The very best stretches for shoulders, chest, arms, torso, back, hips, and legs are all here, and all in the stunning detail that only Frederic Delavier can provide.With over 550 full-color photos and illustrations, you'll go inside more than 130 exercises to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and learn how variations, progressions, and sequencing can affect muscle recruitment, the underlying structures, and ultimately the results."Delavier's Stretching Anatomy" includes 13 proven programs for increasing muscle tone, releasing tension and stress, and optimizing training and performance in 13 sports, including running, cycling, basketball, soccer, golf, and track and field.The former editor in chief of "PowerMag" in France, author and illustrator Frederic Delavier is a journalist for "Le Monde du" "Muscle" and a contributor to "Men's Health Germany "and several other strength publications. His previous publications, "Strength Training Anatomy "and "Women's Strength Training Anatomy, " have sold more than 2 million copies.

    In college, I ran against Kenyans, and wondered whether endurance genes might have traveled with them from East Africa. At the same time, I began to notice that a training group on my team could consist of five men who run next to one another, stride for stride, day after day, and nonetheless turn out five entirely different runners. How could this be?We all knew a star athlete in high school. The one who made it look so easy. He was the starting quarterback and shortstop; she was the all-state point guard and high-jumper. Naturals. Or were they?The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?The truth is far messier than a simple dichotomy between nature and nurture. In the decade since the sequencing of the human genome, researchers have slowly begun to uncover how the relationship between biological endowments and a competitor’s training environment affects athleticism. Sports scientists have gradually entered the era of modern genetic research.In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success, Sports Illustrated senior writer David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving this great riddle. He investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence.Along the way, Epstein dispels many of our perceptions about why top athletes excel. He shows why some skills that we assume are innate, like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball or cricket batter, are not, and why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like an athlete’s will to train, might in fact have important genetic components.This subject necessarily involves digging deep into sensitive topics like race and gender. Epstein explores controversial questions such as:Are black athletes genetically predetermined to dominate both sprinting and distance running, and are their abilities influenced by Africa’s geography?Are there genetic reasons to separate male and female athletes in competition?Should we test the genes of young children to determine if they are destined for stardom?Can genetic testing determine who is at risk of injury, brain damage, or even death on the field?Through on-the-ground reporting from below the equator and above the Arctic Circle, revealing conversations with leading scientists and Olympic champions, and interviews with athletes who have rare genetic mutations or physical traits, Epstein forces us to rethink the very nature of athleticism.

    It can’t be found in a magic pill. According to strength coach, Rachel Cosgrove, the key to shedding fat and keeping it off can only be found on the strength-training floor. After trying—and failing—diet after diet, hundreds of women have turned to Cosgrove and her revolutionary Fit Female strength training program to finally get the fit, strong, and healthy bodies they’ve always wanted. Her clients have lost up to 70 pounds, dropped up to six dress sizes, and drastically changed their body shapes and muscle-to-fat ratios. Now any woman can get the same results with The Female Body Breakthrough. A program for every female who is tired of starving herself, exercising for hours with no results, and feeling bad about it all, this revolutionary plan uses a combination of innovative strength training and sensible nutrition. The 16-week program includes: A 2-week Bodyweight-Only Jumpstart Phase that will help women adjust to strength training while seeing results in just days Over 100 fully illustrated warm-up moves and innovative strength-training exercises using everything from dumbbells and barbells to bands and straps A comprehensive nutrition plan including nutrient-timing strategies that work with workouts, satisfying foods that promote optimum health and energy, and even an indulgent snack every day A Do-It-Yourself guide to program design so women can craft a program that works toward her personal goals and with her schedule Written in an accessible, girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone, The Female Body Breakthrough delivers doses of motivational advice, testimonials from real Fit Females, and all the know-how any woman needs to get a strong, healthy body.

    Arguing that most of what our culture has taught us about posture is misguided—even unhealthy—and exploring the current epidemic of back pain, many of the commonly cited reasons for the degeneration of spinal discs and the stress on muscles that leads to back pain are examined and debunked. The historical and anthropological roots of poor posture in Western cultures are studied as is the absence of back pain complaints in the cultures of Africa, Asia, South America, and rural Europe. Eight detailed chapters provide illustrated step-by-step instructions for making simple, powerful changes to seated, standing, and sleeping positions. No special equipment or exercise is required, and effects are often immediate.

    Every topic is covered in almost 600 pages. * Strength and the muscular system * Philosophy of physical training * The muscle complex * Adaptation and the training effect * Sport specific strength training * Factors influencing strength production * The means of special strength training * The methods of special strength training * Organization of training * Strength training methods * Designing sports specific strength programs * Restoration and stress management * Combination of resistance methods * The use of testing * Overtraining * PNF as a training system * Models for structuring the annual training * Preparedness and the training load * Periodisation as a form of organization * Plyometric

    Discover the hard science that will help you run faster, endure for longer, and avoid injury.Analyze your running style and learn how to enhance your gait for optimum efficiency and safety.Transform your performance with exercises targeting strength, flexibility, and recovery - each exercise annotated to reveal the muscle mechanics so you know you're getting it right.Understand the science behind your body's energy systems and how to train to maximize energy storage and conversion.Follow training and exercise programs tailored to different abilities and distances, from 5K to marathon.Whether you are new to running or an experienced runner, this book will help you achieve your goals and stay injury-free.

    In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with the clarity, concision and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan's trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page, accompanied by a concise explanation. It's an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, "What should I eat?"

    In The Power of Balance, Dr Rangan Chatterjee presents an easily accessible plan for taking control of your health and your life.Everyday health revolves around Dr Chatterjee's four pillars: relaxation, food, sleep and movement. By making small, achievable changes in each of these key areas you can create and maintain good health - and avoid illness.It's not about excelling at any one pillar - what matters is the balance across all the things you do, including:· an electronic 'sabbath' once a week· aiming for 12 hours every day without food· exposure to sunlight first thing each morningBased on cutting edge research and his own experiences as a doctor, this book contains fascinating case studies from real patients. Practical and potentially life-changing, The Power of Balance is an inspiring and easy-to-follow guide to better health and happiness.

    He reveals what is real and what is illusory, in the process exposing moves that can harm or even kill. Five years in the making, The Science of Yoga draws on a hidden wealth of discovery, drama, and surprising fact to cut through the fog that surrounds contemporary yoga and to show—for the first time—what is uplifting and beneficial and what is delusional, flaky, and dangerous. At heart, it illuminates the risks and rewards.Broad describes yoga as a burgeoning global industry that attracts not only curious scientists but millions of true believers and charismatic hustlers. He takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of unknown yoga that goes from old archives in Calcutta to world capitals of medical research, from storied ashrams to spotless laboratories, from sweaty yoga studios with master teachers to the cozy offices of yoga healers. In the process, he shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how the discipline can be improved.

    It is something right beneath our feet-the Earth itself!Throughout most of evolution humans walked barefoot and slept on the ground, largely oblivious that the surface of the Earth contains limitless healing energy. Science has discovered this energy as free-flowing electrons constantly replenished by solar radiation and lightning. Few people know it, but the ground provides a subtle electric signal that maintains health and governs the intricate mechanisms that make our bodies work-just like plugging a lamp into a power socket makes it light up. Modern lifestyle, including the widespread use of insulative rubber or plastic-soled shoes, has disconnected us from this energy and, of course, we no longer sleep on the ground as we did in times past.Earthing introduces the planet's powerful, amazing, and overlooked natural healing energy and how people anywhere can readily connect to it. This eye-opening book describes how the physical disconnect with the Earth creates abnormal physiology and contributes to inflammation, pain, fatigue, stress, and poor sleep. By reconnecting to the Earth, symptoms are rapidly relieved and even eliminated and recovery from surgery, injury, and athletic overexertion is accelerated.This never-before-told story-filled with fascinating research and real-life testimonials- chronicles a discovery with the potential to create a global health revolution.About the AuthorClinton Ober started as a cable TV salesman in Billings, Montana, and rose to become a leader in the industry. Following a near fatal disease in 1993, he embarked on a personal journey looking for a higher purpose in life. Since discovering Earthing he has been devoted to promoting the scientific exploration and practical applications for the concept.Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., is a board-certified cardiologist, a certified bioenergetic psychotherapist, and a certified nutrition and anti-aging specialist. He is the author of the best-selling book The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology.Martin Zucker has written extensively on natural healing, fitness, and alternative medicine for thirty years.

    

    Aubrey Marcus, author of the book is CEO of Onnit, a human performance company that he has built into one of the fastest growing companies in the world.How can we get the most out of our body and mind on a daily basis? Want to change your life for the better?Aubrey Marcus answers these questions in this handbook that guides the reader to optimise each moment of the day. With small, actionable changes implemented throughout the course of one day we can feel better, perform more efficiently and live happier. And these habits turn into weekly routines, ultimately becoming part of a lifelong healthy choice.From workouts and diet to inbox triage, mindfulness, shower temperature and sex this groundbreaking manual provides strategies for each element of your day. Drawing on the latest studies and traditional practices from around the world, this book delivers cutting-edge life hacks, nutritional expertise, brain upgrades and fitness regimes.Own the Day presents a path to change. It guides readers through a single 24-hour day of positive choices and optimal living that will form the groundwork for all their days to come. From foundational elements like workouts, diet, and mindfulness, to more routine opportunities to optimize your choices, such as shower temperature and inbox triage, readers will learn to make the most of every moment.Ultimately, Marcus creates a choose-your-own-adventure guide to living that brings the reader's mind, body, and spirit to life. It is a promise delivered on the back of real, concrete strategies for better living. And the all-encompassing results are what make this book's simplistic approach so successful. By focusing on optimal decision making for just one day —by making several small, key changes in your daily approach—you end up addressing your health at every level. And owning your day.

    The leanest people focus on how, on their eating habits, not on fad diets. Diets that rely on willpower and discipline fail. The path to results is made up of eleven small, simple, step-by-step habits. Rotating through phases of metabolic, endurance, and strength workouts yields the best fat-loss results. 1. Almost all diet and workout books are focused on the wrong things—They focus on ‘what’ instead of ‘how.’ 2. The leanest people focus on eating habits, not on fad diets. 3. Diets that rely on willpower and discipline fail. A smart plan wins. 4. The path to results is eleven small, simple, step-by-step habits. 5. Rotating through phases of metabolic workouts, endurance workouts, and strength workouts yields the best fat-loss results. 6. Pull-ups are the strength move for fat loss. A smart, progressive plan can take you from absolute zero, to your first, third, or tenth pull-up. 7. High-intensity workouts are power tools, most effective only twice per year before important events. Josh Hillis and Dan John know these habit-based diet and workout hacks, and they teach them well. JOSH HILLIS is a nutrition coach who specializes in habits-based, positive changes. LoseStubbornFat, his popular fat-loss blog, has tens of thousands of readers, and his fat-loss and kettlebell-training ebooks have helped people reach their personal goals for more than 10 years. Josh is currently the head coach at PowerHour Personal Training in Denver. DAN JOHN spends his work life blending workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. His books include Intervention, Never Let Go, Mass Made Simple and Easy Strength, which was written with Pavel Tsatsouline.

    Straight talking, funny and brutally honest, RUN, FAT BITCH, RUN will give you a kick in the behind and get you out of the door, pounding the pavements and shedding pounds in no time. Hate running? You're half way there already ...everyone knows it's a thin line between love and hate.