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.

    I run to make my own history." —Nicki, another mother runnerEvery mother runner has a tale to tell. A story about how she realized, fifteen years after being told that she’s best being a bookworm, that there is an athlete inside her. Or the one about how she, fifty pounds overweight and depressed, finally found the courage—and time—to lace up her running shoes. Or maybe it’s about setting a seemingly impossible goal—going under two hours in the half-marathon—and then methodically running that goal down and tearing up across the finish line. Or it might be an account of friendship: she was new to town, was having a hard time making friends, was asked to join a group run, and now she's got four BRFs (best running friends) who are her allies, her cheerleaders, her reality checks. Maybe it's just a simple story of the beauty of starting the day off with an endorphin rush. Or, sadly, it could be about how, through the guidance of a thoughtful running friend, she found the space and rhythm to process being raped—and regained her strength and sense of self through every footstep.In Mother Runners, elite runners Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea share not only their own stories of personal triumph on the pavement but also the inspiring stories of many members of the vibrant mother runner community they've built on their popular site, Run Like a Mother. While the common theme is running, the variations that happen through the miles are as endless as the miles themselves: losing weight, gaining confidence, finding yourself, connecting with friends, expecting more, setting goals, dealing with disappointment, figuring out how to train efficiently, clearing your head, reconnecting with your memories, building a better you. Whether you've run more marathons than you can remember, or you're just getting started, you'll find the inspiration you need to get out there, keep pushing, and run like a mother.

    This unscripted weight-loss drama was based on overweight contestants competing to lose weight and win a quarter of a million dollars with the help of a team of doctors, dietitians, and trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.On the evening that the first season's finale aired, legions of fans went to the NBC Web site to look for the diet and fitness plan that the contestants used. It wasn't available to the public--until now. With this book, people looking for change can accomplish the same type of radical makeover of their bodies, their health, and their lives that they saw on The Biggest Loser.The book features the food and fitness plans from Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, Cheryl Forberg, Michael Dansinger, and Biggest Loser Experts and Cast Staff, and motivational tips from the contestants themselves. The contestants' compelling stories and reasons for losing weight, dramatic before-and-after photos, and real-life advice provide the inspiration and upbeat attitude that made this show a smash hit.

    According to James F. Clapp, M.D., author of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy women can exercise before, during, after their pregnancies. “Some women fear that exercise will increase the risk of miscarriage, malformations, pre-term labor, brain damage to the baby, or material injury, but this is not the case.” However, according to Dr. Clapp’s research, women who exercise feel better, perform better, and have babies that are be stronger physiologically and perhaps better developed neurologically.” Among the questions he answers:  ·  How does exercise benefit the mother?·  How does exercise affect growth of the fetus?·  What is the effect of exercise on milk production?·  Does exercise limit weight gain during pregnancy?·  What is the right amount of exercise?·  What are the dos and don’ts of exercising when pregnant?·  When should exercise be avoided?·  How late into pregnancy can you exercise?·  What should be the exercise regimen after giving birth?Dr. Clapp provides guidelines for exercise plans that safely fulfill a mother’s needs during different phases of pregnancy. Common Myths About Exercising and Pregnancy 1. Pregnant women should keep their heart rates under 140 beats per minute.2. Exercise during lactation makes the milk taste sour.3. Women should avoid abdominal exercises in mid and late pregnancy.4. Pregnant women should not lift weights.5. The bouncing and jarring which occur during running and high-impact aerobics increase the risk for the baby getting tangled up in the umbilical cord.6.  Exercise causes premature labor.7.  Exercise will cause the fetus to detach from the wall of the womb.8.  Exercise right after a pregnancy will cause hernias and loss of vaginal and pelvic support.

    But did you know that the traditional way of stretching—lock your knees, bounce, hold, hurt, hold longer—actually makes muscles tighter and more prone to injury?There’s a new and better way to stretch: Active-Isolated Stretching. And with The Whartons’ Stretch Book, the method used successfully by scores of professional, amateur, and Olympic athletes is now available to everyone.This groundbreaking technique, developed by researchers, coaches, and trainers, and pioneered by Jim and Phil Wharton, is your new exercise prescription. The routine is simple: First, you prepare to stretch one isolated muscle at a time. Then you actively contract the muscle opposite the isolated muscle, which will then relax in preparation for its stretch. You stretch it gently and quickly—for no more than two seconds—and release it before it goes into its protective contraction. Then you repeat. Simple, but the results are outstanding. The Whartons’ Stretch Book explains it all.Part I contains the Active-Isolated Stretch Catalog, with fully illustrated, easy-to-follow stretches for each of five body zones, from neck and shoulders to trunk, arms, and legs—over fifty stretches in all. Part II offers specific stretching prescriptions for over fifty-five sports and activities, from running, tennis, track, and aerobics to skiing, skating, and swimming. You’ll also find advice on stretching for daily activities such as driving, working at a desk, lifting, and keyboarding. Part III discusses stretching for life, with specific recommendations for expectant mothers and older athletes. It also includes specific stretching exercises that could help you avoid unnecessary surgery.Give Active-Isolated Stretching a try for three weeks. You’ll never go back to your old stretching routines again.

    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.

    And who better to help you to achieve your ultimate strength and power gains than 6-time world champion and multiple record holder, Andy Bolton—backed by the expertise of renowned strength authority, Pavel Tsatsouline? The first section of Deadlift Dynamite "How to Lift", provides a safe, progressive, technically-detailed plan on how to get started right in the iron game, avoid the typical mistakes and years of frustration, and see extraordinary results in even the first year of training. Intermediate lifters will appreciate the world of subtle tips and masterly insights—which will help them bust through plateaus and surge forward in their gains. And the savvy coach will recognize he now owns the ultimate blueprint for producing champions—in many athletic fields. Whether your goal is to excel in the sport of powerlifting or you just want to become stronger and more muscular— Deadlift Dynamite is for you. There are many approaches to muscle and strength building, some effective, more marginal, most nearly worthless. Powerlifting’s half century of existence has undeniably proven that this sport offers the most time-efficient methods for making you BIG and STRONG. As one of the strongest men on the planet, Andy Bolton’s contribution to Deadlift Dynamite is unassailable—yet couched in a simple, direct and totally accessible style. Pavel’s goal is to compress the period it would take you to master championship lifting technique, like Andy’s, from decades to years and even months—while avoiding the many health problems lifters who train incorrectly develop along the way. Discover also Pavel’s state of the art flexibility and mobility exercises specific to lifting—exercises which have received a strong thumbs up from the elite of the iron game. The secondary goal of these exercises is health and longevity. The primary goal is strength.

    The book offers expert tips and simple plans for reshaping a woman's body quickly and easily. It reveals the powerfoods a woman should put on her plate every day and has a workout plan that delivers results in just 15 minutes a day. The plan also helps a woman:- flatten her belly- tone her legs- tighten her butt- improve her skin and hairA woman's posture, her pride, her personal power --they all go together. Look Better Naked shows a woman how to be the best possible version of herself that she can be.

    With a renewed sense of purpose, she decides to take the sport that saved her life to the next level, training hard and throwing herself in at the deep end by entering the epic Marathon des Sables in the Sahara desert, despite still being a novice runner. One startling success leads to another, as she finds herself taking on ever-more-challenging races – from the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, USA, to the 6633 Arctic Ultra – all building up to her biggest challenge yet: attempting to gain the Guinness World Record time for a female running 840 miles from John o’Groats to Land’s End.This incredible story of how an ordinary mum ran her way into the record books will inspire beginner runners and die-hard marathon devotees alike, proving that, no matter where life takes you, it’s never too late to achieve your dreams and do the impossible.

    If there's a way to accomplish a job quicker and more efficiently, they're allfor it. That goes for work and working out. Now, new research shows that as little as 15 minutes ofresistance training is just as effective in spiking a man's metabolism—his fat-burning furnace—asa workout lasting more than twice as long. All it takes is 15 minutes to achieve lifelong results—andmen are more likely to stick to an exercise plan if it's chopped down to those 15 minutes.The Men's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts - by Selene Yeager and the editors of Men's Health - contains fast-paced circuit training and interval workouts that boost calorie burn, build muscle, and fry belly fat in half the time of regular workouts. Readers can choose from at-home, body-weight-only workouts and total-body barbell programs to exercises that target major muscle groups—the chest, arms, legs, and back—and sport-specific workouts. Other highlights include:-a special section of 15-minute core workouts to build a rock-hard six-pack-an eating plan with delicious meals that take 15 minutes or less to prepare-workouts for the office or when you're traveling and can't make it to the gym-hundreds of tips from America's best trainers, nutritionists, and exercise scientists

    Yet that message is still lost on many women who fear that weight lifting will make them bulky, turn their skin green, and give them Incredible Hulk muscles like their boyfriends'. Women have more options than step aerobics or running on a treadmill to shed pounds: They can weight-train in a very specific manner designed to make the most of a woman's unique physiology.Lift to Get Lean is the first beginner's guide to strength training from Women's Health that is written specifically for women by a woman. Holly Perkins is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) who has been teaching the fat-burning secrets of weight training exclusively to women for more than 20 years. Perkins doesn't follow men's rules when it comes to building muscle. Her Lift to Get Lean delivers a three-step system: Technique, Movement Speed, and the Last 2 Reps Rule, which make all the difference in developing the kind of strong, lean, and sexy body women want. Perkins offers four different 90-day training programs that efficiently build functional strength along with leaner legs, stronger arms, and a sexier butt.

    Includes: A one-hour-per-year plan for healthy bones A self-test to assess risk factors Facts on the most accurate bone-density tests Tips on supplements beyond calcium, plus new

      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.

    Michael Thurmond of television's 'Extreme Makeover' explains his scientific approach to eating, the 'blueprinting system, ' which identifies a person's unique metabolism and body type and which foods will trigger the body to shed pounds - Provided by thepublisher

    Using the unique method he's developed that treats a type of connective tissue called the fascia, physical therapist Ming Chew has healed injuries, aches and pains that most medical professionals believe can only be fixed by medication and surgery. The Ming Method uses simple stretches and exercises, a supplementation and hydration plan, and an anti-inflammatory diet to release the fascia and banish pain forever--quickly, safely and drug-free.