Athletics Books

Cross-Training For Dummies is like having your own personal trainer! You pick a cross-training plan to follow (I picked the Weight Loss plan, but you can also choose from a "Base Fitness" plan, Athletic plan, or "Mix-n-Match" plan). Each plan tells you how much time you should spend on cardio and strength training, which exercises (cardio and strength training) you should try, and how much time you should spend on flexibility and power. Then, you just turn to the chapters they note to get a description of the exercise you should do! If you are already involved in a sport, you can also find exercises that will help you with that sport. Plus, there are a bunch of charts you can use to track your progress in your general health, body measurements, or weight training.

This book would be good for someone who is new to fitness and can be used as a reference to someone that already has a fitness lifestyle. It will answer alot of questions you may have but don't want to ask. I highly recommend this one!

I guess I'm kind of qualified to write this review because Herb's a friend of mine. He's a professor of African Studies now at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, and a world-renowed expert on mercenaries. Most of his students don't know he ever went through what he went through, but even without it, he's still one of the most popular, most beloved professors at Georgetown. This book just proves what a good man he really is. Highly recommended.

I read this in 1981 and return for few line review, 16 years later. Why? Because I still strongly recall the great encouragement it provided to me during that time. Afflicted with cancer, Mr. Howe, a man in his 20's, fights back w/the 90's moniker of a in-your-face tenacity. From his title, very heavy excercise, and a killer positive attitude to get IT before it gets him carries this work that would inspire many, if not all, present day motivational speakers. More than a biography, its strength is in the achieving what one once thought of as impossible.

I found this book provided innovative and real solutions to the various problems I've faced at my children's baseball and hockey games over the past several years.

I am very fortunate that I have two sons that are naturally talented
athletes and are always selected to be on travel and all-star teams. When I
read Fair Play I was surprised to find that despite the success my sons have
had I learned that they could be excelling and learning more if they were
invovled in programs such as the book suggests and illustrates. This is
truly a book for every parent to read.

I played field hockey about 9 years ago and recently my arm has been slightly twisted to coach middle school hockey. I had forgotten all the basics of the game and this book is a quick to the point guide. I like the pictures it provides and the drills. My goalie coach who had never even seen a game before has been able to use the book and apply it to coaching my goalies. I definitly recommend this book whether you are a coach who is looking for a break down of skills or a player looking to improve your game.

it gave me the winning touch!!!!! I want to reccomend this book for every field hockey player in the world!

This is must reading for parents and athletes. As a former high school coach I've seen many kids that struggled with not only the attention they receive as a top athlete, but with decisions they must make regarding their future education and/or career. This book will give the athlete and his/her family a step by step approach to the future. I really think that this book should serve as required reading in college. I don't believe that the NCAA or the professional leagues do enough to help prepare athletes for the future. Many of these athletes will make more money coming out of school than any CEO. Why don't we consider this education? Another thing this book does is teach that not everyone is going to make it to the big time, and all athletes need to prepare for the day the cheering stops. My hope is that every potential college or pro athlete takes the time to understand the lessons that Mr. Smith teaches.

This is must reading for parents and athletes. As a former high school coach I've seen many kids that struggled with not only the attention they receive as a top athlete, but with decisions they must make regarding their future education and/or career. This book will give the athlete and his/her family a step by step approach to the future. I really think that this book should serve as required reading in college. I don't believe that the NCAA or the professional leagues do enough to help prepare athletes for the future. Many of these athletes will make more money coming out of school than any CEO. Why don't we consider this education? Another thing this book does is teach that not everyone is going to make it to the big time, and all athletes need to prepare for the day the cheering stops. My hope is that every potential college or pro athlete takes the time to understand the lessons that Mr. Smith teaches.

Tom Waddell always planned on writing a book on his life. He thought he had more time, in life, to write about his life. However, his life was abruptly ended at the age of 49, before he could complete his journal about his life. ABC Sportscaster Dick Schapp completes Tom's dream of writing a book. Schapp first became interested in Waddell's life at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Waddell competed against U.S. Decathalon Champion Bill Toomey. While Waddell didn't win a medal, his time at the Mexico City Olympics was somewhat controversial. Waddell campaigned against the opression of African-Americans, in the Southern United States, and drew fire from the U.S. Olympic Committee. In his personal life, Waddell was also making news. After coming out of the closet, Waddell organized what was to have become the "Gay Olympics". However, the U.S. Olympic Comittee would not allow Waddell to use the word Olympic in the title of the games. That litigation began an ongoing legal battle that would not be solved until Waddell's death. In his personal life, Waddell was also controversial. He wanted a child so much, that he and a lesbian conceived what would become his daughter Jessica. He and Sara, another Olympic Athlete, later married. Waddell's dream of seeing his daughter grow up never materialized. He was one of the first to become infected with the HIV virus, and died in 1987. "Gay Olympian" is a moving account of Waddell's life. his love of life, sports, medicine and his daughter. Dick Schapp combines Waddell's Journal to his daughter with the story of Waddell's life. It also paints a disturbing picture of the vindictiveness of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the pain the organization caused in his life. I highly recommend this book

Tom Waddell is more than just the creator of the Gay Games, he is someone who has dedicated his life to making people feel welcome, making them feel accepted, no matter what is different about them.
This is the heartwarming story of a young man who knew the feeling of being "different" and decided to dedicate to fight intolerance and AIDS until the very end, his death.
After hearing about the Gay Games, I decided to write a paper for one of my classes about this. I interviewed people who had worked with Tom Waddell, and people who still worked for the Gay Games, that were held that year in my home country, the Netherlands.

The story of the 60 year old woman who had never participated in a sports contect before, who wasn't particularly athletic, who didn't win an official prize but who won the prize of being part of something fantastic. The story of the swimmers not getting out of the water to collect their medals, but to cheer for those still in the water.
These stories truly touched my heart, and I can't do anything but recommend this story to everyone. Gay or straight, "normal" or "different", Tom Waddell's will teach all of something about the true spirit of sports and games, love and acceptance.

This is a wonderfully strange and inticing little book. I came to the running revolution in the mid 70's with all the other boomers. 30 years, 23 marathons, hundreds of road races and 20+ years of coaching and I'm still addicted. My heroes were Ryun, Liquori, Prefontaine, Shorter and Rodgers. There was always this myth of a man named Gerry Lindgren who may have been the greatest high school runner ever. Legend had it that he ran ungodly mileage 150, 175, 200 miles a week. 50 mile runs, 80 mile runs. Lindgren has given us a special little book that recounts his high school years and his emergence as a world class runner. It is a beautiful window into his world. Writing it as his shadow allows him to use the third person which, in this case, works very well. His replays of his races and his internal dialogue are worth the price of the book. This is a great little read.

Gerry Lindgren is the greatest high school runner in history. In 1964, he was running within seconds of World Records and chasing the fastest runners in the world. He also won the Olympic Trials 10k. No high school runner before or since has come close to his accomplishments. He is also the closest any American has ever come to the World Record in the 3-mile/5000m, coming within 0.6 seconds of the world record in 1966. In 1965, he actually got the World Record in the 6-mile/10,000m. He logged 200 miles a week and inspired a generation of runners to excel. Selfless and tireless, Gerry broke barriers thought impossible and is a hero to thousands. He's finally written the first of two books on his life in running, and it is a treat for any fan of the golden era of American distance running, or for anyone wishing to be inspired to achieve personal excellence in running. A must-have.

I bought this book back in 1993 after listening to Larry North's Saturday afternoon radio show while living in Dallas, Texas. It was an "easy" read and made such perfect sense. Larry North is just simply inspiring.I have referred to this book on and off, rereading parts of it again for almost 10 years now. Each time I am reinspired and more motivated. This is not a fad diet or exercise program, it's a way of life.

I read several newsletters and magazines on health, nutrition, fitness, and longevity every month, and have read dozens of books on health and fitness. GET FIT is the ONLY book I've ever read where I could find NO misinformation. (Believe me, I looked hard!) And this book covers a lot of ground. Granted, GET FIT is no literary masterpiece, but it's easy to understand and enjoyable to read. If you're tired of fads and quackery, Larry North is the real deal.

This book was recomended to me by my doctor. I am athleticly cut but no bodybuilder, and have done prior reserch to my regular routine. This book showed me how to pass that plateau I always hit, and made working out more enjoyable. It's all about intensity and not overtraining, so my workouts are much harder yet shorter, and my gains are amazing. I cannot recomend this book highly enough.

Every serious bodybuilder, or even just your average lifter can benefit from the info in this book. It covers everything from what to eat, to how to lift. Inside there is an article about a world renown trainer, in florida, that guaranteed one half inch gain in upper arms, in only two days. Reguardless of the size of the arm or the size of the trainee the results were a given. If you are serious about this sport or are tired of all work with no results, this book will change your workouts forever.

This book gives great information and is very helpful to anyone looking to do any kind of training for sports or even for general conditioning very good workouts and drills to work on all levels of athleticism as well the book works on all aspects of being good at a sport. The drills and workouts given are phenomenal and are very straight forward. Plus it gives sport specific programs, written by experts. For example: the strength and conditioning for the Seattle Seahawks wrote the program and exercises for Football. The information is great and is very effective in improving performance in a sport.

Great book for anyone, beginner to advanced... exercise descriptions, modern information that is tried and true and explained effectively, and it is all put together in an orderly fashion.