Reducing injury and improving performance through Ergonomics.

Ergonomics in Sport and Physical Activity: Enhancing Performance and Improving Safety is the first text to provide an in-depth discussion of how the principles of ergonomics can be applied in the context of sport and other physical activities to reduce injury and improve performance.

The text blends concepts from biomechanics, physiology and psychology as it shows how ergonomics is applied to physical activity.

This comprehensive text outlines methods for assessing risk in and procedures for dealing with stress, eliminating hazards and evaluating challenges posed in specific work or sporting environments.

Let your fingers do the running

These are the revolutionary shoes that Italian manufacturers Vibram claim to mimic what it is like to run barefoot and have been used by coaches such as Linford Christie and recommended by osteopaths.

Many experts believe that by forcing the heel to strike the ground first, normal trainers can actually cause problems such as shin splints.

One answer is said to be minimalist footwear that encourages runners to strike the ground with the forefoot and use nerves on the soles of our feet that are designed to send complex signals to the brain, but lie lazy and dormant in cushioned trainers.

A real lifesaver

The beauty and tranquility of nature can be deceptively dangerous for the unprepared. A knowledge of basic survival techniques is as essential as a map and compass when heading off the beaten track.

A sudden change in weather conditions, personal injury, or becoming lost or disorientated, can turn a scenic hike into a life-threatening ordeal.

Outdoor Survival Guide provides you with the essential survival information to help you overcome the most frequently encountered outdoor hazards. This guide offers practical, step-by-step instruction so you can implement the skills and techniques even under the most stressful circumstances.

Price: £13.99 I €15.40
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Reducing neck and shoulder pain of women office workers

Strength training exercises using dumbbells can reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle, the large muscle which extends from the back of the head, down the neck and into the upper back.

The exercises also improve the muscle’s ability to respond quickly and forcefully among women suffering trapezius myalgia, a tenderness and tightness in the upper trapezius muscle. The results are the latest findings from an ongoing Danish study aimed at reducing repetitive strain injury caused by office work.

Reclaim your body with home workouts

Shed unwanted weight, sculpt your physique, tone muscles, reduce joint pain, or simply be healthier and fitter. Women’s Home Workout Bible will show you how and all in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

In Women’s Home Workout Bible, best-selling author and renowned personal trainer Brad Schoenfeld shares his secrets on the perfect home workout regime. Step by step, it identifies the home gym setup and workouts to enable you to meet your fitness goals, schedule and budget.

It shows how to set up a personal home gym for as little as £60, or expand your options with more equipment for £300, £600, or more than £1500. Whatever your budget, with over 160 exercises, there’s plenty of variety, including bands, balls, free weights and fitness machines.

Exercise no risk to healthy older adults

Healthy, older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid, irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase either the short or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts and the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Researchers say such fears surfaced after previous studies found that episodes of errant heart rhythms, more formally known as non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, more than double the chance of sudden death in people who have already suffered a heart attack.

Ultimate Skiing

Renowned instructor, coach and ski technique expert Ron LeMaster takes you to the next level of ski performance by helping you master the mechanics of great skiing as never before – explaining how it’s done, showing how it looks and describing how it feels.

LeMaster has made Ultimate Skiing a comprehensive manual on ski technique. Learn how skis interact with the snow and how best to manipulate your skis, boots and poles on the steepest slopes, in monster mogul fields and through the deepest powder. Technique tips and kinesthetic cues help translate the sensation of each movement.

Powering to success on the ice

Develop explosive acceleration, speed and agility and dominate the ice! Laura Stamm’s Power Skating presents the skating system used by thousands of the sport’s top players and teams to move with maximum efficiency on the ice.

From starts and stops to turns and transitions, Laura Stamm’s Power Skating covers all of the critical components of explosive skating and provides top-level instruction, practice drills and coaching tips.

The great hockey players skate powerfully and are able to get in position to make the key plays. Laura Stamm’s Power Skating will give you that explosive edge on the competition.

Price: £14.99 I €16.50
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If only Thierry Henry had read this book

At a time when our sporting heroes are as likely to appear on the front pages of our newspapers as on the back and when cheating by players and coaches has become a part of the daily discourse, sportsmanship has never been a more timely topic.

Sport and Character: Reclaiming the Principles of Sportsmanship can help those involved in sport tackle the important lessons of sportsmanship by encouraging them to practice and teach respect for opponents, coaches, officials, teammates and the game.

Price: £12.99 I €14.30
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Winning Women’s Lacrosse

In Winning Women’s Lacrosse, renowned coach Kelly Amonte Hiller shares the expertise that has enabled her to develop some of the game’s premier players and made her team a perennial powerhouse.

Winning Women’s Lacrosse covers it all. Through expert instruction, coaching tips and one-of-a-kind insights into the sport, you’ll learn to develop the individual attacking and defensive skills of the game and master the speciality skills of field players and goalkeepers.

Learn to train like champions with sport-specific conditioning drills.
Sharpen individual and team execution with situational drills and
maximize potential by making the most out of practice time.

Price: £14.99 I €16.50
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Crown Jewels under threat

The Epsom Derby and the Rugby League Cup Final are rumoured to be among the victims in a shake up of the Listed Events ruling, which governs which sporting events must be broadcast on a free-to-air channel

According to media reports, the independent panel currently undertaking the review is set to recommend that the list be shortened but should include the Ashes, Wimbledon and international football qualifying matches.

Get taken to court and win

Learn the fundamentals of squash and enjoy competing in this fast-paced, tactical game.

Whether you already play squash or are just starting out, Squash: Steps to Success teaches the skills and strategies needed in order to play and win.

13 progressive instructional steps, teach all aspects of the game and detailed descriptions, illustrations and photo sequences demonstrate essential on-the-court movement, volleys, serves, returns and drop shots.

Anti-oxidants in Diabetes link

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at Monash University, Victoria, Australia, has found that anti-oxidants commonly touted for their health-promoting benefits, could contribute to the early onset of Type 2 diabetes.

The team, led by Professor Tony Tiganis from the Monash Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has found that Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) may play a protective role in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes by enhancing insulin action and that anti-oxidants prevent the beneficial effects of ROS.

Exercise? A fat lot of good that is for weight loss!

Just in case you missed it, an article in Times Online on Monday 19th October, created quite a stir when hackette Helen Rumbelow quoted recent studies that purport to show that the benefits of exercise for weight loss have been overstated.

This prompted a truly British response in the form of ‘a letter to the Times’ not from angry of Tunbridge Wells but from FIA Chief Operating Officer, David Stalker who took up the cudgels on behalf of his members, Human Kinetics included.

Here’s his letter….

The Physical Management of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease, the most prevalent hypokinetic movement disorder, is expected to occur with increasing frequency among aging populations worldwide.

While we await the discovery of a cure, combining physical interventions with traditional medical interventions can significantly improve overall quality of life. Health Professionals’ Guide to Physical Management of Parkinson’s Disease fills a void in this area of clinical management by comprehensively addressing the physical management of Parkinson’s disease in a single volume.

Written for clinicians, Health Professionals’ Guide to Physical Management of Parkinson’s Disease will prove to be a useful resource for physical therapists as well as other health care professionals who manage patients with Parkinson’s disease.

The text expertly distills and blends diverse research-based sources with the author’s own extensive clinical experience. The result is a concise manual that provides not just the science but also the clinical application necessary in the selection of physical interventions.

Price : £44.50 I €49.00
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