The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing

This is one of the most important books I've ever red. It says "Training and racing" on the cover, but if you expect tables and graphs with explicit training plans, look elsewhere. Also be warned that it is very dense - it took me several months to absorb all the pages and still finding new ideas based on it. It is basically about the health itself since this is the most important for sport - and for living, too. However, I doubt anyone in "good condition" would praise the book, I suppose it takes some time fighting health or fitness troubles... For some years I practiced sport using heart rate monitor, following best advices out there, BUT with no actual improvements in fitness or health (or both). Than, last year I had some household work to do, using a pickaxe and a shovel. I thought this would ruin my body. But guess what? After few weeks I was shocked to find out my condition approved a lot (and I mean *a lot*) and got worse when I finished. Heh, where is the problem??? WTF? Is it hard afternoon work? Or several glasses of water I have to absorb? How is digging actually compared to proper cycling with HRM???So I started to look for some explanations. And I found this book and it answered all of my questions and a whole lot of the others. Training method works suprisingly well and reminds me of my youth, when I used just a "feeling" since no devices were invented yet. And still, sport was enhancing my health in a great way and have been a pleasure for me. Now it is again! My fitness improved a lot during last 8 months using Maffetone method. I can compare my cycling using Strava and rowing (indoor) - both are way different than last year. And more important, there is a chapter dedicated to nutrition. Full of thoughts and inspiration, I must say. We (family) decided to get rid of junk food, processed food, sugar, now using more fats, proteins, eggs etc... there is a lot to discuss here. Results? My belly dissapeared, I lost 20 pounds of - mostly - fat. I feel great, like *never* before, all my health problems dissapeared. Again, be warned, the book requires your active brain cells. Almost every page stopped me like "hey, this reminds me...", grabbing some science book from library. But this time, understanding whole picture and context. Truly holistic approach.If you are looking for a book enhancing your imagination, you have some chronic health problems, you want to improve in sport *and you are willing to think about it*, this is the book for you. Probably it is not the only one, but very, very important. If you are young, looking for fast answers and fast results, look elsewhere - and return once you find you are stuck in your simple world. There are no simple answers, but you can find your own. Highly recommended!

I've read around half of this book. Overall I'm happy with it. The one criticism I have is to me it feels like it gets a bit too technical at times and goes into detail on things that don't provide practical benefit...I guess this is subjective though.However, from what I've read there has been plenty of good points which seem good to me. Some topics (to name a few) I've found good so far:Taking a holistic approachAerobic vs anaerobic (why aerobic is key)Calculating aerobic HRMAF testPlanning your running yearThe 2 week carb test could be interestingI think the fundamental points are very good and as someone who has had injury problems I'm looking forward to putting the points I'm learning to practice. It has given me hope and optimism that I can do things in a more sustainable way (especially having seeing interviews of people on YouTube who have explained the level they reached using this approach).

great book, really gets you thinking about diet and exercise intensity

This book certainly lives up to its title and covers more than just training; the sections on nutrition and injuries / looking after yourself are probably longer than the training section. Topics are covered in quite a bit of depth, although the essential messages are easy enough to remember. At first sight it might seem strange that there is no training programme laid out in the book. Partly that's because the book applies to all types of endurance sport, but I think the main reason is that everyone is different and a one-size-fits-all programme is not what this method is about. Instead there is a chapter on how to personalize your training. For that reason it may be more suitable for experienced athletes, but the method itself is great for beginners as well as veterans. The emphasis is on 'less is more' and all exercise should be done at a relatively low heart rate (you would need a heart-rate monitor to effectively make use of the method).The book is all about delivering long-term health (not simply fitness), as that is the real key to long-term, injury-free, consistent performance. For the last couple of years I've been following programmes that emphasise the tougher so-called 'quality' sessions, but performances stood still and I got injured. I came across the Maffetone method by accident and gave it a try, which lead to me getting the book. Although I'm only just over a month into the programme I'm seeing the improvements just as they're predicted in the book and I have little doubt that I'll be able to follow the Maffetone method for years to come.

T.B.B.O.E.R.A.R. - Or if you find that a bit of a mouthful then simply call this book "The Bible".This book is built upon Maffetone's holistic approach to health and wellbeing, having been a medical practitioner and working with some of the world's top athletes over a career of several decades. Everything you need to know is here.. BUT there's no training plans, no workout guides, and no sport-specific advice. Instead, what he does it outline what we all need to understand and be mindful of in order to become the healthiest human beings that we are capable of being - that means increasing your aerobic potential, being mindful of your diet, and understanding that the body is a whole and to look at problems in biomechanics and injuries in relation to the whole, not just the symptom. Improve your health in all these areas, and they give you the platform to be better endurance athletes. Maffetone's methods have been well proven down the years, but they are not sexy; in today's world where results are expected quickly they are often overlooked or glossed over in favour of "quality" work, but those who astutely follow his approach will never go wrong.