Reddit reviews The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance
We found 7 Reddit comments about The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Actually, no. Take a look at the book The Sports Gene - in sports other than dance/gymnastics/figure skating where people hit their prime at 16-24, the most advantageous background for elite athletes tends to be a generalized fitness/sports routine until they're about 12-16, at which point they start 'their sport'. This gives them the body conditioning they need from a young age, but they're able to learn and incorporate sport-specific technique at an age where they can actually understand it, without a decade of bad habits and burnout.
Seriously, though, read that book if you get the chance. One of the most interesting and well written sports books I've read in a long time.
Actually MLB players have a genetic predisposition similar to height in the NBA, eyesight.
An anecdote: in the early 90s or thereabouts, the Dodgers' team optometrist began to notice how extraordinarily good the players' vision was and had a bet of sorts with a more traditionally minded person in their organization (I forget all the details). Anyway, the opto went through their minor league roster and chose two players for future success based solely on evaluating their vision. He picked Eric Karros (6th round pick) and Mike Piazza (62nd round pick), both of whom went on to have great careers
I mentioned this in another comment but if you're at all interested in this sort of stuff then I can't recommend The Sports Gene highly enough
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Performance/dp/1591845114
Apparently reaction time doesn't differ that much genetically! Read that in The Sports Gene.
David Epstein's book, The Sports Gene, which they mention, has even more of this. (I actually listened to it on audiobook during my long runs, haha). It basically delves into the nature/nurture riddle on what accounts for different aspects of running/athletic success. Fascinating and very well-researched. (It's also especially interesting because Epstein includes stories about his own experience as a DI collegiate runner, comparing himself to others who appeared to be more naturally gifted than him).
I lean more towards the exercise science/journalism type reads in regard to health and fitness. Born to run was really good IMO. I also really enjoyed..
I just read The Sports Gene, which summarizes the research (and gives a lot of interesting anecdotal stories in support) about genetic factors contributing to 3 different areas:
He mentions that the ultra-elite in any sport tend to have all three. There are specific examples of each (limb length, muscle size, above-average vision, etc.), which tend to contribute to both #1 and #2.
Non-genetic factors are discussed as well, such as how much culture plays into whether an individual decides to pick up a sport in the first place (and which sports the individual is likely to choose), and the resources/support and incentives at the individual's disposal. These also contribute heavily to how much #3 actually matters.
But what does that mean for the casual athlete? I'd say not much. We're not trying to break world records here. Perhaps 75% of men have the genetic potential to break the 1000 lb. club, but perhaps only 5% of men can actually do it. I think I'm in that 75% who can achieve it, genetically, but I'm most certainly not (yet) in the elite group that can do it now. Think about what that means if my admittedly made-up numbers are correct — people in the bottom half, with the worse-than-average genes, can actually find themselves in the elite, top 5%. But while I just made those numbers up on the spot, I actually believe they're in the correct ballpark, because the vast majority of people underutilize their strength potential, by a wide margin.
So if anyone needs me, I'll be in the gym.
Been planning to read these books, just haven't gotten round to it. They look really promising though!
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance - David Epstein
Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise - Alex Hutchinson
Not fitness related, but books that changed my outlook on life are Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl) and Down and Out... (George Orwell).