Product Description

Author Mike Boyle renowned strength and conditioning coach formerly with the Boston Bruins addresses movement body positions and abilities that are essential for success in competition. Through Functional Training for Sports you will improve your total athleticism enhance your performance and reduce injuries through exercise progressions that will spur your development potential for specific movement patterns you commonly use in your sport.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64039 in Books
• Brand: Human Kinetics
• Published on: 2003-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

About the Author
Michael Boyle is regarded as a leader in the field of strength and conditioning. Before his work with Athletes' Performance, Boyle was owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, which emphasized performance enhancement and injury prevention to provide athletes of all ages. Before opening his business, Boyle spent 17 years as the strength and conditioning coach at Boston University and 10 years as the strength and conditioning coach for the NHL's Boston Bruins. He was one of the first strength and conditioning coaches to prepare athletes specifically for the NFL Combine, a trend that is now industry-wide. He also was the strength and conditioning coach for the 1998 gold medal-winning U.S. women's Olympic ice hockey team. Widely known for his work with hockey players, Boyle also has trained athletes in many of the major professional sports leagues in North America, including the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and WNBA.

Customer Reviews

A no-nonsense approach to improved sports performance
As a personal trainer myself I read/scan/flick through quite a lot of exercise-related books. This one caught my eye mainly because of its use of the buzzword 'functional' in the title! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book does exactly what it says on the cover - it focuses on improved sports performance, not improved aesthetics. There is a sound emphasis on sports-general, multiple muscle integrated movement patterns, all presented with simplicity and clarity.

Mr. Boyle clearly speaks from a position of huge experience with athletes, and understands the practicalities of changing established training ideas. He points out the obvious failing of training too hard on the 'mirror muscles' (i.e. pecs/biceps etc - the ones we tend to see in the mirror), and not hard enough on the less visible ones (especially the scapular stabilisers).

The book is full of simple, implementable ideas for sports training (regardless of which sport you're training for, the majority of the ideas are useable). I found the chapters on lower leg balance/strength, torso training, and basic plyometrics particularly good.

superb guide to functional fitness
I orginally borrowed this book from my local library but I was so impressed with it's contents, and so sure that I'd be using it as an on-going source of reference, that I purchased a copy. I've read scores of training guides, in book form and on-line, over the years but this book is the most balanced and practical guide to athletic conditioning (rather than looking good in the mirror 'fitness') that I've come across. If I were still working as an instructor/personal trainer I'd undoubtedley point my clients towards this book.

Although these days I'm a middle-aged, strictly recreational athlete the deceptively simple looking exercises in this book have been highly beneficial to me, in particular during recovery from a debilitating back injury. In my case chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9, covering lower body strength and balance, hip extension and healthy hamstrings, torso training/rotational strength, and upper body strength and stability respectively have become, and I believe will continue to be, the 'core' of my injury recovery and prevention routines.

In some ways the exercises are 'back to basics' but the crucial issue is Boyle's amalgamation of input from physical therapy, in the form of 'core stability', into the exercise program. Those athletes who are familiar with Pilates may find this book to be a logical progression, and more performance focused, than classical Pilates mat work.

In summary this is a highly recommended book that covers aspects of physical conditioning for sports focused performance in a clear, accessible and logical progression, focusing on the importance of balance and core stability. It is, I believe, a much more practical guide than Gray Cook's very good 'Athletic Body in Balance'.

great book
no good for bodybuilders, perfect for athletes. Easy to read, plenty of exercises and very informative for everyone from casual trainer to competitive athlete.If you are a sportsperson following a bodybuilding style program do yourself a favour and buy this book.