Athletics Books

This book is well written, easy to use and read. This simple and short volume is best thought of as a graphical "how to perform the movements" exercise guide. I recommend it for anyone.

But im only 14 so i havent fully developed yet, so i have hope that with this i will not stunt my growth and still get tough muscles. I also lift weights so if i update this , i might be wrong...

I think the book is excellent for anyone interested in personal fitness, regardless of whether or not they have joined or will join the marine corp. The stretches, explanations, and workouts seem to be carefully reviewed by professional physiologists and excercise scientists, but I dont know if that is really the case. the nutritional information is solid. It gives insights into boot camp and the marines life.

The 16-day workout plan and the exercise tutorials are good. A lot of the book has no use to the average home user. Unless you have access to a military training ground. It does highlight some of the stuff you will do in boot camp.

I liked this book. To complement what other reviewers wrote, the book has actual day by day schedule of Marine boot camp pt exersices. It highlights the difference between OCS at Quantico and Parris Island/San Diego recruit training. In addition to daily 16 it has workout schemes for different time schedules. The photos were useful, as many would concentrate on a particular machine or exersice and show it from various viewpoints.

David

My firefighter son was pleased to see the printed version of his DVD, which he did not know existed.

This quick read will get you on the road to sculpting any part of your body. There are also great tips to help you keep yourself fit.

I tried just the pushups the way he describes and I've finally lost that "droop" in my chest!
Plus how to do the equation on how many calories you burn when working out on any excersise you do.

I recently purchased the book and should say that this is reasonable guide for a regular person - it describes very well all necessary components for keeping yourself fit. I find the book as good for both men and women; in fact, I gave it to my wife to read and she liked it. It is easy to read and is structured well. Being myself in athletics for 10 years up untill 15 years ago, I support the author in his approach that simply pumping muscles will not make you healthy, but requires a good plan and steady execution.
What is missing is more exercises for different muscle groups and graphical presentations for them - "a picture worth a thousand words"...
This is not in any sense a book for bodybuilding, but an overall a good book to keep yourself fit.

I picked up Mr. Stefano's book shortly after receiving a back injury which sidelined me for several months. As a result, I ended up gaining a few extra pounds which I was eager to be rid of. The book is 8 chapters in under 130 pages, so it's a quick read. The writing style is direct and to the point, and Mr. Stefano throws in stories from his firefighting career to keep things interesting and stress specific points he's trying to make. He addresses topics such as cardio vs. strength training, diet and caloric intake, specific exercises, and staying motivated. The book is directed at beginners, and he gives enough info to be useful, but not enough to overwhelm. I've been working out using the book's techniques for about 90 days now, and in that time I've lost 15 pounds and made noticeable gains in stamina and strength. I think 30 minutes a day is a little optimistic on his part, though. My workouts tend to last closer to an hour, but since I'm achieving measurable results, I don't think that's a bad thing. If you're willing to dedicate a little time and discipline though, you'll find this book to be a worthwhile purchase.

"The Real Americans" is a well written and researched book. I have always wondered about the beginings of Carlisle. I was would have like to see more about the students who attended. It was very sparce on details about the ending of the Carlisle a school. The young girls who atttended the school, what were their accomplishments. Not enough pictures of the students and Jim Thorpe. I was looking for more of the latter. As an overall review of the book, I found it very interesting and worth the reading time.

This is actually three intertwined books. It begins with a history of the later stages of the Indian Wars in the American West and the slow steady marginalization of the Indians that followed. It then details the formation and history of the Carlisle Indian School, which was an important part of efforts to "civilize" the Indians. Finally, it follows the early history of football, mostly by relating the history of one of the most remarkable football teams of all, the Carlisle Indians.

It would be remarkable enough to do justice to any of those subjects in one short book, but the author manages to seamlessly intertwine all three in a page-turner of a narrative. Along the way, she paints detailed portraits of many of the complicated people who created the history.

The cumulative result is a thoroughly enjoyable book that is at the same time vitally important. An amazing number of issues dealt with in the book-- including the manner in which the US deals with its Native American peoples, the proper role of football at American colleges, and the nature of true amateurism in athletics-- have not been resolved even today, nearly a hundred years after the events related here.

This is a remarkable book that will more than justify the time taken to read it.

As a guy rule of thumb, when your wife says "I think you should read this book about football", it's a good idea to listen to her. My wife started recommending this book after the first chapter, and I was happy when she finally turned it over to me. Sally Jenkins' "The Real All Americans" is by turns fascinating, entertaining, and moving.

Anyone who has ever played football is likely to enjoy the description of the early stages of the game. It is amazing how brutal it could be, and how little regard there was for the "rules" such as they were, of the day. The phrase "if you're not cheating, you're not trying" comes to mind.

Ever wonder why we have "Pop Warner" football? Well, here is Warner in all of his glory. He does not come off as a particularly nice person, but as an innovator and a competitor, he has few peers. He took control of the speedy-but-undersized Carlisle Indian School football team in an era when brute force was what won football games, and he created a winning program by emphasizing speed, passing, and misdirection. My favorite anecdote? In order to create confusion, prior to a Carlisle game against Harvard he had players sew football-shaped patches onto their uniforms. In response, the Harvard coach had the balls painted the same crimson color of his team's jerseys. In a compromise, the patches and colored balls were both removed.

The book does more than just revisit football's roots. It is a fascinating history of the aftermath of the United States' western expansion. The director of Carlisle, LTC Richard Pratt, comes of as stern but fair, with the best interests (as he saw them) of his students at heart. He was a firm believer that the conquered tribes would fare best if assimilated into larger American society. The Carlisle Indian School was explicitly set up to remove children from their parents and their tribes, separate them from their heritage, and indoctrinate them into America. It was at best a mixed success, and it ultimately failed after Pratt left. For many, myself included, this chapter was missing from our history books. Jenkins' retelling is riveting and at times poignant.

So, think of this as two books for the price of one. If you are a fan of sport, you'll think the chapters on football are a hoot. If you enjoy American history, even in one of its darker moments, the descriptions of the moral dilemma facing the country and the tribes will fascinate you. Either way this book will be well worth the read.

5 stars.

This book was highly entertaning. It tells the story of the first Indian football team. How they got started (the book tells of fights between the Indains and the government), tells of their first games and thier last. Every Football fan should read this book!

"The Game, like the country in which is was invented, was a rough, bastardized thing that jumped out of the mud." Thus opens Sally Jenkins' impressive "The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed A Game, A People, A Nation. While primarily about the football team from The Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the author also covers the end of the Indian "era," the creation of CIIS by Captain Richard Henry Pratt, and the development of football as a college sport.

Jenkins spends the first 100 pages in detailing the events leading up to the creation of Carlisle's football team. Captain Pratt was stationed in Indian Territory after the Civil War. Given a command of 20 Buffalo Soldiers and 25 Cherokee scouts, Pratt was astounded to discover that the Indians were intelligent and civilized and not "atrocious aborigines." After dealing with Indians as both scouts and prisoners, he came to the conclusion that the only way to solve the Indian problem was through education. With some monetary assistance from the government, he single-handedly founded the CIIS.

Soon after the school opened, football began taking off on college campuses. Ironically,
"the rising popularity of football had closely followed the ebbing of the frontier wars. It was as though America, at a loss for what to do with itself once the wilderness was subdued, had hit on football as the answer." Pratt reluctantly let the Indians form a team. Although always outnumbered, outmanned and undersized, with the help of innovative coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, they were soon playing competitively with the best teams in the nation. "Under Warner's creative tutelage, they had an astounding array of trick plays, reverses, end-arounds, flea flickers, and spirals through the air." They started when football was in its infancy--there was little equipment, no formal officiating, no overt coaching during games, a different scoring system, no passing, a few dozens deaths each year, and lots of cheating and violence. The Indians, with their slight size, skilled passing and great speed eventually changed the way football was played. After one of their best seasons in 1912, the "New York Times" wrote that the football played by Carlisle was "the most perfect brand of football ever seen in America."

Carlisle is probably best remembered as the alma mater of Jim Thorpe. He was originally a track star before becoming a football player. In fact, Pop Warner was reluctant to have Thorpe join the team, thinking he was much too scrawny and not wanting to lose a track athlete (Warner coached both sports). It was Warner who took Thorpe to the Olympics in Stockholm where he came home a champion.

Jenkins provides a well-rounded and fascinating account that explains how these historical events all converged on this tiny campus in Carlisle, PA. The only thing I think is lacking in The Real All Americans is an index.

"Four Days of Glory," was a super read. Kreidler takes us right into the hard, lonely world of high school wrestling. It was great following these two wrestlers as they deal with all the pressures of trying to accomplish a huge feat. It's not just about takedowns and nearfalls, it's about fathers and sons, hometown hero's and an obsession with goals. Very entertaining...It's "Friday Night Lights," for wrestling in the state of Iowa.

I couldn't put the book down. Keidler captured the essence of the epic journey of both the wrestlers and their families. He exposes some of the evils involved in youth programs and with parenting yet doesn't dwell on the negatives, allowing the reader to make his or her own judgement. After reading the book a trip to the Iowa State Wrestling Finals has been added to my bucket list of sporting events to see. As a non-wrestler I have always admired the dedication and spirit of the sport and this book provided even more appreciation. The ultimate compliment I can give the book is that since finishing it I find myself checking the progress of the wrestlers as they compete in college. Kreidler really stuck it!!

A great read on two wrestlers who seek greatness in Iowa High School wrestling. The book focuses on the intensity and drive required to be the best. As someone who doensn't live in Iowa, I came away with an appreciation of how big wrestling is in Iowa. Drama, challenges and interesting characters are all here. This is one of the very few books that I will re-read.

Well written book. Couldn't put it down. Best wrestling book I've read. Accurately depicts the rabidness of wrestling fans.

Good book for any wrestler who wants to understand what it takes to become a great wrestler. Well written and honest.

I thought this book was excellent. Not only is the story of such a remarkable winning streak noteworthy in itself, the story of Coach Bob Ladoceur will change many people's view of the nature of a winning coach. It appears that he and his staff really do care more about their players than about the game and, certainly, The Streak. I learned some key things about what makes high school boys tick and what makes teams accomplish more than they believe they can.

This is a very well written book by Neil Hayes. I liked how the author looks back on the past of the De La Salle football team, while going through the present season. Another thing I liked was the way the author made you feel like you were part of the team. A way he made you feel that way was by showing the speeches head coach Bob Ladeucuer speeches before and after the games. I liked that Neil Hayes followed the team around to show the more in-depth look at one of the most well known High School teams. I especially liked the speech after their first lose in the 2004 season. Overall I thought this was an extremely good book and I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a good sports history novel. This was a great read and was easy for me to understand. I also liked the pictures they had in the book to show what the players were like.

This book is about so much more than football. I am a high school English teacher, but my sports background allows me to appreciate the importance of developing the whole student-to celebrate not only the essays they write, but also the great blocks and hits they have on the field, or the great music they create. Lad and the DLS coaching and teaching staff are successful at doing exactly that: developing whole young men who are thoughtful, respectful,and disciplined in the way a man needs to be as they face the world outside of the classroom, develop meaningful relationships, and eventually become fathers themselves. Thank you so much Coach Lad for allowing Neil Hayes to write this book and inspire the rest of us, football coaches, teachers, parents-to do our best by our boys so they can be their best.

Not everybody that read this book liked it, judging from the other reviews here.
What I appreciated about the book was the look at coach Lad, and what he emphasized in his coaching.
It seemed that he was most concerned with challenging his players to be disciplined, to work hard, to love each other, and to grow in maturity. He uses football to do it, and I would say that he is very good. De La Salle's winning streak is a symptom of a much deeper, more profound success that that football team is experiencing. I love this book because it shows that when you love your players, and they love each other and are willing to work to show each other that love, then winning happens.

I have had the privilege to play for the De La Salle Spartans on the J.V. level. Although I have never played on var yet, I know what it is to play for the Spartans. There is a brotherhood of love and Unity, that is the key to winning. I know ther is no recruiting, people want to come to De La Salle for more than sports,to learn more about themselves and their lives. After all, the motto is "Enter to learn, leave to serve", and that is exactly what the school and football program do. I would recommend this book to anybody looking for an inspirational guts and glory story.

first off for $120.00 there should not even be any vinyl on them but the plastic vinyl covering the piping is coming off after 1 month of use so i will need to use a black marker to hide it dansko was great till they left sanita now they are cheaply made in china,hungry,italy,and they dont even fit these are some of the problems i have found over the last 3 months i have tried aprox 50 pairs of dansko cabrio professional i should be waring a 37 (us size 7) but now i cant,i need a 38 and most of the 38 are too small also 1 shoe bigger than the other in some pairs the left is tight and the right shoe feels great and in some pairs the right is too tight and the left feels great then after of 3 months and 50 pairs of trying on the pair i did keep the VINYL piping is coming off dansko is no longer good i will now only buy sanita COME ON DANSKO YOU ARE TAKING THE CHEEP AND EASY and you soon will loose customers

These shoes are great. The fit was perfect the first time I tried them on. They are comfortable with great arch support. The quality is excellent. I will buy this brand again.

These shoes are great a bit hard on your feet at first. Took a good 2 weeks to break in. Still having to take off about half way through my shift might need to get a shoe tree to strech out the right foot, still a bit tight. But very good shoes

These shoes are the best ! I have high arches and supportive shoes are hard to find. These shoes provide excellent support and are well worth the money. I do a lot of airline travel and these shoes are perfect when going through airport security - just simply slip them off and put them on again. Great for those long trips through airport concourses. I can't recommend then enough - they're simply the best and are extremely difficult to wear out (I found a place online that can repair the soles). Treat your feet to the most comfortable shes available!

I supinate terribly and tend to have terrible ankle problems because of it. After college it got to the point where I was destroying a pair of sneakers every 4-6 months (I would have to replace them because I would have shooting pain from my ankles to my lower back). I'm a microbiologist, so I spend almost all of my workday on my feet on a hard floor (usually concrete + linoleum). I finally sucked it up and shelled out the money for a pair of Danskos. It has been two years, and they're still in good shape. I haven't been good about keeping them polished, so the finish is starting to get ratty, but they're still very comfortable. I've gotten to be pretty dependent on them, as my ankles often complain if I go more than three or four days in any other pair of shoes.
They have dyed my socks on occasion, particularly in wet weather, but I would consider it a very small price to pay for the comfort.

Needless to say, I'm far more likely to invest in a pair of Danskos than any other shoe.

This is a goldmine of information for bodybuilders or anyone who trains with weights.

It presents an incredibly wide range of exercises for every body part complete with descriptions and pictures. It is worth the money for that alone.

I have had this book for over 20 years and have often used it as a reference. It will give one many different exercises for any given body part to keep training fresh and effective.

As the book was written in the 1980s, some of the information is dated. In the area of nutrition, there is a lot more current information. Also the split routines used by Arnold would constitute overtraining for most people. I used that approach many years ago and have gotten far away from that. I am a believer that less is more in terms of training. In spite of that, there is a lot of great information in this book. When combined with other approaches, the knowledge that one can gain from this book is invaluable.

*Note* There is a revised edition of this book.

The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding is the largest tome of bodybuilding information found in any publication, finishing up at around 800 pages with approximately 1000 pictures and weighing in at a whopping 5.8lbs, making it the only book that gives you a workout while reading it. Arnold divides his massive manuscript into a number of sections, starting with the history of bodybuilding, competitions, the gym experience and training techniques (the core exercises) before rounding up with various poses and additional information on bodybuilding supplements and diets. Arnold advocates trying to find pictures of a bodybuilder who fits your size and figure and then aiming to replicate their results. Arnold himself used Reg Park as a model for his first teenage foray in the gym while in subsequent years built each body part up using different bodybuilding models to achieve his own unique juggernaut definition. This is but a tiny fraction of the kind of good quality recommendations that the Encyclopedia comes up with. Bodybuilders (bbs) everywhere refer to the `encyclopedia' for its awesome display of photographs of superhuman bbs throughout the ages. There is no lack of snaps that detail the human anatomy. You will likely run through the book many times to find that muscle group or separation that you missed the first time. It is startling how much anatomy you need to get around before you can understand what impact each exercise has on the developing muscle. This is a fully fledged subject that will have your attention for years to come and there is no better place than to start here. Combining this book with the movie "Pumping Iron" on DVD will give you a much better idea of where the information is coming from and you will see most of the faces in this book actually exercising and involved in many of the competition photographs that are on display here. Arnold's description of the muscle groups and how to work them is coupled with illustrations and photographs to show the kind of development you should be aiming to achieve. Creating striations on muscle groups like deltoids and pectorals are topics that will cause you to go back to page one to re-examine everything you have read and seen. Anatomical research coupled with exercising methodology and application with dieting will transform your physique over the course of even a few months. As a lifelong hobby you will be bulking up before your first year is out. A few years will have you at competition level. The whole point is get into the gym to work off that fat to reveal your true shape, a shape that can be defined and built upon with muscle. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other world-class bodybuilders, advocate more than one set per exercise called High-Volume Training, HVT, the traditional method of using multiple sets to train to failure by training each set to failure, resting, and then repeating the set to failure, as many times as it takes before you just can not do anymore sets for that body part. You will build muscle no matter what kind of genetics you have if you stick with HVT. Hypertrophy is the scientific term for the enlargement of muscle tissue caused by a specific amount of intensity needed for the hypertrophy to occur. No intensity, no hypertrophy, no gain. HVT achieves hypertrophy every time because each muscle group is trained to failure. This is the key to building muscle. You must get that straining feeling where you just can't do another repetition. If you find yourself doing lots of repetitions (more than 10) then you need to add more weight. Arnold includes various Power-Training techniques to help shock the body into being able to lift heavier weights. They work. He also includes increasing intensity techniques by utilizing `forced reps', `negative reps', `isolation training', `supersets' and `stripping methods' among a host of others to learn about. There is much more here then any review can hope to explain (and look at the length of mine!). That is why it is 800 pages or so. Apart from the five stars which it deserves the book does have some major drawbacks. The first big drawback is that all the photographs involve drug use. There are only a few photographs of bodybuilders who have not used steroids and the reason is obvious. It is the little dirty secret that hides behind all the bigger muscle on display. You simply will not get as big as these legends without doing drugs. However you will certainly be able to achieve the same definition and still have very big muscles without drugs. The bodybuilders who did not do drugs are at the start of the book in the history of bodybuilding. Look at the photographs of everybody until you reach Reg Park. After that it is all drug users. Achieving the same sizes without drugs is near impossible apart from the exceptionally genetically gifted person. There is also a lesson to learn from this drug experimentation. Don't do it if you put any value on the most important muscle of all... your heart. All of the guys in this book are much older now and you can see them in the bonus material of the "Pumping Iron" DVD. Sadly they don't look good (sadly some are in wheelchairs) and even Arnold has had a bypass. Just go with food type supplements like 100% Whey Protein and Creatine and stay away from all forms of steroids. The other major drawback is that the 70s bodybuilding era did not give much regard to what is called perfect form. Perfect form is all about doing the exercises the right way to avoid injury. A lot... and I mean a lot... of the exercises in the Encyclopedia are considered very dangerous, mainly because of back arching. These include nearly all of the `Rows'-type exercises (Bent-Over Barbell Rows, Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows, T-bar Rows and the One-Arm Dumbbell Row) which are abandoned today. A `Straight-Leg Deadlift' is something you must do right or you can injure yourself. The `Goodmorning' is considered iffy. Using a Smith-machine for the `Vertical Machine Press' is bad because it has a set path. Triceps `Extensions' are a problem. Take care with `Dipping' and avoid `Sissy Squats'. Arnold's book does not do perfect form so well and in most cases just comes up with plainly dangerous material. This is not to say that you can not do the exercises now and again. Most you can, but in the long term you will only get an injury. Avoiding injury = gain. It is as simple as that. So learn perfect form. How to do this? If you want to learn perfecting form then read "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique" by Stuart McRobert. This book clearly explains how to perform Back Extension, Cable Row, Calf Raise, Close-Grip Bench Press, Crunch Abdominal Work, Curl, Decline Bench Press, Dumbbell Row, Finger Extension, Grip Machine Training, Incline Bench Press, Leg Press, Lever Bar Work, L-fly, Neck Work, Overhead Lockout, Overhead Press, Parallel Bar Dip, Partial Deadlift, Pinch-grip Lifting, Prone Row, Pulldown, Pullover, Pullup/Chin, Pushdown, Rader Chest Pull, Shrug, Side Bend, Squat, Stiff-legged Deadlift, Thick-bar Hold and the Wrist Roller Training. Get it along with this book and you will not be disappointed with what you can learn between the two. Getting that perfect form right is something that you can learn from the latter book and start doing better in a year than the bb who has been in the gym for ten years. It is that important. Slow and controlled exercising does not avoid injury. Injury has nothing to do with the speed or control of the exercise. Injury occurs because of bad form. So get the form right, learn what Arnold teaches you about developing muscle groups and stay away from drugs to live until you are 90 with a darn near perfect body. It can be done!

I bought and read this book about ten years ago. I used it to start a weightlifting program. There is alot of good information in this book. However, the book is somewhat dated. As I learned from other serious, competitive body builders, there is too much training advised in this volume. Even people who juice don't train this much - and you don't have to to achieve great results. For example, Dorian Yates trains alot less than what Arnold advises in this book and he was Mr. Olympia for a number of years. Consequently, you better off purchasing a more recently published book.

This book was the original motivator to get me into the gym in the early 90's. I recall sitting day in and day out reading and re-reading this book. While it might not be the most up-to-date, it still hits all the key areas. Let's face it, there are only so many different workouts you can do to hit a particular muscle. This book covers them all. Lacking in diet information should not sway your decision to purchase, as you can find in depth diet information from EAS for free. I lost the book and am finally ordering my second copy. Can't wait to start looking it over again.

After searching the book stores for a descriptive book on body building and i have finally found one. Arnold know's what he is talking about when it comes to working the body to severe extremes. I have found it useful in the gym. When questions have aroused on how to work a body part,i just flip to a page that specifies on that body part. I am so impressed with the photographs on every page showing a more indepth view of a work. I have brought this book to everyone's attention. If you have not already looked into this book, please do.

great book. anybody interested in the field of strength and conditioning NEEDS to get this book

I needed this book for a class, but I'm so glad I've got it. I have purchased many books to help improve my knowledge in this area, but this is one of the best. Very easy to read; chapters are very digestible. The chapters continue to build on one another rather than taking one topic and then dropping it for the rest of the text.

This reference manual is geared toward sports science undergraduate students. It's the only book you'll need to study for the CSCS exam from the NSCA.

This is a great book to prepare you for the CSCS exam. Very comprehensive and endorsed by NSCA.

First, lets clarify the audience of this book. It is meant for undergraduation students in Exercise and Sport Science or Kinesiology programs focusing on strength training. And as a reference for professionals in the field. I have owned this book for four years and have used it a lot in my undergrad and Masters programs in Exercise Science. New edition should be out soon, which is good since some of the info. is dated. So here are some thoughts:

First, it is the only reference you will need for the CSCS test from the NSCA. Not every answer on the test is in this book, but a good 90% of them are. It is basically a book put out by the NSCA that puts everything into one place.

The organization is pretty good in my opinion. I think the book flows pretty well and is divided up fairly well. Especially the first section of the book (more scientific oriented, while the second half is more applied).

The writing can be dry, but I was OK with it. Moreso, I am unimpressed by how quickly some subjects are glanced over. Fourteen pages only on periodization? Are you kidding me?! It is also very "safe" when it gets out of the scientific arena and gets into the applied arena (the little that it does that).

The weakest chapter by far is the chapter on plyometrics. The drills are very simple and not described well, and this chapter alone could cost someone a passing grade on the CSCS test if they are using this book as their only study guide (just because the test focuses so much on plyos and this book's chapter on it stinks). There are also some stretches made in the book in regard to recommendations that are "common" but not yet scientifically studied. One of these recommendations is, again in the plyometrics chapter, the discussion about "ground contacts" and intensity of plyometrics. Just one example, the info. on facility design is pretty general and, really, bad, too.

Overall it is a good book for the basics and for its intended audience. It could even be OK for a perosn that just is really interested in fitness and human biology from an exercise standpoint who is not an Exercise Science major if they put in a little time learning about the subject matter. Anyway, if you want to go deeper I would STRONGLY suggest Mel Siff's book Supertraining. Even deeper yet, go with Strength and Power in Sport, edited by Komi (this book is a tough read for most - written for scientists for scientists and Graduate level Exercise Science students but I've had it since I was a junior in undergrad). Both are very hard to find (don't even think they have Supertraining on Amazon, but you can get it from elitefts.com if they don't).

Excellent book. You can relate to the writer, he has a food sence of humor while still giving you important information on how to run and the runners lifestyle.

I recently returned this book because I have the book "Courage to Start" by the same author John Bingham. I felt like I was reading "Courage to Start" all over again just a different title.

The book is good and I like all the fun stuff that Mr. Bingham writes in this book - I was laughing a lot and I could relate to a lot of things that is in this book.

It really does give you a good motivation jump start but it did not give me anything new from what "Courage to Start" did.

If you have "Courage to Start" and you need some additional information re-read the book. If you do not have "Courage to Start" this would be a good book for you.

No Need for Speed is just a recap of his earlier book, The Courage to Start. Unlike The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed has two whole pages of actual useful running advice, as well as a handy 12 week training program (again, two pages).

So, this book really only has four pages of new, relevant material. I'm not sure it's worth buying. Check and see if your local library has a copy.

I was NEVER an athlete. I started walking before I turned 40. Walking got boring after a while and I decided to add a bit of jogging to the walk. I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend. It was fantastic! Funny, motivational, and inspirational. It's been 2 years now and I'm still running and looking forward to a half-marathon in my future! I bought this book as gifts for others who wanted to start running and they loved it too.

Bottom-line...if you're out of shape and always dreamed of running, but could never figure out how to begin, then this is the book for you. John is kind, gentle, honest, and he gives all the right information to feed your motivation, no matter how far back in your mind and heart it may be.

Not what I expected at all. Less auto-biographical and more how to set goals and achieve in life.

I was looking for something that got behind the public persona of Michael Johnson ... but this was touched on only a little with no real insight into Michael Johnson the man. I managed to read this book cover-to-cover in about 2 hours.

If you want a good introduction on setting goals and motivation then by all means buy this book.

First, this is a self-help book. Why is Michael Johnson writing a self-help book rather than just writing about what he knows and about his life experiences? I don't know. Johnson is not an expert on living life. He is an expert on running fast. The best part of the book is near the end when he talks more about his quest for the 200/400 double gold in Atlanta, rather than pontificating on life in general.

Second, the book is not very well-written. It has lines like, "I don't play much golf, but they tell me as you get better it gets harder to improve your score. All things in life are like that. (That's a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) So...if all things are like that, why pick an example you know nothing about? Most of the book has this contrived feeling to it.

Johnson also repeatedly pounds the same points about how hard you have to work and how you need to set goals etc. He uses the same examples over and over for life goals, including losing weight, getting a A in school, selling a lot of cars or carpets, or "being a successful businessperson". He tends to think pretty small outside of the realm of track. Is he incapable of imagining any nobler goal than these mundane examples? Things along the lines of contributing to our scientific knowledge, creating art, starting a charity, or inventing something useful to mankind never show up in the book. Or how about just mentoring a kid or cleaning up a park? Johnson constantly talks about approaching your personal best, yet he is unable to consider anything as successful unless it is quantified. For him, accomplishment is either winning something or getting money. It has to be measurable. You even see traces of this attitude when he talks about interpersonal relationships.

Johnson states that when he doesn't think he can beat the best in the world any more, he will retire rather than continue to compete, because someone who hangs around past his prime and can't win any more is pathetic. That doesn't sound to me like someone who competes for the love of the sport. I'm no expert myself, but I'm pretty sure there's more to life than winning.

Most athletes dont write their own stuff by themselves. Usually they have a professional writer help them out be cause most athletes, (and im not trying to be judgemental against athletes, im an athletes myself) aren't as good writers as others are. And i'm sure Michael Johnson did have help in rearanging certain grammatical errors and reorganizing the structure of his book, but overall it is a book that Michael Johnson wrote himself. It is one of the very few books that you can say written by a man who is not a writer that you can say "WOW" too. This wonderflly done piece of literature is a great read for student athletes and yound men and women who are aspiring to become something great in whatever profession they are in.

I would also like to say something about the author of the very terribly written review about Michael Johson. First of all, do not pay any attention to the review for it almost doesn't represent the book in any way. These reviews are meant to be a review of the book, not anything else. secondly, if any thinks Michael Johnson faked his hamstring pull, you should take a good look at the athletic doctors report on Michaels injury during the 150 meter race between Donovan Bailey. It will say that there was definate "tearing" in the muscle. Don't make pre-conceived ideas about an athlete who injures him/herself.

Michael Johnson is not only an athlete, but an intellectual as well. He spells out how it took him six years to improve his 200 meter race 1.7 seconds. What is 1.7 seconds? It is the difference from being a good athlete and a world class athlete. This book teaches everyone how to improve themselves in order to achieve their dreams, whether it is in athletics, business, or education. I read this book in a matter of hours, it is a quick read and has invaluable insight into how to slay your dragon--a term Michael coins referring to how to reach your goals. If you have a dream and want to reach it, but have fallen short of victory, this is a must read.

I am a high school English teacher and plan to use bits of this book in my classroom to help my students learn to establish goals and achieve them.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

When I bought the book at a used book store, I had no idea what it was like. I just wanted a book for my 13 year-old son to read and maybe enjoy. We had been to the '96 Games and had seen the 200M race so I thought he could relate even though my son hates to run. I had him read a few pages out loud each day so I could hear his pronounciation but within a few days I began to realize what this book has to offer. I also noticed a change taking place in my son as he read the words. I really can't do justice to the book but I can tell you the message Michael Johnson has for young people has the power to change lives. I am grateful to Mr Johnson for what he has given my son.