Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness: A Comprehensive Training Guide [Paperback]

David Musnick (Author), Mark Pierce (Author), Sandy Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

The most complete guide to conditioning, fitness and training for all outdoor activities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For people who don't have access to a personal trainer, [Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness] can serve as a handy guide."(The Register Guard (Eugene, OR)) -- (The Register Guard - Eugene, OR)

If you dont have [it]on your shelf, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. ... this book can introduce you to innovative and challenging training methods. -- The Professional Skier

It may be the single volume needed for conditioning techniques(Everett (WA) Herald) -- Everett (WA) Herald

Whether their interests are in hiking, paddling, skiing, climbing or biking, this easy to use guide will tell [enthusiasts] how to make the most of their workouts. The guide book is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced outdoor adventurers. -- Outfitter Magazine

About the Author

David Musnick M.D. is a Sports and Internal Medicine physician at the Sports Medicine Clinic in Seattle and at the Northwest Center for Environmental Medicine in Bellevue, Washington. In his private practice he specializes in exercise planning, nutrition, functional and environmental medicine, primary care, and a comprehensive conventional and holistic approach to musculoskeletal pain and injuries. He has studied exercise extensively. He is an instructor at the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Washington and teaches Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at Bastyr University. He has contributed chapters to two books and written numerous health education pamphlets. He teaches seminars around the country. He lectures on conditioning and injury prevention as well as musculoskeletal differential diagnosis and communication topics. He has taught backpacking, canoeing, cross country skiing and rock climbing. He presently works out regularly and is an avid outdoor enthusiast.

Mark Pierce is an owner of the Sports Reaction Center in Bellevue, Washington, a physical therapy and sports rehabilitation clinic dedicated to the recovery of orthopedic injuries and the physical enhancement of athletes. Pierce, a Sports Medicine Practitioner certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association, has over fifteen years of clinical and field experience in multiple settings. His unique interest in the science of biomechanics and the enhancement of human performance has enabled him to link musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports specific conditioning. An accomplished athlete in his own right, Pierce, a Two-time NCAA All-American in Track and Field was also the winner of top regional body building competitions. His ongoing continuing medical education, teaching and clinical practice as well as an extensive athletic history, has established him as a valuable Sports Medicine resource to the Pacific Northwest community.

Sandy Elliott is a physical therapist specializing in sports-related rehabilitation and fitness. She lives on Mercer Island, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 1 edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089886450X
• ISBN-13: 978-0898864502
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information from which you MUST SIFT through, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness: A Comprehensive Training Guide (Paperback)

This book is an excellent reference and strategy resource. There is tons of information ... almost overwhelming. You need to be able to sift through it to fit your goals. The books helps you to define and articulate your goals - this is a CRITICAL step if you want to get the most from this book. Without your goals, you will be overwhelmed with the wealth of information.

What do I mean? For example, this was my goal: To develop a SOLID fitness base (cardio, general strenght, lean-ness). Secondly, I want to also be able to perform successfully and effecitively on my bi-annual hikes to the White Mountains. Thirdly, I want to be in general shape for sports I like (basketball, mountain biking, and martial arts). Finally, I want to have a great build. Although this book does not talk about bodybuilding (you may need to supplement your knowledge with another book on bodybuilding), it implied that I can view bodybuilding as a "sports specific" goal. In other words, when summer is around the goal, this book showed me some ways to plan for this accordingly without sacrificing my general goals, at least from a planning perspective. Either you can wing it, or you can plan for it ... this book is great for the planning, and is very academic.

As a result, I have a plan to get in the best shape I've ever been in about 2-3 months (my Build Base Phase). By Feb/Mar of 2001, I will shift gears to get ready for my spring hike (My Sports Specific phase). When that's done, summer is near, so I'll start building some muscle and size for those hot, shirtless days (My 2nd Sports Specific phase). Again, as fall draws near, I will get back into hiking shape (Sports Specific phase), complete my excursion, and then repeat the cycle, as required, as needed (General Maintenance).

This book gave me practical ideas on how to plan for general fitness, sports specific performance, with a good degree of organization and rationale. But I had to definitely SIFT THROUGH IT ALL AND USE MY HEAD!

Some constructive criticism: I value the information on functional strength, i.e., although you can military press 100 lbs, that exercise does not directly "functionally" transfer to muscular performance needed to lift my bike onto the roof of my car. So, you must practice with more functionally specific exercises to get that performance. However, although many functional exercises are discussed, some of the descriptions don't explain the execution very well.

I would not recommend this to beginners ... it's like a reference guide for the experienced.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best source of new conditioning exercises I have found!, July 13, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness: A Comprehensive Training Guide (Paperback)

As a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience, it is rare for me to find a resource for all my patients. This book reaches way past the traditional, and introduces the reader to new, innovative, functional conditioning exercises that enhance performance, improve durability, reduce injury risk, and generally improve the quality of life. My congratulations to the authors for a fabulous resource for both the hard core and the casual athlete alike. Even if you are not an athlete, this book is a must have resource. I plane to promote this book to the professional trainers I teach at seminars nationally.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overall Guidance & Specific Training Tips, August 2, 2001

By 

Michael H. Krimminger (Derwood, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness: A Comprehensive Training Guide (Paperback)

The word "comprehensive" seems very fitting for "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness" because the volume packs in a lot of background information on physiology as well as specific training regimens for particular outdoor sports. I particularly value the icons for different sports used to identify exercises that are particularly valuable for the sport you are preparing for. The final chapters provide focused training regimens for specific sports, which are cross-referenced to the exercise descriptions found in other parts of the book. The book also provides valuable tips on functional exercises that focus on combinations of muscle groups to achieve more practical training than the muscle isolation process used in many weight training machines. All in all, this is one of the very best I've seen for sport-focused training.