Product Description

The second edition of a fitness manual written for endurance athletes, first published in 1988, which presents a systematic way to design, schedule, perform and monitor training programs, and shows how to prepare mentally for races, and stay motivated to train and win.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95286 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent training guides for endurance sports
Written by people who have been there, done it and trained others to do the same. I bought his book to help me write a training schedule; it's done all that and much more, allowing me to customise my approach to my training and seek the goals I want. Serious it might be, it's also a well written easy to read book with an emphasis on having fun and enjoying your training.

The older you become the harder it gets!
Whilst this book is aimed primarily at the serious endurance athlete, I wish to widen its appeal after having used the book to good effect at the age of 59. Consequently, I would suggest you do not allow yourself to be restricted by the title because you do not have to be a competitive endurance athlete to gain maximum profit from this work.

Nowadays, my own memories of winning the regimental mile (and in a very credible time!) are very distant. Nevertheless, I still go running with a pack on my back (old airborne habits die very hard!) as the battle of mind vs middle age spread enters the hardest phase yet. It is a fact that the older one gets, the harder all physical training becomes. This book, however, proved its worth in the first few pages by showing me an easier way to obtain similar results. After all, the book commences with; "Consider your own objectives." Says it all really.

There are many times in life when we all believe we know best and never more so than when it comes to physical training, but, consider this; If such training was as simple as just going for a jog, then why are others obtaining university degrees in the subject with some gaining high paid employment - especially in the field of sports injuries. The reality is, we who go for a run (and often do nothing else!) are not gaining maximum benefit from all that hard work.

Whilst the focus of the book remains the serious endurance athlete - and from which all such people will gain enormously from a thorough study of the content, I was particularly impressed by the way in which the book is able to benefit those of a lesser standard. There is no point in boring people with a blow-by-blow account of my own physical condition because no two people are alike. Nevertheless, if this work can be of great assistance to me - in my 60th year!, then there is something here for anyone with a wish to improve their own physical abilities and, therefore, their own appearance and, ultimately, health.

It is a simple fact that when you are fit and slim you not only look good but also feel good about yourself. Such results, however, are not obtained through liposuction, pills or other easy solutions - they are obtained through hard graft and physical endurance. What is important, therefore, is for each individual to start at their own level, understand that level and go on to gain maximum profit from their own physical input and this book shows the way.

Lesson one; Do not be embarrassed! Nobody is laughing just because you are wearing a tracksuit. Lesson two; Buy a copy of this book and make a start. Lesson three; Enjoy!

NM

Read this on your rest day!
The book which really makes sense of scientific training. If you don't have a coach, you should use this. The basic philosophy of the book is that trudging through the same hard wokout every day is not the answer - divide you're workouts according to their specific character, for example: intervals vs. overdistance (very easy, very far). Don't mash them together! Also good information on rest, nutrition, and planning the training year: what should I do this week?