How to Improve at Fitness and Beat the Competition: Sport and Exercise Science for Athletes in Searc
- Chris
- Mar 18, 2018
- 3 min read
After five years of researching, analyzing, and filtering through all the garbage out there so you don’t have to, I am proud to launch my new book How to Improve at Fitness and Beat the Competition: Sport and Exercise Science for Athletes in Search of Excellence on my birthday!
The book is a compilation of essays I have written over the years explaining different aspects of fitness. How to Improve at Fitness and Beat the Competition is powered by PROformance Training Systems (PTS), a training methodology teaching athletes and coaches how to best advance an athlete through their entire training cycle. Each chapter supports PTS or explains a fundamental aspect of fitness I felt was important to clarify for athletes wishing to get the most out of their training. The book is designed to be picked up and read from any point, although I would recommend reading section one PROformance Training Systems so you have an understanding of my thought process in the following lessons.
The book is available on Amazon as a paperback and for your Kindle. I strongly recommend the paperback version as the Kindle file converter does not do the formatting any justice (hence why it’s $10 cheaper on the Kindle). Either version gets you the knowledge you are looking for, but the book was formatted to be read as a paperback, not digital.
Here is a list of chapters:
Contents
Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................................. i
Bold Lines......................................................................................................................................... ii
PROformance Training Systems............................................................................ 1
The Proper Sequence of Athletic Progression....................................................................................... 2
How Our Basic Survival Instincts Lead to Injury.................................................................................. 6
The PROformance Training Systems PROgression Model.................................................................... 7
Intro to Sport and Exercise Science...................................................................... 12
The Ten Most Common Fitness Questions Answered......................................................................... 12
Why Warming-Up before Exercise Is Essential.................................................................................. 15
How Static Stretching Affects Performance....................................................................................... 16
Measuring and Altering Body Composition....................................................................................... 18
Combining Strength with Endurance Training.................................................................................... 21
Proper Training Cycles for Peak Performance.................................................................................... 24
Exercise and DNA........................................................................................................................... 25
Genetically Gifted versus Competitively Engineered.......................................................................... 26
Hormonal Responses to Exercise, Nutrition, Age, and Gender............................................................ 27
Why You’re Not Improving.............................................................................................................. 34
The Value of Variety in Your Workout.............................................................................................. 37
How Terrain Affects Energy Expenditure.......................................................................................... 38
The Unbelievable Power of Positive Affirmation and Imagery............................................................ 39
The KISS Principle, as It Applies to Exercise..................................................................................... 40
Perfect Practice Makes Perfect Patterns............................................................................................. 41
Mechanical Training........................................................................................ 42
Stages of Mechanical Training.......................................................................................................... 42
How Muscle Is Made....................................................................................................................... 44
Fascia, More Than Plastic Wrap for Your Muscles............................................................................. 46
Training by Movement..................................................................................................................... 48
Developing Power, Neuromuscular Efficiency, and Sprint Performance.............................................. 49
Strength Training as Performance Training for Distance Runners........................................................ 53
Knee Lift and Heel Tuck to Improve Running Economy..................................................................... 55
Why Tension Is a Good Thing.......................................................................................................... 56
The Underlying Factor in Speed—Launch Time................................................................................ 57
What Is Reactive Strength, and Why Should I Care?.......................................................................... 59
Making a Box to Keep Your Spine Safe............................................................................................ 61
The Benefits of Cross-Training......................................................................................................... 64
Time Under Tension: Training by Time............................................................................................. 65
Train for the Real World................................................................................................................... 66
The Consequences of Gravity on Injury and Performance................................................................... 67
Acceleration: A Necessity of Athletic Success................................................................................... 68
Compound versus Isolation Exercises................................................................................................ 69
Understanding Repetition Ranges and Rest Intervals.......................................................................... 70
Failing to Succeed............................................................................................................................ 73
Metabolic Training.......................................................................................... 74
High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Training................................................................................... 74
Insight into Vitality and Mortality..................................................................................................... 79
Metabolic Responses to Nutrition and Exercise Parameters................................................................. 82
Fatigue, Is It All in Your Mind?........................................................................................................ 87
A Look into the Traditional Model of Fatigue.................................................................................... 95
The Abbreviated Guide to Excellence in Distance Running.............................................................. 101
Rest and Recovery........................................................................................ 109
The Importance of Rest and Sleep for Physical Improvement............................................................ 109
How to Recover Quickly After Competition.................................................................................... 111
Coping with Injury: The R Method.................................................................................................. 112
Avoiding Muscle Cramps............................................................................................................... 114
Common Hip and Ankle Dysfunctions............................................................................................ 115
The Spine and the Foot, One in the Same......................................................................................... 121
Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Girdle Dysfunctions............................................................................... 122
Why Easy Weeks Are Vital to Training Programs............................................................................ 126
Signs, Symptoms, and Recommendations to Fix Overtraining........................................................... 128
What and When to Eat.................................................................................................................... 129
All Hail Protein.............................................................................................................................. 132
Water: The Super “Supplement”..................................................................................................... 139
Fat Makes Fat................................................................................................................................ 140
Epilogue.................................................................................................... 141
Appendix A: Charts and Diagrams.................................................................................................. 142
Appendix B: Bold Lines................................................................................................................. 158
Bibliography................................................................................................ 165
Index............................................................................................................................................. 178
About the Author........................................................................................................................... 183
I hope my book helps you in your journey towards becoming the athlete of your dreams! If you enjoy it, please please please leave a five-star review and positive comments on Amazon. Thank you!
Always improve,
Chris
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