Name: Jb's review of Endure by Alex Hutchinson
Item: Endure
Rating: 2
Author: Jb

Alex Hutchinson

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell "Reveals how we can all surpass our perceived physical limits." — Adam Grant Limits are an illusion: a revolutionary account of the science and psychology of endurance, revealing the secrets of reaching the hidden extra potential within us all. The capacity to endure is the key trait that underlies great performance in virtually every field. But what if we all can go farther, push harder, and achieve more than we think we’re capable of? Blending cutting-edge science and gripping storytelling in the spirit of Malcolm Gladwell—who contributes the book’s foreword—award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson reveals that a wave of paradigm-altering research over the past decade suggests the seemingly physical barriers you encounter as set as much by your brain as by your body. This means the mind is the new frontier of endurance—and that the horizons of performance are much more elastic than we once thought. But, of course, it’s not “all in your head.” For each of the physical limits that Hutchinson explores—pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst, fuel—he carefully disentangles the delicate interplay of mind and body by telling the riveting stories of men and women who’ve pushed their own limits in extraordinary ways. The longtime “Sweat Science” columnist for Outside and Runner’s World, Hutchinson, a former national-team long-distance runner and Cambridge-trained physicist, was one of only two reporters granted access to Nike’s top-secret training project to break the two-hour marathon barrier, an extreme quest he traces throughout the book. But the lessons he draws from shadowing elite athletes and from traveling to high-tech labs around the world are surprisingly universal. Endurance, Hutchinson writes, is “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop”—and we’re always capable of pushing a little farther.

Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance

Endure

Lauren

Ritik Sahni

Some insight in here around belief systems and pain, but such a long book with very few good parts.

Keven Wang

Written for serious runner. But some good takeaway on mind’s limitations. 

Probably preferred Peter Attia’s podcast with Alex

Mind over matter or "body as machine". Super interesting and crazy stories of what (some) humans can push themselves to do. Would recommend to everyone – runner or not.

Sebastian Stockmarr

jordan

Good book overall. I expected more storytelling with tidbits of research, but it was a lot of research with a one main background story, the sub 2hr marathon attempt, and other smaller stories of human endurance dotted throughout. 

Though not what I expected, I finished with a bunch of research that I’ve noted to see how it can help me in my future ~athletic~ endeavors. 

It was refreshing to read specific research and citations on the impacts of high fat, low carb diets, working out in fasted vs. depleted states, etc. rather than just reading yet another article with vaguely cited stats about why “Keto is best.”

Danté

This is the best book I've read on the most up to date scientific research on human endurance. Look past the forward by Malcolm Gladwell; the actual book is both entertaining and insightful. I always knew that the mind plays a big role in pain tolerance, but until now I hadn't come across a book that weighed all the physiological factors against grit. Definitely worth reading after watching the Breaking2 documentary.

Honestly, I’d picked up this book thinking the focus would be primarily on psychological ‘endurance’ as opposed to physiological, with a sprinkle of psychology, but I found it interesting nevertheless.

Hutchinson focuses on how the body can accomplish incredible feats of endurance, specifically within the realm of sports- including examples such as running or cycling. Broken down into chapters exploring a wide variety of factors, you begin to get a strong basis of understanding the many things that do- or, could- affect our physiological performance.

One thing I absolutely must applaud the author for was the way in which he balanced his arguments. Frequently, I found myself being presented with anecdotes, suggested analysis, even studies themselves, and thinking ‘okay, but-’, and Hutchinson predicted and responded to that ‘but’ every time. It made for a balanced and intelligent read, providing readers with all the right questions.

Overall, I enjoyed reading ‘Endure’. A key point to highlight here is that sports and physiology relating to sport is nowhere near an interest of mine- and yet I read to completion. A credit to the author.


Jeni Enjaian

I thought I would enjoy this book a lot more than I actually did. While I did not dislike the book, Hutchinson failed to create a path of progression for his narrative. His stories of feats of endurance woven through every chapter of the book were a delight. The pure science, however, dragged the narrative down with contrast strong enough to give the reader whiplash.

I found some of the book enlightening; some of the revelations rang true with my own personal experience. Halfway through the book though, I found myself pushing through simply to get to the end. I had no other motivation aside from finishing.

I do not recommend this book yet I also do not recommend against this book.

Jeremy Cote

I loved this book. It was a great exposition on both endurance in general and running in particular. The stories that were presented were interesting and the research piqued my curiosity throughout. I also liked how he interweaved Nike's marathon attempt into the book.

Tim Oliver

Ethan

Tim Beyer 

Jayme Cochrane

Satyajeet Pal

Todd Prauner

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • "Reveals how we can all surpass our perceived physical limits." —Adam Grant Limits are an illusion: a revolutionary book that reveals the secrets of accessing your hidden extra potential Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell The capacity to endure is the key trait that underlies great performance in virtually every field—from a 100-meter sprint to a 100-mile ultramarathon, from summiting Everest to acing final exams or completing any difficult project. But what if we all can go farther, push harder, and achieve more than we think we’re capable of? Blending cutting-edge science and gripping storytelling in the spirit of Malcolm Gladwell—who contributes the book’s foreword—award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson reveals that a wave of paradigm-altering research over the past decade suggests the seemingly physical barriers you encounter as set as much by your brain as by your body. This means the mind is the new frontier of endurance—and that the horizons of performance are much more elastic than we once thought. But, of course, it’s not “all in your head.” For each of the physical limits that Hutchinson explores—pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst, fuel—he carefully disentangles the delicate interplay of mind and body by telling the riveting stories of men and women who’ve pushed their own limits in extraordinary ways. The longtime “Sweat Science” columnist for Outside and Runner’s World, Hutchinson, a former national-team long-distance runner and Cambridge-trained physicist, was one of only two reporters granted access to Nike’s top-secret training project to break the two-hour marathon barrier, an extreme quest he traces throughout the book. But the lessons he draws from shadowing elite athletes and from traveling to high-tech labs around the world are surprisingly universal. Endurance, Hutchinson writes, is “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop”—and we’re always capable of pushing a little farther.

Dom Zuend

Ben Roberts

Shannon Archer

Manuel Tiago Pereira

'This book is AMAZING!' - MALCOLM GLADWELL 'If you want to gain insight into the mind of great athletes, adventurers, and peak performers then prepare to be enthralled by Alex Hutchinson's Endure.' - BEAR GRYLLS How high or far or fast can humans go? And what about individual potential: what defines a person's limits? From running a two-hour marathon to summiting Mount Everest, we're fascinated by the extremes of human endurance, constantly testing both our physical and psychological limits. In Endure Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D., reveals why our individual limits may be determined as much by our head and heart, as by our muscles. He presents an overview of science's search for understanding human fatigue, from crude experiments with electricity and frogs' legs to sophisticated brain imaging technology. Going beyond the traditional mechanical view of human limits, he instead argues that a key element in endurance is how the brain responds to distress signals--whether heat, or cold, or muscles screaming with lactic acid--and reveals that we can train to improve brain response. An elite distance runner himself, Hutchinson takes us to the forefront of the new sports psychology - brain electrode jolts, computer-based training, subliminal messaging - and presents startling new discoveries enhancing the performance of athletes today, showing us how anyone can utilize these tactics to bolster their own performance - and get the most out of their bodies.

Ritik Sahni &
Endure by Alex Hutchinson

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Ritik Sahni &
Endure by Alex Hutchinson