Panashe Fundira

An excellent review of the current state of the literature on deliberate practice, by the man himself. Mr. Ericsson has been the principal researcher in the science of expertise for the past 2 decades. Here, he manages to write a book for a general audience without losing his scientific rigour. He even addresses some of the misconceptions around the “10,000 hour rule” that has gained popularity in the post-[b:Outliers: The Story of Success 3228917 Outliers The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344266315s/3228917.jpg 3364437] world. I was glad to get a definition of what deliberate practice, as well as an application guide, and I look forward to applying the concepts in this book to my own work this year.

A pretty harsh introduction to Haskell. Certainly takes a lot longer than 48 hours to complete. Doesn't do as much teaching as it should either. Needs updating. Otherwise, not the worst choice for people who want to build something instead of stale tutorials with no exercises (i.e. [b:Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! 6593810 Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! Miran Lipovača https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1294497489s/6593810.jpg 6787531])

Very simple book, with a simple “follow your dreams (Personal Legend)” moral. Merely ok.

A very useful summary and reference for the essential features of git. Highly recommend

Pretty good summary of the essential practice on nutrition for mixed sports (neither pure strength/power nor endurance) athletes. Makes as good recommendations as you could expect from a text so broad. Also sticks with the practical pretty well, most things in the book are immediately applicable. My one quibble is the price, it is a very steep price for a book that essentially amounts to a dragged out presentation. The print quality isn't the best either, there's no revised edition and it's littered with typos. Would have a higher rating if it sold for, say, $20.

A good overview on the subject of non-linear periodization and how to implement it. I was brought to this book after researching a little bit about the ideas of Dr Zourdos' Daily Undulating Periodization, and I must admit that I'm fascinated by the idea. While there are no silver bullets in the game of strength acquisition, if there is such a thing as an optimal weight training routine (hint: there isn't) it would probably some combination of of Tuchscherer's autoregulation and Fleck/Kraemer's ideas on flexible non-linear periodization. Recommended reading for strength junkies.

Absolutely authoritative book, I don't see how there could be a more comprehensive history of the subject. I learnt so much, and it was certainly an engaging read.

Some good ideas here and there, but pretty incoherent (although to be fair it is based on a series of interviews). There are also few practical suggestions and some downright mind-boggling suggestions (i.e. “Ghandi was more violent than Hitler”)

Once again very thorough from Gamble. My only gripe is the lack of examples in programming and his approach of just throwing images into the text without much explanation

Extremely well argued, the author paints a bleak (yet somewhat unsurprising) picture of the American justice system. I especially enjoyed her rationalization of ghetto culture and the potentially deleterious effects that affirmative action may have on African Americans in general. Her background as a lawyer is easily detectable in the rigor of the text. My single gripe is the infrequent appearance of typos. One of the best books I've read in the past several months. A must-read for anyone interested in race or justice.

Absolutely comprehensive, an excellent resource for nutritionists, dietitians, coaches and athletes.

The title says it all, and it's certainly no exaggeration, this is an exhaustive and comprehensive guide to all things weightlifting. Greg breaks the Olympic lifts down into easy to understand progressions, and he is sure to detail every aspect of technical performance. Already, I've managed to improve my own technique by following some of his recommendations. Concise yet thorough, written in an engaging (and at times slightly humorous manner), this is an outstanding resource for athletes, and especially coaches, who wish to improve their understanding of Olympic weightlifting, or add a reliable method of speed-strength development to their training.

As an athlete, I'm obviously very interested in what it takes to achieve elite performance. In all the unnecessary time I spend on the internet, I found out about this book and its author: Mark Verstegen is the Director of Performance for the NFL Player's Association and his combine prep training has produced the number 1 draft pick in the NFL for the past 6 years. What really sold me as a rugby player is that he trained Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe of Argentina, one of my favorite loose forwards. Needless to say, I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book.

This book does many things right. The first sentence, in all caps, says “YOUR BEST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH”. From the first page, I knew that I'd enjoy this book. While I feel that nutrition was the weak part of the text, the rest of it will serve me well in my training. The best part of this book is probably the programming, I've seen many of the concepts that he discusses before but have had trouble implementing them in a structured way. The Movement Skills section and sections on mobility and flexibility are undoubtedly highlights. As a college kid, it's always useful to be reminded to set a consistent sleep schedule.

For someone so qualified, Verstegen makes practically no reference to the scientific literature. For example, in the nutrition section, he recommends 6 meals a day to boost metabolism, when this has never been shown to be more effective than 3 meals a day. Furthermore, I'm suspicious of his claims that the color of a fruit or vegetable dictate its functions in the body. Overall, I think nutrition is the weakest section, but there are still certainly practicable and helpful tips. He also makes reference to some pseudoscience, such as when he talks about reflexology and its effects on movement and recovery. The body of the book is only 134 pages long, which is disappointingly short. I would have liked to see a more in depth, technical analysis of the mechanisms at work in the adaptations that his training drives, so the reader has more scope for customization. Smaller niggles: The table of contents has only 4 topics, but these are subdivided in the text itself, making reference a little bit more difficult. At least there is an index.

PROS:

• A lot of common sense advice that we athletes must often be reminded of


• useful recommendations for programming that integrates the different aspects of athleticism


• Sections focusing on recovery, nutrition, and mobility/flexibility, which are often neglected


• simple, concise

• Perhaps oversimplified, lacks reference to scientific literature. Could be more rigorous.


• Short, could be more detailed


• Could be better structured for reference

A book that anyone who is interested in the political history of the United States in the 20th century, or public relations and propaganda, should read. It is quite a dry read, otherwise it'd get a higher rating, but still a good book.

A great resource on the use of deliberate practice for improvement, certainly made me consider my own practice design. I didn't expect the book to be so teacher-centric though, but still a very good read that I recommend to everyone looking to further their expertise in any field.

Enlightened me on the history of Anarchism and it was interesting to see some of the very things he criticized still prevelant in society. What a difference a century makes, right?

A must read for anyone interested in American 19th and 20th century history, racism and the racial apparatus employed by the system to keep blacks down. Magnificently written, well-researched, intriguing and thought provoking. Would have gotten 5 stars but I didn't quite agree with his plan of action, or the use of Barack Obama as a symbol of what blacks can achieve - but that's due to my objections with mister Obama

Really put me off where he lies about how much he can deadlift, saying he went from 300lbs to 650 lbs in 12 WEEKS, but in the notes says that its not through the full range of motion (i.e. Its not a bloody deadlift). It really just smacks of dishonesty, knowing that the average reader doesn't check the notes - and as a guy who lifts it irked me. I haven't read the 4 hour body but I doubt his program is so good that he could add close to 15 lbs every week on his deadlift, or it would be a staple in strength training communities. And is that 1 RM? For all we know he's comparing a 10 RM and a 1 RM weight - that kind of duplicity seems like his style

Nothing to special here, as other readers noted, the author does tend to overeach in analogy. He also doesn't go too much into how to establish habits from scratch rather than replace existing ones. Overall a solid read

As everyone here has said, this is a really great biography. My favourite part of the book is when her four year old daughter comes to visit her in prison, and tells her mother she hates him. It also taught me a lot about the big bad old United States (e.g. the 13th amendment). I think she gives balanced viewpoints on political issues, never demonising the enemy more than strictly necessary. I would, however, have wanted to know what happened between her going underground and getting arrested, as well as how she escaped to Cuba. Overall a great book

Absolutely loved this book, everyone should read it at least once

Not a lot of science here, and the writer over does his former-Soviet army gimmick. Also, the ads at the back of the book didn't help the experience (ab pavelizer? Seriously, his abs aren't even that impressive). Not too many specifics about programming either, or how to integrate it with your sports or strength training. Extensively references his other books. That being said, there is solid, concise advice here and I'll give it a whirl.

Most of the reviews here are by non-Africans, who definitely recommend this book to. As a Zimbabwean, I found the chapter on Zimbabwe particularly good as the authour looks at Robert Mugabe's motivation for all he's done, rather than just demonising him. Also, I didn't know a lot about East and West African history so those aspects of the book were illuminating, allowing me to draw comparisons with my own country. A very good read

As some have said, quite a few interesting facts in here, but the authors commentary just straight up sucks. Apart from that, some of these facts aren't particularly scary or special (e.g. The Vatican had 45,000 fans within a few days of launching their Facebook page - so?)

Finally finished the book... It was reeeaally long, maybe the longest book I've ever finished (1421 pgs). Really enjoyed it though, especially Harlod Lauder's character, maybe because I can identify with the character myself. I also found myself empathising with quite a few of the characters. This loses a star from me for the ending, it was a bit of a let down for me. But overall, really solid epic post apocalyptic fantasy novel. Next up, The Lord of the Rings :