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Functional Training for Sports
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Review
"
"Mike Boyle knows how to get results. He helped me reach my full playing potential, and in "Functional Training for Sports" he'll show you how to condition your body to perform its best during competition."
Brendan Shanahan
Detroit Red Wings
"Mike Boyle knows how to get results. He helped me reach my full playing potential, and in "Functional Training for Sports" he'll show you how to condition your body to perform its best during competition."
Brendan Shanahan
Detroit Red Wings
"With "Functional Training for Sports" you can become stronger and faster than ever. Boyle's system works! He helped me reach my dream of being a professional football player and enabled me to perform better than my peers."
Marcellus Wiley
San Diego Chargers
"Mike Boyle's training techniques have helped me to be stronger, quicker, and fitter. His approach prepares me for the long soccer season and gives me the extra edge I need." Functional Training for Sports "presents the most effective and efficient training program available today!"
Kristine Lilly
15-year veteran of the U.S. women's national soccer team
From Book News, Inc.
"This book offers a complete method for athletic development that focuses on training the body the way it will be used in competition, in order to develop movement skills, body positions, and power for any sport. Boyle (a strength and conditioning coach formerly with the Boston Bruins) provides tests for athletes to determine their starting points for training, and then divides regimens into training for the torso, the upper body, and lower body. The exercises focus on improving total athleticism, enhancing performance, improving stability and reaction time, and reducing injury. The exercises are demonstrated in black and white photos."Copyright (c) 2004 Book News, Inc.
From Running.about.com
"I have found in my own life that when I am doing things to develop my overall conditionmy running improves to a phenomenal degree. If you find only one thing in each cross-training book that I recommend you will agree, I am sure, that every book purchased is worth it's weight in gold. This one is certainly no exception."
From SJSports.com
"Mike Boyle could be called ""the strength coach's strength coach,"" this book is amazing!.. This book should be a part of every coach's arsenal."
From AthletesAdvisor.com
"Boyle makes a very good point about training for the specific demands of your sport."
"
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Function is, essentially, purpose. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Function is, essentially, purpose. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a personal trainer myself I read/scan/flick through quite a lot of exercise-related books. This one caught my eye mainly because of its use of the buzzword 'functional' in the title! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book does exactly what it says on the cover - it focuses on improved sports performance, not improved aesthetics. There is a sound emphasis on sports-general, multiple muscle integrated movement patterns, all presented with simplicity and clarity.
Mr. Boyle clearly speaks from a position of huge experience with athletes, and understands the practicalities of changing established training ideas. He points out the obvious failing of training too hard on the 'mirror muscles' (i.e. pecs/biceps etc - the ones we tend to see in the mirror), and not hard enough on the less visible ones (especially the scapular stabilisers).
The book is full of simple, implementable ideas for sports training (regardless of which sport you're training for, the majority of the ideas are useable). I found the chapters on lower leg balance/strength, torso training, and basic plyometrics particularly good.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I orginally borrowed this book from my local library but I was so impressed with it's contents, and so sure that I'd be using it as an on-going source of reference, that I purchased a copy. I've read scores of training guides, in book form and on-line, over the years but this book is the most balanced and practical guide to athletic conditioning (rather than looking good in the mirror 'fitness') that I've come across. If I were still working as an instructor/personal trainer I'd undoubtedley point my clients towards this book.
Although these days I'm a middle-aged, strictly recreational athlete the deceptively simple looking exercises in this book have been highly beneficial to me, in particular during recovery from a debilitating back injury. In my case chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9, covering lower body strength and balance, hip extension and healthy hamstrings, torso training/rotational strength, and upper body strength and stability respectively have become, and I believe will continue to be, the 'core' of my injury recovery and prevention routines.
In some ways the exercises are 'back to basics' but the crucial issue is Boyle's amalgamation of input from physical therapy, in the form of 'core stability', into the exercise program. Those athletes who are familiar with Pilates may find this book to be a logical progression, and more performance focused, than classical Pilates mat work.
In summary this is a highly recommended book that covers aspects of physical conditioning for sports focused performance in a clear, accessible and logical progression, focusing on the importance of balance and core stability. It is, I believe, a much more practical guide than Gray Cook's very good 'Athletic Body in Balance'.
Although these days I'm a middle-aged, strictly recreational athlete the deceptively simple looking exercises in this book have been highly beneficial to me, in particular during recovery from a debilitating back injury. In my case chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9, covering lower body strength and balance, hip extension and healthy hamstrings, torso training/rotational strength, and upper body strength and stability respectively have become, and I believe will continue to be, the 'core' of my injury recovery and prevention routines.
In some ways the exercises are 'back to basics' but the crucial issue is Boyle's amalgamation of input from physical therapy, in the form of 'core stability', into the exercise program. Those athletes who are familiar with Pilates may find this book to be a logical progression, and more performance focused, than classical Pilates mat work.
In summary this is a highly recommended book that covers aspects of physical conditioning for sports focused performance in a clear, accessible and logical progression, focusing on the importance of balance and core stability. It is, I believe, a much more practical guide than Gray Cook's very good 'Athletic Body in Balance'.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
no good for bodybuilders, perfect for athletes. Easy to read, plenty of exercises and very informative for everyone from casual trainer to competitive athlete.If you are a sportsperson following a bodybuilding style program do yourself a favour and buy this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Functional Training for Sports: Superior Conditioning for Today's...
Well laid out, informative and good illustrations. I used this book and others like it for references when writng an essay for course work - very suitable.
Published 3 months ago by mikellew79
Good book but very intense
I bought this book when i wanted to improve the workout i was doing to more than the mirror muscles. Read more
Published 21 months ago by R. Pratt
Old and boring
I bought this book because I am a certified personal trainer and I wnated som new ideas and perspectives on functional training. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Dan
Functional
A interesting book and worth purchasing. Straight to the point but could probably do with more referencing. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2009 by Redrophenic UK
A must have.
Awesome book with some great information, can be very hard to fit the whole process into a program as it takes time, maybe better suited to rehabilitation. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2009 by Adam G. Clark
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