Physiology of Sport and Exercise (Hardcover)

~ (Author), David L. Costill (Author)
Key Phrases: respiratory responses, chapter opening outline, skinfold fat thickness, United States, Journal of Applied Physiology, American College of Sports Medicine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“...This textbook will continue to be a helpful resource for undergraduates, and instructors will welcome appearance of the new edition.”

Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism

"This is a good tool for new students in exercise physiology. While not the definitive book, it is good for undergraduates because of its ease of use and the inclusion of a study guide. Because of the enhanced sections on thermoregulation and aging, as well as disease and exercise, this new edition is justified."

Doody's Book Review

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Description

An introduction to sport and exercise physiology for students, this book reviews the major body systems, and examines the body's acute responses to exercise and its chronic response to training. Students are taught how the environment affects these responses, and the text examines various approaches used to optimize performance. It highlights special concerns for special populations involved in physical activity, and examines the importance of physical activity to health. Included with the book are a colour transparency set containing 104 transparencies, and a test bank package containing a disk available in Windows and Macintosh.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Pub (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873226933
• ISBN-13: 978-0873226936
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,145,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good reference material, June 19, 2001

By	James Spooner (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Physiology of Sport and Exercise (Hardcover)

This book is excellent consolidation of reference material which is sensibly divided into logical chapters.

It covers every area of sport performance in well-documented and example-driven text, colour diagrams and graphical representations. It is a generic reference book, which does not focus on specific sports activities, but uses examples from a wide range of sports to demonstrate the body's response to exercise, training and the passage of time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a detailed overview of the physiological responses to training, or needs specific answers to questions. An excellent index and layout also makes this a good reference book for looking up quick answers to problems. Absolutely worth the cost. Only criticism... there is a slightly schizophrenic approach to units of measure, reflecting the US imperial measurements, Keep a calculator handy to convert to SI units (eg Kgs, Kms, etc)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding introduction to the science of exercise, May 23, 2008

By	R. Povlitz "fan of reading" (California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Fourth Edition (Hardcover)

After a lifetime of interest in learning about exercise, I finally got this: the proper textbook on the subject. Recommend this book for everyone interested in learning what science has found about exercise.

This book is the opposite of all those endless magazine and internet exercise tips. The authors have themselves tested and compiled the best experimentally tested findings on the causes and mechanics of exercise and the human body. Why does muscle get stronger? Can you get faster? How? Why?

Book is long and can be a bit technical. It is a textbook on exercise. It is not the end of the topic. But if you want to look at and learn about sports from the perspective of tested results, written by maybe the best teachers and minds in the field: get this book. Maximum recommend.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Exercise Book, February 27, 1999

By	[e-mail] (usa) - See all my reviews

A good physiology exercise book is so important to understanding the body and how all of the different systems work together. This book does a great job of explaining concepts by colorful graphics and pictures. If your an advid athlete like myself you will enjoy this book. I was always chasing the new fads in exercise or trying the latest diet to trim down, they never worked. You must first understand some of the complexities of the human body. Likewise, if you want to tweak your car's engine you must first understand some of the most basic principles of a car engine before adding expensive and useless gadgets.