Physiology of Sport and Exercise

Rating:
Summary: Great Exercise Book
Review: A good physiology exercise book is so important to understanding the body and how all of the different systems work together. This book does a great job of explaining concepts by colorful graphics and pictures. If your an advid athlete like myself you will enjoy this book. I was always chasing the new fads in exercise or trying the latest diet to trim down, they never worked. You must first understand some of the complexities of the human body. Likewise, if you want to tweak your car's engine you must first understand some of the most basic principles of a car engine before adding expensive and useless gadgets.

Rating:
Summary: Great Exercise Book
Review: A good physiology exercise book is so important to understanding the body and how all of the different systems work together. This book does a great job of explaining concepts by colorful graphics and pictures. If your an advid athlete like myself you will enjoy this book. I was always chasing the new fads in exercise or trying the latest diet to trim down, they never worked. You must first understand some of the complexities of the human body. Likewise, if you want to tweak your car's engine you must first understand some of the most basic principles of a car engine before adding expensive and useless gadgets.

Rating:
Summary: Very good reference material
Review: This book is excellent consolidation of reference material which is sensibly divided into logical chapters.

It covers every area of sport performance in well-documented and example-driven text, colour diagrams and graphical representations. It is a generic reference book, which does not focus on specific sports activities, but uses examples from a wide range of sports to demonstrate the body's response to exercise, training and the passage of time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a detailed overview of the physiological responses to training, or needs specific answers to questions. An excellent index and layout also makes this a good reference book for looking up quick answers to problems. Absolutely worth the cost. Only criticism... there is a slightly schizophrenic approach to units of measure, reflecting the US imperial measurements, Keep a calculator handy to convert to SI units (eg Kgs, Kms, etc)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to exercise physiology
Review: This book is well-illustrated and easy to read, but it is really a basic text, not the end-all. For example, in the section on nutrition, the authors recommend that carbohydrates should constitute 50% of an athlete's daily calories, and yet they neglect the fact that so many people in this country do not tolerate carbohydrates well. Nutrition really needs to be adjusted to the individual's metabolism and needs, and there is really no one set magic formula that will work for everyone. But, if you keep that in mind and are looking for a good introductory text, this will serve admirably.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to exercise physiology
Review: This book is well-illustrated and easy to read, but it is really a basic text, not the end-all. For example, in the section on nutrition, the authors recommend that carbohydrates should constitute 50% of an athlete's daily calories, and yet they neglect the fact that so many people in this country do not tolerate carbohydrates well. Nutrition really needs to be adjusted to the individual's metabolism and needs, and there is really no one set magic formula that will work for everyone. But, if you keep that in mind and are looking for a good introductory text, this will serve admirably.