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A review by peter__b
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
4.0
The full title of this book is actually very apt since it describes exactly what this book focuses on. There was a quite decent split between discussions and theories around how the mind affects performance versus the actual limits of the human body. Most of these discussions went quite deep into the scientific literature regarding each subject which made the book feel very well researched. However, if you're looking for practical advice and ideas on improving your own endurance performance, there isn't actually that much here for you. This is definitely geared more towards either top level athletes or people curious about the peak performance of the human body in general.
I enjoyed the writing though with the book doing a good job of keeping me engaged by interspersing the deep, scientific stat-dumps with anecdotes and human-relatable case studies that gave us an interesting context. There were maybe four or five cases where the author got lost in the numbers and seemed to drone on a bit too long, but even in those cases, you could argue many people would find that extra detail fascinating. The backdrop of the entire book is the 2-hour marathon attempt which we come back to every few chapters and which worked well for having an example of the ideas the author was discussing.
I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. It delivered exactly what it promised and was both interesting and informative. It covered a wide range of disciplines, ranging from ones I knew quite well like running and cycling, to more esoteric ones like free diving and speed walking. There's probably something here for anyone with an interest in the limits of human performance and endurance. It's very honest in the current limits of our scientific knowledge though, so don't expect too many definitive conclusions or practical advice.
I enjoyed the writing though with the book doing a good job of keeping me engaged by interspersing the deep, scientific stat-dumps with anecdotes and human-relatable case studies that gave us an interesting context. There were maybe four or five cases where the author got lost in the numbers and seemed to drone on a bit too long, but even in those cases, you could argue many people would find that extra detail fascinating. The backdrop of the entire book is the 2-hour marathon attempt which we come back to every few chapters and which worked well for having an example of the ideas the author was discussing.
I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. It delivered exactly what it promised and was both interesting and informative. It covered a wide range of disciplines, ranging from ones I knew quite well like running and cycling, to more esoteric ones like free diving and speed walking. There's probably something here for anyone with an interest in the limits of human performance and endurance. It's very honest in the current limits of our scientific knowledge though, so don't expect too many definitive conclusions or practical advice.