Functional & Athletic

Functional Training (Expanded New Edition) - The programme for success used by top athletes  In this new edition of his seminal work, Functional Training, Michael Boyle – one of the world’s leading experts in performance optimisation in sport – presents the concepts, methods, exercises and programmes that enable athletes to learn how to move perfectly during sporting competition. A series of tests serves as the basis for designing a bespoke training plan tailored to individual weaknesses. A wide variety of exercises, featuring progressive variations for the upper body, core, legs and the whole body, help to develop the improved balance, proprioception, stability and strength required to be among the best in one’s chosen sport. Sample programmes assist with the creation of personalised training plans and provide a template for a solid training regime that covers every key aspect of preparation. In doing so, Boyle draws on his many years of experience as well as the latest research, and also incorporates new recommendations on foam rolling, stretching and dynamic warm-ups. This new edition of the bestseller also offers 71 videos available online featuring the most important exercises, commentary and analysis. About the author Michael Boyle is one of the world’s leading experts in strength and athletic training, performance optimisation in sport, and functional training. He works with professional athletes and teams across a wide range of sports, providing training and rehabilitation support, and is an internationally sought-after consultant and speaker. His own training centre, Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Boston, which offers performance-oriented training for athletes of all fitness levels, was ranked by Men’s Health as one of the top 10 gyms in the USA. His two books, *Functional Training* and *Advances in Functional Training*, are regarded as standard works in the field.  Please note: This book is supplied as a paperback! Read an extract

Contents:Calisthenics, street workout using your own body weight, is perfect for building muscle and improving overall fitness. Bodyweight training expert Paul Wade, known for his unconventional, progressive methods since the publication of his bestseller *Train Like a Convict*, takes calisthenics to a whole new level. If you too want the full package – to be fast, strong, resilient and agile – his programme is just the thing for you. With explosive jumps, power push-ups, kip-ups, forward and backward rotations, and dynamic swings, you can take your calisthenics skills to the next level. Across ten levels, you’ll progress from beginner to master, moving from simple exercises to suicide jumps, front flips and muscle-ups. Wade shows you how to plan your training properly, use sets and reps effectively, and progress from one stage to the next – until you’ve reached your goal: maximum muscle strength, flexibility and speed!About the author:Paul “The Coach” Wade spent almost two decades of his life in some of America’s toughest prisons. There, in extremely confined spaces, he perfected strength training using his own body weight. After his release, he published his bodyweight training programme in the bestsellers *Train Like a Convict* and *Train Like a Convict 2*.Read an extract

Functional training is the training concept of the future. Already an integral part of athlete training in the USA, this method – which has its roots in physiotherapy – is also becoming increasingly popular here. Indeed, the German national football team used functional training to prepare for the World Cup as early as 2006. It involves training entire muscle groups through free movements and simple equipment such as exercise mats or medicine balls – rather than just individual muscles, as is the case with weight machines in the gym. Each exercise simultaneously improves the stability and mobility of the core – our centre of strength, from which all movements originate – as well as the athlete’s coordination, reaction time and balance. Typical movement patterns for the respective sports are perfected and weaknesses specifically addressed, thereby also helping to prevent injuries. This comprehensive standard reference work, aimed at athletes, coaches and therapists, combines a well-founded theoretical section with numerous illustrated exercises that can be adapted to all sports. About the author: Michael Boyle is one of the world’s leading experts in performance optimisation in sport and functional training. He works with professional athletes across a wide range of sports, providing training and rehabilitation support, and is a sought-after consultant and speaker. His two books, *Functional Training* and *Advances in Functional Training*, are regarded as standard works in the field.Read an extract

Programme Design in Functional Training: Identify your strengths and weaknesses, create your own personalised training plan and improve your athletic performance. Featuring 30 tests and over 60 exercises! Anyone wishing to get fit and improve their performance through functional training needs a personalised programme. This is because strength, mobility and stability can only be developed to their full potential if the training is tailored to your current physical condition and based on your personal strengths and weaknesses. Eberhard Schlömmer and Dennis Sandig present 30 tests to help you analyse your own fitness level. With the help of over 60 exercises, the right training content is selected in a targeted manner. Whether you’re an office worker, a runner or a cyclist – this book enables you to create both general and sport-specific plans. Read an extract | Table of contents Eberhard Schlömmer holds a degree in sports science and works as a personal trainer in Munich. An expert in the Functional Movement Screen, he is part of the training team at Perform Better Europe. As an author, he has written for Functional Training Magazine, amongst other publications. Dennis Sandig works as an education officer and scientific coordinator at the German Triathlon Union. In this role, he is responsible, amongst other things, for the initial and continuing training of coaches. As an author, he has written for Functional Training Magazine, amongst other publications.

Circuit training has shed its outdated image as a gym activity and is back in vogue thanks to the popularity of functional training. It allows for targeted training of specific muscle groups, and the combination of strength and endurance ensures an effective full-body workout. Based on the latest sports science research, this book presents various training variations: whether with or without small equipment, alone or in a group, indoors or outdoors – circuit training can be done anytime, anywhere, and works the cardiovascular system better than almost any other form of exercise. As well as a wide selection of exercises, the book contains 20 circuit plans and highlights specific training focuses for every fitness level. Beginners will find this fitness guide offers a straightforward start to their training, whilst advanced athletes will benefit from the circuits, which are optimally tailored to each area of the body. About the author Marcel Doll studied Fitness Economics (BA) and completed his Master’s degree in Health Management and Prevention, specialising in sports psychology and stress management. He has also completed numerous further training courses in the fields of sport and fitness. He is a co-founder of YOU Personal Training in Offenburg, where he works as a personal trainer. As a certified Functional Circuit Trainer, he organises small-group training sessions based on the circuit training principle. He also writes for Functional Training Magazine and www.Trainingsworld.com. His first book, *The Ultimate Suspension Training*, was published by riva Verlag in 2014, followed in 2016 by *Fit with the Mini Band*. 

Animals are natural-born athletes. The sheer power of a bear, the running speed of a cheetah or the incredible agility of a wildcat never cease to amaze us. Animal Athletics is based on these natural, intuitive movement patterns; it is a form of training that requires no equipment, just your own body, a little space around you and 100 per cent focus on yourself. That’s all it takes to push yourself to your personal limits and achieve maximum training results. This book contains a wealth of training inspiration drawn directly from the world’s best and most reliable source: nature. Wildcat Push-up, Bear Walk, Monkey Move, Eagle Wings and Lizard Crawl are the names of the ‘Animal Moves’ that can help anyone reclaim their natural movement intelligence. Veterinarian, functional training expert and athletic coach Fabian Allmacher presents the key exercises and offers numerous practical suggestions on how to combine them into creative workouts. Accessible via QR codes, the exercises and workouts can also be quickly and easily downloaded as videos onto your mobile phone – for absolute training fun at home or outdoors. Whether for your own training, for group fitness classes or for personal training – with Animal Athletics, you’ll easily surpass your previous personal bests and boost your fitness in terms of strength, endurance, coordination, speed and explosive power with minimal effort. Read an extract | Table of contents | About the authors: Fabian Allmacher is a qualified veterinary surgeon, personal trainer and certified athlete coach (DAASM). He applies his extensive medical and exercise science knowledge in his daily work as a personal trainer and team coach. He was an active competitive gymnast and swimmer and has been working throughout Germany and internationally for over 15 years as a coach, speaker and trainer for renowned institutions. As part of the bodyART ® Master Trainer team, Fabian has established himself in holistic functional training and is actively involved in the further development of this successful concept. Fabian Allmacher’s other areas of expertise include mobility and bodyweight training. Eva Foraita holds a degree in German and French language and literature. She has been working in marketing communications for over 15 years and, as a freelance copywriter and author, supports well-known national and international brands. Her portfolio includes projects in the sports, fitness and leisure sectors.

The full-body workout for strength, coordination and flexibility Crawling is the fitness trend from the USA that athletes, Hollywood stars and supermodels swear by. And with good reason: the three-dimensional movement engages all muscle chains and connections simultaneously, making it the ideal workout for a toned body. Physiotherapist Johannes Randolf was one of the first to recognise the potential of crawling. With his innovative training programme, you can experience its many benefits for yourself and get fit through crawls, slides and pulls. The more than 40 exercises are suitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners and can be combined into personalised workouts, allowing you to tailor your training plan entirely to your abilities and needs. Whether you want to improve the mobility of your spine, strengthen your arms, stabilise your core muscles or enhance your overall coordination and flexibility – crawling provides a holistic workout for your body, thereby boosting your general well-being. About the author Johannes Randolf is a physiotherapist with further training in osteopathy, applied kinesiology and craniosacral therapy according to John Upledger, as well as a certified trainer for the Gyrotonic Expansion System ® and a Master Trainer for Gyrokinesis ®. He teaches dance at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz and runs a physiotherapy practice, where he works with top athletes such as the Austrian Under-21 national football team and the ballet company and actors of the Landestheater Linz. In his search for physiotherapy approaches that are fun, he developed his own crawling programme and is thus regarded as the crawling expert in the German-speaking world. He runs numerous workshops and also trains people to become crawling fitness instructors.Excerpt

The squat is the ‘mother of all exercises’ and an indispensable part of any strength training programme. This book helps you to build up your squat in a structured and injury-free way, and to improve your own performance or that of your clients. The content covers not only the execution of the squat, but also biomechanical aspects and long-term programme planning in the context of additional辅助 exercises. This enables you to learn how to approach the squat even when mobility restrictions and technical shortcomings stand in the way. Patrick Meinart, a sports scientist and training expert, explains the world of squats in detail using a wide range of examples. He describes how the interplay between biomechanics and individual anatomy can influence the squat in its many variations. In doing so, he not only emphasises the technical components but also dispels myths suggesting that deep squats are bad for the knees and can lead to back pain. Read an extract Patrick Meinart studied psychology and sport in Cologne. Since 2012, he has run the training institute RELEASE FITNESS, which specialises in providing further training in mobility and neuro-centred training. Every year, he trains up to 1,000 trainers through seminars and lectures. He works as a speaker and presenter across Europe.

Core Performance – Endurance (book) – THE CORE training programme continues! Following the sensational success of the books “CORE Performance” and “The CORE Programme”, the German national football team’s fitness coach has now released another title. The Core Endurance Programme helps endurance athletes to make their training more efficient and prevent injuries. For anyone who feels they can no longer improve their performance in running, swimming or cycling due to a lack of time, a lack of motivation or their age, this book is just the thing. Mark Verstegen shows how to break through a plateau and achieve new performance goals. He presents a simple, holistic training programme that enables better results to be achieved despite shorter training sessions. Among other things, he emphasises a specific warm-up routine and attaches great importance to the correct execution of movements when running, swimming and cycling. The programme is complemented by a nutrition plan developed specifically for endurance athletes. This is the English edition of the book, which comprises a total of 238 pages.

Highly effective exercises for building muscle and strength The ultimate strength training! Gymnastic rings are the ideal piece of kit for long-term muscle building that is gentle on the joints. The instability of the rings not only strengthens your muscles but also improves your coordination, making the workout an effective full-body workout. With push-ups, pull-ups, squats and other movements on the rings, you can train your strength in a variety of ways and get your body into shape in a targeted manner. Each of the more than 30 exercises is demonstrated in three variations, making it easy to get started and to increase the level of difficulty. The exercises primarily use your own body weight, though advanced users can add weights to boost their performance. Training plans provide ideas for putting together varied workouts. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro – ring training offers a new challenge for everyone! About the author Mike GilletteBoth professionally and personally, Mike Gillette has dedicated his life to strength training. Among other things, he has served in the army, in police special forces and as a bodyguard. He also runs workshops and coaches martial artists and top athletes. Some of his remarkable achievements have been included in the Guinness World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. On his blog, www.MikeGillette.com, he provides valuable information and inspiration for anyone interested in strength training.