The candour...is rare and gripping' Matt Dickinson, The TimesIt was the story that shocked the world: Russian athletics was revealed to be corrupt from top to bottom, with institutionalised doping used to help the nation's athletes win medals they did not deserve. But the full story of the couple who blew the whistle has never been told - until now. When Russian anti-doping official Vitaly Stepanov met the young 800m athlete Yuliya Rusanova, for him it was love at first sight. Within two months, they were married. But there was a problem – in fact, there were lots of problems. She admitted she was doping and that everyone else was doping, and she let him know that she came from a dark place …   It could all have brought a very swift end to a very hasty marriage, but gradually the Stepanovs began to realise that whatever you did, the system in Russia was stacked against you. In the end, the only ones they could rely upon were each other. Fully aware of the risks they were taking, they decided to turn the tables on those who had manipulated them and cheated the sporting world.   The result of their investigative work sent shockwaves around the planet and led to Russia’s athletes being banned from world sport, while the Stepanovs themselves had to go into hiding. The Russian Affair is a gripping true-life drama that at times reads like a spy novel and at others like an epic love story. But, at the centre of it all, is a quietly determined couple who knew that if they stood together they could shine a light on a corrupt system and bring it crashing to the ground.

    It is now possible for cyclists of all abilities to ride a well marked, well marshalled event just about any weekend of the year, usually based around one, two or sometimes as many as ten fearsome hills. For the first time, here is a pocket-sized guide to the 100 greatest climbs in the land, the building blocks for these rides, written by a cyclist for cyclists. From lung busting city centre cobbles to leg breaking windswept mountain passes, this guide locates the roads that have tested riders for generations and worked their way into cycling folklore. Whether you're a leisure cyclist looking for a challenge or an elite athlete trying to break records stick this book in your pocket and head for the hills. To watch a video of Simon Warren in action click here

    Gravity is a compilation of Q&A posts from Mark Rippetoe s StrengthMill forum. Edited for brevity, efficiency, clarity, accuracy, and taste (in a loose sense, sorry), Mean Ol' Mr. Gravity adds to the information available in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and Practical Programming for Strength Training by tailoring it to the individual through his responses to questions posed by actual humans regarding their own training. It preserves the coarseness, humor, and candor that have become Rip s trademark style. A Question. Goombahboy: Hey Rip, why would you make a book out of a bunch of posts that are already available on the web? What could you possibly have been thinking? Mark Rippetoe: An excellent question. I have no idea, other than the fact that a book like this makes an excellent bathroom companion. The reading-kind of companion. Information and humor in small, easily managed chunks. Conveniently digestible pieces, as it were. Well, you know what I mean. Bozo1988: Yeah, what were you thinking? I mean, I know there s a lot of information here, I know that all of the really stupid stuff that would waste my time while reading it online has been removed, and that the videos posted on the board don t load very fast in a book format anyway, but why a book? Mark Rippetoe: Look, just read the damn thing, okay? You ll be fine.

    No machines. No space. No hassles! With Your Body is Your Barbell, a reader will have no excuse not to get into the best shape of his or her life…simply, easily, and in just 4 weeks in the convenience of his or her own home. How? Using nothing more than what God blessed—a body with unlimited potential.Metabolic training expert BJ Gaddour, CSCS, who Men's Health magazine calls one of the "100 Fittest Men of All Time," has created a remarkably efficient and effective body-transforming diet and workout program based on just a handful of simple moves, the Bodyweight Eight. These no-equipment-required exercises are all one needs to build a strikingly symmetrical, perfectly proportioned, and classically beautiful physique, just like BJ's. (Not long ago, he was a fat guy with bad knees and an addiction to ice cream sundaes.)But it doesn't stop there. Once readers master each legendary fitness feat with perfect form, he will use BJ's "Sweat Spectrum," scalable, step-by-step progressions to go from ground zero to super hero. From these exercise variations, readers can construct hundreds of personalized workouts. Dozens of sample workouts are already demonstrated through big, bold how-to photographs within the book, and organized by goal, duration, intensity, and targeted body zone. This is the only book a man or woman needs to achieve the body he or she has always wanted anywhere…and without gear.

    Anyone who trains will enhance their injury resilience and performance employing these principles proven over and over with athletes. In the highly competitive world of strength athletics, a back injury is seen by many as the ultimate career-ender. In truth, if handled properly, it is far from a death sentence. Follow the journey of international powerlifting champion Brian Carroll, who can attest to this first hand. This remarkable athlete went from 1100 lb squats and 800 lb deadlifts to unending pain and disability after a massive spinal compression injury. After a fortuitous meeting with leading back expert Professor Stuart McGill, he reset his training and his life to fight his way back to the top of the winner’s podium. Glean expertise from McGill and Carroll, both masters in their field, and learn how to orchestrate your own triumphant comeback. Whether you are a former champion yourself who has fallen on hard times, or someone starting a new foray into the world of strength training who wants to avoid injury and maximize training, the wisdom found within these pages is sure to take your resilience and lifts to the next level. Over 200 full color, rich illustrations demonstrate technique.

    That’s not physically possible, but if you could Nick Matthew would have done it by the bucket-load. Throughout his 15-year career, Matthew has fought his way to the top of the PSA World Rankings in his gladiatorial sport, winning 25 World Tour titles, including being crowned world champion on two occasions and British Open champion three times. Nick holds the record of five British National titles in addition to being crowned Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Gold Medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games making him England’s most successful player. Sweating Blood: My Life In Squash is much more than the tale of a squash player. In this brutally honest story: Nick psychoanalyses his own obsessive-compulsive personality and explains how it helps him win; He remembers how, as a late developer, he was constantly told he lacked the talent to succeed yet went on to become the most successful English player of all time; He gives an amazing behind-the-scenes access to the sport: the prize money, the anti-doping, the gruesome training, the post-match celebrations, the crazy players on the PSA World Tour and the far-flung corners of the globe where he competes; He remembers the career-threatening shoulder operation that eventually put him on the road to World Championship and Commonwealth Games glory; He tries to understand how his relationship with another top British player went so horribly wrong; He digs back into his Yorkshire upbringing and remembers the colourful characters who turned him into the champion he is today; And he pinpoints the most crucial moments in his career – the moments when he really felt like he was sweating blood.

      Forget the elliptical machine and the candy-colored Barbie weights. Female athletes are hungry for real fitness. They want to be Strong.   By now, it’s common knowledge that women can and should train the way men do. Today’s women want to be strong, with lean and athletic physiques. Fitness author Lou Schuler and renowned strength coach Alwyn Cosgrove present a comprehensive strength and conditioning plan to help women burn fat and build muscle by getting them off the machines and revolutionizing how they work out. Offering direct guidance and proven tools to help readers enhance their strength and get truly fit, Strong provides:•  A three-phase training program, including nine unique total-body workouts •  More than 100 exercises, with detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs •  Simple nutrition guidelines to cut through the barrage of trendy diets in magazines •  Inspiring success stories from women who have used this training program   Schuler and Cosgrove’s The New Rules of Lifting for Women has empowered tens of thousands of women inside and outside the weight room. Filled with the latest research distilled in Lou and Alwyn’s signature direct style, Strong will help women remake their physiques and reimagine their lives.

    The Haywire Heart is the first book to examine heart conditions in athletes. Intended for anyone who competes in endurance sports like cycling, triathlon, running races of all distances, and cross-country skiing, The Haywire Heart presents the evidence that going too hard or too long can damage your heart forever. You’ll find what to watch out for, what to do about it, and how to protect your heart so you can enjoy the sports you love for years to come. The Haywire Heart shares the developing research into a group of conditions known as “athlete’s heart”, starting with a wide-ranging look at the warning signs, symptoms, and how to recognize your potential risk. Leading cardiac electrophysiologist and masters athlete Dr. John Mandrola explores the prevention and treatment of heart conditions in athletes like arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and flutter, tachycardia, hypertrophy, and coronary artery disease. He reviews new research about exercise intensity and duration, recovery, inflammation and calcification, and the ways athletes inflict lasting harm. These heart problems are appearing with alarming frequency among masters athletes who are pushing their bodies harder than ever in the hope that exercise will keep them healthy and strong into their senior years. The book is complete with gripping case studies of elite and age-group athletes from journalist Chris Case—like the scary condition that nearly killed cyclist and coauthor Lennard Zinn—and includes a frank discussion of exercise addiction and the mental habits that prevent athletes from seeking medical help when they need it.Dr. Mandrola explains why many doctors misdiagnose heart conditions in athletes and offers an invaluable guide on how to talk with your doctor about your condition and its proven treatments. He covers known heart irritants, training and rest modifications, effective medicines, and safe supplements that can reduce the likelihood of heart damage from exercise. Heart conditions affect hardcore athletes as well as those who take up sports seeking better health and weight loss. The Haywire Heart is a groundbreaking and critically important guide to heart care for athletes. By protecting your heart now and watching for the warning signs, you can avoid crippling heart conditions and continue to exercise and compete for years to come.

    Corps Strength applies the same techniques used to develop and maintain each Marine's combat readiness to a day-to-day program for top-level fitness. Every aspect of training is incorporated into the program including warm-ups, stretching, upper body, core strength, lower body, cardio, running, goal-setting, and motivation. The author has trained thousands of people and witnessed time and again the amazing results achieved by these proven techniques. Regardless of current fitness levels, this personalized training methodology will enable readers to begin today and immediately progress in absolute strength, muscular endurance, aerobic capacity, and joint flexibility. The workouts in this book are packed with grueling mind- and body-draining tasks that test the mettle of any athlete while bringing him or her to top physical form.

    Alexander, PsyDThe second edition of this book is written for anyone who wants to change his or her life through bariatric weight loss surgery. Learn realistic and practical strategies for dealing with emotional difficulties encountered before and after your weight loss surgerystrategies that help you:* Relieve stress without using food* Modify unhealthy behavior* Overcome hurdles to establishing a consistent exercise program* Deal with negative reactions by friends, family, and spouse to your weight loss* Prevent relapse...and more.ABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Alexander is a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston and the 17th Circuit Court of Florida.

    Falling Hard is Law’s love letter to judo—the culture, drama, history, and practice. With journalistic zeal, he delves deeply into the sport’s history and lore, and interweaves his own judo experiences with the development of judo in Japan, the life and vision of its founder Jigoro Kano, the export of judo to the West, the emergence of women in the sport, and detailed descriptions of competition on the world championship and Olympic levels. Law’s account is as much for the sports writing fan and armchair enthusiast as for the judo practitioner. With humor and skill, he describes grueling training sessions and matches (including his own), famous Olympic bouts, and legendary rivalries between judo players and national teams, and he speculates on the future of the sport.

    So many of us start enthusiastically, but give up somewhere along the way.If you have tried to keep pace with fitness and faced obstacles in sticking to it, this book is a step-by-step guide for you to win the game and make it a part of your day-to-day life.FITNESS HABITS is a compilation of a wealth of research and studies that challenge the most common notions about fitness. This book suggests sure-fire ways to stick to your fitness routine and helps you to create an urge to go back to your fitness routine – every single day.• Learn to acknowledge your failure in fitness as your progress and get motivated to continue.• Ready reference for beginners, those who started in the past but couldn’t continue, and those who have an on-and-off relationship with fitness.• Find an integrated model that will change the way you perceive fitness and help you make fitness a habit.An operating manual that gives you tried and tested methods of making fitness a habit.

    Soon wielding syringes, this forty-something husband and father of two children becomes the doper next door.During his yearlong odyssey, Tilin is transformed. He becomes stronger, hornier, and aggressive. He wades into a subculture of doping physicians, real estate agents, and aging women who believe that Tilin’s type of legal “hormone replacement therapy” is the key to staying young—and he often agrees. He also lives with the price paid for renewed vitality, worrying about his health, marriage, and cheating ways as an amateur bike racer. And all along the way, he tells us what doping is really like—empowering and scary.

    People thought he was mad, until they heard his story, then they began to understand. Having endured years of bullying as a child, Ben tried to takehis own life. In adulthood, Ben struggled to feel content with the life that was mapped out for him. But having found his passion in running, Ben sold his possessions, escaped his old life and set off on what seemed like an impossible mission - The 401 Challenge.During his 10,506.2-mile odyssey criss-crossing the UK, Ben ran in 309 different locations, accompanied by more than 13,500 people. He visited 101 schools, burned an estimated 2.4 million calories, wrecked his back and braved every extreme of the British weather, while raising �330,000 for charity, touching the lives of millions.This is the inspiring journey of a previously lost and broken man who discovered that anything is possible, if only you choose to search for what makes you truly happy.

    Spartan Warrior Workout takes you from merely being in shape to having the strength and endurance to withstand the ultimate test.Whether you're a veteran in the weight room or a new recruit, Spartan Warrior Workout will challenge you like nothing you have ever tried before:• Arms and shoulders are sculpted with kettlebell cleans and presses • Abs are toned with windmills and planks • Back and butt are strengthened with kettlebell swings and pull-ups • Chest is chiseled with bench presses and push-ups • Legs and glutes are shaped with jumping lunges and squatsMore than just exercises, the book's guidelines on active rest, pre-hab and nutrition will help keep your body healthy and fueled as you push yourself to the limit and reach higher levels of fitness.