Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age

by Jeff Bercovici

A lively, deeply reported tour of the science and strategies helping athletes like Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Carli Lloyd, and LeBron James redefine the notion of “peak age.”

Season after season, today’s sports superstars seem to defy the limits of physical aging that inevitably sideline their competitors. How much of the difference is genetic destiny and how much can be attributed to better training, medicine and technology? Is athletic longevity a skill that can be taught, or a mental discipline that can be mastered? Can career-ending injuries be predicted and avoided?
 
Journalist Jeff Bercovici spent extensive time with professional and Olympic athletes, coaches and doctors to find the answers to these questions. His quest led him to training camps, tournaments, hospitals, anti-aging clinics and Silicon Valley startups, where he tried out cutting-edge treatments and technologies firsthand and investigated the realities behind health fads like alkaline diets, high-intensity interval training, and cryotherapy. Through fascinating profiles and first-person anecdotes, Bercovici illuminates the science and strategies extending the careers of elite older athletes, uncovers the latest advances in fields from nutrition to brain science to virtual reality, and offers empowering insights about how the rest of us can find peak performance at any age.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Science, Fitness, Health, Self Help

288 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just randomly caught my eye and my attention even though I am not even close to an elite athlete and never was even in my fittest days. The science and ideas explored are fascinating and also sometimes slightly terrifying.

[VBergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the methods that older athletes use to continue their sports life. It's interesting but not very useful for the average runner or gym goer.

[B. Factor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skimmed this book, so take this review with a grain of salt. According to this book, the aging athlete is 35 to 40 years old. So if you find yourself in that age band, Bercovici might have something to offer you. But it's long on jock sniffing and fluff, and very short on constructive advice.

[Dale Biagio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, skirts around actual advice the whole book. Fluff.

[Andy Huette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I snagged this off the local library display on a whim, and I'm glad I did. It was a quick read (many paragraphs/pages skimmable), written in a down-to-earth style about the science of aging and caring for one's body. Bercovici draws on research and habits from top players in a variety of professional sports, and then draws some conclusions for the average human/non-elite athlete. The book was instructive and motivating about how to care better for my own aging body while enjoying recreational sports and exercise.

I especially liked his chapter on eating. He's skeptical of many of the fad diets and both marvels at and mocks Tom Brady's insano health food regimen. He concludes that it's probably not Brady's abstinence from cheese and coffee that are working wonders, but the mere fact that he eats a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains that is doing the trick. It's not a miracle diet that we need, nor Brady's $200 cookbook, but just basic exercise and healthier eating. I appreciated his no-nonsense approach to eating (though he does give credence to the potential of eating more gelatin for increased cartilage growth, which--with a recently snipped meniscus--I may try).

In the end, I have a few new, easy-to-apply methods for exercise and I appreciated this intriguing and applicable book.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sports fans will marvel when an athlete can still perform at an elite level at an age where many of his or her contemporaries have either retired from the sport or are performing at a lower level. Examples of these types of athletes abound in every sport, from football (Tom Brady) to hockey (Chris Chelios, Jaromir Jagr) to soccer (Carli Lloyd). Reasons and explanations are varied, but most of them are covered in this book by Jeff Bercovici.

The book starts off with the author’s experiences and at times, it can almost read like a kinesiology text book with explanations of what the athlete’s body is experiencing while competing or training. Later the book talks about various types of training, how older athletes will “train smarter, not harder” and other breakthroughs that keep athletes going at peak performance. Efficiency is an important topic in the book as no matter how much or exactly what types of exercises and drills are performed, nearly every example provided emphasizes efficiency

Just about every type of sport is covered in the book, whether it is a trainer from that sport or elite athletes. Soccer, tennis (Roger Federer), basketball (the author marvels at the low injury rates of the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns), running (Meb Keflezighi) and football (many stars) are just a few of the sports highlighted by Bercovici for their training and fitness.

Athletes have their own chicken-and-egg problem stated in the book: “Do they stay healthy because they are so fit, or are they so fit because they stay healthy enough to train so hard?” While the question isn’t really answered, the stories shared in attempting to answer make for very good reading, although a very good working knowledge of kinesiology is helpful.

I wish to thank Houghton Mifflin for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...

[Diane Cota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun anecdotes that sports fans will probably enjoy but not enough take home pointers for the everyday aging athlete. Compiles some interesting idiosyncratic methods of elite athletes to stay competitive and avoid injury.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some new science, from an old, backward looking mind.

[Taro Yamashita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped this would cover topics related to aging and athletic performance into one's 50s or 60s. It does not. Here, "Elite" means exactly that (NFL, MLB, Pro Soccer, etc.), but "any age" means "into one's 30s" for most cases.

I read chapters 1-6 last year, and read chapters 7-11 (and Epilogue) this year. Nothing in the first half of the book really interested me, which is why I was able to put it down for so long. In the second half of the book, chapter 8, "Slow is Fast: Strategy, Complexity, and the Advantages of Experience" was the most interesting one to me. Given that I already have a slightly better-than-average knowledge of issues related to aging and athletics, this was the only chapter that piqued my interest.

The author's writing style wavers between serious journalism talking about the advances of sport science to a casual style more suited to sipping protein shakes and beer with one's gym bros. It seems clear that the author conceived of this book because of his own self-interest in exercise as he passed into his own 30s, curious to know what he (not an elite athlete) might start to experience as age and injury started to affect him.

The book does not, to my recollection, discuss aging concerns that are specific to women, such as exercising after menopause, or after childbirth, or while pregnant. Now, some of the athletes profiled are, indeed women, and elite women athletes IN their athletic careers are not also bearing children or undergoing menopause. However, the last chapter on aging and the quackery behind trying to stay young, focuses on older people without necessarily focusing on athletes, and that part of the book seems to ignore women entirely.

I think those who would most enjoy this book might be those who are like the author: about 30-40 years old, exercise for personal recreation, enjoy watching elite sports, and are watching their own bodies slow down as age catches up to them. Elite athletes can get the information they need from their coaches and trainers. Coaches (includes me) and trainers will get the necessary information from more professional sources, but might find this book entertaining to read, as it touches lightly on a wider range of topics than some coaches or trainers might normally be trained in. Athletes older than about 40 or 45 might be disappointed (as I was) in the inherent "ageism" of the book. Women will likely roll their eyes at being overlooked, yet again, in a work related to sports.

[Christopher Kelsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Jeff Bercovici delivers a book for the ages. Well, he delivers a book for people who want to age playing sports at a competitive level or at the very least wish to remain very fit. This 248-page research project could sit on the bookshelf right next to the very popular Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of the Human Performance written by the former scientist and popular journalist Alex Hutchinson. Endure graced the top of the New York Times bestseller list in 2018.

Both books are written with plenty of first-hand experience by the authors as well as citing credible scientists, athletes and coaches.

While Endure was all about top-end performance and the next frontier, Play On is for athletes and coaches nearing the end of their peak age as well as competitors age 40 and 50 and beyond.

Play On is a contagious read from a scientific perspective. The book helps re-shape our understanding of age-related decline.

While Bercovici cites basketball star LeBron James, tennis legend Serena Williams and ageless marathon runner Meb Keflezighi, he also references top Canadian exercise physiologist Trent Stellingwerff as well as Dr. Bryan Kelly out of New York.

Kelly is a specialist in sports medicine injuries and serves as Team Physician for the New York Rangers, Orthopedic Consultant for UFC, Physician for the New York Giants and the New York Red Bull’s MLS team.

Read more: https://athleticsillustrated.com/book...

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tour of the many techniques that elite professional athletes used to continue their careers into ages well beyond what used to be possible. The chapters seem to have a common pattern. Introduction to an athlete whose career has gone much longer than normal. Introduction to a therapy or treatment that athlete uses to address an issue that comes up with aging and recovery, then a deep dive in to the science (or lack thereof) behind the method.

While deep, after a point there is a repetitiveness to the gee whiz out of this world perspective on most of these treatments as a recreational athlete entering a world occupied by only world-class athletes. As he states in one discussion, some of these treatments only makes sense as an experiment when there are millions of dollars for an additional year of a career that is the potential return. So only at the end of the book does he return to his own roots as a recreational athlete looking to extend his active years into his 40s.

[Kayla Benedict · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who wants to become a corrective exercise specialist I loved this book. I appreciate the effort that went into this by the interviews and networking that was done and the time searching through the research articles. I ended up writing 3 pages of notes because there was so much that I wanted to take away from it. I liked the variety of aspects of the topic that the book went into to gain a general understanding of the topic and it’s numerous extensions. I learned a lot about different techniques and other things going on in the sports world as attempts to keep athletes in the game and off the bench. I liked the epilogue because it hit on what to takeaway from all of this for an average Joe. (Because recreational & elite athletes have different needs.)
I genuinely liked reading this book. I love the things I learned and would recommend this to anyone in the sports field who is wanting to learn more. :)

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engagingly written, and has a lot of interesting anecdotes and interviews with athletes. Bercovici casts a wide net, and covers everything from stuff that's solidly backed by science to practices that are probably complete nonsense. Especially for someone writing for a non-technical audience, I think Bercovici does a really good job of indicating which things have solid backing and which are more speculative.

If you're an "aging" athlete looking to boost your performance, this book is more of grab bag of interesting ideas to research further than a prescription or a specific training plan. You can extract some good general principles from the book, such as focusing on injury prevention and recovery, but you'll need to do some more work to come up with actionable advice for your own situation.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Felt like it was a nice piece of journalistic work that brings to light some of the advancements sports medicine utilizes for athletes. Information that would require a bit of in depth analysis and time that this book nicely organized.

I appreciate the underlying message. That youthfulness should be something sought after for the purpose of enjoying all this magnificent life has to offer rather than enjoying the great equalizer.

As a medical professional, I get excited about the opportunity of utilizing cutting edge technology for the everyday patients who make the world spin. Hopefully the science of elites may trickle down sooner for all.

4/5 stars.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been better. Content was convoluted. The cover made it seemed like it had practical info on what the average person could do to improve fitness. That was my motivation in reading it. I was interested to learn about the science to improve my fitness. That info will not be found in this book.

The only thing I agreed with was the idea that society does place unrealistic expectations on athletes and that preventing injuries should be given more priority rather than pushing them endlessly. Work smart, not hard

[Giangy Giang · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely informative book investigating various aspects of exercising and maximising the strength and resilience of the human body.
I like the way Bercovici approaches each different topic, analysing from the perspective of a researcher looking at elite performers but also making it very relatable for the non-elites. After all, we are given a body with the same underlying mechanisms, all we are doing is to make the best of it, learn how to appreciate it.

[Ian aires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical advise. Excellent book Would like to see more information on the authors recommendations such as creatinine. Otherwise overall easy reading even with some difficult technical concepsts

Practical Advise Excellent book for any age
Would like to see more information available on what the author recommends such as the use of creatine

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ties together quite a few things I am doing (e.g. collagen, mid foot striking, better recovery focus) a few things I haven’t yet incorporated (e.g. tDCS), and a few things I have not heard of. This book was a quick and practical read. Highly recommended for anyone that has a physical component to his or her career.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Not particularly useful as it points to a lot of intuitive takeaways that most people already know (though may not actually practice): ramp up training gradually, avoid fatigue buildup, incorporate mobility and stretching into every workout, eat protein, go higher intensity on high intensity workouts and much lower intensity on the other 60-80% of workouts

[Dimi Boeckaerts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Play on is an interesting look at today’s research on sports performance, staying fit, eating healthy and aging. While it’s less of a how-to book for the average joe than I would have expected, the epilogue does contain a very insightful summary on the key points of this book that are applicable in everyone’s life.

[Kris Muir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on ways to mitigate the breakdown of athletic performance as we age. I learned so many things in this book: concept of polarization, kaatsu (blood flow restriction), another benefit for protein (lowers glycemic index of the food you're eating at the moment) and the importance of gelatin.

Happy Reading!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an athlete in my late 50's, I thought it would have been interesting to see more examples of athletes in their 50's or older and how they're doing. Steve Spence and his 43 consecutive years of running a sub-5 mile come to mind.

[Joanna Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really well-researched and excellent read if you're an amateur-pro athlete. However I am just recreational and found some of it too detailed for my personal purposes, though did gain useful insights about replenishing collagen, protein, training smarter as you age, etc.

[Joe Hauglie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good balance of science, common sense, and researched athletic examples. Shows how a number of older athletes are indeed playing better and longer while also experiencing aging in the same ways we all do. Time stops for no man.

[Jordan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lot and i mean a lot of good information in this book, for a normal person or another athlete it’s really good not just for sports but for longevity now can someone make me some bone broth please :)

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable tour of tricks a lot of aging athletes use to keep competitive. A lot of it is either bunk or inaccessible, but the author does include an epilogue of things he has adopted in his own life.

[Angie Haeg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting book that's right up my alley in terms of my interests. One big drawback was the lack of female elite athletes present in the book. Annoying and frustrating.

[Evelyn Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, easy to read, and info I can actually use to improve my sports performance.

[Grant Den Herder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging read. It wasn’t quite as scientifically detailed as I would have liked, but I think it would appeal to a broad audience of recreational athletes as well as sports scientists.

[Fred Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good. Well researched and studied - with ties to current athletes and the advancements in 21 century performance.