Book picks similar to
The Secret of Running (Meyer & Meyer Premium) by Hans Van Dijk
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The Elements of Effort: Reflections on the Art and Science of Running
John Jerome - 1998
Applying his clear vision and wry wit to a smorgasbord of running-related topics, including stretching, dancing, bugs, falling, spaghetti, sweat, and the food police, John Jerome shares his contagious passion for the most basic of sports. Stripping the art of running down to its barest elements, he takes readers and runners with him on a joyous journey -- a run that revels in a profound affection and respect for the single sport that is as pure and simple as it is infinitely complex.
Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running
Danny Abshire - 2010
By learning to run the barefoot way—while wearing shoes—runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners. Backed by studies at MIT and Harvard, running form and injury expert Danny Abshire presents the natural running technique, form drills, and an 8-week transition plan that will put runners on the path to faster, more efficient, and healthier running.In Natural Running, Abshire explains how modern running shoes distort the efficient running technique that humans evolved over thousands of years. He reviews the history of running shoes and injuries, making the case for barefoot running but also warning about its dangers. By learning the natural running technique, runners can enjoy both worlds—comfortable feet, knees, and legs and an efficient running form that reduces impact and injuries.Natural Running teaches runners to think about injuries as symptoms of poor running form. Abshire specifies the overuse injuries that are most commonly associated with particular body alignment problems, foot types, and form flaws. Runners will learn how to analyze and identify their own characteristics so they can start down the path to natural running.Abshire explains the natural running technique, describing the posture, arm carriage, cadence, and land-lever-lift foot positioning that mimic the barefoot running style. Using Abshire's 8-week transition plan and a tool kit of strength and form drills, runners will move from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike.Natural Running is the newest way to run and also the oldest. By discovering how they were meant to run, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners.
Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile
Chris Lear - 2003
Then, in January 2001, Alan Webb clocked a 3:59.86 mile, the fastest indoor U.S. high school mile ever. Just a few months later, the young track star achieved legendary status: he ran a 3:53.46 mile-a full 2 seconds faster than former record holder Jim Ryun. Everywhere Webb was hailed as "America's Next Great Miler."In Sub 4:00, noted track writer Chris Lear follows Webb to college at the University of Michigan. As we witness Webb's freshman track season-watching him struggle with injuries, interpersonal conflicts, the politics of the collegiate track world, and his own aspirations to become the best miler ever-we get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the life of one of the nation's most promising track athletes with a new chapter describing the latest developments in Webb's fascinating career.
The Coach
Patrick Mouratoglou - 2017
The Coach is Patrick Mouratoglou's hugely motivational and inspirational story. As a child, he was full of suffering, enduring anxiety attacks at night. In his own words "puny and very timid, paralysed by the shame of not being able to do better". Now, as one of the world's leading tennis coaches he is responsible for transforming the career of Serena Williams and helping her become the greatest of all times. His story is a great example of trial over adversity.
Run Like Crazy
Tristan Miller - 2012
I made my way to the remotest islands, the hottest deserts and the coldest of climates. I was robbed, suffered injuries, got sick and depressed. I covered around 320,000 kilometres by plane, train, boat, bus and car and ran just over 2300 race kilometres. It proved to me that you can do whatever you want to – just find the starting line, believe in yourself, and Run Like Crazy!When Tristan Miller lost his job as a result of the global economic crisis, he set himself a huge personal challenge. He would spend a year seeing the world, each week running an official marathon in a different country. This is the story of an ordinary man who chased his dream, 42.2 kilometres at a time.
The Russian Affair: The True Story of the Couple who Uncovered the Greatest Sporting Scandal
David Walsh - 2020
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.
Frank: Fighting Back
Frank Bruno - 2005
Part biography, part catharsis, the story of how a tearaway kid became heavyweight champion of the world, and one of Britain’s best-loved sports stars; his descent into mental illness and his slow and painful journey back to health.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Athlete's Book of Home Remedies: 1,001 Doctor-Approved Health Fixes and Injury-Prevention Secrets for a Leaner, Fitter, More Athletic Body!
Jordan Metzl - 2012
(High schoolathletics alone result in more than 2 million injuries a year!) Now, the hobbled masses have an authoritative guide to healing themselves: The Athletes Book of Home Remedies.
This comprehensive guidebook for fitness buffs and sports enthusiasts empowers readers to self-diagnose and self-treat chronic and acute aches and pains—from shin splints and sprains to athlete’sfoot—and provides medically sound advice on preventing injuries.
A doctor-designed, get-back-in-shape workout and diet plan accompanies the head-to-toe diagnosticmanual, ensuring that readers will not only come back from injury stronger than ever, but will avoid getting sidelined in the future.
Swim Speed Secrets for Swimmers and Triathletes
Sheila Taormina - 2012
Over the course of 4 Olympic Games and throughout her career as a world champion triathlete, Taormina refined her exceptional technique as a student of the sport, studying the world's best swimmers using underwater photographs and video analysis. From Johnny Weissmuller to Michael Phelps, the world’s fastest swimmers share one common element: a high-elbow underwater pull. Too many swimmers and triathletes neglect the pull, distracted by stroke count or perfecting details like body position or streamlining. Taormina uses simple science and crystal clear underwater photos of Olympic athletes to show how the high-elbow underwater pull is the most crucial technique for faster swimming. With a commonsense approach that comes from decades of practice and 15 years of hands-on coaching experience, Taormina’s Swim Speed Secrets gives triathletes and swimmers the clear direction they need to overhaul their swim stroke and find the speed that’s been eluding them. Swim Speed Secrets includes: · The best drills to cultivate a more sensitive feel for the water· Dryland and strength building exercises to develop arm position and upper body musculature· Crisp photos of Olympic swimmers and variations in their high-elbow underwater pull· Clear descriptions of the key moments of the underwater pull· Tips that helped her perform at a world-class level for two decades Swim Speed Secrets brings the focus back where it belongs—to a powerful underwater stroke. With this book, triathletes and swimmers can stop swimming for survival and break through to new levels of speed and confidence in the water.
American Son: My Story
Oscar De La Hoya - 2008
From boxing to business, from the recording industry to the charitable accomplishments of his foundation, his success is a testament to what one can achieve in the United States. But who is this man who has changed the lives of so many? Who has imprinted a positive mark upon the sport of boxing, for which many have all but given up hope? Who has become a symbol of success for an entire community, without many heroes to call their own?American Son answers these questions.Born into a boxing family, De La Hoya has defeated more than a dozen world champions and won six world titles as well as an Olympic gold medal—a moment forever marked in the memory of anyone who has followed his career. Yet within the maelstrom of this success lay a man whose earnest belief in the goodness of everyone around him sometimes led him to stray far from his intended path. This book is The Golden Boy, and he bares his most heartbreaking mistakes as well as his most stunning triumphs for all of the world to see.This thrilling tale of an immigrant's son—a quintessentially American story—is the chronicle of an amazing journey that will provide readers with new insight into the private life of a figure who has to many reached iconic status.
Romo: My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons
Bill Romanowski - 2005
Widely acknowledged to be the dirtiest player in football, "Romo" has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for unsportsmanlike conduct. Yet off the field, this giant hulk instantaneously changes from hit man into family man, gently raising two kids with his beloved wife. Romo is an attempt to reconcile these Jekyll-and-Hyde shifts. Romanowski achieves this Herculean task not by claiming that his 34 concussions affected his behavior but by admitting his use of chemical performance enhancers. His revelations about NFL drug abuse will shock fans and make him more enemies -- if that's possible. Bone-crushing honesty.
The Science of Getting Ripped: Proven Diet Hacks and Workout Tricks to Burn Fat and Build Muscle in Half the Time
Raza Imam - 2016
The result is "The Science of Getting Ripped"
This is my step-by-step manual I created for busy guys that want to burn fat, build muscle, get stronger, and increase their athleticism and power. I share the secrets and tips that regular guys can use to get in incredible shape. This is not a typical "bodybuilding" book because it's geared towards regular guys with busy lives.
Here's What You'll Discover
How a little known nutrition trick slashes fat! (once you know this, you won't have trouble burning fat)
The little used strategy that means you get stronger on ANY lift: (this is a common sense technique I hardly ever see anyone do)
Are you looking to lose belly fat? You're in luck... I'll show you a proven way to target your flabby belly... this is great for beer belly's
How to get a six-pack and an incredible core with these under-utilized ab movements
Imagine increasing strength and muscle growth week after week! Well now you can... this literally transforms your body in a matter of weeks... but surprisingly no one does it
The exact time it should take you to lower a rep (I guarantee most people are messing this up)
The magic time frame each set should take for optimal growth (are you going too fast?)
Why training for too long is counter-productive and often a barrier to muscle growth! (This little tip is the #1 tool to avoid plateaus)
The one thing you MUST do to stimulate new muscle growth. (Simple to learn... and once you do... you won't have trouble putting on new muscle)
What the TRUE muscle-building hormone is and how to ignite it every single workout
Why drastic reductions in calories is counter-productive and damages long term weight loss
Banish your cravings with this in your diet (never cave in to cravings again)
How to SMASH through plateaus and sticking points: (this scientific principle you MUST incorporate in your workouts to help prevent plateaus)
How to eat your favorite "junk" foods and STILL lose body fat: Finally discover how to eat your favorite foods like pasta, chocolate cake, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, cup cakes, french toast, andcinnamon rolls to HELP you build muscle while STILL dropping body fat! (This one mind-blowing tip shocks most people)
How the "afterburn effect" helps you burn more calories while working out less
Can't make it to the gym
Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack
Rob Steger - 2019
After my dad's major health scare, it was time for me to change everything. Little did I know how much I would learn after taking on some physical exercise. A radical diet change allowed me to lose a forth of my body weight and it gave me boundless energy to get outside and explore. It’s not clear to me why I chose running ultra marathons of all forms of exercise, since I was unable to run beyond 1 mile just a few years prior. But since that fateful day, I’ve never looked back. I was finding that sometimes the experiences of training for ultra could be just as rich and fulfilling as the ultra event itself.
Adventureman - Anyone Can Be a Superhero
Jamie McDonald - 2017
And he does it all dressed as the superhero, the Flash.Though his journey was both mentally and physically exhausting, it was the astounding acts of kindness and hospitality he encountered along the way that kept him going. Whether they gave him a bed for the night, food for the journey, a donation to his charity or companionship and encouragement during the long days of running, Jamie soon came to realise that every person who helped him towards his goal was a superhero too.
Wide-Eyed and Legless
Jeff Connor - 1988
In this new edition of 'Wide-Eyed and Legless', Connor describes in detail what it takes to compete, survive and win during those 26 days of gruelling effort in the name of sport.