Athletics Books

Mentzer tends to ramble too much and go off on tangents. As a result you will not hear much about the actual weight training program and advice till around page 102, the Chapter, "Let's Get to It." This book could and should have been much shorter. He is not cocksure and reminds readers that everyone's body will respond differently to excercise. High intensity training or the Mentzer method is about training for a short duration with high intensity. If your progress slows in response to lifting weights, you need to higher the intensity of your workouts, as opposed to working out for a longer duration.

Step by step, comprehensible and this methodology
applies to all groups of people with remarkable
results.

In one word >> * Revolutionary *

As the Vice President of Operations of W.I.T.S., a 5 week national fitness certification course, I have found this book to be very thorough and easy to read. Most textbooks assume alot of base knowledge and tend not to explain in detail, the way this book does. Our schools use this book in all 58 locations.

I read the ACE Personal Trainer Manual cover to cover (except the nutrition chapter since I have a nutrition degree) and did the exercises in the workbook (separate purchase). I easily passed the ACE Personal Trainer Exam on the first try, even though the exam is notorious for trying to be tricky. This 500 page textbook provides the information needed to pass the exam and a description of the exam's four sections. The seven parts of the book are (1) Exercise Science (chapters in anatomy, exercise physiology, biomechanics and nutrition), (2) Screening and Evaluation (includes health screening and fitness testing), (3) Principles and Methods of Training (includes cardio, strength training, and flexibility), (4) Individualized Program Design (healthy adults and special populations), (5) Leadership and Implementation (motivation, communication, and teaching techniques), (6) Injury Prevention and First Aid, (7) Legal Issues. Each chapter is written by a well-known fitness industry professional. The concepts are explained well enough for the beginning personal trainer student to understand, and in sufficient depth to get one started in the industry. The book can also serve as a reference of basic concepts, for example, as a refresher of the muscles of the rotator cuff, or the table of cardiorespiratory fitness level classifications in METS. The visuals, although in black and white, are extremely helpful, especially the anatomical drawings, and the photographs showing many common stretches and exercises (machine, free-weight, and floor) to work various muscles, along with the proper spotting technique. There's a helpful glossary as well.

I recommend this book for anyone who will be taking the ACE personal trainer exam, fitness and personal trainer students, and personal trainers getting started in the field or who otherwise could use a basic reference.

Note to fellow college instructors: This would be a suitable text for an undergraduate vocational course in personal training, as it does an excellent job explaining what personal trainers need to know. However, it lacks the scientific depth and research review needed for an exercise physiology course.

This is a great reference for sports rehab, PT's, ATC's would benefit from this up to date techniques. Has great pic's to go with techniques. A must have for the sports rehab professional.

This book showed many rehabilitation techniques that if used correctly bring great gains in the rehab process of an injured athlete. The authors do a good job explaining the rationale and principles behind the rehab technique and the time in the healing process.

I bought this book because I wanted help gaining weight. Seriously. Anyway, this book provides basic information on how to eat effectively if you exercise. The first half details carbohydrates, protein, fat, water and vitamins. The latter half discusses eating plans and calorie intake. I would like to see a revised edition (this edition is from 1991; perhaps her other book is an update of sorts) discussing some of that frou-frou wellness stuff, types of protein (e.g. soy versus whey), amino acids, etc. But it's a good book and it was hard to locate among all of those weight-loss specific books.

I found it to be very well written. Some health books can put you to sleep. Liz Applegate knows here stuff and knows how to write about it. She's smart and sensitive about life. She makes it clear and in laypersons terms. The book should be read by everyone wanting to learn about nutrition and health. Thank you, Liz Applegate for making me interested in health again

In spite of being a bit dated in terms of the pictures, and very basic info, Steve does a great job of motivating the reader to get and stay fit by power walking. It is not a book about olympic style speed walking but rather a book for a lifestyle change. I applaud the author, as he was ahead of his time (unfortunately it was published before the web came to be otherwise this would have caused a fitness revolution). I highly recommend it!

I got his book when it first came out in 82-83 as a high school athlete looking for ways to crosstrain and get ready for marine Bootcamp. I did this for three months prior to Marine Boot Camp, a 3 month, strength and endurance proposition as any Marine can tell you. I graduated honor man in my Platoon and have been in the military for 22 years at this time. I reccommend this program to any age, especially if you are coming off a knee surgery or other overuse injuries. Or if you are new to fitness, it was definitley ahead of it's time. I have since Lost my copy, plan to order another one and reccommend this program to others, it's cheap and you get what you put into it, like any excercise program.All you need are some good shoes and 10 dollar dumbells you can buy at wallyworld. RIP Steve, you were a great inspiration to me....

This book is packed with great information and interviews. It's easy to read, and keeps you interested with real stories from the author's experiences with his sons as well as those of others. It was nice to read the story of a single parent who really succeeded in raising his children to be good people. The inspirational quotes are great too. If you're a parent, you should grab this book. It's not just for parents who are heavy into sports, but hit on topics that all parents should be concerned about: childhood obesity and healthy exercise needs as well as ethics and character.

Theodore Dance, former athlete and proud father of two sons, challenged them to become outstanding athletes. Both sons went on to earn college scholarships, break records, win state championships, and play in the NFL. From the time they could walk, he taught them the important role sports can play in a young man's life. That discipline, mental and physical strength and financial opportunity can all come from pursuing sports on a serious level.

Dance wrote this book because of the outpouring of questions on his parenting success. It teaches young boys that athletics is only a part of the equation for balance and growth into manhood. That set backs and disappointments increase maturity. That winning is not everything; in fact losing is as important as winning when it comes to development. With the help of a few sports figures, Dance sends a message to parents and student athletes alike which resonates from fields to courts to rinks. Dance's greater message is that as much as he has enjoyed his son's athletic success, he is most proud of the character they possess, their honesty, humbled spirit, integrity, and academic achievement.

RAISING ATHELETIC STARS confronts difficult issues in youth sports in a thoughtful and powerful way. And sheds positive incite on all the negative issues confronting professional sports today. This is a must read for any family serious about sports.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This book is awesome for PE ideas. Illustrations are good and little if no preparation is needed to implement activities in the book.

simply put, Ready-to-Use, I used many of the ideas right away. Great book to get ideas from & then go from there...

Running The Athlete Within by David Costill (John and Janice Fisher Chair in Exercise Science, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University) and Scott Trappe (Director, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University) is a straightforward and "user friendly" guide to understanding how men and women can best balance training, rest, and nutrition into a healthy and competitive running/exercise regimen. Firmly grounded in solid scientific backing, Running The Athlete Within covers the effects of aging on one's ability to run and enjoy it, optimizing one's performance, special considerations for female and pregnant runners, and much more. Running The Athlete Within is very highly recommended reading for the long distance runner and the cardiovascular fitness enthusiast.

This book really ought to be called "The Distance Runner" because its focus is entirely on that topic; sprinting is only discussed when it provides an illuminating contrast to the distance sport. Also, there are an annoying amount of typos and grammatical errors in the book. They don't interfere with information transfer, but they brought me up mentally every time I crossed one and they come across as unprofessional. Those nits aside, this is an excellent discussion of past and current research on the effects of running on the human body and methods to maximize training and race performance. Costill and Trappe discuss the physiology of elite runners vs. the untrained, safe and effective training methods, differences between male and female runners, and the effects on aging on performance. An educational resource for runners at all levels.

A Season with Dick Bennett, an inside look at Bennett's Wisconsin basketball team during the 1996-1997 season, is outstanding. I'm sure many people looking at this review have no idea who Dick Bennett was. This is unfortunate, as Bennett was a terrific coach who did not get the publicity of, say, Bobby Knight or Dean Smith. Ferris does a terrific job of introducing the Dick Bennett to the reader. The book is somewhat similar to Feinstein's Season on the Brink,although not quite as good. (To be sure, the subject is a far more sympathetic figure).

Ferris, a coach himself, gives the reader a revealing look at Dick Bennett, not only as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a husband, father, and mentor to his players. Bennett, while not as well known as Bobby Knight or Dean Smith, was one of the best coaches in the game. He would take a less than superb Wisconsin team to the Final Four three years later. In this book, he is portrayed as both an excellent coach and an outstanding, if flawed, human being. Most readers will , as I did, come to the conclusion that Bennett is as good a person as Ferris portrays him. Bennett is proof that a coach does not have to be a boor (e.g. Bobby Knight) to win at the Division I level.

The reader will also appreciate Ferris' inclusion of a glossary, as some of the terms used in the book were fairly technical and might not be understood by a casual basketball fan. Basketball coaches, whether high school or college, will gain from studying Bennett's philosophy. My only complaint with Ferris is that he does not ask the Badger players how they feel about playing for Coach Bennett. Without that perspective, I felt the portrayal of Dick Bennett was incomplete. Nevertheless, I still recommend this book.

One sequel I'm sure many Badger fans would love to read: the story of Bennett leading Wisconsin to their miraculous run to the Final Four in 2000. Given the relative lack of talent on that team, the word miraculous is not an overstatement.

This book provides a great portrait of an educator dedicated to excellence. Coach Bennett provides the author with intimate access to not only his team, practices, games, and staff meetings, but inside his own life and thought processes. What is exposed is a man dedicated to faith, family, and dedication to excellence. His strong Christian values are reflected in the five intangible concepts stressed to his team: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood, and Thankfulness. Of particular interest is the role of faith through the tough times a highly competitive season brings, dealing with the anger and disappointment that can result, then using those situations as a catalyst for change and improvement. A chapter "Prepare To Succeed By First Eliminating Failure" is must reading for any dedicated basketball coach. His feelings on the down side of personal competitiveness and the skewing of personal priorities are outstanding reflections. In a time where coaching has become in many instances style over substance, Coach Bennett's team concepts and personal toughness in the face of adversity reveal the substance of a champion on and off the court. His insights on Indiana's Bob Knight during their preparation to compete are interesting as well. Eric Ferris's book provides the reader with an intimate look at the competitive toughness needed to succeed in major college basketball. Anyone who liked "Bob Knight, His Own Man", John Wooden's "Reflections On A Lifetime", and "The Smart Take From the Strong" will love this book.