Overview

In recent years recovery has become a sports and fitness buzzword. Anyone who works out or competes at any level is bombarded with the latest recovery products and services: from drinks and shakes to compression sleeves, foam rollers, electrical muscle stimulators, and sleep trackers. In Good to Go, acclaimed FiveThirtyEight science writer Christie Aschwanden takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening tour through this strange world. She investigates whether drinking Gatorade or beer after training helps or hinders performance; she examines the latest trends among athletes, from NFL star Tom Brady’s infrared pajamas to gymnast Simone Biles’ pneumatic compression boots to swimmer Michael Phelps’s “cupping” ritual; and she tests some of the most controversial methods herself, including cryochambers, float tanks, and infrared saunas. At a time when the latest recovery products and services promise so much, Good to Go seeks answers to the fundamental question: Do any of them actually help the body recover and achieve peak performance?

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9780393254334

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Reviews

This authoritative, delightful, and much-needed book slices through the hype around athletic recovery, and will surely cement Christie Aschwanden's status as one of the world's top science writers. I laughed a lot, and learned even more.--Ed Yong, best-selling author of I Contain Multitudes Christie Aschwanden's experience as both a journalist and a competitive athlete makes her uniquely well-qualified to write this book. The result is a skeptical and precise but also immensely enjoyable and relatable examination of the science of recovery. Even if you're not someone who regularly trains, you should read this book as a tour de force of great science journalism, shining a critical light onto a field that has historically been dominated by pseudoscientific and exaggerated claims.--Nate Silver, best-selling author of The Signal and the Noise Deeply researched and artfully written...A must-read for all athletes, from the professional to the weekend warrior.--Michael Shermer An intelligent and entertaining tour of fitness research for anyone who exercises, with clear advice on what actually works to aid recovery.--Julia Belluz Absorbing...Aschwanden separates the facts from the hype in the realm of athletic recovery, dispensing welcome doses of common sense.--David Takami

This authoritative, delightful, and much-needed book slices through the hype around athletic recovery, and will surely cement Christie Aschwanden's status as one of the world's top science writers. Even if you've never run a race in your life, you'll sprint through it. I laughed a lot, and learned even more. -- Ed Yong, best-selling author of I Contain Multitudes Christie Aschwanden is simply one of the best science writers in the world. Whether you're striving for a personal best or simply wondering about that post-workout beer, Good to Go is the definitive tour through a bewildering jungle of scientific (and pseudoscientific) claims that comprise a multi-billion dollar recovery industry. -- David Epstein, best-selling author of The Sports Gene Recovery is the great athletic obsession of our time. But how much do we really understand about it? Christie Aschwanden cuts through the hype to explore the topic with nuance, humor, and-most important-scientific rigor. The result is a much-needed reappraisal of how we should think about recovery, making Good to Go the most important book about training you'll read this year. -- Alex Hutchinson, best-selling author of Endure This book is fascinating! Christie Aschwanden makes the mind-boggling world of sports recovery a hilarious adventure, and she mixes science with stories that everyone can relate to. Recreational athletes, professionals, and coaches alike will find Good to Go entertaining and informative in answering the ever-changing question: How do I feel better, faster? -- Jessie Diggins, Member of the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team

Recovery is the great athletic obsession of our time. But how much do we really understand about it? Christie Aschwanden cuts through the hype to explore the topic with nuance, humor, and-most important-scientific rigor. The result is a much-needed reappraisal of how we should think about recovery, making Good to Go the most important book about training you'll read this year. -- Alex Hutchinson, best-selling author of Endure Christie Aschwanden is simply one of the best science writers in the world. Whether you're striving for a personal best or simply wondering about that post-workout beer, Good to Go is the definitive tour through a bewildering jungle of scientific (and pseudoscientific) claims that comprise a multi-billion dollar recovery industry. -- David Epstein, best-selling author of The Sports Gene

Author Information

Christie Aschwanden is an award-winning science journalist. She’s cohost of the podcast Emerging Form, a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Slate, and was previously lead science writer for FiveThirtyEight. A National Magazine Award finalist and former elite athlete, she lives in Colorado.

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