Sports Books

After a lifetime of interest in learning about exercise, I finally got this: the proper textbook on the subject. Recommend this book for everyone interested in learning what science has found about exercise.

This book is the opposite of all those endless magazine and internet exercise tips. The authors have themselves tested and compiled the best experimentally tested findings on the causes and mechanics of exercise and the human body. Why does muscle get stronger? Can you get faster? How? Why?

Book is long and can be a bit technical. It is a textbook on exercise. It is not the end of the topic. But if you want to look at and learn about sports from the perspective of tested results, written by maybe the best teachers and minds in the field: get this book. Maximum recommend.

This book is excellent consolidation of reference material which is sensibly divided into logical chapters.

It covers every area of sport performance in well-documented and example-driven text, colour diagrams and graphical representations. It is a generic reference book, which does not focus on specific sports activities, but uses examples from a wide range of sports to demonstrate the body's response to exercise, training and the passage of time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a detailed overview of the physiological responses to training, or needs specific answers to questions. An excellent index and layout also makes this a good reference book for looking up quick answers to problems. Absolutely worth the cost. Only criticism... there is a slightly schizophrenic approach to units of measure, reflecting the US imperial measurements, Keep a calculator handy to convert to SI units (eg Kgs, Kms, etc)

This book is well-illustrated and easy to read, but it is really a basic text, not the end-all. For example, in the section on nutrition, the authors recommend that carbohydrates should constitute 50% of an athlete's daily calories, and yet they neglect the fact that so many people in this country do not tolerate carbohydrates well. Nutrition really needs to be adjusted to the individual's metabolism and needs, and there is really no one set magic formula that will work for everyone. But, if you keep that in mind and are looking for a good introductory text, this will serve admirably.

The book goes a little deeper into the world of humans and sport. It touches on common themes like cell/muscle anatomy, energy systems, adaptations to training, nutrition etc. If you have read on these topics in the past, you'll find this book helpful as it reviews the basics and then probes just a little bit deeper into the subjects. One of my better school books :-)
It is a technical book with good illustrations and pictures. I would grade it as an intermediate level material. You can read this as a beginner but it would be a slow read as you'd have to get a understanding of all the concepts...It is like reading an upgraded version of college biology - first time it's a lot of studying, the second time you'll review and pic up on new little details...

I'm electrical engineer but I enjoy practicing and learning about sports and exercise physiology.
I consider reading this book better than buying thousands of sport/fitness magazines because the last one are not, in general, scientifically founded and full of wrong (market driven an potentially dangerous for your health) information. Of course, if you are not a exercise physiologist or do not have an undergraduate degree in correlated area you can have some difficult to cope with the book, but a basic knowledge in chemistry and biology can help to overcome most of them and learn the foundations.
Additionally, the book offers hundreds of references which can be helpful for further reading.

This book is, with its almost 1100 pages!, the most comprehensive outdoor/survival book ever made!!

EVERY SINGLE HARDEARNED MONEY WORTH!!!!!

It covers every single subject you can experience when outsite your door

Although this book is not something you'd want to lug along on a camping trip, it's chocked full of interesting and helpful information. I loved it so much that I bought a copy for a couple friends of mine that love the outdoors. I will definitely be using this book for years to come and recommend it to anyone.

I gave only 3 stars for two reasons: too big to carry along and confusing text/pics in some parts.. Lots of info but I found different one I preffer. Now that's my observation, I'm sure this book will work well for others. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. You will never know unless you read it yourself; unless you like to collect all survival books.

This is a great book have had it for years. My husband loves this book, looks at it every summer when we camp. Purchased another one this year for my 11 yr. old grandson for Christmas, he too likes this book. Great book for any camper, or Boy Scouts.

In my opinion this is a wilderness fluff book. Your much better off with anything by Bradford Angler or for that matter get yourself a copy of "The Complete Walker" or the SAS servival manual. Anything. I looked my copy over than donated it to the local public library. In the hope the if people had the chance to look at it first they would be able to make an informed decision. But on the positive side, It has some nice color.

My daughters (aged 9 and 12) received this for Christmas. They really enjoyed using it for art works and card making. They liked it so much I have bought 3 more to give to friends as birthday presents. Generally I have found you can't go wrong with Klutz products. The instructions are always clear & the products are good quality and really appeal to kids.

This product exceeded my expectations by far. Absolutely love the item and it arrived expediantly. Thank You!

I recently bought this for my 12 year old niece. She immediately opened it and got to work experimenting with all of the different lettering styles. She spent most of the afternoon writing and drawing. This Klutz book is as high of a quality as all of the others in the series. I believe that this book is an excellent choice for any budding artist or young person who enjoys adding their own flair to things.

As with most of the others here, I was a little suprised by the book, but pleasantly so. This work offers a great insight to what a man who has been there and done that thinks of the world in which we live (and the world from whence he came). Great look into the making of a real American hero. Well worth the very quick read. Highly recommended.

Jeff Cooper is on of the best gun writers there was and the stories he tells are interesting he truly knows his firearms and is also the inventor of the 10mm cartrige and the scout rifle and came up the term hoplophobia he will surly be missed.

I have read Coopers articles for years and was not as impressed as I thought I would be. However, it was good reading.

The content ofthe book is good, but as soon as I opened it, pages began falling out - binding problem.

You will be sorely missed as will be your writings, intelligence, and great wit.

I bought this book prior to attending the Skip Barber Racing School, and it was the perfect preparation. The book goes into far more detail than the actual school has time for, so by internalizing it before attending the school, you are well prepared to put the theories into practice.

If the book has any flaw at all, it is that it treats race car driving like something that can be approached completely mathematically. When you're in a real car, instinct, courage, and judgment still count for a lot.

Going Faster is the recognized authority on the subject, and it might never be surpassed. It gets quite technical at times, and bears re-reading as one gains race experience. It is a bit too much for spectators, but for an ambitious racer, this book and seat time can take you to the winner's circle.

If I had one book about driving to recommend this would certainly be it. Skip Barber managed to cover pretty much every aspect of how to drive fast around a track in step-by-step, clear and easy to understand fashion. The book is well ilustrated and well structured.
I personaly haven't taken classes at his school, but I'm pretty shure that all the knowledge he tries to pass and his method are put down in words in this masterpiece. It's the closest from a racing driving class you can get without actually driving around a track with an instructor at your side.

From what I've read so far, it is a great book which covers the aspects of "Going Faster" (whad'ya know?) More theory, rather than dealing with the hands-on-at-the-track-i-need-to-make-sure-the-car-is-running-before-i-go-out, part. Great for people (like the book says) "who want to get into racing or want to appreciate more of what the pro's do when they're spectating from the stands. I haven't read Speed Secrets yet, but from what I read from the reviews, it should be similar.
Compared to Secrets of Solo Racing (which I have read), there's much more useful information for me, because it has more material covering driving rather than covering the entire autocrossing experience (volunteering, clean up, what to take to the track...you can get this from your close autocrossing friends. So focus on driving well with what you have).
All in all, main point is, great book if you want to learn how to drive fast.

My wife and I just completed our first high performance driver training event sponsored by our local Porsche Club of America chapter. The book was recommended by my driving instructor. It seems to be a very detailed version of the Skip Barber Racing School classroom material. Lots of photos and diagrams that make the concepts easy to understand. Reading the information is like listening to my driving instructor all over again. I've purchased two other books on the subject. One was so technical it was difficult to understand and the other was 98% the author telling how great he was during his racing career. This book is spot on. It is a must have for anyone who is about to attend a driving school or is a spirited driver.

I deal with alot of horse's, This book is a easy to understand and use in the feild. It is written in such a way that everyone can get something
out of it. If your just starting or an old waddie!

Great for all horse lovers from beginner to advance. It was easy to read and understand. It covered everything I wanted to learn & teach to my horses. I'll be using this book all through my training on my 4 yr. old Paint gelding. Great details!

Though I have not had a chance to sit down and read through it all, it appears to be very informative with a lot of pictures to help along the way. It will be a very handy tool to have around.

Excellent guide for anyone that needs help with spook proofing your horse. I am sure with persistence this book will pay off. You must have access to certain materials before you will be able to make it work (ex: mattresses, cones)

The idea of the book is good. In actuality, it is poorly written and not very helpful...unless you know absolutely nothing about horses. If you buy a horse that is difficult to train and easily spooked, you should already know the grand majority of information found in this book. I bought it and read the first couple chapters then skimmed through the rest. In my opinion, it's tedious and excessively wordy. It merely advocates patiently exposing your horse to various objects so that in time you desensitive your horse to things that could potentially spook it. Most horsepeople already know this. I was hoping for something more revealing and innovative.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I've been running recreationally on and off (sadly, mostly off) for about 10 years and I've had phases when I've ran really well regularly and when I've struggled getting 30 minutes in per week. Not only is "Running for Mortals" quite inspirational, but it also corrected so many misconceptions I've had about how to become a "better" runner. Like most people, I suppose, I always thought that if high intensity over a short period of time is good, then high intensity over a longer period is better; and that if I'm improving my 5k time every few months then I'm on the right track even if I'm really struggling to keep going faster and found it harder to do the next run. Well, I was wrong on both counts (and on several others)! Bingham and Hadfield explain that there's ONLY one way to become a better runner and only one way to enjoy this sport over an extended period of time (I won't ruin it by giving the answer away). Suffice it to say that running "harder" is almost never "better". Bingham and Hadfield give many detailed technical tips on how to improve and explains the proper mental atitude to adopt. And I believe the training plans included in the last part of the book serve both experts and novices quite well. Even if I do almost all of my running indoors, I now have a renewed outlook on running and have become more patient and smart about how to go about achieving, and ENJOYING, my running goals. Most of all, both my wife and I have fully committed to doing the programs together so this book started us out on a new shared experience that'll hopefully last many years.

I highly recommend this book for any beginner. If you have more running experience, it is a good read to remember why you started running in the first place.

Iam a difficult and undiscipline runner, but I love the few moment I have done it.
This book I bougth about 7 months ago and I read it in few days, well I trow it in my library and did not think at it again 'till today: I found a special friend whom did not meet at least 18 years ago, he is a runner, a real one, he goes NYC every single year for running marathon(from Costa Rica to NYC just to run...), and when I came back home I took this book and started reading and the most incredible thing: I was running for 25 minutes,my shoes and running pants where out the closed...for ever, I know that-
"The penguin" has the rare faculty to transmit one the taste for the primary human instinct: runnig....and runnig.

As a middle-aged man who had slid into sloth I began regular running a few months ago. Shortly after starting I discovered John Bingham's first book The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life which echoed and reinforced my reasons for running, provided practical advice and ideals to aspire to in both running and life. It really helped me to get over the initial hurdles and take pride in completing a couple of races. I purchased 'Running for Mortals' looking for guidance in the next steps of my running but found that the bulk of the book is directed at those just starting out or considering doing so.

'Running For Mortals' contains quite a lot of practical information. I was interested in the discussion of the different rates at which your cardiovascular, muscular and skeletal fitness/strength develop and how awareness of this in the early stages can help to prevent injury. The chapter on stretching is well set out and I learned some new exercises (including a stretch to help avoid the dreaded ilio-tibial band syndrome that so many runners complain of). The chapter on strength training is similarly well set out with exercises that don't require costly equipment.

Some basic information is provided to help navigate the confusing world of running shoes but I think it would have been useful to have some discussion about rotating different pairs of shoes. The authors emphasize the value of going to a specialist shop for expert fitting.

The training programs included with the book are well set out and cater for a range of existing fitness levels and running goals. If you are looking to intersperse some running into your walks, or build up to continuous running, or your main aim is weight loss, then I think you will find these programs well structured and achievable. But if, like me, you are an early-stages runner at a slightly higher fitness level (e.g. you can run for an hour or two continuously and without undue stress) then only the 10km training program will be of interest. The authors suggest that their earlier book Marathoning for Mortals is intended for folks at this and higher levels and this is the one I'll be buying next.

Why only three stars ? Several reasons. Firstly, while both authors write clearly and engagingly, the text shifts from sections of first person singular voice, where it is sometimes clear who is writing and sometimes not, to first person plural. I found this a bit awkward at times. Secondly, there is some padding - a prime example being the chapter 'Becoming your own coach' which consists of a series of short character sketches linked to each of the training programs. I didn't find that this added any useful information. Thirdly, although this may be an unfair criticism, the book lacks the magic of 'The Courage to Start' which has an often zen-like discussion of runner's mind and how running can enrich your wider life emotionally and philosophically. The short 'Penguin Pearls of Widsom' at the head of each chapter in 'Running For Mortals' give some flavour of this, but for those teetering on the cusp of running I'd strongly recommend that you chase up a copy of 'The Courage To Start' first.

I've tried a few running programs through the years and I've never been able to stick with one. Now that I've read the book I realized I was always starting out too hard. I've been following the schedule for about a month. The run/walk programs in the book are easy to follow and I haven't had any problems with my knees. This and the Nike+ system make me look forward to running.

This is a good basic book and a good place to start if you have any kind of musculoskeletal aches and pains. The book is organized by body part (for example, the ankle, the elbow) and tells you how the area works, what can go wrong with it, and how to take care of it. The book ends with lots of exercises for each body part, which are clearly illustrated. A great first place to start if you have any nagging problems you'd like to try and get rid of, I think most readers will find it very helpful. Also notable is their other book, Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life.

After completing a successful course of manual physical therapy for my hip (piriformis)muscle, I got this book to help maintain my progress. I am thrilled with this book and find the exercise descriptions are clear and easy to understand, and the illustrations are helpful. This is an excellent resource not only for hip and back stretches, but for many other areas as well. Most of the stretches that my physical therapist taught me are described/illustrated in the book.

I like this book because it is recommended by Tufts University, so I know that I can trust the information.

This book is great for anyone looking for comprehensive stretches for all muscle groups (including the jaw). However, the substantive chapters are quite repetitive and after the first chapter or so, do not offer much new information. Nevertheless, I purchased the book because I really wanted a dictionary of stretches and this provided me with exactly what I was looking for. Also, the stretches are very specific, requiring straight-backed chairs, foot stools, etc. I do most stretches without the specifics recommended in the book and still find that they work quite well.

I love this book. The pictures are nice and clear on what you are suppose to do for each exercise. Everything is so easy to understand. I took the book with me to Physical Therapy one day and my Physical Therapist liked it so much he ordered one that same day!!!