When it comes to purchasing a book on exercise, it can be a very daunting and exhausting decision as to which book to place your trust in and buy. There are hundreds of books on the subject to choose from, so what makes this book any different from the rest? The majority of books typically offer only one of two things, A) theoretical material without practical application (academia texts), or B)applicable material without theoretical scientific backing (books by practitioners). Unfortunately, most of the books on the market do not combine the two, and this is where Applied Exercise Science stands triumphant. This book elucidates the application of exercise and nutrition, whereby bridging the gap between theory and practice on a comprehensive level where you–the reader–can understand and apply the sciences. Applied Exercise Science is broken into five sections: foundations, unified exercise theory, research, application, and nutrition.
Part I – Foundations: This section discusses important information, such as: the history of exercise and its evolution to what it is today; philosophy, which segues into definitions, the proper use of them and why they are important; and the primary sciences which constitutes exercise science as a whole.
Part II – Unified Exercise Theory™: This section discusses the tenets of exercise, which is combined together, creating the Unified Exercise Theory™. It is imperative that you have a basic knowledge on what makes up exercise theory as a whole. Once you understand the fundamentals then you will be able to make better decisions in how to go about program design, and further your education with more complex information. Unified exercise theory is comprised of general principles which apply to everyone, despite what the objective of exercise is; therefore, the fundamentals are recurrent in every exercise program.
Part III – Research: This section discusses the scientific literature in exercise–it’s just the basics. However, there is enough material to have a sound understanding of the human body and how it works in conjunction with exercise. This is important knowledge so you have a grasp of how things work from a physiological and biomechanical standpoint.
Part IV – Application: This section discusses the essence of application. Knowing the fundamentals of exercise is important, but if you don’t know how to apply this in a real world setting–where you can be specific in your approach–then none of it matters.
Part V – Nutrition: This section discusses the basics of nutrition, subsequently it goes into details from a body composition standpoint to either lose fat, build muscle, or maintain what you have.
Applied Exercise Science provides the educational tools where you, the average gym enthusiast or fitness instructor, can understand exercise and nutrition on a deeper level. It does this by thoroughly examining the relationships between theory and practice, which gives an in-depth understanding in how to go about applying all the information herein. On top of the abundant amount of literature within the book, relevant research has been compiled to support these notions, but to also further stimulate your own learning to either draw similar or independent conclusions. In the end this helps us all, since many of us seek a better understanding of the sciences and practices involved in exercise and nutrition. As a perpetual student myself, I’m always learning and questioning belief systems (including my own) regarding exercise and nutrition, and always strive to improve my fervent craft. I highly recommend that others seek their own answers and question all things, and in doing so, reading as much material as you possibly can on the subject, including Applied Exercise Science. At the end of that day this will only help, navigate and solidify your positions in both exercise and nutrition. Enjoy!