Scientific American Building the Elite Athlete

Science increasingly informs athletic training, and technology is used every day to maintain and even enhance physical performance. In this volume, Scientific American's top writers present in clear, accessible prose information about present--and future--advances that enhance not only athletic performance, but also the vitality of the rest of the population. Topics include why players keep getting bigger; the search for genes to identify future Olympians; whether science can determine if sports psychology works; how skateboarders bend the laws of physics; and how the cellular biology of muscle helps explain why a particular athlete wins and suggests what future athletes might do to better their odds.