Brad Stulberg - Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

So much in this book resonates with me. With practical advice for performance in the workplace or on the playing field, Brad and Steve meticulously deliver a comprehensive understanding of peak performance and how to achieve it.

Dick Costolo, CEO of Chorus, former CEO of Twitter

Brad Stulberg is one of my favorite writers about two of my favorite topics: physical and mental performance. This book brings them together.

Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy

Tackling the mysteries of human optimization with science and insight from some of the worlds greatest athletes, artists, and intellectuals, Peak Performance provides the roadmap you need to transcend your limitations, unleash your inner greatness, and, most importantly, sustain it over time. An absolute must read for anyone interested in unlocking the potential to become your best self!

Rich Roll, author of Finding Ultra and The Plantpower Way

Brad Stulberg is one of the most gifted science writers of our times, a master at translating fascinating findings into concrete strategies. Peak Performance provides actionable insights from the cutting-edge research on how people excel. This book will be a must-read for anyone who wants to up their game, transcend their boundaries, and get out of their comfort zone.

Kelly McGonigal, Stanford psychology instructor and author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress

What do great artists, champion athletes, and brilliant researchers have in common? More than youd expect, as Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness reveal in this magnificent silo-breaking synthesis of the hidden patterns that enable great performance across disciplines.

Alex Hutchinson, Runners World Sweat Science columnist and author of What Comes First: Cardio or Weights?

Peak Performance is a must read for anyone hoping to grow and achieve success in any area of their life. Relatable and readable, it identifies the skills and disciplines successful people have in common and teaches us what we can do to achieve the success that we want. I am excited to put what I have learned to use in my running and beyond.

Kara Goucher, two-time Olympic marathoner

Full of inspiration and information, Peak Performance is a must-read for anyone dedicated to self-optimization. I will be reading and re-reading this book for years to come.

Matt Billingslea, drummer, Taylor Swift Band

Brad and Steve uncover secrets of the worlds best performers to help us all become more effective in our own pursuits. Peak Performance is a must read for everyone: from athletes to artists, and certainly entrepreneurs. Basically, this book is for anyone looking to take their skills to the next level.

Dr. Bob Kocher, partner at Venrock Capital, consulting professor at Stanford School of Medicine, formerly special assistant to the President of the United States on Health Care

We all wonder why some people become great successes and others do not. It seems a mystery. However, Peak Performance presents the science that illuminates the common practices of game changers, and most importantly, shows us how we can benefit from applying them in our own lives.

David Goss, professor emeritus of mathematics at The Ohio State University

As I read Peak Performance I found myself amazed that there is actually science to back up what I have found true as I sought to maximize my abilities throughout my professional running career. The reader is sure to be perplexed by Brad and Steves surprising findings and empowered to make some changes to their competitive mentality so they can achieve their own peak performance.

Ryan Hall, United States half-marathon record holder

Peak Performance deeply explores the cycle of intense creativity that remains a mysterious realm even to myselfdespite my best efforts to mine it for all its worth. I think its clear that Stulberg and Magness are really onto something here.

Emil Alzamora, internationally-acclaimed sculptor

ALSO BY STEVE MAGNESS:

The Science of Running

To Caitlin, Mom, Dad, Lois, and Eric

To Mom, Dad, Emily, and Phillip

And to all the researchers and great performers whose brilliant work makes up the foundation of this book. Thank you for giving us the pieces to put together.

I n the summer of 2003, a precocious 18-year-old sat nervously on a grass field flanked by eight lanes of a warmup track, awaiting the final call to the starting line. This wasnt your ordinary high school track meet, or even a state championship; this was the Prefontaine Classic, the crown jewel of track-and-field. A few days earlier, the same 18-year-old was sitting in his physics class thinking about his high school crush, Amanda. Now, he was sitting amidst the best runners in the world, wondering how hed measure up in the sports preeminent eventthe mile.

As he watched stars such as Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat execute their intricate prerace rituals, he tried to distract himself by playing his Game Boy; he stuck out like a sore thumb. A few long minutes later, when the athletes were summoned from the warmup area to the starting line, he was forced to leave the comfort of the video game Super Mario Bros. In a futile attempt to stay calm while entering the packed Hayward Field, located on the campus of the University of Oregona running mecca if there ever was onehe kept repeating the mantra, Dont look up, dont look up. The top of his head, not his face, was broadcast across the country, live on NBC. Before he could process that he was lining up next to Kevin Sullivan, who had placed fifth at the previous Olympics, his name was suddenly belted out over the loud speaker. Any illusion of calm was shattered. A wave of anxiety coursed through his body. Whatever little food was in his stomach rose into his chest. Shit. Here we go, he thought, as the starter raised his gun. Just dont puke.

Four minutes and 1 second later, it was all over. In that short time, he had become the sixth fastest high school miler in the history of the United States, the then-fastest high school miler in the country, and the fifth fastest junior in the world. He had gone toe-to-toe with collegiate superstar Alan Webb, who had a 3:53 mile to his credit and who would eventually set the American record of 3:46. He finished within arms reach of Olympian Michael Stember and passed the thenUS mile champion Seneca Lassiter, who promptly dropped out of the race after the high school kid left him in the dust on the final lap. In other words, he had officially become a teenage prodigy.

Even so, the disappointment that came with finishing just shy of the sports magical 4-minute mile was evident. When the official results were announced, the NBC broadcast showed a wiry, completely depleted kid, hands covering his face. As the initial flood of emotion wore off, however, he couldnt help but revel in a bit of hard-earned contentedness. He thought to himself, Im 18 years old and running in the biggest professional meet in the country; breaking 4 minutes will soon be an afterthought.