Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance provides professionals with the evidence base to design and prescribe the best exercise programs for the back. A complete description of a 5-stage program is provided. Many examples illustrate each stage within a bad back rehabilitation program together with a performance enhancement program for athletes. Beginning with recognizing and re-patterning perturbed motor programs and progressing to the enhancement of stability, then endurance, the final stages continue with strength, power and agility training. Each step is well illustrated and instructive. Added to this are general approaches to assess the demand of individual activities and sports and how to identify the critical components that need specific focus in an individual's back. Dr. McGill's style makes for an easy read of this thorough and rich resource.

    Use our method to attain maximum height in your kicks and to be able to kick at that height with no warm-up! Learn: * How to stretch safely and quickly to achieve and maintain your maximum flexibility * How to make your muscles grow stronger and longer so you stay flexible all the time * How to do splits even if you are over 40 or 50 * How to kick high and do splits with no warm-up * How to develop each of the three kinds of flexibilityÂ�dynamic, static active and static passiveÂ�to suit every athlete's needs * What exercises are "no-no's" if you want to stretch your muscles * All the factors limiting flexibility * Brilliantly simple tests of hip joint mobility and muscle length that dispel common misconceptions of what limits flexibility the most

    A lifetime’s worth of training knowledge, drawn from the world’s most extreme arenas. Lessons learned and best practices from military operators, tactical law enforcement, martial artists, and others that rely on their physical abilities to survive and thrive in very harsh and unforgiving environments. Where there’s more at stake than winning a medal, or getting a bruised ego. Bottom line, with these people, the training has to work. By implementing the strategies in this book, you will cut your learning curve by decades. You’re going to be able to take your conditioning to the next level and beyond, while avoiding costly amateurish mistakes that lead to injury and burn out. The path has been laid out and handed to you on a silver platter. If you’re an older athlete, you’re going to reclaim that confidence you once had in your physical abilities. You may have forgotten what that feels like. Prepare to be reminded. It’s great having a 600lb squat and 400lb bench press. However, as an operational athlete, if you can’t run, work, or thrive for long periods of time in a multitude of energy demanding environments, you are ineffective. Your big bench press is useless, your big squat is useless. Tactical Barbell proposes you work towards being a different kind of athlete. The kind that is not only extremely strong, but also highly conditioned. If you look carefully, you’ll see these people all around you. That guy on your Emergency Response Team with the 350lb bench press and a sub 9 minute 1.5 mile run. The old Marine Sergeant that can run 6 miles in under 40 minutes, deadlifts over 600lbs and does 30 dead-hang pull-ups. So how do you get there? It's not what you think. Popular 'bootcamp' style approaches that throw a lot of push-ups and running at you in a haphazard fashion don't work. Sure, you'll break a sweat and release some endorphins. You might even lose a pound or two. But take a good hard look at your progress. For all your effort, are you really that far ahead? To make real progress, you have to look to the approaches used by the pros. Train each attribute you're trying to improve in a progressive manner, using the most effective tools for that particular fitness domain.In TB2, you'll find the structured, three pronged approach to conditioning we take with all of our clients. It consists of Base Building, followed by a transition to a more specific continuation protocol. Periodic maintenance of lower-priority fitness domains complete our model.TBII is our manual for training tactical law enforcement candidates, soldiers and recreational athletes. You will be hard pressed to find a more thorough, and effective conditioning program. If you are a results-oriented individual looking for concrete, actionable programming based on cutting edge research, TB2 is for you.

    That is to say, for us humans who live lives of such relative security that we cultivate our strength and power more out of pride and for a sense of accomplishment than out of an absolute need to survive in the wild. The professional athlete hones his body to function well in a sports event-rather than to emerge safe from a life-or-death struggle. And even those in our military and LEO rely more on the security of their weapons and armor than on their own personal, raw power and brute strength to carry the day. There remains one environment where exuding the necessary degree of authoritative strength and power can mean the difference between life or death: the maximum security prison. In maximum security, the predator preys on the weak like we breathe air. Intimidation is the daily currency. You either become a professional victim or you develop that supreme survival strength that signals the predator to stay at bay.Paul Wade spent 19 years in hell holes like San Quentin, Angola and Marion. He entered this world a gangly, terrorized weakling and he graduated to final freedom, pound-for-pound one of the strongest humans on the planet. Paul Wade dedicated his prison life to the cultivation of that supreme survival strength. And ironically, it is in America's prisons that we can find some of the great, lost secrets of how to get immensely powerful and strong. Paul Wade mined these secrets as if his life depended on it-and of course in many ways it did.Finally free, Paul Wade pays his debt to society-not just with the horrors of his years in the hole-but with the greatest gift he could possibly give us: a priceless set of progressions that can take ANYONE who has the will from abject weakling to strength specimen extraordinaire.

    

    Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been practicing yoga for years, Yoga Anatomy will be an invaluable resource-one that allows you to see each movement in an entirely new light.Leslie Kaminoff is a recognized expert and teacher in anatomy, breathing, and bodywork. He is the founder of the Breathing Project, New York City's premiere yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and therapy.

    With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Dr. Joseph Mercola. Achieve more with less effort: The secret to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body—how you breathe. One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem: chronic over-breathing. We often take many more breaths than we need—without realizing it—contributing to poor health and fitness, including a host of disorders, from anxiety and asthma to insomnia and heart problems. In The Oxygen Advantage, the man who has trained over 5,000 people—including Olympic and professional athletes—in reduced breathing exercises now shares his scientifically validated techniques to help you breathe more efficiently. Patrick McKeown teaches you the fundamental relationship between oxygen and the body, then gets you started with a Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) to determine how efficiently your body uses oxygen. He then shows you how to increase your BOLT score by using light breathing exercises and learning how to simulate high altitude training, a technique used by Navy SEALs and professional athletes to help increase endurance, weight loss, and vital red blood cells to dramatically improve cardio-fitness. Following his program, even the most out-of-shape person (including those with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma) can climb stairs, run for a bus, or play soccer without gasping for air, and everyone can achieve: Easy weight loss and weight maintenance Improved sleep and energy Increased concentration Reduced breathlessness during exercise Heightened athletic performance Improved cardiovascular health Elimination of asthmatic symptoms, and more. With The Oxygen Advantage, you can look better, feel better, and do more—it's as easy as breathing.

    This comprehensive approach shows the 50 essential core workout exercises that will build strength and endurance in the key core muscles for cycling—no gym membership required.Professional cyclist Tom Danielson used to have a bad back. He shifted in the saddle, never comfortable, often riding in pain. Hearing that core strength could help his back, he started doing crunches, which made matters worse. He turned to personal trainer Allison Westfahl for a new approach. Danielson and Westfahl developed all-new core exercises to build core strength specifically for cycling, curing Danielson’s back problems. Better yet, Danielson found that stronger core muscles boosted his pedaling efficiency and climbing power.Using Danielson’s core exercises, cyclists of all abilities will enjoy faster, pain-free riding. Cyclists will perform simple exercises using their own body weight to build strength in the low back, hips, abs, chest, and shoulders without adding unwanted bulk and without weights, machines, or a gym membership. Each Core Advantage exercise complements the motions of riding a bike so cyclists strengthen the right muscles that stabilize and support the body, improving efficiency and reducing the fatigue that can lead to overuse injuries and pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.Beginner, intermediate, and advanced training plans will help bike racers, century riders, and weekend warriors to build core strength throughout the season. Each plan features warm-up stretches and 15 core exercises grouped into workouts for injury resistance, better posture, improved stability and bike handling, endurance, and power. Westfahl explains the goal for each exercise, which Danielson models in clear photographs.Riding a bike takes more than leg strength. Now Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage lays out the core strengthening routines that enable longer, faster rides.

    The Science of Running is written for those of us looking to maximize our performance, get as close to our limits as possible, and more than anything find out how good we can be, or how good our athletes can be. In The Science of Running, elite coach and exercise physiologist Steve Magness integrates the latest research with the training processes of the world's best runners, to deliver an in depth look at how to maximize your performance. It is a unique book that conquers both the scientific and practical points of running in two different sections. The first is aimed at identifying what limits running performance from a scientific standpoint. You will take a tour through the inside of the body, learning what causes fatigue, how we produce energy to run, and how the brain functions to hold you back from super-human performance. In section two, we turn to the practical application of this information and focus on the process of training to achieve your goals. You will learn how to develop training plans and to look at training in a completely different way. The Science of Running does not hold back information and is sure to challenge you to become a better athlete, coach, or exercise scientist in covering such topics as:· What is fatigue? The latest research on looking at fatigue from a brain centered view.· Why VO2max is the most overrated and misunderstood concept in both the lab and on the track· Why "zone" training leads to suboptimal performance.· How to properly individualize training for your own unique physiology.· How to look at the training process in a unique way in terms of stimulus and adaptation.· Full sample training programs from 800m to the marathon.

    What started as an effort to improve his own weak, flat backside quickly evolved when he discovered the wide range of functional movements to which the glutes contribute. Properly trained glutes not only help you lift heavier, jump higher, sprint faster, and swing harder but also help prevent knee, hip, and lower back pain and injuries. Bret went on to earn a doctorate in sports science and is now known as one of the world’s foremost experts on strength and physique training. After helping thousands of people reach their strength goals and achieve their ideal physique in his world-renowned training facilities, Bret brings you Glute Lab, which pulls his field-tested and scientifically proven methods and techniques together into an all-in-one glute training system that will help you develop leaner, rounder, stronger, higher-performing glutes. This all-encompassing guide explains why glute training is important for health and performance, how the glutes function, what critical role they play in the body, and how to design the optimal training program to accomplish your aesthetic and performance goals. This book offers thirty-six weeks of programming and several training templates for those who want to dive right in, breaking down each technique with step-by-step photos and descriptions. Bret also reveals the most common faults people make when performing these movements and offers hundreds of tips for getting the most out of every training session. You can implement his system in your local gym or even in the comfort of your own home. Glute Lab is more than just a book on glute training. These principles and methods can help you maximize muscle growth and strength, improve body composition, overcome training and physique plateaus, train around injuries and discomfort, determine ideal training frequency and exercise selection, design periodized programs, and so much more. In short, this book gives you the tools to make strength and physique gains and design balanced programs that cater to a wide range of goals and work for your entire body. Whether you’re a regular person looking to improve your appearance, an athlete looking to boost your performance, a physique competitor or bodybuilder looking for an edge over the competition, a powerlifter looking to increase your strength, a CrossFitter inspired to gain knowledge, a personal trainer interested in offering your clients cutting-edge training techniques, or a physical therapist looking to improve your clients’ health, Glute Lab will equip you with the information you need. In this book you will learn: The fundamentals of optimal glute training The anatomy and function of the glutes How to select exercises based on your physique and training goals How to perform the most effective exercises for sculpting rounder, stronger glutes Variations of the hip thrust, deadlift, and squat exercises Sample training templates and splits that cater to different training goals and preferences How to implement advanced methods into your training routine Diet strategies to reach weight loss and body composition goals Sample glute burnouts and templates Twelve-week beginner, intermediate, and advanced full-body training programs with a glute emphasis How to design your own customized training programs How to overcome plateaus in training, strength, and physique

    Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System is the most comprehensive, research-based, reader-friendly text on kinesiology ever published. Beautifully and abundantly illustrated in two-color, this dynamic, accessible resource presents complex scientific information in an approach designed to draw the reader in and explore the fundamental principles of kinesiology of the trunk and extremities as well as in relation to joints, muscles, and biomechanics.Comprehensive coverage - not only of kinesiology of the trunk and extremitites, but also of the underlaying principles of kinesiology with respect to joints, muscles and biomechanics - explains the 'why?' as well as the 'how?'A definitive chapter on the kinesiology of human gait!Clear and reader-friendly, which is great for study and revision for students of all levelsSpecial Focus boxes throughout the text provide abundant clinical examples and gives the students a chance to probe deeper into the topicTopics at a Glanceat the beginning of each chapter, allow students with less time to quickly locate the essential informationOver 550 superb line-drawings - making difficult kinesiologic concepts easier to graspAppendices include glossary of key terms - a handy reference toolThe author has many years of experience in physical therapy - specifically kinesiology - and is a teacher, clinician and researcher.

    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

    New Functional Training for Sports, Second Edition produces the best results on the court, field, track, and mat, not just in the weight room.Michael Boyle, one of the world's leading sport performance coaches, presents the concepts, methods, exercises, and programs that maximize athletes' movements in competition. A series of functional assessments help in determining the design of a specific plan for each athlete. Self-reinforcing progressions in exercises for the lower body, core, upper body, and ultimately total body give athletes the balance, proprioception, stability, strength, and power they require for excelling in their sports. Sample programs assist in the customization process and ensure each aspect of preparation for physical performance.Boyle also draws on the latest research and his wealth of experience to offer programming advice and recommendations on foam rolling, stretching, and dynamic warm-ups.New Functional Training for Sports goes beyond traditional exercise descriptions and explanations, incorporating full-color, high-definition composites of foundational movements as well as online access to video demonstrations, commentary, and analysis of key exercises.New Functional Training for Sports is a refined and expanded version of Boyle's original work published more than a decade previously. This edition offers the most current functional training expertise to apply to your specific purposes.

    Understanding and treating these points can lead to rapid and lasting pain relief. Trigger point therapy is a powerful tool in the management of both acute and chronic pain, including such common problems as headaches, TMJ syndrome, and back pain. Written in a straightforward style, "The Concise Book of Trigger Points "is designed for the student and practitioner of massage/bodywork, physical therapy, physiotherapy, osteopathy, sports therapy, and any other health-related field. It functions both as an entry-level textbook and an authoritative reference for even the most experienced therapist. The first four chapters describe the physiology of trigger points and the general methods of treatment. The following six chapters are organized by muscle groups; each two-page spread features detailed color illustrations of each major skeletal muscle, accompanied by an explanation of each muscle's origin, insertion, action, and function. The physiological implications of the trigger points in each muscle are discussed, along with treatment techniques. This edition contains updated text and a self-help section addressing common pain complaints, including headache, neck pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain, and TMJ syndrome.