Play on : the new science of elite performance at any age / Jeff Bercovici.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Racing against time : the physiology of the aging athlete -- Fresh is the new fit : a better way to think about conditioning -- Wrestling with giants : the surprising benefits of cross-training -- Trick the mind, train the body : how technology makes workouts smarter -- Ferraris and Toyotas : the science of efficient, injury-free movement -- The destiny in your cells : what genes have to say about finishing strong -- Consistency is a talent : the psychology of athletes who get better with age -- Slow is fast : strategy, complexity and the advantages of experience -- Careful what you swallow : the fads and the facts of career-extending nutrition -- The workout after the workout : why older athletes are behind recovery revolution -- Repair, replace, rejuvenate : sports surgery and the outer limits of human longevity.

"A lively, deeply reportedtour of the latest in fitness science and technology, revealing the strategies of elite and amateur athletes as they stay fit longer than ever before. Age and sports: try talking about one without the other. At their core, sports are about challenging our physical limits. Age is the final and most stubborn of those limits. It's through sports and exercise that many of us first experience the reality of aging. Yet as the American populace ages, our notions about the place of sports and fitness in our lives keep getting more ambitious. In every major American sports league, the number of players over 35 has grown prodigiously over the last couple of decades: Tom Brady, Meb Keflezighi, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Kobe Bryant, David Ortiz, Roger Federer, Kelly Slater--a new breed of top professionals and Olympians are overturning notions about how long a sporting career can last. They're showing an athlete's performance peak is "not a point but a plateau." It's no accident that all of this is happening now. Sports science has advanced light years in its understanding of how athletes age, and surgical and medical techniques have come even farther. A glimpse over the horizon shows technologies that promise not just to slow aging, but reverse it entirely and what that means for weekend warriors. From balance boards to ice tubs to beet-and-cherry cocktails, here are the secrets to extending your peak years like never before."--.

"A lively, thoroughly researched tour of the latest in fitness science and technology, and the strategies of elite and amateur athletes who are performing at peak levels for decades longer than before"--.