Quantum Fitness, by Denis Waitley and Irving Dardik, is a fantastic and still-relevant book covering a well-rounded fitness program. Dardik, and MD, was the founder and chair of the US Olympic Sports Medicine Council, and as such was privy to the training techniques of all of the athletes involved in the Olympics in his day.
The book was written in 1984, and covers mental conditioning (using autogenic programming techniques), dietary advice, and workout information.
What’s most impressive about this book is that the authors had a clear grasp of what is critical in exercise programs back then – things that still aren’t understood or embraced today! For instance, the author’s dietary advice includes eating many smaller meals throughout the day, instead of fewer, larger meals. They list pelvic rhythmic balance as the foundation of all exercise (which it is!). One of their primary principles is to use multijoint movements as the primary form of exercise (just now coming back into popularity, after the swell of bodybuilding and “functional” training in the 80′s and 90′s). The authors also advise people to engage in intermittent exercise (intervals) as opposed to steady-state work. Modern research is also suggesting that this is a good idea.
The greatest thing about this book, though, is something you’ve never heard of. Dardik began to heavily research the idea of using the individual exerciser’s heart rate as the main tool for regulating the duration and intensity of workouts. Many people are familiar with “zone” heart-rate training. Dardik’s approach is slightly different. He advocates the use of waves of recovery and exertion – allowing the heart rate to climb about 5 beats per minute for every wave. For example, if you’re target heart rate for the day is 165, your workout would consist of successive waves of exertion taking your heart rate from the “resting” rate of 110-120, up to 130, back to 120, up to 135, back to 120, and so on, up to 165.
Dardik’s methods are covered in a little more detail in the book called “Making Waves,” about the history of his research into what he calls the SuperWave phenomenon. You can also gain some insight into his methods by reading his research papers, published on his website (http://dardik-institute.org/home.asp). Most of his methodology, however, is under the protection of US patent, and is property of the company LifeWaves (http://lifewaves.com/lw/index.php).
I highly recommend the book Quantum Fitness. Anyone interested in exercise or exercise physiology should pursue the study of exercise in accordance with natural cycles, and this book makes a first step in that direction.
