Advanced Sports Nutrition

This book is widely considered THE text on sports nutrition, and it's even better now that it is updated for 2012. Sports nutrition is a quickly advancing field and having the most recent information is important. Benardot covers very important information for athletes, including: * Ratios of carbohydrates to proteins to fats, and how the body utilizes these nutrients. Unfortunately this section is a bit dated and reflects the old 60's thinking that advocates low-fat, high carb diets. I would have preferred more up-to-date information based on the studies conducted since then that show a high-fat, low-carb diet is healthier. There is a lot of research now on the way these diets can both help and hurt anaerobic and aerobic performance, and this information is sadly lacking. This is one of the few "cons" of the book. * The effects of vitamins and minerals on performance, and how these micronutrients function. * The best concentration of carbohydrates for sports drinks, gels, etc. * Which supplements work and do not. * How best to spread out nutrient intake across the day and before, during, and after activity. * Specific recommendations for athletes of particular types of sports, such as short, high intensity sports or endurance sports. All of the material is very well cited and most importantly, you gain not only an understanding of "what" but also "why". The author provides a tremendous amount of information on anatomy and biology to explain exactly how metabolic processes use the nutrients you consume so you can apply that information to your unique situation. This is a must-have book for any athlete.

For those who don't know, Dr. Benardot isn't just some guy with a fancy degree. He has worked with Olympians for, well, decades. His approach to nutrition is not just based on the best science has to offer, it is also based on what delivers a real-world world class performance while maintaining and even improving athlete health. Fortunately for the rest of us, the approach taken in this book helps us all learn exactly how our bodies work so that we, too, can get exactly what we want from our diets! There is as much detail as anyone could want, while still containing a condensed "here's what to do" segment for every goal. You'll get the low-down on just about every supplement and "ergogenic aid" there is, as well as a specific breakdown of all major sports so that you know exactly what you need based on what you do. You'll also get exposed to important ideas that you won't see anywhere else, such as dynamic energy balance. Forget about getting your calories for the day, and learn why getting the calories you need WHEN YOU NEED THEM is going to make you stronger, leaner, and better at what you do every day. Don't go buy a book written by a fancy blog owner, do yourself a favor and learn from the cream of the crop: Buy this book today. You'll thank Dr. Benardot (and maybe me) tomorrow.

Great book detailing bodies energy pathways. The first 2/3 of the book was well laid out explanation of how the body makes energy. Easy reading and lovely model that gels well with my own experiences. The last 1/3 of the book is a bunch of sample diets. I haven't dug into them. My previous sports nutrition book was published in 1986. No contradictions but the new book is much better written and goes into much more detail. I think if you read and understand the first 2/3 of this book you can design a good diet for yourself, and learn to feed yourself for endurance racing.

Very informative book and explains clearly the processes and nutrient delivery systems, along with meal timing for optimum performance. It's a must-read for athletes/people who want to learn more about performance nutrition.

This is a truly wonderful book on the topic of sports nutrition. Very well written and researched, it is scholarly and yet fun to read. We used this as the text book for my sports nutrition class at Bastyr University and I also plan to give this as a Christmas present to the athletes in my life. That's the range of audience this book is able to reach. The author is funny to boot.

The author does not blindly believes in every new scientific research outcome which is wise and balanced. He presents every source of his writings, so you can go deeper in the research and also he aggregates data from several research on almost every sports and bring a valuable conclusion about nutrition strategy. The latest chapters brings sometimes repetitive data from previous chapters, but is not that boring to avoid the 5 stars. I highly recommend this book, not only for high-end athletes but mostly for those who do not have a coach and want to boost their athletic performance and want to eat natural food at right amount and time.

Not much detailed info about bodybuilding...barely scratchin the surface...however good overwiew of nutrition for different types of sports

Coming from a scientific background but on a different area, I found the book very enjoyable to read. I started with the chapter about ergogenic aids and supplements, and then went on to read the rest. Although the discussions are not shallow, the book is easy to follow. The author makes two or three key points, such as most supplements are not really necessary if you know what to eat and when to eat, the typical insufficient carbohydrate intake in athletes, and the need to have many smaller meals/snacks a day instead of larger meals. Many interesting insights are given, and any major statement or claim is backed by scientific evidence (with citations). In practice, I've been employing some of this ideas for so many years now and know they work.

The book is very complete, I’ve been using it for about 5 years. I’m a very active recreational athlete now and nutrition is obviously an area I want optimized. With all the info coming at you from everywhere on nutrition it is often hard and time consuming to separate what is potentially valid and what is driven by some commercial interest. with this book you get a scientific yet very readable reference that lets you know what is known and what is not clear. it is basically my go to reference book. while i do surf the internet on subjects i always come back to this one as the reference as it is free from commercial bias . If I lost the book i would reorder it the next day

As an ageing boulderer (rock climber), gymnast and runner, I have been trying to reduce my weight and relatively increase my muscle mass for a while now, with some success. Much of my information has come from trawling blogs and online discussions from body builders, weight lifters, gymnasts and runners. According to Dan's book, I haven't been doing too badly, but there are some things I misunderstood and will now be able to improve upon. Reading the book was a breeze, in fact I felt like a sponge gleefully soaking up much needed water and went from cover to cover in 3 days. In short, my nutrient timing is not optimal - not eating enough before running, nor eating or drinking during running - I probably over-indulge on protein powder, don't eat enough and certainly don't drink enough. A great book, which at times became a bitter but necessary pill to swallow.

This book is surely one of the good books of nutritional science. Must for people in sports science.

Libro ottimo e interessante: lo consiglio agli sportivi ma anche a tutti coloro desiderano ottimizzare la loro alimentazione e avere le idee più chiare sull'argomento. Meglio avere conoscenze di base di fisiologia per apprezzarlo al meglio.

Awesome book