Brain Training for Runners: A Revolutionary New Training System to Improve Endurance, Speed, Health, and Res Ults

by Matt Fitzgerald and Tim Noakes

Book Overview

Based on new research in exercise physiology, author and running expert Matt Fitzgerald introduces a first-of-its-kind training strategy that he's named Brain Training.

Runners of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels can learn to maximize their performance by supplying the brain with the right feedback. Based on Fitzgerald's eight-point brain training system, this book will help runners:

- Resist running fatigue
- Use...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451222326
• ISBN13: 9780451222329
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Made a Big Difference for My Form

I got this book after reading The Cutting Edge Runner, which is also very informative. I have a lengthy injury history, including an achilles rupture caused by my inability to take care of my body as a younger, foolish runner. I'd been following the programs on the Core Performance site since my last surgery a few years ago, so I have a lot of experience with core training, dynamic drills, and plyometrics. I found the core program in this book to be most helpful in terms of improving my running form. The proprioperceptive cues and overall training plan helped me go from 15 miles a week as a small component of my overall training to 40-60 miles a week without any of nagging overuse injuries caused by an inefficient stride that previously limited my running. Following an abbreviated version of the advanced 5K plan in this book helped me run within 15 seconds of my best college time.

My new favorite running book...this one is a must read for Marathon runners.

Let me start by saying that I'm a 42 year old runner who got back into running about a year ago. Was way out of shape and knew I needed a big goal in order to get my brain to take things seriously. Chose to run the San Diego Rock N Roll marathon and got started with 20 week training program. I managed to finish, but made many rookie errors along the way. However, I was hooked so I started reading every book I could get my hands on in an effort to run faster, more efficiently, and pain free. Of all the books, I had narrowed my "favorites" down to three = Lore of Running by Timothy Noakes, ChiRunning by Danny Dryer, and Run Less Run Faster by the Runners World and the Furman Institute. I found these books contained the science, running form, and training plan I needed that made the most sense and seemed to be the most current, effective information available. When I received Brain Training for Runners, I was immediately impressed and I'm happy to report that it does an excellent job of summarizing the key points in my three favorites noted above and is now my new favorite. If you are ready to take your running to a new level, I strongly recommend you read this book. The author does a good job of explaining the role our brains play so you can understand what's going on behind the scenes...and train smarter to push through mental barriers that may be holding you back from your true potential. He is a believer in the "central governor model" proposed by Timothy Noakes and I think he does a great job explaining how it all works in layman's terms us runners can comprehend. In my opinion, the author also does a great job of explaining stride mechanics and providing some excellent cues for you to focus on while running to improve your stride. I found ChiRunning to be an excellent book regarding how to use gravity to run more efficiently and reduce injuries. However, it wasn't until I read Brain Training that I put it all together and now I'm just amazed at the difference it has made in my running. In Brain Training, the author talks about the ballistic style of running that elite runners use and how they are actually floating in the air the majority of the time. Practicing his cues helped me evolve my stride to emulate the elite runner form and all I can say is wow. The real world changes for me, based on actions I took after reading Brain Training, are nothing short of amazing. Over a period of 3 weeks, I have seen my target marathon pace drop by a full 30 seconds per mile. I now run much faster when doing track intervals and the speed of tempo runs is mind boggling. I continually focus on the authors cues and somehow I am now running my long runs considerably faster with a lower average heart rate! Should also point out that the training plans the author suggests are very similar to the Run Less Run Faster plans where focus is on 3 quality key runs per week. Difference being that the author is more flexible in his approach whereby he advises y

One of my favorite running books

I really enjoyed this book. It talks about all aspects of running in an intelligent way. This book has a lot of good targeted workouts, great stretches, and a variety of easy to follow training plans. The speed charts are helpful, and not overbearing. I regularly reread chapters to see how I can improve in certain aspects. I anticipate I can keep implementing things from this book for years to come. Highly recommended.

Excellent - Best Running Book I've Read

I read a lot of running books but for me, this is the best. It's an easy read with a lot of useful training tips. His exercises have really helped me. I've been suffering for 2 years with groin/hip pain and have spent a small fortune on doctors to no avail. The exercises and training plans in this book have got me back running, pain-free. I run by myself so having a good training plan and "virtual coach" has been great. I think you'll find something helpful for your running in this book.

Training your brain

Author, coach, triathlete and Active Expert Matt Fitzgerald presents a revolutionary approach to running in his latest book, Brain Training for Runners. Fitzgerald compiled evidence from the latest research in exercise physiology that challenges conventional runner's wisdom by shifting focus to a "brain-centered" model. The two-part book begins with a well thought out presentation of the brain-training system applicable to runners of all experience levels. Fitzgerald's motto, "train the brain and the rest will follow," explains how the main goal of brain-training is to develop a heightened awareness for feedback from the running experience to increase maximal capacity, efficiency of stride and injury-prevention. The Brain Training System The three feedback loops--collective, objective and subjective--compose the awareness center of the brain-training system. The first step in transitioning to a brain-centered training model is with a thorough understanding of the feedback loops, which Fitzgerald explains extensively in the book. Basically, the collective feedback loop includes classic training strategies; the objective feedback loop records and applies your own performance data such as speed, distance and heart rate to customize the brain-training system; and the subjective feedback loop is information relayed from body to brain through experience. Developing effective communication of this feedback is essential to getting the most from your training. Fitzgerald's journey through the biology of the brain was a tad overwhelming, but he actually suggests that the reader skip forward to the next section, which illustrates how well he knows his audience. For example, I can see how the scientific community would benefit from the breakdown of how the "fatty sheath insulates axon-dendrite connections," but it was over my head, so I chose to follow the author's advice and skip ahead to the section on brain-training plans. Part II of Brain Training for Runners is a selection of plans that are based on the brain-training model from part I. These plans are for the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon distances and, as Fitzgerald explains, they are flexible to promote responsive training and injury-prevention. Brain Training at Work Before I encountered Fitzgerald's book, my training was struggling with a lack of direction, and I had two important events approaching: a 5K race and a 50-mile ultra marathon. I applied the brain-centered system to my own training and competition. As my focus shifted from body to brain, a fresh supply of potential was unlocked. I experienced my first brain-training breakthrough during my 5K race. I had just finished reading a section about the mechanism of "teleoanticipation," which Fitzgerald describes as "knowing intuitively just how much to hold back at the beginning of a maximal running effort to complete the effort without anything left in the tank, yet also without any decline in performance." I was making a consciou