Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life Kindle Edition

I really enjoyed the first half of the book which covered fitness and recovery tips, the importance of sleep...etc. Then in the second half the author begins to talk about electromagnetic bracelets and thousand dollar “earthing blankets” along with a exhaustive list of suppliments he recommends. Any one with a family and middle-uppermiddle class income would not be able to afford the supps he recommends (like $80 amino acids), so he lost me on the entire second half of the book. Good read for rounding out your knowledge on Triathlon training. My fav take away is how we need to train to LAST, not just perform,becuase those training methods and diets can differ, so we need to limit the damage done to our bodies by them.

The first 5 (of 24) chapters of this book are an interesting review of the evidence around exercise science and high intensity training. Chapter 3 especially has exercise routine recommendations that I think are worth trying. Greenfield references a number of the studies in these fields to support his arguments.After chapter 5, the evidence is sorely lacking for a number of recommendations he has for things like vibration platforms, electrical muscle stimulation, & a number of dietary recommendations (like avoiding vegetable oils, & high-potassium fruits) that just have no real scientific justification. Perhaps the most telling in these chapters is his repeated discussions of "adrenal fatigue" which is not a real thing. Remember this is a guy who thinks vaccines cause autism.The book's probably worth picking up for the first few chapters, and I definitely learned something there. But the final 75% of the book is a waste of time. Much of the recommendations in these chapters are for products for which he has a direct financial interest (reminds me of Dave Asprey in this regard) and the science just isn't there.

The author slowly builds up on how powerful his techniques are. You turn the page expecting to see the technique; however, you only to find a link to his website. Essentially this book is a big advertisement for the authors web programs. Its a shame that this kind of second class work is being passed off as a "book." I returned this and got my money back.

There is so much freaking information in this book! I've read many endurance training/performance books and this is what I've been missing. I'm currently reading this book a second time and am realizing I missed a few things the first time through it. There is just so much information, that it's difficult to retain with just one read. If you are looking for the book that provides structured training for your specific sport, this isn't that book. This is the book that goes with that book.The core of this book is about maximizing performance without destroying your body. It has helped me find the balance between performance, health and longevity, to the point that I consider it life changing. If you are a hard charging endurance athlete, you may read some things that you don't want to hear, but don't fear Ben provides an endless supply of methods and biohacks for minimizing the damage while maximizing performance.If you are looking for every possible thing that you can do to maximize performance, recovery, and health, this is a book for you. There is just so many biohacks and methods in this book that it will be difficult to implement them all. The book gives you the tools so you can pick and choose what works best for you.When it comes to new Science, newly released studies, or new hacks, Ben leaves no stone unturned and doesn't hesitate getting out on the fringe. This book has been out a couple of years and new information is continuously coming out validating many of the training and recovery methods laid out in the book. I hope and expect to see many revisions to this book since knowledge on this subject is continuously evolving.This is a book that will always stay within close reach to be used as a reference. I so wish that I had this book 10 years ago!!!Thank you Ben for all the research and work that went into this book!

Can not really do justices to what Ben has written in a few written lines.. I know a tone of athletes who follow the old ways of over training, adding junk hours to their training plan, breaking down, injure after injure, illness after illness. I keep Ben's book as my secret weapon.. No need to EPO or steroids.. I am fitter healthier and happier thanks to Ben !

I can't get thru this book anymore.... too complicated, assumes you already are knowledgable about training zones, nutrition is geared towards gaining thousands of calories for marathons. Some of it seems pseudo science. Not useable for me and I teach dance! Large book with tiny print. Probably PERFECT for obsessive athletes.

One of the better books about fitness and health. It takes a practical approach with ample references and details. Highly recommend in spite of some occasional weak spots. I hope he keeps this book updated in the future...some information is dated but still a good reference book that touches on many aspects of health and fitness.

Thank you for writing this book Ben Greenfield, it has been a life changing gift for me! It covers all levels of fitness and was the exact information I needed to be able to get back out on my bike and ride with proper guidance and recovery techniques. I'm implementing the protocols listed in the book for weight lifting, HIIT, mental well-being, and nutrition. This is the last health book I should EVER have to buy!Thank you again for the perfect book to help live a healthy, happy, and fit life! ~ Pam Terrell, wife

I finished this yesterday evening, after 10 days of dedicating myself to reading a bit every night, even when they were times I wanted to quit.In that sense, this book is a bit like a marathon. It's hard, you find yourself wondering why you are doing it, but there are bits and pieces along the way that make the majority of it (boredom and pain) absolutely worth it.This is not an easy reading book.It feels like the author basically unloaded his brain into print format.This is difficult because it makes sifting through the varied information in order to find useful stuff challenging.it's good because the author has an opinion/thought on just about everything, and he is clearly both knowledgeable AND passionate. He walks his talk, no doubt there. So much so I think you may be better off forgetting the book and subscribing to his YouTube channel. Let me know what you think of his smoothies!However, for every bit where I thought it was useful (e.g. overview of HIIT, how to structure a basic program that gets you fitter without burning you out - which I have done and am now on week 2, recovering very quickly thank-you very much- by the way, I would recommend the book based on this alone. It is gold dust !) there was a bit where it felt the book was basically a sales job.For example:"Here's some stuff to remember about endurance running, now go to my website and buy this program."It also didn't help things that the links to the website no longer work, as it appears the website was in the process of being migrated when i read this book.Also, both good and bad, the author takes a few trips down some strange roads, informing you of the toxins in your shampoo, toothpaste etc (and he just so happens to have suitable products for you) plus he is very find of supplements (and happy to sell you his own, or link you to other peoples.)I think the book could have done with the services of a top notch editor to condense it into the actually useful bits, such as:1. Why HIIT is good, and why you ought to consider it in place of long slow distance running (chronic cardio)2. How to think about nutrition (nutrient density and bio-availability, as opposed to calories)3. How to structure a basic workout plan for the week:a) 2 or 3 tabata sessions,b) a high intensity body weight session- the author gives you the exact sequence here, and it is a good workout-c) a slow weight session.d) All but the tabatas to be followed by short, as in VERY short sprints of 4 seconds. Repeat the sprints 5 times.e) Every other week run hard for 4 minutes, rest for 4 minutes. repeat 5 times.f) Once a month, do a 90 minute stamina activity, e.g. hiking or a run.4. Consider some supplements. He recommends Alpha Brain, Tian chi and Energy Bits, of which the last one actually looks interesting to me.In summary, imagine you have a friend who is very knowledgeable about running and endurance sports, who has run triathlons etc, and you manage to actually pick his brains, with little or no filter.Fully half of what he or she has to say will fly right past your head, and the remaining half will be vaguely understandable but require effort to implement.Of that half, maybe 2 or 3 things will stick, but you'll be very glad they did.

This really is the ONLY book you need to read for optimizing human performance! I keep it by my bed and keep referring back to it when I hear about "the next big thing" to see what Ben has to say on the subject. I'm not a pro athelete (far from it!!) and whilst I strive to be the best me that I can be, I don't want to destroy my body to get there. Ben's pragmatic approach to balancing life and sport was a revelation to me, and I now realise that although sport makes me happy, there is more to life to make you happier! The Ben Greenfield podcast is also full of really useful information at the cutting edge of performance enhancement.

Verbose. Should have been edited down significantly prior publication.

If you are into fitness and health this is a very good book with lots of nice tweaks. Really helpful for those with a tendency to overtrain and how to save your health, reduce training time and improve your performance. He does some good podcasts too.

Informative book on training, diet and everything to do with triathlons.