Limits of Human Endurance

Limits of Human Endurance PDF

Author: L.J.C. van Loon

Publisher: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers

Published: 2013-08-05

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 3318024090

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Nutrition is one of the key factors that modulate exercise performance. In this book, a group of expert scientists discuss the ergogenic properties of various nutritional interventions and present research to show that dietary strategies can be applied to extend the limits of human endurance, lower the risk of illness or injury, and speed recovery rates. More specifically, they discuss recent findings on topics such as caffeine and its effect on the brain, carnitine and fat oxidation, ergogenic properties of beta-alanine, dietary protein and muscle reconditioning, nutrition and immune status, and the importance of proper hydration. This publication will provide the reader with many novel insights into the complex interaction between nutrition and exercise, allowing them to define more effective dietary strategies to improve health and performance. Moreover, while focusing on elite athletes, it is interesting to note that some of the discoveries can be applied beyond this niche, for example to improve performance outcomes in the elderly.

Last Breath

Last Breath PDF

Author: Peter Stark

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2002-02-05

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 0345449525

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Sudden, extreme deaths have always fascinated us-- and now more than ever as athletes and travelers rise to the challenges of high-risk sports and journeys on the edge. In this spellbinding book, veteran travel and outdoor sports writer Peter Stark reenacts the dramas of what happens inside our bodies, our minds, and our souls when we push ourselves to the absolute limits of human endurance. Combining the adrenaline high of extreme sports with the startling facts of physiological reality, Stark narrates a series of outdoor adventure stories in which thrill can cross the line to mortal peril. Each death or brush with death is at once a suspense story, a cautionary tale, and a medical thriller. Stark describes in unforgettable detail exactly what goes through the mind of a cross-country skier as his body temperature plummets-- apathy at ninety-one degrees, stupor at ninety. He puts us inside the body of a doomed kayaker tumbling helplessly underwater for two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes. He conjures up the physiology of a snowboarder frantically trying not to panic as he consumes the tiny pocket of air trapped around his face under thousands of pounds of snow. These are among the dire situations that Stark transforms into harrowing accounts of how our bodies react to trauma, how reflexes and instinct compel us to fight back, and how, why, and when we let go of our will to live. In an increasingly tamed and homogenized world, risk is not only a means of escape but a path to spirituality. As Peter Stark writes, "You must try to understand death intimately and prepare yourself for death in order to live a full and satisfying life." In this fascinating, informative book, Stark reveals exactly what we’re getting ourselves into when we choose to live-- and die-- at the extremes of endurance.

Surviving the Extremes

Surviving the Extremes PDF

Author: Kenneth Kamler

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2004-12-28

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0143034510

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"Surviving the Extremes brings personal experience and scientific knowledge together beautifully, giving us narrative that are powerful, moving, and very real." -Oliver Sacks A true-life scientific thriller no reader will forget, Surviving the Extremes takes us to the farthest reaches of the earth as well as into the uncharted territory within the human body, spirit, and brain. A vice president of the legendary Explorers Club, as well as surgeon, explorer, and masterful storyteller, Dr. Kenneth Kamler has spent years discovering what happens to the human body in extreme environmental conditions. Divided into six sections—jungle, high seas, desert, underwater, high altitude, and outer space—this book uses firsthand testimony and documented accounts to investigate the science of what a body goes through and explains why people survive—and why they sometimes don’t.

A Life Without Limits

A Life Without Limits PDF

Author: Chrissie Wellington

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 2012-05-15

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1455510939

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In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, and the trails of Argentina, and first across the finish line. Wellington's first-hand, inspiring story includes all the incredible challenges she has faced--from anorexia to near--drowning to training with a controversial coach. But to Wellington, the drama of the sports also presents an opportunity to use sports to improve people's lives. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS reveals the heart behind Wellington's success, along with the diet, training and motivational techniques that keep her going through one of the world's most grueling events.

The Secret of Running

The Secret of Running PDF

Author: Hans van Dijk

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport

Published: 2017-05-01

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1782551093

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How much power does your human engine have? How much power do you need for running in different conditions? How can you optimize your training and racing performance? How can you use power meters to improve your results? What are the ultimate limits of human performance? The Secret of Running answers all of these questions. All factors determining the performance in running (from 800-meter race to marathon) are explained step by step: training, nutrition, body weight, running form, wind, hills, temperature, running gear, power meters and much more. Written in a crystal-clear and lively style, this book is a wealth of information for every ambitious runner. This title also contains brand new insights on how the balance of the power of your human engine and the power requirement for running in different conditions determines your performance. It shows how power meters can be used to optimize your training, running economy and race result. This book is lavishly illustrated and packed with useful data. Being already a bestseller in the Netherlands and Belgium, The Secret of Running can be considered the ultimate textbook for all serious runners and their coaches.

Limits of Human Endurance

Limits of Human Endurance PDF

Author: Luc J. C. van Loon

Publisher: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 3318024082

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How to improve exercise performance capacity through adequate nutrition Nutrition is one of the key factors that modulate exercise performance. In this book, a group of expert scientists discuss the ergogenic properties of various nutritional interventions and present research to show that dietary strategies can be applied to extend the limits of human endurance, lower the risk of illness or injury, and speed recovery rates. More specifically, they discuss recent findings on topics such as caffeine and its effect on the brain, carnitine and fat oxidation, ergogenic properties of beta- alanine, dietary protein and muscle reconditioning, nutrition and immune status, and the importance of proper hydration. This publication will provide the reader with many novel insights into the complex interaction between nutrition and exercise, allowing them to define more effective dietary strategies to improve health and performance. Moreover, while focusing on elite athletes, it is interesting to note that some of the discoveries can be applied beyond this niche, for example to improve performance outcomes in the elderly.

Human Physiology in Extreme Environments

Human Physiology in Extreme Environments PDF

Author: Hanns-Christian Gunga

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-10-18

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 012815943X

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Human Physiology in Extreme Environments, Second Edition, offers evidence on how human biology and physiology is affected by extreme environments, also highlighting technological innovations that allow us to adapt and regulate environments. Covering a broad range of extreme environments, including high altitude, underwater, tropical climates, desert climates, arctic climates and space travel, the book also includes case studies that can be used to illustrate practical application. Graduate students, medical students and researchers will find this to be an interesting, informative and useful resource for human physiology, environmental physiology and medical studies. Includes coverage of current global challenges and their consequences on human physiology and performance Presents human physiological challenges in extreme environments Provides an excellent source of information on paleontological and anthropological aspects Offers practical medical and scientific uses of current concepts

How Bad Do You Want It?

How Bad Do You Want It? PDF

Author: Matt Fitzgerald

Publisher: VeloPress

Published: 2015-10-15

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1937716716

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The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body.Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it’s true. In his fascinating new book How Bad Do You Want It?, coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness.Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete’s transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness.The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald’s fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential.How Bad Do You Want It? reveals new psychobiological findings including:Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit.Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more.Champions have learned how to give more of what they have.The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort.Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness.Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports.There’s no such thing as going as fast as you can—only going faster than before.The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators.Faith in your training is as important as the training itself.Athletes featured in How Bad Do You Want It?: Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Simpson, Greg LeMond, Siri Lindley, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, Paula Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve Prefontaine, and last of all John “The Penguin” Bingham

Peak

Peak PDF

Author: Marc Bubbs

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1603588094

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"There is a new revolution happening in sports as more and more athletes are basing their success on this game-changing combination: health, nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset. Unfortunately, the evidence-based techniques that the expert PhDs, academic institutions, and professional performance staffs follow can be in stark contrast to what many athletes actually practice. When combined with the noise of social media, old-school traditions, and bro-science, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Peak is a groundbreaking book exploring the fundamentals of high performance (not the fads), the importance of consistency (not extreme effort), and the value of patience (not rapid transformation). Dr. Marc Bubbs makes deep science easy to understand, and with information from leading experts who are influencing the top performers in sports on how to achieve world-class success, he lays out the record-breaking feats of athleticism and strategies that are rooted in this personalized approach.Dr. Bubbs expertly brings together the worlds of health, nutrition, and exercise and synthesizes the salient science into actionable guidance.

The Longest Race

The Longest Race PDF

Author: Ed Ayres

Publisher: The Experiment

Published: 2013-08-20

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1615191860

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“It soon becomes clear that this book isn’t just about an athletic race. It’s also about the human race” (Bloomberg Businessweek). Having run in more than six hundred races over the span of fifty-five years, Ed Ayres is a legendary distance runner—and this book is his urgent exploration of the connection between individual endurance and a sustainable society. The Longest Race begins in 2001 at the starting line of the JFK 50 Mile—the nation’s oldest and largest ultramarathon and, like other such races, it’s an epic test of human limits and aspiration. At age sixty, his sights set on breaking the age-division record, Ayres embarks on a course over the rocky ridge of the Appalachian Trail, along the headwind-buffeted towpath of the Potomac River, and past momentous Civil War sites such as Harpers Ferry and Antietam. But even as Ayres focuses on an endurance runner’s familiar concerns—starting strong and setting the right pace, controlling his breathing, overcoming fatigue, and staying mindful of the course ahead—he finds himself as preoccupied with the future of our planet as with the finish line. A veteran journalist and environmental editor, Ayres reveals how the skills and mindset necessary to complete an ultramarathon are also essential for grappling anew with the imperative to endure—not only as individuals, but as a society—and not just for fifty miles, but over the real long haul, in a unique meditation that “ought to be required reading even for people who have never run a step” (The Boston Globe). “He seamlessly moves between discussing running to exploring larger life issues such as why we run, our impact on the environment, and the effects of the nation’s declining physical fitness . . . Thought provoking.” ―Booklist “To read this book is to run alongside a seasoned athlete, a deep thinker, and a great storyteller. And Ayres doesn’t disappoint: He is the best kind of running companion, generously doling out hilarious stories and hard-won insights into performance conditioning and the human condition. His lifetime of ultra-running and environmental writing drive his exploration of what keeps us running long distances―and what it might take to keep the planet from being run into the ground.” ―Nature Conservancy magazine