Long before anyone else was even talking about barefoot running, he was perfecting the art... Now, after twenty years of teaching, experimenting, and 'merry marathoning' (as he calls it), the first and best source of barefoot-running knowledge is bringing his ideas to print. And it's about time."—Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen"Ken Bob Saxton, a pioneer of the modern barefoot running movement, has logged more miles in his birthday shoes than just about anyone I know, and he has helped countless people run barefoot. As one would expect, this delightful book, full of wit and wisdom, is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to run barefoot, avoid injury, and have fun."—Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University"This is a wonderful guide from the Godfather of barefoot running!"—Irene Davis, Ph.D., director of Spaulding National Running Center, Harvard Medical SchoolLearn Barefoot Running from the Master!Almost overnight, barefoot running has exploded onto the fitness scene. However, it involves more than simply taking off your shoes. In fact, everything you've learned about barefoot running is probably wrong—unless you've learned it from Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton. The leading instructor and proponent of unshod running, he has completed 76 marathons barefoot, survived an astounding marathon-a-month challenge in 2004, and gone on to top that with 16 marathons in 2006, including four in a 15-day period—all barefoot.Barefoot Running Step by Step separates the facts from the hype, outlines Ken Bob’s personal techniques, and details the latest research on the newest trend in mankind's oldest sport. Whether you barefoot run occasionally, part-time, or full-time, you'll find methods for improving your form, staying injury-free, dramatically improving your speed and performance, and having more fun.The Bent Knee: Here is the hidden secret to perfect running form. Learn how this crucial adjustment will keep you running stronger and injury-free for life.Vibrams and Minimalist Shoes: Barefoot running is not a transition from shoes to minimalist shoes to bare feet. It's the other way around. Discover why you need to run barefoot before you use other footwear.Start From the Head: Proper barefoot form doesn't start at the feet. Discover how to get the correct body biomechanics.Ease Into It: Here are the steps you need to take to make the transition from running in shoes to barefoot running as painless and easy as possible.Improve Speed: Barefoot running's injury reduction benefits are well-touted; however a new landmark study proves that barefooting—even part-time—can make you faster.Barefoot Running Step by Step is filled with series photos and illustrations that show you the "do's" and "don'ts" of barefoot running, the latest research, and Ken Bob Saxton's personal experiences and insights for running barefoot for life.

    Unfortunately, altogether too much misinformation exists regarding them.Folks who are pro-low-carbohydrate diets tend to present them as the quick and easy solution to everything including obesity. Easy weight loss without hunger or calorie counting is promised but never seems to pan out as well as we might hope.At the other extreme are the anti-low-carbohydrate folks who tend to present low-carbohydrate diets as nothing short of a nutritional disaster being perpetrated by a bunch of con men.The truth, of course lies somewhere in the middle. While low-carbohydrate diets aren’t for everyone and have their pros and cons, the research is clear: they have major benefits under certain circumstances and can be as healthy (and sometimes healthier) than ‘standard’ carbohydrate based dieting.The Ketogenic Diet is the first and only book to objectively examine in-depth the scientific evidence regarding low-carbohydrate/ketogenic diets. It is meant to be a reference manual for low-carbohydrate diets; it is unlike any other book on low-carbohydrate diets that you have ever read or seen.Covering every topic in extreme detail, The Ketogenic Diet addresses everything from the basic physiology of how the body adapts to a low-carbohydrate intake, the details of human fuel utilization, the impact of low-carbohydrate diets on body composition and many, many more.Of course, none of the above is useful without practical application guidelines. Details on how to optimize low-carbohydrate diets for different goals (such as fat loss, bodybuilding and endurance performance) are discussed along with three distinct types of low-carbohydrate diets. In addition, the book includes a complete discussion of resistance, aerobic and anaerobic exercise physiology along with specific training programs for different goals and different levels of traineeAt 325 pages and containing over 600 scientific references, this will be your complete reference for ketogenic diets.Please note: this book does not include information on the ketogenic diet for adolescent epilepsy (the topic is discussed briefly). I highly suggest The Ketogenic Diet: A Treatment for Epilepsy, 3rd Edition (Paperback) by Freeman, Freeman and Kelly (link will take you to Amazon.com page).Table of contentsSection I: Introduction 1. Introduction to the ketogenic diet 2. History of the ketogenic dietSection II: The physiology of ketosis 3. Fuel utilization 4. Basic ketone body physiology 5. Adaptations to ketosis 6. Changes in body composition 7. Other effects of the ketogenic dietSection III: The diets 8. Setting calorie levels 9. The standard ketogenic diet (SKD) 10. Carbs and the ketogenic diet 11. The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) 12. The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)Section IV: Other topics for the ketogenic diet 13. Breaking fat loss plateaus 14. Ending a ketogenic diet 15. Tools for the ketogenic diet 16. Final considerationsSection V: Exercise physiology17. Muscular physiology and energy production 18. Aerobic exercise 19. Interval training 20. Weight training 21. The effect of exercise on ketosis 22. Exercise and fat lossSection VI: Exercise guidelines 23. General exercise guidelines 24. Aerobic exercise 25. Interval training 26. Weight trainingSection VII: Exercise programs 27. Beginner programs 28. Intermediate programs 29. The advanced CKD workout 30. Fat loss for pre-competition bodybuildersSection VIII: Supplements 31. SupplementsIndex

    It’s about right eating, right drinking, right rest, right practice, right exercise at the right time, right motivation, right inspiration, right attitude and right lifestyle. If you don’t have that righteous set of abs in place, it’s because you have failed in one or more of these areas.With his 25-plus years of rugged research and extreme physical dedication into every dimension of what it takes to earn world-class abs, Danny Kavadlo is a modern-day master of the art. It’s all here: over 50 of the best-ever exercises to develop the abs—from beginner to superman level—inspirational photos, no BS straight talk on nutrition and lifestyle factors and clear-cut instructions on what to do, when. Supply the grit, follow the program and you simply cannot fail but to build a monstrous mid-section.In our culture, Abs are the Measure of a Man. To quit on your abs is to quit on your masculinity—like it or not. Diamond-Cut Abs gives you the complete, whole-life program you need to reassert yourself and reestablish your respect as a true physical specimen—with a thunderous six-pack to prove it.“Diamond-Cut Abs condenses decades of agonizing lessons and insight into the best book on ab-training ever written. Hands down.”—PAUL WADE, author of Convict Conditioning“Danny has done it again! Diamond-Cut Abs is a no-nonsense, results driven approach that delivers all the goods on abs. Nutrition, training and progression are all included, tattoos optional!”—ROBB WOLF, author of The Paleo Solution “There are a lot of abs books and products promising a six-pack. What sets Danny's book apart is the realistic and reasonable first section of the book… His insights into nutrition are so simple and sound, there is a moment you wish this book was a stand alone dieting book.”—DAN JOHN, author of Never Let Go"As soon as I received Diamond-Cut Abs, I flipped to the table of contents. Amazingly I found what I have been fruitlessly looking for in ab books for decades: 66 pages dedicated to NUTRITION. Kavadlo passed his second Marty audition by not echoing all the bankrupt politically-correct, lock-step, mainstream nutritional commandments. When Dan starts riffing about eating like a horse, eating ample amounts of red meat, shellfish and the divine pig meat (along with all kinds any types of nutrient-dense food), I knew I had to give my first ever ab book endorsement. When he noted that he drank whiskey while getting his abs into his all time best shape, it sealed the deal for me. Oh, and the ab exercises are excellent.”—MARTY GALLAGHER, 3-Time Powerlifting Champion, Author of The Purposeful Primitive"Danny Kavadlo's book might be titled 'Diamond-Cut Abs' but the truth is that it goes way BEYOND just ab training. Danny has actually created a guide to Physical Culture & LIVING healthy. The traditional fitness industry has gone astray from what the body truly needs. Since 1989, I've read a ton of abs-related books—and they don't scratch the surface of what's inside Danny's masterpiece. From powerful nutrition methods to training the entire body with a holistic approach, Diamond-Cut Abs is a vital addition to anyone's library. I LOVE it!”—ZACH EVEN-ESH, author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning“Danny's new book definitely hits the mark.

    How? By giving you a personal coach who has worked with some of the most famous and successful athletes in the world today.The intense focus on the muscles of your core--abs, lower back, hips, and thighs--will help you stand taller and prevent the back pain from which most people eventually suffer. The detailed nutrition section guarantees that you'll feed your muscles, starve your fat, and get boundless energy when you need it most. This program is like nothing you've ever seen before--it enables you to totally transform your body in just 12 weeks. The potential is within you, and the power to unleash that potential is within Core Performance.

    Why? Because runners find shedding their heavy, overly-cushioned shoes provides a more enjoyable running experience while reducing injury and allowing better form. Jason Robillard uses a combination of research, collaboration, and his own experiences to bring the latest methods for making a safe, enjoyable transition to barefoot or minimalist shoe running. This new expanded second edition includes training plans, information on ultramarathons, photos, tested running tips and helpful hints. Includes contributions from top barefoot runners and experts including Barefoot Ted McDonald, Barefoot Rick Roeber, Dr. Daniel Lieberman, Dr. Michael Nirenberg, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, Dr. Scott Hadley, Dr. Joseph Froncioni, and many more.

    This means that they are involved in basic movements that we do every day like walking, running and leaning forward while sitting down, just to name a few. When this group of muscles get’s tight you are at a high risk for a lot of different problems. The great news is once you have identified the cause of your problem, you can get rid of the pain and tightness quickly. This book will take your through four key steps to ensure that you get rid of your tight hip flexors and keep them loose. The reasons may not be as simple as you think as this complex group of muscles does a lot of work in every day tasks. Bad posture, repetitive movements and weak muscles will also contribute to your issues. I'll teach you how to release your hip flexors and re-train your body effectively, no matter what the cause of your tight hips.Included are:Key stretches to release the hip flexors.Self massage on important areas to get a deeper release.Exercises that will take your hip flexors through a dynamic range of motion and stretch them actively.Postural exercises that will retrain your body so your hip flexors aren't working when they shouldn't.An understanding of what you need to do during the day to help your cause.A guide on how to put it all together effectively for your situation.

    Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength, Second Edition, is a comprehensive training guide and reference that provides* definitions of key terms and concepts;* evaluations of equipment options, including TRX, BOSU, and kettlebells;* explanations of the role and importance of each muscle group;* latest nutrition information for losing fat and increasing muscle mass;* presentations of the best exercises, including body weight, for adding strength and mass; and* descriptions and examples of many types of workouts and programs and their effects.Choose from 381 exercises presented for 13 muscle groups and the whole body. Proper technique for each exercise is tailored to the type of resistance used, be it free weights, weight machines, or body weight. Plus, each of the 116 training programs is rated according to workout duration, the projected time frame for achieving measurable results, level of difficulty, and overall effectiveness.Past Muscle & Fitness senior science editor Jim Stoppani covers each topic in detail. His advice will help you conquer any problem or plateau you encounter. So build your knowledge base to build a better body. Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength is the ultimate resource for pinpointing and achieving the results you're seeking.

    You know which curl is the best for your biceps, you do every possible exercise for your abdominals, and your 20-set bench-press routine is the envy of everyone in the gym. So why haven't you gotten the results you want?This book has the answer. In fact, it probably answers every question you've ever asked about how your muscles work: What makes them grow? What makes them show? Why didn't that champion bodybuilder's routine work for you?But The Book of Muscle does more than just explain how your muscles work. It also gives you comprehensive muscle-building programs from a world-class trainer.Ian King has spent 2 decades as strength coach to world-champion and Olympic athletes. He is in wide demand as a lecturer on athletic preparation and physique development, and he is a popular contributor to Men's Health magazine and T-mag.com, the most popular bodybuilding Web site on the planet. Now, for the first time, he brings his extraordinary knowledge and unique muscle-building systems to a book meant for regular guys who like to work out and want to see better results than they've gotten from conventional programs.Here's what you get from The Book of Muscle that you can't get from any other book:Three complete 6-month, progressive workout programs created by Ian King to optimize muscle growth by juxtaposing opposing muscle actionsIan King's revolutionary training-age system to help you determine which program is right for youComplete abdominal training that ensures you'll not only get that coveted six-pack but also develop the muscles that prevent injuries and produce better performance on the field--any fieldVital advice on warming up, stretching, and recovering between workoutsThe latest and best information on how you need to eat to make your muscles growIf you've never before bought a workout book, this should be your first. And if you've tried all the others, this is the one that finally delivers everything you have ever wanted to know but couldn't find in one place.

    For all this new technology, are we really healthier, stronger, and more flexible than our ancestors?Where Born to Run began with an aching foot, Lift begins with a broken gym system—one founded on high-tech machinery and isolation techniques that aren’t necessarily as productive as we think. Looking to the past for context, Daniel Kunitz crafts an insightful cultural history of the human drive for exercise, concluding that we need to get back to basics to be truly healthy.Lift takes us on an enlightening tour through time, beginning with the ancient Greeks, who made a cult of the human body—the word gymnasium derives from the Greek word for “naked”—and following Roman legions, medieval knights, Persian pahlevans, and eighteenth-century German gymnasts. Kunitz discovers the seeds of the modern gym in nineteenth-century Paris, where weight lifting machines were first employed, and takes us all the way up to the game-changer: the feminist movement of the 1960s, which popularized aerobics and calisthenics classes. This ignited the first true global fitness revolution, and Kunitz explores how it brought us to where we are today.Once a fast-food inhaler and substance abuser, Kunitz reveals his own decade-long journey to becoming ultra-fit using ancient principals of strengthening and conditioning. With Lift, he argues that, as a culture, we are finally returning to this natural ideal—and that it’s to our great benefit to do so.

    It shows that when the right combination of nutrients is delivered at the right time, one can activate his/her body's muscle machinery to increase muscle strength, improve endurance and increase lean muscle mass.

    Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it s true. In his fascinating new book "How Bad Do You Want It?," coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness.Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete s transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness.The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald s fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential."How Bad Do You Want It?" reveals new psychobiological findings including: Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit. Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more. Champions have learned how to give more of what they have. The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort. Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness. Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports. There's no such thing as going as fast as you can only going faster than before. The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators. Faith in your training is as important as the training itself.Athletes featured in "How Bad Do You Want It?" Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Simpson, Greg LeMond, Siri Lindley, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, Paula Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve Prefontaine, and last of all John The Penguin Bingham"

    In Men's Health Ultimate Dumbbell Guide, Myatt Murphy, a fitness expert and longtime contributor to Men's Health, shows readers how to use dumbbells to develop just about every part of their bodies.For anyone who believes that dumbbells can be used only for arms and shoulders, Myatt Murphy proves them wrong. Featuring 200 photographs, Men's Health Ultimate Dumbbell Exercises demonstrates how to perform a total body workout and get maximum results. There are exercises here—lunges, squats, dead lifts, curls, shrugs, kickbacks, presses, and more—that develop abs, arms, chest, legs, and shoulders, along with innovative new ways to get the most of this versatile piece of strength-training equipment.With instructions for creating literally thousands of dumbbell exercises for the novice to advanced lifter, Men's Health Ultimate Dumbbell Exercises will be an indispensable addition to any home gym.

    Whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner. She’ll teach you how to:• Get started with the right gear,• Build a successful support team,• Find the right training program for you,• Overcome psychological setbacks,• Balance running with family and work,• And much more!Designed to fit your busy lifestyle, Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is packed with quick tips, pearls of running wisdom, and sample training schedules and nutrition plans, as well as sections dedicated to running during and after pregnancy, managing the special challenges of the female athlete’s body, and maintaining a balance between sporting and family life. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is the ultimate guide for women who want to train for the gold or simply discover their personal best.

    Developed by CrossFit Endurance founder Brian MacKenzie and featuring instruction from some of the world's top endurance and CrossFit coaches, Power, Speed, ENDURANCE unveils techniques, drills, and training strategies that will optimize your performance and overall work capacity while decreasing your susceptibility to injury.Through thousands of step-by-step color photographs and detailed narrative, Power, Speed, ENDURANCE breaks down proper running, cycling, and swimming mechanics like never before. MacKenzie's unique system of building strength, speed, and power is aimed at reaping continual results, without injury. In fact, he devotes an entire chapter to the "broken down" athlete, equipping you with the knowledge to prevent, repair, and treat injuries brought on by poor mechanics and tight overworked muscles. In addition, MacKenzie outlines a straightforward approach to nutrition, hydration, and electrolyte balance that will increase your energy, boost your performance, and accelerate your recovery.Whether you're a self-trained athlete looking to compete in your first endurance event, a seasoned competitor looking to reach your highest potential, or a CrossFit athlete looking to increase stamina, Power, Speed, ENDURANCE will help you reach your goal.In this book, you will learn how to: develop proper running technique using the Pose Method properly fit yourself on a bike improve cycling mechanics on a road, time-trial, and mountain bike swim effortlessly and improve freestyle-stroke mechanics through skill-based drills and exercises accelerate work capacity and minimize fatigue by building muscle, speed, and power incorporate a CrossFit Endurance strength-and-conditioning program into your training routine maximize nutrition, hydration, and electrolyte balance to improve performance and body composition prevent, repair, and treat nagging injuries associated with endurance sports and improve range of motion using Starrett's Movement and Mobility Method

    Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition, is the fundamental preparation text for the CSCS exam as well as a definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals will consult in everyday practice.