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106 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable advice from a true expert, 22 Oct 2000
By A Customer
Having run 1000 miles in eleven days, Mittleman has clearly gained some understandings that will be valuable to anyone who engages in exercise. Mittleman says people tend to come to his work either through the sport of endurance running, or through his affiliation with Anthony Robbins- the world #1 peak performance and turnaround expert: I am part of the latter group.The book is divided into three sections: 1. How to think for the distance. 2. How to train for the distance. 3. How to eat for the distance. I found Mittleman's suggestions on the psychology of exercies very useful, and certainly not confined to the world of sports in its application. He encourages 'managing the moment', being aware of where we are right now, and treating life as a marathon rather than a sprint. e.g. in marathon running, we are not running 26 miles, we are running 1 mile 26 times. Endurance and being able to maintain our current pace forever seem to be the crucial elements. Mittleman's advice on how to train aerobically and anaerobically has been tremendously valuable for me. Whilst the book is primarily about running, and certain information is specific to running (how to find the right pair of shoes), the information will be useful to swimmers, cyclists (like myself), walkers, and anybody who engages in sustained aerobic activity. The author encourages training with the aid of a heart rate monitor, and gives in-depth invaluable advice about the various training zones and how to constuct and individualised training programme. As someone who used to overtrain anaerobically I cannot over-emphasise the importance of learning this information before begginning an exercise programme. You see so many people running far too hard for their own good, with pained expressions on their faces, unknowing victims of the "No pain, No gain" fallacy. Mittleman emphasises the importance of learning to recognise which zone we are in (how intense the level of activity), and how to build our stamina effortlessly over time. There is also a brief introduction to kinesiology and "Touch for Health" in the section. It was not something I expected to find in the book, but Mittleman clearly finds it very useful- it may encourage a number of readers to explore the subject futher. The final section on nutrition challenges some of the long-held orthodox conceptions about sports nutrition. The basic thrust is that we should be using fat, rather than carbohydrate as our primary fuel, and that our diet should reflect this. This theory ties in with the work of Robert O Young, and Mittleman makes reference to Young's book "Sick and Tired" in the text. Read the material and decide for yourself- personally I have changed my diet in accordance with these principles and found my endurance and energy have improved. What else can I say but BUY THIS BOOK! You owe it to yourself and your body! Happy training!
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by Jack Nicklaus
by Robert Young
by John L., JR. Parker
