Proper training and athletic success

From yesterday’s NY Times Finess section – a good, short feature

Personal Best – Proper Training Is a Critical Element to Athletic Success – NYTimes.com

Mr. Gordon found that training, if done right, is the ultimate performance enhancer, with effects that can dwarf those of illegal drugs, like the blood-boosting drug EPO, as well as legal stimulants like caffeine. Still, it seems, too few amateur athletes take it seriously and fewer still do it right. Exercise physiologists and coaches say most people who want to run, swim, cycle or row faster or improve in almost any sport do not appreciate what can be accomplished with training nor how to do it.

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There are training programs everywhere — in magazines, books, on the Internet. But eventually, exercise physiologists say, most people need guidance from a group with experienced coaches, like the one Mr. Gordon joined, or from personal coaches.