If you follow the techniques outlined in the book, you will:

• Be a faster runner
• Be a more explosive runner
• Run without getting injured
• Be able to run further with greater speed and endurance

This book has many features not seen in other running books! If you have ever wanted to improve your running form and physical abilities specific to your running, Explosive Running is the answer to your wishes. Not only does this book explain the mechanics of running, but it breaks running technique into easy to follow steps. In addition, it describes and illustrates special exercises to strengthen the muscles in the same manner as they are used in the running stride.

No other book comes close to matching the specificity of the running technique analyses or the specialized strength and flexibility exercises to improve your technical and physical abilities. The specialized strength and flexibility exercises duplicate what takes place in the running stride.  Serious sprinters, long distance and running athletes in other sports should not be without it. It is the first to have:

• Sequence pictures of different level runners taken from live digital video
• Explanation and illustration of specialized strength, flexibility and explosive exercises that duplicate the joint actions that occur in the running stride.
• Running specific active stretching exercises
• Biomechanical analyses of runners described in simple, everyday language
• Common running faults shown and described and how they can be corrected
• The latest in running specific nutrition
• Integrated training programs to improve your speed and distance of running
• Barefoot running discussed in detail

This book is not limited only to track runners. It is for all athletes in all sports who must run when playing competitively. This includes athletes who are involved in soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, basketball etc.

By following the techniques outlined in his book and doing the specialized strength and explosive exercises, athletes can become:

• Faster runners
• More explosive runners
• Better long-distance runners with greater speed and endurance
• An injury free runner
• Capable of getting greater enjoyment from participation

This book : 

• Explains the mechanics of running
• Breaks running technique into easy-to-follow steps
• Provides strength and flexibility exercises to improve your running
• Describes specific biomechanical technique analysis — in simple, everyday language
• Identifies common running errors and shows how they can be corrected with specialized strength exercises

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Improve Your Running Dramatically

Chapter 2: Develop Strength and Flexibility

Chapter 3: The Biomechanics of Running

Chapter 4: Kinesiology of Running

Chapter 5: Active Stretches for Runners

Chapter 6: Special Strength Exercises for Running

Chapter 7: Explosive Exercises for Running

Chapter 8: Running Barefoot

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting: Special Exercises to Resolve Common Problems

Chapter 10: Nutrition for Optimal Running

Chapter 11: Developing Your Exercise Program

Chapter 12: Tips To Maintain Your Running Program

Review of Explosive Running by world-famous coach Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk.

This book by Dr. Michael Yessis oversees different problems involved in developing a system of preparing runners for short, middle, long and even ultra-long distances. He takes into consideration the most modern concepts in the theory and methods of physical (sports) education. The information presented in this book can be recommended without exception for use in all sports where the main competitive skill is running.

Increases in sports achievements are to a great extent determined by the levels of absolute speed, (the sport speed-strength quality) and explosive strength. Their relationships depend on the level and qualifications of the athlete, his or her individual characteristics and the specifics of the sports event. This doesn’t take into consideration the tasks appearing before the athlete over the duration of each consecutive period of sports form development in the preparatory periods. During each of these periods, the relationships between the above mentioned qualities should change according to the increase in the sports result.

Discussion here is of the multi-year system of training athletes which consists of preliminary preparation, deep specialization, achievement of high sports results, maintaining the achieved level of sports achievement and the loss of sports form (peak development). Here it is well known that the uninterrupted increase in sports results over the duration of each consecutive period of sports form development, can be realized only when the complexity of the program used increases all the time.

Dr. Michael Yessis brings this out well in the book. He presents complete details for using exercises to develop the necessary speed-strength qualities, looking not only at the complexity and essence of the exercises but also the methodological principles of their use (number of sets, number of repetitions).

Of great value in this book is the chapter in which the biomechanical aspects (technique) of running various distances are looked at. It is well known that achievement of high sports results depends to a great extent on the presence of effective running technique, the bases of which should be instilled in childhood. This relates to the beginning stages as well as base preparation (beginning specialization in one or another event).

With sorrow, the chase after high sports achievements at an early age leads to the fact that for many athletes, it becomes necessary to correct errors acquired by them in the early years, even on the level of high sports mastery. In order to do this, much time is lost in the first two stages of multi-year preparation. In most cases, it is not possible to make the changes. As a result, the ineffective technique used, based on the degree of improvement in this sports result, becomes more comfortable rather than trying to acquire effective technique. The sensations instilled from ineffective techniques remain for one’s entire life. To eliminate them is practically impossible as is changing them to some other more effective ones.

However, Dr. Michael Yessis tackles this problem in a way not done before. Not only is the reader shown how to make appropriate changes but prescribes special exercises to develop the ability to make the changes. More than usual attention in the book is given to these specialized exercises, which help the athlete correct the earlier acquired technique errors.