The story—and the science—of nature's greatest engine. Whether we blink an eye, lift a finger, throw a spear or a ball, walk, run, or merely breathe, we are using muscle. Although muscles differ little in appearance and performance across the animal kingdom, they accomplish tasks as diverse as making flies fly, rattlesnakes rattle, and squid shoot their tentacles. Our everyday activities turn on the performance of nature's main engine: we may breathe harder going uphill, but we put more strain on our muscles walking downhill. Those of us who are right-handed can tighten screws and jar lids more forcibly than we can loosen them. Here we're treated to the story of how form and performance make these things happen—how nature does her work. Steven Vogel is a leader in the great new field of bioengineering, which is rapidly explaining the beauty and efficiency of nature. His talents as both scientist and writer shine in this masterful narrative of biological ingenuity, as he relates the story—and science—of nature's greatest engine.

What if I could harness this energy? An unusual question for anyone putting in a long stint on a treadmill perhaps, and yet human power is a very old, practical and empowering alternative to fossil fuels. Replacing motors with muscles can be considered a political act -- an act of self-sufficiency that gains you independence. The Human-Powered Home is a one-of-a-kind compendium of human-powered devices gathered from a unique collection of experts. Enthusiasts point to the advantages of human power: Portable and available on-demand Close connection to the process or product offers more control Improved health and fitness The satisfaction of being able to make do with what is available This book discusses the science and history of human power and examines the common elements of human-powered devices. It offers plans for making specific devices, grouped by area of use, and features dozens of individuals who share technical details and photos of their inventions. For those who want to apply their own ingenuity, or for those who have never heard of human-powered machines, this book is a fine reference. For those who are beginning to understand the importance of a life of reduced dependency on fossil fuels, this book could be a catalyst for change.

There is No System consists of a series of essays tracing the fall of American weightlifting from international predominance in the 1940- 50s and the gradual decline into the 1960s; as documented in the pages of Strength and Health magazine. The basic premise of the essays centers around the fact the USA failed to develop a rational sport science based system of training for weightlifting. “…the rise to international prominence of American weightlifting in the 1940s and rapid fall by the end of the 1950s was determined to be primarily the result of a national failure to develop a rational, scientific based training system designed to acquire the skills requisite of modern weightlifting”. In actuality, the preeminence of the USA in international weightlifting in the 1940s - 1950s was in part an illusion. It was due in no small part to the fact the infrastructure, athlete base and so forth of pre – WWII powers Germany, Austria and many other countries were decimated by the war. Beginning in 1960, the introduction and commercialization of the power rack by Bob Hoffman and the York Barbell company further exacerbated the decline. This product was touted as the savior to America’s declining competitiveness. The marketing of the power rack to weightlifters only made matters worse for American weightlifting. Furthermore, it greatly facilitated the commercialized foundation of the strength and conditioning profession; which was to follow. This commercialization continues up to the present time; fostering confusion between product and science based methodology. The final essay is contrast/comparison of dynamic and static exercises and techniques; the irrational application of static (powerlifting/bodybuilding) techniques to strength training for dynamic sports: “Any attempt to compare the strength/power developed from dynamic sports such as weightlifting with that developed from powerlifting and bodybuilding is a logic of fallacy. The power expressed in weightlifting exercises has almost nothing in common with powerlifting/bodybuilding.”

How much of a person’s body weight is made up of muscle? Can you learn to control your heart rate using your mind? How does taking steroids affect muscles—and why are steroids dangerous? What causes hiccups? The answers to these puzzling questions—and 97 more—are revealed in this thought-provoking book about muscles. From basic information on how muscles work to more complex issues such as how diseases and injuries affect muscles, science expert Faith Hickman Brynie provides authoritative information about the human muscular system.

Blending up-to-date biomechanical knowledge with professional application knowledge, this second edition presents a clear, conceptual approach to understanding biomechanics within the context of the qualitative analysis of human movement. It develops nine principles of biomechanics, which provide an applied structure for biomechanical concepts, and the application of each principle is fully explored in several chapters. The book also offers real-world examples of the application of biomechanics, which emphasize how biomechanics is integrated with the other subdisciplines of kinesiology to contribute to qualitative analysis of human movement.

Together these twenty-seven articles on a wide range of today's most current topics in science, from Oliver Sacks, James Gleick, Atul Gawande, and Natalie Angier, among others, represent the full spectrum of scientific writing, proving once again that "good science writing is evidently plentiful" (Scientific American).