Athletics Books

I loved Michael Lewis' Moneyball, and per the suggestion of a friend I picked up The Blind Side. While Moneyball was excellent, The Blind Side may have just topped it.

Michael Lewis has a gift for being able to tell a story in a way that explains the basics of an idea and makes it fascinating to learn about. Prior to reading this book, I would have classified myself as a casual NFL football fan; However, after reading Lewis' account of the evolution of the left tackle, it completely changed both the way I think about and watch the game.

As if redefining the game of football wasn't enough, Lewis also has taken a character in Michael Oher and created one of the most interesting, unlikely, and moving stories I have read about. Oher's story gives a sense of hope that by being surrounded by special, caring people, there is no limit to what one can accomplish.

A great book, easily one of the best I've read all year.

this is really a book of three parts: 1. one the emergence of the left tackle position in the nfl and how that happened (bill walsh). 2. michael oher taken in by the tuohys. and 3. michael oher becoming high school football sensation and blue chip recruit.
1. is interesting
2. is heartwarming
3. actually starts to totally undermine 2. i went from thinking the tuohys were great people who wanted to help a poor going nowhere kid to thinking maybe the tuohys were in on some master plan to bring big mike to ole miss. this is ultimately where the book fails, the scheming; also the book is entirely rushed at the end and has no sort of conclusion since oher is still a work in progress at a currently bad football school but seems to be highly thought of by nfl draft gurus. one hopes oher makes it but it seems a difficult road, in the nfl they won't diagram plays for you with kitchen chairs or ketchup bottles and the offenses are extremely complex.
all in all i wouldn't recommend this book it starts with promise but about halfway through you really lose faith in everyone concerned in the book and so it leaves a bad aftertaste.

My mom recommended this book to me and I finally saw it at the library and put it on the bottom of my reading pile. But when I started reading, I read it very quickly because it is so engaging. This is a book about football, but it is also a book about race and class relations, generosity, luck, and life. It challenges you to think about how far you would be willing to go to help another person and what might happen if you actually did that. Outstanding.

I saw the author interviewed by Barry Kibrick on the local community college television station. They disgussed the issue of the prohibition against organizations cultivating young potential college-ball recruits with gifts and aid and ["perhaps"] whether this was the motivation in adopting a child from the inner city, it was left unclear, of course BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A MONSTROUS THING TO ADOPT A CHILD SPECIFICALLY TO SERVE YOUR ALMA-MATERS FOOTBALL TEAM!!! This issue is deftly dealt with as an unconfronted secondary matter which really doesn't require that much attention--RIGHT!? This book delibrately avoids a hard look at a real manifestation of SLAVE CULTURE! The act itself renders secondary the childs life to a brief time on a college football team. It is saying that it is less important that a child has a history that is his own, that of his parents and grand parents, and not the history of the rich people who lived across town and were so proud of their third rate college team they just had to have a player--some kind of pet-mascot hybrid whose training program and life perspective and system of values can be molded in any way to suit that end enforcable by law--like a slave. Why? Because in their heart of hearts they believe in slavery. Like Milton Freidman says in "Capitalism and Freedom," [Robinson Crusoe, without his man Friday is not free, because he must fend for his own survival.] It becomes clearer as your read what Freidman means by this... it isn't the freedom of the wage earner that is of value protecting, nor those tied to a salary, or even the freedoms of those with a modicum of wealth, but those who've really created freedom like say in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars, or even better, billions of dollars worth of wealth. What Freidman shares with most other economists in this regard is this... he chooses to empathize with those most likely to offer him a career and not those who comprise the bulk of humanity. Like this book, "The Blind Side," which acknowldges social strife in the inner city just so far as it hinders a couple of ghoulish gnomes and the recruiting hinderances of their favorite college team! Screw this book, screw Michael Lewis and Barry Kibrick!

First to give you full disclosure I'm a University of Georgia (UGA)Ball Fan. In the South "Ball" means just one thing, football. Does your son play ball has only one meaning, unless you are a Tech fan, then it could mean basketball, but those guys still carry slide rules.

I bought this book because I thought it was a "sports story". I was wrong. It is an incredible human interest story, also. One which has caused me to laugh out loud and read some passages to my wife and, others, which made me cry.

This should be required reading for every school board official in the country.

Oprah ought to put it in her book club.

The author starts off explaining why an offensive left tackle is important in football (See Lawrence Taylor (L.T) and Joe (How I got my leg broken on national television) Thiesmann. It tells of the evolution of the passing game in the NFL from a steam-roller running game to a finesse passing game ala Bill Walsh (see west Coast Offense that was really born in Cincinnati).
I particular enjoyed the antidote about his official trip to visit the University of Tennessee.



But what will be of greater human interest is the overlay of the story of Michael Oher, the "man/child" currently playing football at Ole Miss. Oher shows up at a predominantly white Christian school in the 9th grade with virtually no school history and horrible family background. An incredibly shy 350 pound kid struggles but ingratiates himself to faculty and staff and manages to stick around. Finally one Thanksgiving Day a volunteer assistant coach and his wife see him at a bus stop in his usual shorts and recognize that in addition to no money for food, he is traveling to the gym to watch practice just to be in a heated room. Through incredible acts of kindness and caring this young man is taken in by this wealthy Christian family who attempt to socialize and educate him for the future.

But little did they realize that at 6' 6" with an incredible frame and quick feet, football coaches would see their answer to possibly the most important position on the football field and they would relentlessly come calling. This presents many problems as Oher has virtually no chance of attending college with his past educational background. Thus begins the odyssey of the recruiting wars for this individual who by the end of high school has been called the best pro prospect even though he has played in only 15 football games.

This portion of the book dominates approximately 60% of the book. It is incredibly touching and I certainly applaud the sympathetic, caring approach by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy. This book is not just for football fans as the issues here are much greater. How does a child get to the 9th grade with virtually no retention of knowledge or ability to function in a social setting? What can a change in culture and caring do for this young man? And other questions will also appear such as is their potential ulterior motives for selecting this student out of so many and wasn't the final steps to eligibility really inappropriate? As to my opinion I choose to believe that the Tuohy's were interested in helping another human being, and in the process, it enriched the lives of their family, this young man and the possibilities that a loving, caring environment can create.

I strongly recommend this book for football fans, sociologists, and people with interest in politics, religion, or Southern Culture as there are many issues intertwined. Once again, the weakness to this book may be that he narrowed its focus by making it a "sports book". It's not. Its main message concerns underprivileged kids and how a change in environment can produce incredible results

I thought it was hilarious that Sean Tuohy read Michael the following and told him that it was about Ole Miss going into the stadium at LSU (THE STADIUM IS KNOWN AS ""Death Valley,":


The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre-stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Oh, I'm an ex-artillery officer as well.

Highly recommended for educational professionals and members of Boards of education. It wouldn't hurt if you are a fan of college football ,either.


Gunner August, 2008

We are implementing stretching on the job and a copy of this book was purchased for each supervisor. It is simple to follow, organized by activity and will be very helpful with the implementation of our program.

This book covers every aspect of stretching, for every part of the body. Many illustrations help the reader understand and execute the movement. The three pillars of fitness are strength, agility, and endurance. The stretch routines in this book are a supplement to whatever strength training and aerobics excercise you currently do. The rewards from the relatively easy act of stretching are many, as are the rewards of this book.

All I wanted was to learn how to properly stretch to increase my flexibility and to prevent injuries. This book not only did that, but it hammered home the message that you shouldn't compare your flexibility to that of others, and that stretching has a multitude of practical benefits, besides flexibility. This is not a book for extremists trying to do the splits on two folding chairs with a child perched on their shoulders. I've never been able to touch my toes, but this book has shown me what stretches to do to get my hamstrings more limber and it's also shown me that stretching is beneficial in many more ways than just flexibility.

For anyone in the healthcare profession(s), this is a must for getting clients into proper home care or self care, as well as anyone wanting to improve their own range of motion and flexibility

I recently purchased the book "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. It is great a book for any one that has back problems, sore hamstrings or that just needs to stretch the body from soreness. It is extremely informative and easy to follow.

This is the Wal-Mart of Triathlon training guides. There is a representative in every department of training, but it does not contain enough of the depth of knowledge and detail that you would like from a "Bible" to be truly satisfying. Throughout the book you will find diluted versions of other works and training books/products (Pose Method, Total Immersion, Paleo Diet, etc). I've found that reading the original sources is much more satisfying for that craving of knowledge. If you are really looking to gain in depth knowledge about the skills, training, and diet necessary for triathlon I would recommend reading the following books as either a supplement or replacement for this book:

1. Dr. Nichloas Romanov's Pose Method of Running (and DVD)
2. Daniel's Running Formula
3. Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone
to Master Open-Water Swimming
4. Easy Freestyle DVD (also by Total Immersion)
5. Bicycling Magazine's Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills
6. The Paleo Diet

One word: AWSOME.

Get it as fast as you can. Everything is finally available for even the non-pro.

it takes either a lot of hubris or some sort of confidence to put "bible" into the title of your book. joe friel doesn't do so without good reason. not only does this book come highly recommended from my collegiate triathlon friends, but in taking a triathlon "class" this semester to help with my pre-season training, this was our supplementary textbook. a great book through and through with advice for athletes on so many levels from a proprietor of the (tri)sport.

Buy this book! If you are a Triathlete, novice or Elite, this book will help you to train smart and reach your goals! Period.

This is a great book for both beginnners and intermediate triathletes. The book contains the basics, as well as advanced techniques, of training. The concept of "periodization" was especially helful for me. It is easy to read and the author fully explains everything. It is does not matter whether you train for sprint events or Iron Man level events, the concepts still apply.

In the early twentieth century, we had "To kill a Mockingbird". Now in the twentieth century we have "until Proven Innocent". I highly recommend that you read this book.

As Nadine Strossen of the ACLU said in her blurb of "Until Proven Innocent," this book illustrates the importance of rights for the accused. Let's keep that in mind when we rush to judgement against the many, many people with far fewer resources who are accused of various crimes. Investigations utilizing DNA research have acquitted many people (mostly poor minorities) who not only had their reputations destroyed, but who spent years in a cage, sometimes on death row. It's curious how this case has gotten such sustained national attention, while far more egregious cases of false charges go barely mentioned, if at all. How many people are familiar with the case of the dozens of people of Tulia, Texas who were imprisoned by the acts of a single rogue DEA agent Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town? Matters are even worse when it comes to people of color who face charges of "terrorism." Actually, some of the Arab people we are "renditioning" in gulags around the world haven't even been formally charged. They've just been caught in the U.S. empire's unjust war of terror The Road to Guantanamo.

It is unacceptable that men are sometimes falsely accused. It is also unacceptable that each year in this country, around 30,000 women are impregnated through a sexual assault. It's also unacceptable that each night several hundred women will be punched, have their teeth knocked out, or be threatened by a man who reminds the woman that he has a gun.
It's this larger context of violence against women and the unjust imprisonment of minorities that the discussion of this case has ignored. Media figures who have given this case so much attention, like Sean Hannity, haven't said much of anything about the people on death row who Jesse Jackson helped to release. Many people who are concerned about the injustice of this case couldn't care less about the injustices activists like Jesse Jackson have been working on for years Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice and the Death Penalty. In fact, cases involving poor minorities being railroaded have become more likely since right-wing politicians have cut the funding for services like legal aid.

Two of the books that cover this case use the term "political correctness" in their title. Right-wing ideologues have massively publicized and seized upon this case to advance their perception management agenda PR! - A Social History of Spin. Meanwhile, they will systematically ignore even worse cases of being "found guilty until proven innocent," to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of people in prison for violations of unjust laws, such as the laws of the anti-Constitutional "War on some Drugs" Perpetual Prisoner Machine: How America Profits From Crime.

We need to look at cases like this in their larger context. We need to ask why there was such a coordinated and sustained effort to entrench this particular case in the public mind, while other cases are marginalized. And we need to avoid the efforts by some to use this case to diminish the very real and very common instances of violence against women.
Here are some resources for those who are interested in the related subjects of race, class, gender and justice:
Global Lockdown: Race, Gender, and the Prison-Industrial Complex
Slam
The Warehouse Prison: Disposal Of The New Dangerous Class
Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, The (8th Edition)
Overcoming Violence against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide Problem

So many of the other reviewers have so forcefully and eloquently expressed my feeling about the book, I need hardly add to them. But my "heading" is quite serious: This book is worthy of a Pulitzer and a National Book Award -- non-fiction, investigative reporting, whatever the categories. (I believe the Pulitzers are to be announced in early April.)
Bob

It is quite likely that the infamous Duke rape case chronicled in Taylor and Johnson's book will one day be regarded as the emblematic parable of our time - in much the same way that the McCarthy hearings have become the emblematic episode of the early 1950s Cold War. It is difficult to conceive of an event that could more starkly highlight the societal dysfunctions of our era.

Taylor and Johnson's book amply demonstrates the incompleteness of viewing the Duke rape case simply as a rogue prosecutor running amok, unfairly targeting three boys despite profuse evidence of their innocence, and getting his comeuppance in the end. However unethical his conduct, DA Nifong could not by himself have catapulted these young men to national infamy. That sorry result required the active collaboration of countless accomplices: in the media, on the Duke faculty and administration, and within associations dedicated to the propagation of identity-politics grievance-mongering.

Indeed, the distinguishing aspect of this case is not that a prosecutor attempted to wrongfully charge three boys with rape -- for it seems sadly inevitable that somewhere, sometime across this nation, some such prosecutorial misconduct will recur. What distinguishes the Duke case is the ease with which so many attempted to shoehorn the events into a preconceived narrative of race- and sex-based exploitation (a narrative further spiced with an element of "revenge of the nerds" (faculty and press) against the "jocks" they resented.)

It is daunting enough that so many would jump to completely unsubstantiated conclusions before all the facts were out. The even greater tragedy is that once the facts were known, many people in positions of power and influence simply chose to disregard them insofar as they were inconvenient to the fantasy narrative in which they had invested so much of their professional identity. Perhaps the most egregious example of this is the disgraced "Group of 88" Duke faculty, who published an ad that presumed the fact of a sexual assault, contained a series of anonymous, unsubstantiated race-baiting quotes, and which encouraged the noise of the mob over the dispassionate evaluation of the evidence. Sadly, most of the Group of 88 has failed to apologize for their contribution to the hysterical atmosphere that gave momentum to the wrongful prosecution, but has since portrayed themselves as victims rather than transgressors, and misrepresented the plain language and intent of their own published statements. The juvenility of the Group of 88's methods of processing information has been on public display, and it has been an ugly sight to behold.

The stubborn refusal of so many in academia and the press to recognize factual reality even in the face of overwhelming evidence rightly calls into question the states of both competence and ethics in America's universities and in press rooms. As one example, noted sports journalist John Feinstein, we now know, was exactly wrong in his initial written interpretations of events, yet still had the audacity to write an article well after the resolution of the case, decrying the continuing lack of accountability in the Duke athletic department, while himself once again getting the facts wrong, and oblivious to the irony of his own calls for accountability in others. That so many in academia and journalism could sail blithely through this episode without looking themselves in the mirror and acknowledging their own pivotal roles in a gross injustice, sadly, speaks volumes about the state of both professions, and greatly explains growing public cynicism about each. Nifong was prosecuted for his misconduct, but Feinstein, Nancy Grace, and the Group of 88, among others, are still paid handsomely to prattle on as though their credibility is intact.

Taylor and Johnson relate the facts of the case in vivid, gripping detail. I give the book four stars rather than five because at places the text veers unattractively into an overheated blog style. The story is damning enough without this occasionally hamhanded commentary by the authors. But this is a minor sour note in the book; the reader is likely to be so incensed by the facts of the case, of which this is the best available history, that they will be unperturbed by stylistic imperfections.

Perhaps the clearest picture of the insidious forces of illiberalism that tried their best to deprive these young men of their freedom is obtained by drawing analogies with the McCarthyism of the 50s, as the authors do. It is frighteningly easy the way some people can change from persecutee to persecutor in such a short time. What is just as worrying is that this illiberal bloc that has developed in the States is mirrored all over the western world by similar forces in each country, which have spread like a particularly virulent fungus to wherever democracy has taken root, and which all guarantee the continuation of similar injustices, while the individuals involved continue their backpatting, under the illusion that they are fighting for freedom rather than against it. Well, this book is a wake-up call for you guys - the party's over, or at least winding down. For so long, critics of illiberalism have been branded right wing conservatives, fundamentalists, etc. if they so much as raised a voice in protest. It is important to all reading this review for you to know that by buying and reading this book, and throwing in your weight against these disturbing forces in our society, you are not throwing yourself in with conservative, reactionary, forces, but are in fact, taking a stand against them. This book is a Godsend to all who have suffered from today's McCarthyists, be they in America or around the world, because it gives an insight into the kind of minds that are ruining any hope of a decent society for our descendants to grow up in, and it is to these innocents that every thinking man and woman is morally obliged to ensure that those who have perverted the names of equality and correctness fail to reach the misty, utopian goals they have set for all of us.

I bought this more than a year ago. Gave it a short trial and off it went to my bookshelf. At the beginning of this season, my handicap was 14(mainly due to a decent short game). I started practicing on the grass vs mat twice a week. As a result, I was forced to improve the fundamental of weight transfer.

I was going to play at poppy hills last month and I looked for the CD that comes with this book and listened to it in my car, but I don't think it helped me much during that round.

So why 4 stars?

I have realized that if I carefully follow the "L" drill mentioned in the book, it sets up the club on a good path and I can feel the club hitting the ball more squarely. As a result, the number of good hits went up significantly during the practice. So, in my opinion, the practice drills mentioned in the book has greater significance than the tempo theory covered in the book/CD.

I have had practice sessions where I was hitting the balls while listening to the tempo tones on my iPhone. Although, I was matching my swing to the tones, the results were inconsistent because I was not following the fundamentals consistently.

Whenever I follow the test tones along with setting up my hands in "L" position properly during my backswing, the entire swing becomes effortless with great results.

So, why not 5 stars?

That's because, greater emphasis is placed on tempo theory/tones. After you watch the video on the included CD, you get the feeling that if you can match my swing speed with the tones, you can hit the balls solid, your swing speed with increase, blah blah blah. In short, the book oversells tempo to beginning/intermediate golfer.

I recommend this book/CD along with "The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing:..", to cover the fundamentals and tempo.

Good luck with your game and don't forget to practice your short game along with full swing! Cheers..

Tour Tempo is a very useful instructional book for someone who has an intermediate level of golf ability/experience. It may be the only golf book that deals with how fast one should swing, as opposed to the detailed positions and mechanics that also make up a golf swing. Tempo is indeed important in a golf swing, because a golf swing is not a static event.

This book is the perfect complement to another terrific instructional book, 'The Keys to the Effortless Swing' as Amazon noted.

As a coach and instructor I am allways looking for information that helps to explain aspects of the golf swing to my students. Tour Tempo has provided me with just another way of explaining what the effect of taking the club away to slowly will have on distance and direction. Thank you
John Novosel for your insite. Coach H.Turk Walker

Great product as everyone else points out. Such a simple idea, yet so remarkably capable of fixing your swing. I didn't realize just how mush I was trying to muscle the club, rather then let my natural tempo and fluidity carry it. I'm the kind of person who needs a swing thought, but at the same time they make me stiff and awkward. But if my swing thought is tempo, i.e. proper speed back and through, I become much more free loose and less timid, the club glides along rather then feeling like I have to reroute it and muscle it back to the ball. Truly a great book.

Tour tempo is easy to read, the concept is very simple to adopt and more importantly works! The downside is my wife thinks I have lost my mind walking around saying swing, set, through!

I wish I would of had a book like this when I was running in high school and college. Loaded with valuable info, covering just about everything.

Daniels does a good job explaining all of his different ideas: the 4 (sometimes 5) phases in a training cycle, his different intensities (easy, moderate/marathon pace, interval, rep, f pace), and includes some very detailed training programs. He has general training programs, as well as programs for the 800, 800/1500, 1500/3000, cross, 5k-15k, and three marathon programs. Throughout the book he does a good job explaining everything and though at some points it can be "scientific", nothing is over the top and can be understood by probably just about anyone. He also includes helpful sections on topics such as overtraining, supplemental training, what to do during unplanned and planned breaks from running, and race preparation. Overall this is a very thoughtful, well laid out book. However, as Daniels himself says, this is just one approach to training and while he does include detailed programs, it is best to pull ideas out of the book that work for you- you cant just superimpose all of his training ideas onto your own running plan.

After being dissapointed and wasting money on many of todays running/training books, i found Daniels to be almost a bible for runners and coaches....Jack daniels is a genious in the way he has put together such a complete easy to understand book....it covers all aspect of training, no stone is left unturned and i can honestly say that anyone who follows his training tables and intensity charts will get faster!!!!
all the guess work is taken out of training...it even has several great training programms for most distances..and they work...i have read this book cover to cover several times and still learn something new each time....all the athletes i coach are making faster and safer progress due to his training guidlines...well done Jack Daniels

As a multi events coach in "the old days", I have more or less had distance coaching thrust upon me by some new athletes. Jack's book was suggested by a coaching collegue and I am not disappointed. It has lots of information that I imperfectly understood. Most impressed with the idea of working EASIER/SMARTER when running too fast is actually harmful to your training goals. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Scott Glaspey, Powell River, BC Canada

I think Dr. Daniels does a fine job of explaining the purpose of each of the exercises. His explanations of the physiological and metabolic changes that each specific run and intensity is trying to accomplish is helpful for people without a medical backround. However, he definitely slants the book towards collegiate and elite level athletes. As a novice runner, I found a lot of this irrelevant. I won't be running 6-7 days a week with a wife, two small children, and a busy career. I think for the bulk of Americans who run, we run for health and fun rather than to win titles and prizes. I think there are probably 300-500 people in the USA who can really follow his top training plan. For a book with less science explanation and a more realistic training schedule, try Run Less, Run Faster by Pierce , Murr and Moss. It does touch on some of the science but nearly as in depth but I found that it was more applicable to the average American's schedule.

I've used this program for several years as part of my PT training cycle, and even as Ranger school prep with outstanding results. If you need a program that takes you away from the weights or you are bored easily with your workout, his program will push you out of your comfort bubble and keep you interested, especially when you see the results.

This is one of the best fitness programs ever. Regardless of if you are trying to become a Navy SEAL or not this is a great physical fitness program. The exercises are explained well and and theprogram is easy to follow. Great tips for just overall fitness are included throughout the book. I love it and use stuff from it all the time. I will be buying products from Stew Smith in the future.

If you are looking for a book that will get you into shape as well as give you a great look, well this is the book for you. I used this book a few times now and each time always see results. I must say one thing though if you are not dedicated don't buy this book. You will just be wasting you money. It is for a person with a great deal of desire and personel resolve. All in all this book is worth its weight in gold. No matter what physical expectation you are looking for this is the book for you. I have tried many other workout books and none seem to even come close to the quality of this. Just get this book and it will be your companion for a long time.

The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness is the most complete and informative SEAL preparation guide available.

The guide covers everything needed to prepare for BUD/S. It starts off by explaining how to properly warm up, then moves on to the exercises that are experienced in the workout. All of the stretches and exercises have excellent photos showing exactly how they are to be performed. There is also a helpful workout devoted to those who wish to start the 12 weeks to BUD/S workout, but who aren't yet in proper shape.

Not only does this guide cover workouts to get physically and mentally prepared for BUD/S, but it also covers how to properly run in the sand, techniques for climbing rope, and how to perform the Combat Swimmer Stroke.

All I can say is that this workout got me into the greatest shape of my life. I did the workout my senior year in high school and gained 15 pounds of pure muscle. I went from doing 13 pullups to 25 after the workout, and from 42 pushups to 100. Definite increase in chest size and some in arm size as well. Abs are now well defined. But that is not the best part. No, the best part is the unstoppable confidence that you gain from doing the workout - after this, I felt like I could do ANYTHING I set my mind to. Trust me, this workout is not easy, but it IS entirely doable. Just thinking back to the lonely nights where I was mentally and physically exhausted, having completed 60 pullups, 150 pushups, 300 situps, 100 dips...only to know that I was only halfway done...and pushing THROUGH that mental barrier gave me the utmost gratification. You feel powerful after each workout, knowing that you are doing something that the average man could not even dream of, and knowing that YOU possess the self-discipline to make yourself great is the most wonderous benefit that you will walk away with...if you complete it.

This book is not only trains your body, but your mind as well. Do it. Hooyah!!!

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I was recommended this book by a guy from my church who lost something like 50 lbs on the program. I checked it out and was impressed that the program was both simple and yet also up to date with contemporary fitness research. It takes much of what I've read in books on fitness and nutrition and what my trainer has told me and puts it into a program that is simple to follow and easy to remember. It is probably not for the intense athletes or serious body-builders, but for those who want to stay or get into shape and stay there while still living a relatively normal and busy 21st century lifestyle, it is quite good.

I am not sure this is the correct style for everyone. I am trying to get strong which is typically done using heavy weight and low reps. And this training is not designed for that. I think you can only get so strong with this style because you will burn out before you build up.

I think this may work for some people, but I am suspicious of any book that tells you that you only have to work out for half an hour a week to get good results. I tried the method detailed in the book (extremely slow and intense lifting without a break for half an hour) and didn't find it to be as effective for me as stated. However, that said, I am sure it does work for some. For me, the main benefit of this book is the detailed instructions he provides on how to use various weight lifting machines.

If you're interested in the idea of lifting weight slowly, there are 3 books, that I am aware of, to consider:

1) Super Slow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol, by Hutchins
2) The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution, by Hahn
3) Power of 10, by Zickerman

To sum up 1-3: lift weights slowly to help lessen momentum so you are lifting the weight using as much muscle as possible, which will lead to muscle failure, and can help reduce the possibility of injury. Also be wary of the stress caused by aerobics. Work out less per week so you have time for a real life, and follow a sensible diet.

Note that 1-3 all are preachy about weights being superior to health over aerobic exercise, although 3) is much less so. Also note that they don't seem to say 'get rid of' cardio, but that weightlifting provides some cardiovascular benefits itself, and to do aerobics as a supplement never as a substitute.

Some miscellaneous comments:

1) reads like a dissertation or a scientific manual, while 2) and 3) are popular reading, 3) moreso.

I like the comparison to taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan) that 1) makes.

Dislike the endless "this worked for me!" anecdotes in 1-3.

3) seems to have zero references.

2) and 3) take a lot of material from 1).

3) doesn't seem to be against stretching, but rather says stretching is built into the slow moving full range of motion system.

Final verdict? Get 3) because it is less preachy, costs less, and presents the main ideas from 1) in a more accessible form.

This program has helped me lose the "last 10 pounds." My muscle tone has improved by leaps and bounds as has my balance and flexibility. As an added incentive, I lost 10 pounds! I recommend this program because it is well blanced, fun, and challenging. As an "over 50" R.N., I can see the benefits even for disabled patients I work with. The only weakness is compiling all the exercises into a book for use in the gym. I tore apart a book and copied each page, enlarging at the same time, and then arranged in a notebook according to the daily plan. A benefit is the web site where you can actually see the exercises demonstrated as well as the CD that is available (info in the back of the book)

This book is great for beginning fitness levels and experts alike. It is very detailed and thorough. I recommend it to coaches, trainers, and athlete

I was very excited about the workout routine and really think the concept makes sense.He was good at getting your attention and reminding you that it's not all about looks but about health for years to come.
What I didn't like was that it was very confusing to me. The way it was laid out and the terms used were kinda of tricky for me to remember.
I felt like I had to plan out what I was going to do for 15 minutes before doing a single exercise.
I also didn't see any mention about how to customize exercises for those that have knee problems or other issues someone may have. I know he cannot address everyone's problems but there doesn't seem to be any advice in that area.
I think I would have rather borrowed the book from a friend/library but now that I have it I will continue with the program.

Like alot of the excersices but some are a bit to advanced. Lost a few pounds tho. :-)

I originally checked this book out at the library thinking it would just be another repeat of other core books I have read, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have been a certified personal trainer for 4 years and some material can get pretty redundant, so I'm always looking for fresh new ideas on fitness. This book was very informative on not only exercises for strengthening the core, but also proper nutrition and recovery tips. I share a lot of the author's ideas and beliefs regarding all of these issues, so I decided to buy this book from my favorite online store- Amazon. You will wear this book out, it's great.

An avid runner, I enjoyed the book immensely. Read it before you hit the roads.

i am always interested in reading about successful athletes. pre was a great read, simple easy read, some great insight on pre from some of his running partners. i enjoy the statistics and he had many.

Taken too young from us - will always be a hero to us.
Read this motivational book.

This is an excellent read for anyone. You don't have to know who Steve was to enjoy this book. The book has a lot of information and details that were not in the movies.

This is one of the few negative reviews I have ever given. But I bought this book because I think Pre is interesting and I love Track and Field.

This book is sooooo boring. I forced myself to finish after a few months of reading it on and off. This is basically a book just listing times from races and people talking about how much they loved Pre.

Do NOT buy this book!