Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete

I thought your readers might be interested in a few words from someone profiled in this book. I'm the 70-year-old bodybuilder.

Lee Bergquist first contacted me late in 2004, and has been in regular contact since then--by telephone, email and in person. He actually came here and talked, ate, and trained with me.

I knew he was working on the book long and hard. Still, I didn't fully appreciate the size and scope of his undertaking. He criss-crossed the country talking to and observing an amazing array of elite older athletes. They're all passionate about what they do.

Lee tells the stories of 18 masters athletes in an informed, curious, and honest way. Unlike most books of this type, Second Wind looks behind every tree and under every rock. No rose-colored glasses treatment here. Think magnifying glass.

Bergquist tells about these athletes, warts and all. He digs beneath the surface to see what makes each one tick, what drives them. Sometimes it's not so pretty, but it is always interesting and instructive.

Lee explores weaknesses as well as strengths, including personal, financial, and psychological quandaries. Among other things, he probes the use of performance enhancing drugs, feelings of inadequacy, memory problems, childhood troubles, and eccentric behavior traits. As you might expect, he uncovers orthopedic problems experienced by just about everyone. He ferrets out the full and complete stories of these high performance athletes. Most of them have problems of one sort or another, and all of them have inspiring stories to tell.

Lee has poured his heart and soul into this book. While his decades as a journalist covered "just about everything but sports," researching, investigating, and writing this book has earned him the equivalent of a master's degree in masters athletes.

Here's his concluding paragraph and the bottom line of his master's thesis: The experiences of these men and women aren't so different from our own. The human body is a wonderful engine. And it wants to be pushed.

Amen.

Clarence Bass, author of Great Expectations: Health, Fitness, Leanness, Without Suffering (Ripped Enterprises, 2007)

A compilation of 18 stories about older men and women who are true athletes in the finest sense of the word. It is a great read for those who are interested in improving their athletic ability, their mental outlook, their overall physical conditioning, and their desire to learn more about other forms of athletic endeavor. I found it a highly satisfying and pleasurable read.

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This book in unique in that within the first 10 minutes of reading it I felt like getting up and working out. The author tells interesting stories about outstanding older athletes in a way that motivates even us average athletes. He has stories about bodybuilders, marathoners, bicyclists, skiers, and many others and tells their personal stories and also shares their training tips. While some of these athletes' drive is extraordinary, the message is clear even when you get older (50+) you can still workout, get into shape and feel good about yourself.

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What a great book! Reading about the incredible performances of these athletes would inspire anyone at any age to pursue a goal, a dream. Especially recommend for athletes or would-be athletes approaching age 50 or beyond. The book is a series of stories about individuals who bike, run, swim, ski, pump iron in their 50s through 70s and are able to perform at or near levels they achieved in their youth. The message...as we age, we do not have to stop exercising. We do not have to give up competing. My personal story at age 60, I was swimming faster and farther and bicycling faster and farther than ever before in my life. This book has inspired me to keep going.

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I felt inspired to continue my running career after reading a few of the 18 athlete profiles that Bergquist, a journalist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, offered in this book. This book is well written and engaging; a great gift idea for an older athlete just starting to get in shape and train for running, swimming or another sport.

The book is divided into chapters. Each athlete gets their own chapter, so it is a good book for by the bedside table. Readers can read one athlete profile per night, or read the book cover to cover.

I have often told people that running is a good sport to encourage young people to take up in high school because it is a form of exercise that will stay with them their whole lives. Nearly every weekend during the summer there is a 5K race in my community. Most adults used to being motivated by deadlines and the positive feeling of accomplishing a project will welcome the 'training for a race' nature of long distance running. This book helped me to discover that swimming, tennis and cycling can also encourage lifelong activity.

Buy this book for anyone who thinks they are over the hill the best athletic years are still in front of them!

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