Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind
Sakyong Mipham - 2012
As a Tibetan lama and leader of Shambhala (an international community of 165 meditation centers), Sakyong Mipham has found physical activity to be essential for spiritual well-being. He's been trained in horsemanship and martial arts but has a special love for running. Here he incorporates his spiritual practice with running, presenting basic meditation instruction and fundamental principles he has developed. Even though both activities can be complicated, the lessons here are simple and designed to show how the melding of internal practice with physical movement can be used by anyone - regardless of age, spiritual background, or ability - to benefit body and soul.
True to Form: How to Use Foundation Training for Sustained Pain Relief and Everyday Fitness
Eric Goodman - 2016
Eric Goodman’s visionary approach to mindful movement corrects the complacent adaptations that lead to back and joint pain, and teaches us to harness the body’s natural movement patterns into daily activities to make us fit, healthy, and pain free.Our sedentary lifestyle has led to an epidemic of chronic pain. By adapting to posture and movement that have us out of balance—including sitting all day at a keyboard, tilting our heads forward to look at our phones—we consistently compromise our joints, give our organs less room to function, and weaken our muscles. How we hold and live in our bodies is fundamental to our overall health, and the good news is that we all hold the key to a healthier body.Dr. Goodman has spent years studying human physiology and movement. He has trained world-class athletes for better performance, and has healed people of all ages and occupations of lifelong debilitating pain. His theory of self-healing is now available to everyone. His practical program trains the posterior muscle chain—shoulders, back, butt, and legs—shifting the burden of support away from joints and putting it back where it belongs: into large muscle groups.Filled with helpful diagrams and sixty color photographs, True to Form shows readers how to successfully integrate these powerful movements into everyday life—from playing with the kids to washing dishes to long hours in the office—transforming ordinary physical actions into active and mindful movements that help to eliminate pain, up your game, or simply feel more energetic. True to Form shows you how to move better, breathe better, and get back to using your body the way nature intended.
Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself
Rich Roll - 2012
Nearly fifty pounds overweight and unable to climb the stairs without stopping, he could see where his current sedentary life was taking him—and he woke up. Plunging into a new routine that prioritized a plant-based lifestyle and daily training, Rich morphed—in a matter of mere months—from out of shape, mid-life couch potato to endurance machine. Finding Ultra recounts Rich’s remarkable journey to the starting line of the elite Ultraman competition, which pits the world’s fittest humans in a 320-mile ordeal of swimming, biking, and running. And following that test, Rich conquered an even greater one: the EPIC5—five Ironman-distance triathlons, each on a different Hawaiian island, all completed in less than a week. In the years since Finding Ultra was published, Rich has become one of the world’s most recognized advocates of plant-based living. In this newly revised and updated edition, he shares the practices, tools, and techniques he uses for optimal performance, longevity, and wellness, including diet and nutrition protocols. Rich reflects on the steps he took to shift his mindset and leverage deep reservoirs of untapped potential to achieve success beyond his wildest imagination, urging each of us to embark on our own journey of self-discovery.
FASTer Way to Fat Loss
Amanda Tress - 2019
I am blown away by the results I have achieved and the energy that I have felt. I'm happy too! I haven't felt genuinely giddy and happy in a while. I am so thankful to have found a program that works." —Brandi O. "When I tell you that FASTer Way changed my life, it CHANGED MY LIFE. When I look at my before photo, I see someone who was unhappy with herself, someone who hated taking pictures, someone who was always exhausted and couldn't figure out why! But the person I see now? She's happy! She's confident! She's full of energy! She's ready to take on her day! I'm never going back." —Deanna S. "I can now say that FASTer Way has saved my life and brought ME back!" —Kelly P.
Jumpstart Your Metabolism: How To Lose Weight By Changing The Way You Breathe
Pam Grout - 1998
If you've tried every conceivable combination of diet and exercise and still can't shed those extra pounds, then perhaps you haven't discovered the hidden key to weight loss—proper breathing. By increasing the amount of oxygen you take in, you can help your body do a more efficient job of releasing hydrogen, the chief culprit in the storage of excess fat. And you'll be amazed at the benefits of learning to breathe the right way: -Reset your body's metabolism to burn calories more efficiently -Lose weight without complicated food restrictions or rigid exercise schedules -Feel more energized and less stressed Breathing coach Pam Grout will show you how with thirteen "energy cocktails," simple but powerful breathing exercises that you can incorporate into your daily routine, whether you're at your desk, in your car, standing in line, watching TV—nearly anywhere, anytime. Easy to learn and fun to do, the program in Jumpstart Your Metabolism will help you jumpstart the rest of your life!
Westside Barbell Book of Methods
Louie Simmons - 2000
The soviet system I started 30 years ago prolonged my career to the point where I made top 10 lifts at 54 years old. It has enabled Westside lifters to break 100 plus world records and has helped countless more. I am proud my resume is never up to date. Why? Because I constantly break new records all the time, check out our top lifts in the back of the book and then check out our website for correct records. You will be amazed!
Science and Practice of Strength Training
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky - 1995
A new coauthor, Dr. William Kraemer, joins Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky in expanding on the principles and concepts needed for training athletes. Among Dr. Kraemer's contributions are three new chapters targeting specific populations--women, young athletes, and seniors--plus the integration of new concepts into the other chapters.Together the authors have trained more than 1,000 elite athletes, including Olympic, world, continental, and national champions and record holders. The concepts they divulge are influenced by both Eastern European and North American perspectives. The authors integrate those concepts in solid principles, practical insights, coaching experiences, and directions based on scientific findings. This edition is much more practical than its predecessor; to this end, the book provides the practitioner with the understanding to craft strength training programs based on individuals' needs.Science and Practice of Strength Training, Second Edition, shows that there is no one program that works for any one person at all times or for all conditions. This book addresses the complexity of strength training programs while providing straightforward approaches to take under specific circumstances. Those approaches are applied to new physiological concepts and training practices, which provide readers with the most current information in the science and practice of strength training. The approaches are also applied to the three new chapters, which will help readers design safe and effective strength training programs for women, young athletes, and seniors. In addition, the authors provide examples of strength training programs to demonstrate the principles and concepts they explain in the book.The book is divided into three parts. Part I focuses on the basis of strength training, detailing concepts, task-specific strength, and athlete-specific strength. Part II covers methods of strength conditioning, delving into training intensity, timing, strength exercises, injury prevention, and goals. Part III explores training for specific populations. The book also includes suggested readings that can further aid readers in developing strength training programs.This expanded and updated coverage of strength training concepts will ground readers in the understanding they need in order to develop appropriate strength training programs for each person that they work with.
What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength
Scott Carney - 2017
Our ancestors crossed the Alps in animal skins and colonized the New World in loin cloths. They evaded predators and built civilizations with just their raw brainpower and inner grit. But things have changed and now comfort is king. Today we live in the thrall of constant climate control and exercise only when our office schedules permit. The technologies that we use to make us comfortable are so all-encompassing that they sever the biological link to a changing environment. Now we hate the cold and the heat. We suffer from autoimmune diseases. And many of us are chronically overweight. Most of us don't even realize that natural variation—sweating and shivering—is actually good for us. What Doesn't Kill Us uncovers how just about anyone can reclaim a measure of our species' evolutionary strength by tapping into the things that feel uncomfortable. When we slightly reimagine how our body fits into the world, we can condition ourselves to find resilience in unfamiliar environments. The feeling that something is missing from our daily routines is growing and has spawned a movement. Every year, millions of people forgo traditional gyms and push the limits of human endurance by doing boot camp style workouts in raw conditions. These extreme athletes train in CrossFit boxes, compete in Tough Mudders and challenge themselves in Spartan races. They are connecting with their environment and, whether they realize it or not, are changing their bodies. No one exemplifies this better than Dutch fitness guru Wim Hof, whose remarkable ability to control his body temperature in extreme cold has sparked a whirlwind of scientific study. Because of him, scientists in the United States and Europe are just beginning to understand how cold adaptation might help combat autoimmune diseases and chronic pains and, in some cases, even reverse diabetes. Award winning investigative journalist, Scott Carney dives into the fundamental philosophy at the root of this movement in three interlocking narratives. His own journey culminates in a record bending 28-hour climb up to the snowy peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro wearing nothing but a pair of running shorts and sneakers.
The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body
Bob Cooley - 2005
The Program: THE MERIDIAN FLEXIBILITY SYSTEM® provides stretches for 16 unique muscle groups with physiological and psychological benefits.
Total Immersion: A Revolutionary Way to Swim Better and Faster
Terry Laughlin - 1996
Step-by-step skill drills are provided which include how to: improve strokes to speed up conditioning; eliminate drag and create more propulsion with less energy; burn off fat through swimming; and use dry-land exercises to improve results in the water.
The Athlete's Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss
Christopher Bergland - 2007
The Athlete's Way program, focusing on cardio, strength, stretching, nutrition and sleep, uses neurobiology and behavioral models to enable you to think, train and behave like an athlete, making you more optimistic, resilient, and intense. You will want to get a glow on every day to increase your daily bliss quotient. Exercise will no longer be something to dread but something to enjoy and experience to the fullest. The Athlete's Way teaches you how to make exercise a source of joy and something you will want to engage in daily. Sweat will become a symbol of your striving for a standard of excellence and a solid work ethic that is synonymous with peak performance. The stamina, tenacity, and drive fortified through athletics--and this program--can be applied to any dream, obstacle, or goal you aspire to achieve. Christopher Bergland is a Manhattan-based world-class endurance athlete. He holds a Guinness World Record for treadmill running (153.76 miles in 24 hours) and has won the longest nonstop triathlon in the world three times. He completed The Triple Ironman, a 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, followed by a 78.6-mile run (done consecutively) in a record breaking time of 38 hours and 46 minutes. He directs the triathlon program at Chelsea Piers and has been sponsored by Kiehl's since 1996. He has been featured in dozens of TV, magazine, and newspaper articles including CNN, PBS, ABC, CBS, Fox, Men's Journal, ESPN magazine, and the L.A. Times. He currently manages a specialty sporting goods shop in New York City called "JackRabbit Sports." Inspiring Lessons from a World-class Endurance Athlete"I love to sweat. All told, I have run distance equal to four trips around the world on a treadmill and on the streets of Manhattan where I live. I have biked to the moon and back, dueling it out with a red, blinking pacer light on a LifeCycle control panel or logging countless laps in Central Park. I've even crossed the Atlantic a few times - in the pool - and I've swum in almost every ocean around the world competing in Ironman triathlons. When I am running, biking, or swimming, happiness pours out of me. I am not alone. Everyone who exercises regularly experiences this bliss. And it is available to you, too, anytime you break a sweat. The Athlete's Way is an individual process but ultimately a universal experience. We feel good when we sweat. I have learned how to find Nirvana on the treadmill, and I am going to teach you my secrets." --Christopher Bergland
Champions Body-for-LIFE
Art Carey - 2008
The Body-for-LIFE 12-week journey has changed the lives of millions. What makes it so successful?It's Simple. It Works.All it takes:12 weeks4 hours of exercise per week6 small, balanced, and nutritious meals per day—never be hungry againNow, Body-for-LIFE Champions and Challengers share how they created new and better lives for themselves, simply by following these three rules:1. Know your reasons for changing (Chapter 2)2. Write them down (Chapter 3)3. Get started (Chapter 4)You do have the power to change your body, your mind, your life.Read how men and women become Champions as you follow the 12-week story of two Body-for-LIFE Challengers. Mark Unger, a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Alexa Adair, a college student, share their personal Journeys of Transformation—from their Decisive Moments, to Starting the Challenge, Week 12, and a year later. Week by week, they chronicle the excitement, the tough moments, and the life-transforming experience of finishing their own personal Challenges.Science Shows Body-for-LIFE WorksFor more than 10 years, millions of people have proven with their real-life transformations that Body-for-LIFE works. Now science shows it works, too! In a clinical study of overweight men and women, the people who followed Body-for-LIFE:Lost approximately twice as much body and belly fat as the control group and moderate exercise higher-carb groupDecreased body fat by 21 percent on averageDecreased body weight by 11 pounds on averageDecreased belly fat by 26 percent on averageChampions Body-for-LIFE is for everyone—whether you're starting your first Body-for-LIFE Challenge or your fourth.
The Anatomy of Stretching
Brad Walker - 2007
At the heart of the book are 300 full-color illustrations that show the primary and secondary muscles worked in 115 key stretches arranged by body area. Author Brad Walker brings years of expertise—he works with elite-level and world-champion athletes, and lectures on injury prevention—to this how-to guide. He looks at stretching from every angle, including physiology and flexibility; the benefits of stretching; the different types of stretching; rules for safe stretching; and how to stretch properly. Aimed at fitness enthusiasts of any level, as well as at fitness pros, The Anatomy of Stretching also focuses on which stretches are useful for the alleviation or rehabilitation of specific sports injuries.
Athletic Body in Balance
Gray Cook - 2003
Traditional conditioning builds a fitness base, but modern sports training takes into account athletic movement patterns. Athletic Body in Balance is the first guide of its kind to show you how to train for smooth, fluid movement and prevent muscle imbalances, mobility restrictions, stability problems, and injuries.Physical therapist and sports conditioning expert Gray Cook has proven the effectiveness of his approach through the performances of athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, WNBA, and Reebok(R) University's sports training system. Cook's methods will help you identify functional weaknesses; correct imbalances; explore your potential; and refine sport-specific movement skills such as jumping, kicking, cutting, and turning. You will see where conditioning is breaking down and how to get your body back on track.Whereas other books concentrate on maximizing your strengths, Athletic Body in Balance focuses on exposing and overcoming your weaknesses to form a foundation for long-term training gains. Learn how to maintain what you gain and build on your improvements. Make this comprehensive assessment tool your training guide. Prepare and repair your body for ultimate athletic performance with Athletic Body in Balance.
Your Best Body at 40+: The 4-Week Plan to Get Back in Shape-and Stay Fit Forever!
Jeff Csatari - 2009
Revolutionary new science shows that you can build and maintain your best body ever--and outlive, outwit, and outlast men half your age—if you tap into the special powers of you in your prime.That's why we've created Your Best Body at 40+, your step-by-step guide to meaningful and lasting changes that will sculpt your body and prepare you for the prime of your life.Looking and feeling 10 years younger is within your grasp! Here's what you can expect to gain in as little as 4 weeks:• You will build muscle and lose up to 15 pounds of flab. We'll tell you why it's easier now than ever!• You will strip away stress and reduce your risk for age-related health problems. High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure--they're preventable, even reversible, say our experts!• You will look trimmer in your face and waist within 12 days! Just get to know the 10 foods you should eat every day.• You will feel energetic and athletic, and you'll look better than you did in your 30s. All it will cost you is 20 to 30 minutes a day!• You will have the best sex of your life, and more of it! Discover the secret sexual powers of the 40+ male body and how to unleash yours!• You will be happier, achieve greater success, and sleep more restfully than you ever imagined! Employ the mind-centering breathing trick before every important moment.Packed with tons of useful advice; no-gym, no-crunches workouts; tasty recipes with fat-fighting superfoods; plus a troubleshooter's reference guide to body maintenance and repair, Your Best Body at 40+ is the ultimate handbook for reinventing your life.