history. Every week, thousands of marathoners, CrossFitters, and casual weekend warriors shell out money to run through mud and fire, crawl under barbed wire, scramble over ten-foot walls, and dodge baton-wielding gladiators. Some even sprint through electrically charged wires only to suffer muscle-seizing shocks and faceplant in the muck.In　Off Course, Outside　journalist and endurance athlete Erin Beresini dives straight into this strange world to reveal a new subculture of military-inspired amateur competition and the industry that’s rapidly growing to support it. Having reached a crossroads in her own athletic pursuits, Beresini embarked on a　journey to train and compete in several obstacle races herself, culminating in the world’s first marathon-length event, the grueling Spartan Ultra Beast. Along the way, she met a wild cast of characters, from frat boys to housewives, fitness buffs to financiers to fanatics, and uncovered the sport's biggest scandals, lawsuits, and rivalries.　As Beresini inches ever closer to her goal — and gets pretty buff in the process — she also illuminates the history, psychology, science, and sociology of this new sport that’s taking the endurance world by storm.

    He took on arguably the toughest extreme sport on the planet - to swim non-stop across seven of the world’s deadliest oceans wearing only swim trunks, cap and goggles. It is not a test for the faint-hearted: swimmers face freezing temperatures, huge swells and treacherous currents, potentially deadly marine life (from sharks to Portuguese men o’ war), vomiting and burning off a week’s calories in a single swim.In 2007, Adam, then a toaster salesman, saw a fi lm about a man attempting to swim the English Channel and change his life in doing so. Inspired by this, he decided to try to emulate the feat. After a year of rigorous training without a coach - his first open-water swim was in 9 degrees and he nearly died from hypothermia - Adam achieved his goal in 11 hours 35 minutes, despite a ruptured bicep tendon leading to medical advice to give up long-distance swimming. In 2011, after two operations and a change to his swimming style to take pressure off his injured shoulder, he became the first Briton to achieve a two-way crossing from Spain to Morocco and back. In the process, he broke the British record one way.Shortly afterwards, the Ocean’s Seven challenge was born, a gruelling equivalent to the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. At fi rst it seemed that injury would prevent Adam from participating but, ignoring medical advice, he developed an innovative technique - the Ocean Walker stroke - that would enable him to continue with the ultimate aim of completing this seemingly impossible feat. Whether man would triumph over ocean, or fail in the attempt, forms the core of this extraordinary autobiography.Always intriguing, sometimes terrifying, and occasionally very funny, Adam’s story is about sport in its truest form: rather than competitions between teams and individuals, it is about man against nature - and against his own failings.

    Now, James Scurlock engages, educates, and entertains readers with the captivating story of DHL co-founder and billionaire Larry Hillblom.King Larry begins with an early biography of Larry Lee Hillblom, a mercurial young man who grew up on a peach farm outside of Fresno, California. Hillblom co-founded DHL in 1969 (three years before FedEx), and it became the fastest-growing corporation in history. Hillblom’s expatriate life began in 1981, when he retreated to a small tax haven in the Western Pacific. There he led the resistance to American meddling in the Marianas Islands. Hillblom’s voracious appetite for underage prostitutes is another facet of his unusual story. In 1995, Hillblom’s amoral, thrill-seeking nature caught up to him when his seaplane disappeared off the coast of Anatahan, leaving behind an estate worth billions. Weeks later, five impoverished women and their attorneys came forward to challenge Hillblom’s will in a legal battle for his fortunes that continues to this day. Meticulously researched and thoroughly engaging, King Larry will satisfy fans of such bestsellers as Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Accidental Billionaires .

    Blending Buddhist wisdom, modern psychology, and practical golf instruction, Dr. Joe Parent’s 2002 book Zen Golf broke out to become the top instructional book in golf, and continues to be a steady bestseller. Now, in the eagerly awaited follow-up, Dr. Parent provides readers with a new approach to the aspect of golf in which mental skills have the most impact: putting.Zen Putting takes a thinking-outside-the-box approach based on the idea that by tuning into the process of putting rather than worrying about the result, golfers can get out of their own way and maximize performance. Key principles include using mindful awareness to recognize and clear away distractions and negativity, and that confidence increases when golfers take the attitude that there is something fundamentally, essentially right with them rather than focusing on what’s broken or flawed. In succinct, informative chapters, Dr. Parent applies this Zen ideal to a variety of subjects for any putting situation. Chapters include: • “Unconquerable Confidence”: brimming with strategies to cultivate confidence and turn frustration into enjoyment. • “Get Out of Your Own Way”: exploring the obstacles we create for ourselves in putting, and how to recognize and overcome them to get the most out of our abilities. • “How to Make Every Putt”: on reading greens; visualization; putting routine; the key components of a putt—path, pace, and roll; and taking the ideal attitude before putting. Unlike rigid how-to books on putting or fad coaching techniques, Zen Putting stirs each reader to cultivate their own unique style for synchronizing body and mind to achieve peak performance.

    Exhibiting a combination of power, speed, and quickness, they've raised the bar on performance, competition, and training. Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness is the complete workout guide you need in order to perform a step ahead of the competition.With this total training package, you'll have exclusive online access to a video library of the most effective drills and exercises for developing movement skills, and you'll see how to perform key tests and execute the best and most complex drills from the book. Sample training programs are included for these sports:Baseball and softballFootball and rugbyBasketball and netballCombat sportsTrack and fieldSoccerLacrosseTennis and badmintonRacquetball and squashThe top sport and conditioning experts present the best information on testing, techniques, drills, and training programs to maximize athletes' movement capabilities. The book includes 262 drills and proven assessments for customizing programs and tracking progress.If you're serious about elevating your performance, Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness is a must have.PLEASE NOTE: This is not an official book from SAQ International. For details of books including SAQ Soccer and SAQ Rugby and official SAQ resources, please visit www.saqinternational.com.

    Ironically, modern living that has made popular fitness methods too complicated and costly to be practical much less effective. In Fitness Independence, Matt Schifferle shares what he has learned about how to be as fit as possible, without having to sacrifice your lifestyle to the gym or "eating right." Through focusing on just 5 key principals, you'll learn how to achieve better results from building muscle to shedding fat. At the same time, you'll break free from the costly fads and trends that shackle both your results and your daily lifestyle. This is not another book about how to burn fat or get six pack abs. It's a new approach towards diet and exercise while remaining free to be fit on your own terms. It's a book about how to "be fit and live free."

     How many of us really understand that every moment counts, and that physical strength and confidence enable our mind and spirit to make the most of our lives?  Ryan Ferguson does.  He survived nearly a decade behind bars for a murder he did not commit. An innocent collegian imprisoned at nineteen, Ferguson’s disbelief turned to resolve after his father told him: “Son, do whatever you can to get stronger, faster, and smarter.  This is now your number one priority.”In his darkest hour, even after countless appeals and disappointment, in a place that threatened physical violence, malnutrition, and offered almost no medical aid, Ferguson knew his physical health was paramount. In this startlingly elegant, authentic, and inspiring guide, Ferguson shares his simple, universally attainable recipe for health and power.

    This glorious volume is the first book to set the marathon on the large world stage and examine the historic and universal appeal of this ultimate individual challenge.Hundreds of powerful images by such renowned photographers as Helmut Newton and Susan Meiselas, along with personal reminiscences from many well-known marathoners, capture the endless hours of practice and the overwhelming rush of emotion at crossing the finish line. Examining the marathon through the lenses of history, philosophy, sociology, athletics, pop culture, fashion, and science, the book salutes the determination and courage of those who willingly push themselves to test their personal best.

    Baseball Prospectus 2013 brings together an elite group of analysts to provide the definitive look at the upcoming season in critical essays and commentary on the thirty teams, their managers, and more than sixty players and prospects from each team.Contains critical essays on each of the thirty teams and player comments for some sixty players for each of those teamsProjects each player's stats for the coming season using the groundbreaking PECOTA projection system, which has been called "perhaps the game's most accurate projection model" (Sports Illustrated)From Baseball Prospectus, America's leading provider of statistical analysis for baseballNow in its eighteenth edition, this New York Times bestselling insider's guide remains hands down the most authoritative and entertaining book of its kind.

    And how do you do that? By learning to Push in the Orangetheory Fitness workout. By doing so, you also learn to do the same in your life - to take on new challenges, to pursue your biggest goals, and to become the best version of you.What makes Orangetheory different from every workout you’ve tried? Why is it one of the fastest-growing fitness franchises today? And how can it change your life? In Push, you’ll learn the amazing story behind Orangetheory, the journey Ellen Latham took to create it, and how to apply the elements of Base, Push, and All Out from the workout studio to your own life.

    

    But who can afford to hire a sports psychologist to learn the fundamentals necessary to succeed? This book will help you uncover your mental skills and teach you techniques to strengthen your mental toughness. It contains detailed sections on motivation, performance anxiety, athletic pain, and race strategy. You will learn the mental skills necessary to better motivate yourself, overcome pain, perform better in races, and gain more enjoyment from running. In short, it will help you become the best runner you can be.

    The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution lays out the accumulating body of scientific evidence that shows the spend-hours-in-the-gym approach to exercise is over. The Slow Burn exercise routine gives great results in just 30 minutes a week. With Slow Burn, you will:*Get strong fast*Increase bone density and ward off osteoporosis*Improve cardiovascular health*Enhance flexibility*Say goodbye to lower back pain*Increase your metabolism, and*Make your body a powerful fat-burning machineSlow Burn promises a leaner, fitter, stronger you with a realistic workout that lets you have a great body and a life!

    While no two are identical, Brandel Chamblee, the highly regarded television analyst and former PGA Tour professional, once noticed that the best players of all time have shared similar positions in each part of the swing, from the grip and setup to the footwork, backswing, and follow-through. Since then, Chamblee, a student of the game’s history, has used scientific precision and thoroughness to make a study of the common swing positions of the greats. Now, in The Anatomy of Greatness, he shares what he has learned, offering hundreds of photographs as proof, to show us how we can easily incorporate his findings into our own swings to hit the ball farther, straighter, and more consistently. What does it tell us that the majority of the greats—from Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson to modern masters like Tiger Woods—employ a “strong” grip on the club? How did legends like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Mickey Wright, and Gary Player unlock hidden power and control by turning in the right knee at address? Why are some modern teachers preaching quiet footwork when forty-eight of the top fifty golfers of all time lifted their left heels on the backswing, allowing them to build power? At the same time that Chamblee is encouraging certain swing virtues, he also debunks a number of popular—but misguided—swing philosophies that have been hindering golfers for years. The result is perhaps the best and clearest explanation of how to hit a golf ball ever published. Golfers can take The Anatomy of Greatness to the driving range and use Chamblee’s clear explanations to build better swings—and get more speed and consistency into their swings—immediately. This book is like having a series of private lessons from the best golfers of all time, and it will help golfers build swings that make the game easier and more fun.

    In under an hour a week, runners will strengthen their core and key running muscles to build a better runner’s body. Strength training is crucial to better running and injury prevention. But it’s difficult to know which exercises work best for runners or to get motivated to hit the gym. In Quick Strength for Runners, running coach and personal trainer Jeff Horowitz simplifies strength training into just two 20-minute workouts per week, with no gym or pricey equipment required. Designed specifically for runners, the Quick Strength program pinpoints the exercises that really work. Inside you’ll find: • A guide to how strength training leads to better running form and fitness • 40 targeted exercises, with step-by-step photos and clear instructions • Progressive workouts and advanced form options to increase strength as fitness improves • A focused and efficient 8-week strength training program • Tips on designing your own long-term workout program for a lifetime of fitnessQuick Strength for Runners makes it easy for runners to build a better runner’s body. This highly effective, easy-to-implement program will make you a stronger, faster runner in under an hour a week so you can stay on the road or trail.