Longtime running writer Scott Douglas marshals expert advice (especially his own, cultivated from more than 110,000 miles of personal experience), and a growing body of scientific research to show how running can make us happier. How? Everyone knows that running builds stronger muscles and a healthier heart; science now shows it also helps develop a healthier brain. For those struggling with depression and anxiety, a consistent running routine can enhance the mental-health benefits of talk therapy, antidepressants, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The key to running’s therapeutic power lies in its lasting physiological effects, inducing changes in brain structure and chemistry that other forms of exercise don’t—including the best mood boost in all of sports, thanks to the body’s release of natural pain-relievers.Running is my therapy is no longer just a mantra for seasoned runners; with science behind him, Douglas presents proven methods so that we can all use running to improve our mental health and live happier—in and out of running shoes.

    With elite cycling coach Chris Carmichael’s innovative, time-saving approach, busy cyclists will develop fitness, speed, and power in just 6 hours a week. Now powered by Strava, this updated third edition of The Time-Crunched Cyclist training program taps into the most popular cycling social network to help cyclists get fired up to crush their workouts, one segment at a time.Through his popular endurance coaching service, Carmichael noticed that many busy cyclists are unable to make performance gains using conventional training methods; they simply don’t have enough time to train. So CTS developed a new approach—the Time-Crunched Training Program—to help cyclists achieve competitive fitness and power without the impossible time demands of traditional training methods.The Time-Crunched Cyclist shows cyclists how to build fitness on a realistic schedule by tapping the power of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. Cyclists learn the science behind this alternative approach to training before performing the CTS field tests to get a baseline reading of their fitness. Nine comprehensive training plans include effective time-crunched workouts, nutrition guidelines, and strength training to develop the speed and endurance for a wide variety of cycling races and events. The new Time-Crunched Training Plans cover: · New and Experienced plans for criteriums, road races, and cyclocross· New, Experienced, and Competitive plans for century rides and Gran Fondos· Gravel racing and ultraendurance mountain biking plans· Intermediate and Advanced plans for commutersThis new, third edition integrates Strava, the popular ride tracking and analysis program. Powered by Strava, the Time-Crunched program becomes interactive, social, highly motivating—and focuses riders on the training data that matters most. It also adds the Time-Crunched Diet, a sports nutrition approach designed to help riders optimize their power-to-weight ratio with new guidelines on eating behaviors and delicious recipes from chefs Michael Chiarello and Matt Accarrino. A new chapter on hydration and managing heat stress will show athletes simple ways to avoid overheating that lead to better performance. The Time-Crunched Cyclist can help you capture your best performance—all in the time you have right now.

    With more than 25 yoga routines and over 50 key postures, you'll discover how yoga can make you stronger, fitter, and more flexible. Professional athletes are making yoga a regular part of their fitness routines, and GQ, HuffPost, and Men's Health have all advocated yoga for men. Flexibility is one of the most important yet overlooked elements of fitness, and stretching has been proven to help you improve your gains in the gym, prevent and relieve injuries, and help you beat your competition on the field. If your muscles are tight, they won't let your body move as it should. Yoga increases flexibility, building a bigger range of motion and allowing you to work more muscle fibers with every movement.With straightforward language and easy-to-follow steps, Yoga Fitness for Men will teach you how to execute the key yoga postures you need for greater endurance, flexibility, balance, and strength--no chanting required. It also includes yoga routines and programs tailored to help you meet specific performance and health goals, such as increased core strength and back pain relief. You'll find that incorporating yoga into your training will help you get stronger, play harder, and feel better.

    Bompa revolutionized western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodization in Romania in 1963. Today, periodization is the basis of every serious athlete's training.Periodization is a scientifically based method for structuring short- and long-term training plans. Grounded in current research on exercise physiology, athletic psychology, and training methodology, periodization varies the intensity and volume of training to optimize the body's ability to recover and rebuild. This results in better performance and less risk of injury."Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training, Fourth Edition" presents Bompa's latest refinements to the theory he developed. Formerly titled "Theory and Methodology of Training, " this long-standing classic has been translated into nine languages and has come to be regarded as the definitive reference on training theory. Now in its fourth edition, it's even better organized, easier to read, and more up-to-date than before.No other book discusses planning and periodization in such detail or with so many specific, practical examples from a variety of sports. Periodization clearly describes-the underlying principles of effective training;-the objectives and components of an effective, comprehensive, long-term training program;-proven strategies for optimal peaking; and-how to train for better motor ability, working capacity, skill effectiveness, and psychological adaptability.Learn how to train for maximum gains with insights from the man who pioneered the concept of periodization. With Bompa's Periodization, you'll build stronger, faster, more durable athletes for better performance.

    Now available in a revised paperback edition, this classic bestseller can change the way the game of tennis is played.

    The length of our limbs, the shape of our eyes, and the proper function of our organs are all gifts of our ancestor's collective culinary wisdom. Citing the foods of traditional cultures from the Ancient Egyptians and the Maasai to the Japanese and the French, the Shanahans identify four food categories all the world's healthiest diets have in common, the Four Pillars of World Cuisine. Using the latest research in physiology and genetics, Dr. Shanahan explains why your family's health depends on eating these foods. In a world of competing nutritional ideologies, Deep Nutrition gives us the full picture, empowering us to take control of our destiny in ways we might never have imagined.

    But what happens when we hit a wall and weight loss stalls, energy flags, or we're tired of restricted eating? We're not cavemen anymore, so why should we follow a strict caveman diet? In YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE, Chris Kresser uses the Paleo diet as a baseline from which you can tailor the ideal three-step program-Reset, Rebuild, Revive-to fit your lifestyle, body type, genetic blueprint, and individual needs. Kresser helps further personalize your prescription for specific health conditions, from heart disease and high blood pressure to thyroid disorders and digestive problems. Along with a 7-day meal plan and delectable, nutritious recipes, YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE offers natural solutions and an avalanche of groundbreaking advice on how to restore a healthy gut and immune system; how to eliminate toxins; which fats to eat liberally; how to choose the healthiest proteins; and much more. Best of all, you only have to follow the program 80% of the time; there's room to indulge in moderation while still experiencing dramatic results. Based on cutting-edge scientific research, YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE is designed to be flexible and user-friendly, with helpful charts, quizzes, and effective action steps to help you lose weight, reverse disease, and stay fit and healthy for life.

    Many books on the subject show lithe female bodies stretched across their covers. Top Pilates instructor Daniel Lyon Jr. aims to break the preconception that Pilates only benefits and appeals to women. "This couldn't be further from the truth," he asserts. "Joseph Pilates was a cigar-smoking boxer, acrobat, and gymnast, and he developed his exercise program from that background for men first." Likewise, Lyon designed this book specifically with men in mind, as the number of male Pilates practitioners -- among them professional athletes, actors, businessmen, and other high-profile personalities -- has rocketed to about three million and continues to grow.For athletes, working stiffs, and men recovering from injuries, Lyon offers the first comprehensive exercise program of its kind. He walks you through forty "traditional mat" exercises and more than sixty "reformer on the mat" exercises -- each one brilliantly illustrated -- in an inspiring self-guided program that adapts to all experience levels and requires nothing more than floor space, an exercise mat, and the desire to look and feel your best. Using the Pilates method of engaging the strongest parts of the body, or the "powerhouse" (Joseph Pilates's term for the abdominals, hips, lower back muscles, and buttocks), and integrating all other body parts from this core, Lyon's program targets trouble spots for men and helps them achieve strong, lean, masculine physiques.The Complete Book of Pilates for Men will deliver quick and long-term results to any man who seeks optimal fitness and a competitive edge in all aspects of his life.

    In this compelling story of his life, he not only shares his journey with complete honesty, but he also lays out a blueprint for change that anyone can use to to redefine what is possible.-Out There: A Story of Ultra Recovery is the story of a man who never had a chance to find out who he was. Growing up in the hardest of circumstances, poor, homeless and traveling the country in his father's pickup truck, David Clark was no stranger to the hard knocks of life. Yet, without the benefit of any formal education in his early years, he lifted himself all the way up to owning a chain of 13 retail stores by the time he was 29 years old-only to lose it all to addiction, poor choices, and tough economic breaks.In the aftermath, David started spiraling toward death, spending years eating recklessly, drinking and drugging himself-and growing farther and farther away from everyone around him. One day the thought occurred to him, "If I don't change today, I will die."David went on to completely redefine himself, his values and his very way of looking at life. He lost over 150 pounds and kept it off-not only that, but he went on to compete in some of the toughest endurance events in the world. Today David is a loving father of three and a running coach, sponsored runner, speaker, and gym owner. He dedicates his time to sharing the story of how we can all change everything about ourselves if we want to badly enough. Out There: A Story of Ultra Recovery is the unwashed and unfiltered reality of David's journey. It is brutally and unflinchingly honest-and a testament to the power of redemption and the human spirit.

    In The Grace to Race, she shares the no-nonsense spirit and deep faith that inspired her extraordinary journey from a prominent St. Louis family to a Catholic Convent and finally to championship finish lines all over the world. As a beautiful young woman, she became an elegant equestrian and accomplished amateur actress. But as she describes in this intimate memoir, she had a secret plan as early as 14: she wanted to devote her life to God. After being courted by the most eligible bachelors in her hometown, she chose a different path and became a Sister of the Good Shepherd. She lived a mostly cloistered life as a Nun until her late forties, when a Priest suggested she take a run on the beach. She dug up a pair of shorts in a pile of donated clothes, found a pair of second-hand tennis shoes, and had a second epiphany. This time, she discovered the spiritual joy of pushing her body to the limit and of seeing God’s natural world in all its splendor. More than thirty years later, she is known as the Iron Nun for all the triathlons she has won. Just five years ago, the age 75–79 category was created for her at the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona, where she completed a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon in record time. Now she has set her sights on a new goal: inaugurating another new Ironman age group, 80–84, in 2010. Sister Madonna holds dozens of records, has broken dozens of bones, and tells of dozens of miracles and angels that propelled her to a far-flung race. "It is my faith that has carried me through life’s ups and downs," she writes. "Whenever injured, I wait for the Lord to pick me up again and set me on my feet, confidently reminding Him, ‘God, you know, my intent is to keep running toward you.’" The Grace to Race is the courageous story of a woman who broke with convention, followed her heart, and found her higher mission.

    From inspirational stories such as "A Second Life"(the story of Matt Long, the FDNY firefighter who learned to run again after a critical injury) to analytical essays such as "White Men Can't Run" (a look at what puts African runners at the front of the pack), the magazine captivates its readers every month.Now, for the first time, the editors of Runner's World have gathered these and other powerful tales to give readers a collection of writing that is impossible to put down.With more than 40 gripping stories, Going Long - edited by David Willey - transcends the sport of running to reach anyone with an appetite for drama, inspiration, and a glimpse into the human condition.

    

    But who has the best solution and how do we know if and how it will work for us?After over 15 years of training as an elite gymnast and over a decade of coaching, Coach Carl Paoli offers a fresh philosophy on training by connecting movement styles to fit your specific purpose, while also giving you a simple framework for mastering the basics of any human movement. Freestyle: Maximize Your Sport and Life Performance with Four Basic Movements is an interactive way to learn how the body is designed to move through space and how to interact with our constantly changing surroundings. Using this framework and four basic movements, Paoli will help you maximize your efforts in sport and life, regardless of specialty. Despite Carl's experience as an elite gymnast and a renowned CrossFit coach, this is not a book about gymnastics, CrossFit, or any specific fitness program. Rather, it is a unique take on how Carl studies and teaches human movement and how you can better understand how to move yourself. Carl is not going to teach you the specifics of a movement or sport; instead, he gives you a template that you can use to develop any specific movement. For example, instead of teaching you how to throw a baseball, this book teaches you a universal foundation that will help you further develop your pitching skills. Human movement is intuitive, but not always perfect. This book shows you how to: * Turn on and trust your intuition about movement * Use tools that help optimize imperfect movement * Tap into the universal movement patterns and progressions underlying all disciplines * Use Carl Paoli's movement framework to create roadmaps for your physical success * Learn what being strong really means Freestyle is a practical manual to develop human movement regardless of your discipline. It is equally applicable to veteran athletes, weekend warriors, fitness enthusiasts, people trying to pick up a new sport, and people who are simply curious about improving their health. By developing your awareness and learning to see across other disciplines, you can tailor any training regimen to meet your unique goals.

    You may have tried and failed in the past to make running stick, but never the less you are determined to master it. You may tell yourself that “running is hard”, or “I’m just not a runner”, but the truth is that anybody can learn to run if they have the right approach. You will likely have many questions; “how do I build up my running distance?”, “how do I stay motivated to run?”, “how do I warm up and cool down?”. All of these and more are covered off within the pages of this book along with a step by step guide to building up your running to 60 minutes. There is more to learning how to run than just going out and seeing how far you can go three days a week. Some people will undoubtedly have success with this method, but for most beginner runners it takes a little more guidance and support to truly master the art of running. More and more beginners are deciding to take their first steps and learn how to run. Races are popping up all over the place geared towards beginner runners and it remains one of the most accessible sports around. Learning how to run should be a fun and rewarding experience in itself, not just a means to achieve a goal. Beginner’s Luck is a complete program that teaches you everything you need to build your confidence as a runner. The program itself removes the pressure of having to stick rigidly to a set rate of progress, and instead allows you to progress at your own pace. If you are a beginner runner who would like to learn how to run for up to an hour AND surprise yourself as to how easy it really is, get Beginner’s Luck and start out on your journey today.

    The ultimate training guide for the ultimate in fitness