The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance [Paperback]

Jeff S. Volek (Author), Stephen D. Phinney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2012

A Revolutionary Program to Extend Your Physical and Mental Performance Envelope.

Our recent book 'The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living' was written for health care professionals, championing the benefits of carbohydrate restriction to manage insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes.

In response, our athlete friends asked "What about us?"

This companion book is our answer, and it could be titled: 'The Art and Science of Avoiding the BONK'.

But actually, it is much much more than that. The keto-adapted athlete benefits from superior fuel flow not only when nearing glycogen depletion, but also during training, recovery, and in response to resistance exercise as well.

"On a well designed ketogenic diet as recommended by Jeff and Steve, I consume up to 4200 Calories per day while maintaining 6-7% body fat. This transformation has increased my power to mass ratio and allows a high level of performance in a range of activities. Equally if not more important is the efficiency with which I operate in every facet of my life. My energy level in the keto-adapted state is constant and nver undulates." Tony Ricci, MS, CSCS, LDN, CISSN, CNS. High Performance Coach/Sports Nutritionist

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Volek is a dietitian-scientist who has spent 15 years studying diet and exercise effects on health and performance. He has held an academic position at Ball State University and is currently an associate professor at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Volek has contributed to 3 books, 2 patents, and over 200 papers. He received his dietetic training at Michigan State University and Penrose St Francis Hospital and his PhD in Exercise Physiology from Penn State University.

Steve Phinney is a physician-scientist who has spent 35 years studying diet, exercise, fatty acids, and inflammation. He has held academic positions at the Universities of Vermont, Minnesota, and California at Davis, as well as leadership positions at Monsanto, Galileo Laboratories, and Efficas. Dr. Phinney has published over 70 papers and several patents. He received his MD from Stanford University, his PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from MIT, and post-doctoral training at the University of Vermont and Harvard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Beyond Obesity LLC (April 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983490716
• ISBN-13: 978-0983490715
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Training & Conditioning
  • #38 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Carbohydrate

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 113 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The final pieces of the Low-Carb jigsaw May 4, 2012

By Stephen Ferguson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is not an completely unbiased review. Having "caught" a bad case of Type 2 diabetes a year ago I quickly discovered Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars and followed his (still somewhat controversial) ketogenic diet plan, and began to devour as much information as possible on low-carb diets. Although I found inspiration from many places (including Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage), and Dr Feinman's blog), the more I read, the more I came across Phinney and Volek.

Their companion volume The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable gave me the best possible practical guide and scientific justifcation for pursuing a low-carb lifestyle, and gave me the confidence to reduce my HbA1c from 10.2% to 4.5% (a properly non-diabetic number).

However, as a keen runner training for a half-marathon, I had still had significant concerns about attempting endurance events without resorting to carbohydrate fuelling that would disrupt my ketosis and aggravate my diabetes. Despite many hours trawling the internet I couldn't find much quality advice on ketosis and athletic perfomance, and had many questions relating to "liver-dumping" and the necessity for pre and post exercise fuelling. This book answered every question and I devoured it in a single sitting.

After adopting their advice (as predicted) I ran two of the worst 5k races of my life, followed by rapid improvements week by week, which eventually led to me knocking almost 2 minutes off my 5k PB. I can't wait to run my first carb-free half marathon later this year.

It's too easy to say that a book changed your life, but in this case both the "Art and Science Books" have fundamentally impacted my health and my athletic performance.

Very highly recommended.

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book with advice for all, not just triatheletes May 6, 2012

By Fortune R. Elkins

Format:Paperback

For those new to low-carb but with some exercise experience, this book explains both how to follow a good low-carb diet in plain English, and also how to achieve great exercise results while doing so. For long-time low-carbers, it offer tips to fine-tune your keto-adaptation.

I think there's a special audience for this book as well - women. Many women who've tried every other diet eventually try low-carb and are delighted with the results. Yet after a time they may plateau. How to break through? Exercise!

But how to exercise when low-carb? Most exercise books will tell you serious exercise is impossible without carbs. So a lot of women don't expand beyond their usual walking or light yoga. This book should help reassure women that endurance and resistance exercise is possible & helpful. It definitely puts the "carbs are necessary for exercise" myth to rest.

How to use your already existing keto-adaptation to your maximum advantage? Low-carb books will tell you that you need to exercise, but they don't help explain why exercise plus low-carb is uniquely effective. This book does.

Exactly how deep in ketosis are you now and would getting more deeply into it improve both your weight-loss and exercise? Drs. Volek and Phinney tell you how to figure this out for yourself with an inexpensive glucometer, which will remove a lot of frustrating trial-and-error.

Finally women can see how dialing their carbs up and down affects their level of ketosis, allowing them to measure and control their keto-adaptation to support their personal weight and exercise goals. The book closes with some snapshots of intense athletes, including a 60-year-old female low-carb marathon runner!

This book is a great companion to the authors' other two: New Atkins for a New You, as well as the seminal Art & Science of Low-carb Living. I recommend you get all 3.

I also hope they expand the "Art & Science" concept to all aspects of low-carb. I'd love to see and Art & Science for diabetics, for women, for kids & teens, for college students, for those with thyroid issues, for autoimmune conditions, for mothers-to-be and those breastfeeding, etc. Writing in the same plain and clear style, such a series could delve into the concerns of each group to offer hope and practical advice.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just For Athletes, Nutritional Ketosis Information Invaluable For EVERYONE! July 22, 2012

By Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I am a great admirer of the work of the authors Dr. Jeff Volek and Dr. Stephen Phinney who I am privileged to call personal friends of mine. These two men have done some of the most extraordinary research into the health benefits of low-carb diets in the past few decades and deserve an enormous amount of respect for their contribution to the world. They teamed up with Duke researcher Dr. Eric Westman on New Atkins for a New You in 2010 and then released their phenomenal book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living in 2011.

As a follow-up book to the latter release, Volek/Phinney wanted to share some important information about how a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet is an excellent way to maximize athletic performance by advocating for athletes to get into a keto-adapted state in this book THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LOW CARBOHYDRATE PERFORMANCE. And for the niche audience of trainers and athletes wanting to choose the low-carb path to maximized performance, this book is excellent.

However, there is a section in this book that I believe includes invaluable information for EVERYONE who wants to be as healthy as they can possibly be. Beginning on page 89 in the "Personalization" chapter, Volek/Phinney discuss "finding your ketone zone" and encourage people to begin measuring their blood ketones using a monitor very similar to a blood glucose monitor. While the testing strips for measuring your blood levels of ketosis can be a bit pricey (each strip costs about $2-6 depending on where you find them - See the cost of the Ketone Test Strips here on Amazon), the information you learn about yourself is incredible! Far too often, people who eat a low-carb diet use Ketostix to measure the ketones in their urine. This can be an insufficient way to measure ketones, so the blood ketones are much more reliable.

Since reading this book a couple of months ago, I have made tweaks to my low-carb diet suggested in the book to raise blood ketone levels to the suggested .5-3.0 millimolar level where "nutritional ketosis" can take place. I went into this level by Day 4 (after starting at .1 on the first day despite eating a pretty good low-carb diet for years) and haven't come out since. Hunger is zapped, energy level has skyrocketed, mental clarity is sharper than it has ever been, I'm eating about 85% fat in my diet with no ill effects--oh yeah, I've lost over 25 pounds and counting! It's amazing how shifting the focus to some rather simple things like cutting carbohydrates and protein, increasing fat and exercise and getting ample amounts of medium chain triglycerides can make such a noticeable difference in how well your body functions and performs.

So if you're considering getting this book and wonder if it is ONLY for athletes, the answer is no. YOU need this book and probably don't even know it. Get it and read all 162 pages--absorb the information, apply it to your own life and watch the magic of livin' la vida low-carb become real right before your very eyes. If you're a long-term low-carber and think you're doing well, start testing your blood ketones to see where you REALLY stand. It might just shock you!