a letter signed by Commissioner Landis to Joe Jackson dated April 6, 1922 which stated "In view of the crime in connection with the World's Series of 1919, of course the money about which you inquire cannot be paid to you" (the minimum bid was $5,000--half of what Cicotte received for his part in the conspiracy). This book definitely gave me a better understanding of what that 1919 scandal that ruined the careers of Jackson and seven of his teammates was about. If one is really interested in this subject, I would recommend also looking at other more recently published books to see if there has been more information unearthed since "Eight Men Out."

I saw the movie, but the book explains in more detail the tragedy of the 1919 World Series White Sox (or Black Sox). This book details that the gamblers such as the Little Champ were the real villians in this fiasco. Commisky was also a cheap skate who payed his talented players peanuts and then expected them to win pennants. The victims were the ball players who all expected were rich (they were not) and got duped by a bunch of fast talking gamblers. Shoeless Joe Jackson comes across as a decent man trying to make a go of it in life. These talented people were out matched by more brilliant eastern money men.

This is a great read about the All American pastime. I came away with true respect for the ball players, although not the baseball clubs. This is a tragic story of eight talented players being out hustled by gamblers.

This book is not worth the price. The only cards listed were regular print cards. There were no inserts listed whatsoever. This book is good if you have alot of old cards.

the print is so small the book is basically useless. no insert listings! a waste of money

Like the Football Card price list I bought it is sometimes very hard to locate the cards. The simple $.05 cards are easy to find, but if you want to find the upscale cards they can be difficult if not impossible to locate. Maybe if your a dealer or have several years worth of experience looking for cards its not so hard.

Kindle Version only: I ended up buying this book in print after I found that many of the charts were impossible to read on the Kindle. This is just one of the reasons I have been disappointed with the Kindle.

I have read some running books. This one provides more general information. If you are a novice trying to improve, this book is highly recommended. It also includes the official NYC marathon guide.

This book has an extensive amount of information, race charts, pacing charts, training guides for runners of various levels and for various events (5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon). Special chapters on marathon recovery, mental aspects of running, racing strategy, and so on. I've had this book for over a year and find myself turning back to it again and again. Well organized and easy to flip through and find the information that I need (sometimes with the use of the very handy index).

I absolutely loved this book. After reading it I felt that I was far more prepared to both physically and mentally take on a marathon. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is starting to run and wants to get ready for any length of race.

Be aware that this is not a comprehensive guide, you should look elsewhere for information on nutrition or lifting. But if you are looking for a solid running guide, this is the right book for.

When I bought this book I was just starting to run longer distances and hadn't been in any races, so I wasn't the target audience. If you are like me. you'll be a little unsure what your 10K pace is, for example, because you may never have run one. But if you think you're going to be in races and care about your time, I would suggest that this book is worth buying and reading even if those are still in your future.

The book is also kind of old-fashioned, based on what I've picked up elsewhere. It focuses on total weekly mileage more than seems to be in fashion these days, for example, and that approach may not work for those like me who are getting into this at an older age (I'm 46). It also talks about calling race organizers on the phone rather than looking at the race's website, which seems kind of quaint in 2007.

What's really good about it is that it covers so much. It gave me a lot of good tips for little things to remember before my first race (the San Francisco Half Marathon). It gives guidance for many different lengths of races. It talks about injuries and other issues that may come up. It even talks about balancing running with the rest of your life.

With a good update this would be a 5 star book, and even as it is, it's well worth your time.

I was looking for a book with information on training older adults. This book isn't about that... It is a book on general weight training with general programs and general guidelines. It's a typical Westcott book with a few pages of general guidelines and principles and a few program examples. The majority of the book is pictures of exercises which are absolutely useless if you own any other book on weight training and have a basic understanding of resistance training. If you know anything about weight training and exercise, don't buy this book.

I sent this book to a lady as a gift. She has not commented one way or another on it. I have to suppose that it got thrown on a book shelf and probably won't be read. LOL

This book has very good charts for strength traning of the whole body. It lists diffenent muscle groups and how to lift weights to strengthen that group. I would give it 5 stars if they had the page numbers of the diffenent exercises listed in the charts showing what muscle you need to exercise. You have to thumb through many pages to see how to do the exercise listed in the chart.

Strength training has many advantages, from decreasing symptoms of arthritis and diabetes to increasing endurance and weight loss, but most strength training titles focus on the under-40 crowd. STRENGTH TRAINING PAST 50 offers a range of workouts and programs designed for the over-50 set, offering a range of routines illustrated by black and white photos of over-50 exercisers. It's an important pick for any considering strength training efforts past 50, and is recommended for any library catering to health and fitness patrons of all ages.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is not for someone who has no access to machines. A lot of the book is devoted to the use of gym equipment. I was hoping for more instruction when there are no machines..or trainers....a basic book for beginners. This is not that book.

I purchased this book to give to my husband at his retirement party. We are in the process of purchasing a sailboat to live aboard. We have almost no experience in sailing let alone maintenance of a sailboat. At our recent survey, my husband was able to ask pertinent questions, and have his many questions answered as well. He said the surveyor followed the book almost page by page. This book is a 'must have' for any sailboat owner, beginner or experienced. We plan to buy more of Don Casey's books to keep in our onboard library.

If I had to chose one reference manual to help me take care of my sailboat, this would be the one. The best I have read.

While it really is impossible to have one book that covers everything to do with yacht maintenance, this one comes pretty close. Don's books really are remarkable, they have all the info you need, explained clearly and coupled with excellent large diagrams that are a pleasure to study. If you've considered one of the books in his yacht maintenace series, forget it, just buy this compendium of them all, I guarantee you will not regret it.

It would be even better if it will have a bit more details, but it is good anyway.

Don Casey (as usual) has written a definitive book on maintenance for my aging boat and most important to me, tips to help me shop for my next sailboat. Well organized, illustrated and written, the only negative thing I can say about the book is, that it scared me to learn how much important info I didn't know (ignorance was bliss!) Well worth the full retail price, an even better value when purchased online.