--- product_id: 56827777 title: "Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance" price: "52.22 DT" currency: TND in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/56827777-endure-mind-body-and-the-curiously-elastic-limits-of-human store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance **Price:** 52.22 DT **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance - **How much does it cost?** 52.22 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/56827777-endure-mind-body-and-the-curiously-elastic-limits-of-human) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description ‘This book is AMAZING!’ – MALCOLM GLADWELL ‘If you want to gain insight into the mind of great athletes, adventurers, and peak performers then prepare to be enthralled by Alex Hutchinson’s Endure.’ – BEAR GRYLLS How high or far or fast can humans go? And what about individual potential: what defines a person’s limits? From running a two-hour marathon to summiting Mount Everest, we’re fascinated by the extremes of human endurance, constantly testing both our physical and psychological limits. In Endure Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D., reveals why our individual limits may be determined as much by our head and heart, as by our muscles. He presents an overview of science’s search for understanding human fatigue, from crude experiments with electricity and frogs’ legs to sophisticated brain imaging technology. Going beyond the traditional mechanical view of human limits, he instead argues that a key element in endurance is how the brain responds to distress signals―whether heat, or cold, or muscles screaming with lactic acid―and reveals that we can train to improve brain response. An elite distance runner himself, Hutchinson takes us to the forefront of the new sports psychology – brain electrode jolts, computer-based training, subliminal messaging – and presents startling new discoveries enhancing the performance of athletes today, showing us how anyone can utilize these tactics to bolster their own performance – and get the most out of their bodies. Review: Outstanding - Brilliant overview of the physiological and psychological factors impacting on performance, and the developing understanding and exploration of the relationship between the two. Alex Hutchinson has done a job that combines his rigour as a scientist with his superb writing skills which see him tell a compelling and pragmatic narrative. In an age of quasi science and the sound bite as an accessible book this stands right out in having real credibility, such as when presenting a balanced view of alternative explanations, as well as readability. For those who want to go deeper into any of the subjects raised it is made clear where to go for more. For those wanting to step back and go for something more foundational Astrand and Rodahls Textbook of Work Physiology should be a go to text. If you like Endure and haven’t yet done so Steve Magness’s Science of Running is another one to read. Review: There is more in there, if you’re willing to believe it. - When you read books about leadership, athletes and Navy Seals, you understand that many things are possible with the right mindset. Hence “Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance” Endurance Reaching the limits of endurance is a concept that seems yawningly obvious until you actually try to explain it. He defines endurance as “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop.” And the mind plays a huge role. However, the brain’s role in endurance is, perhaps, the single most controversial topic in sports science. Not dead, could have done more He quotes a coach’s observation about a second-place Olympic marathoner jogging around the track waving his country’s flag. “Do you notice he’s not dead?” he asked. “It means he could have run faster.” Pacing Studies have found that we can’t avoid pacing ourselves: your “maximum” force depends on how many reps you think you have left. It also turns out that, whether it is heat or cold, hunger or thirst, or muscles screaming with the supposed poison of “lactic acid,” what matters in many cases is how the brain interprets these distress signals. Body and mind With the rise of sophisticated techniques to measure and manipulate the brain, researchers are finally getting a glimpse of what’s happening in our neurons and synapses when we are pushed to our limits. They found that brain and body are fundamentally intertwined, and to understand what defines your limits under any particular set of circumstances you have to consider them both together. Smiling The British military has funded studies of computer-based brain training protocols to enhance the endurance of its troops, with startling results. Even subliminal messages can help or hurt your endurance: a picture of a smiling face flashed in 16-millisecond bursts, boosts cycling performance by 12 per cent compared to frowning faces. Frame of mind Another British study in 2012 showed that cyclists in a heat chamber went 4 per cent faster when the thermometer was rigged to display a falsely low temperature (26 instead of 32 degrees Celsius). The right frame of mind, in other words, allows you to push beyond your usual temperature limits. You are operating at 65% The brain’s task is to protect you. It is a survival machine. Read “Solve for happy“. Which is why pacing instinct is not entirely voluntary: your brain forces you to slow down, long before you’re in real physiological distress. So the brain plays a role in defining the limits of endurance. Most of us can summon about 65 per cent of our theoretical maximum strength. Switch of the safety switch For example, the fact that people can dive to three hundred feet or hold their breath for nearly twelve minutes tells us that oxygen’s absolute limits aren’t quite as constrictive as they feel, that we are protected by layer upon layer of reflexive safety mechanisms. Change the settings Average strength increases of 26.5 per cent after hypnosis. So the question is how can you change the settings of your brain? Can you gain access to at least some of the emergency reserve of energy that your brain protects? There’s no doubt that some athletes are able to wring more out of their bodies than others, and those who finish with the most in reserve would dearly love to be able to reduce that margin of safety. But is this really a consequence of the brain’s subconscious decision to throttle back muscle recruitment or is it, as a rival brain-centred theory of endurance posits, simply a matter of how badly you want it? The science of anticipatory regulation They found that the importance of any underlying physiological signal depends in part on how your brain receives and interprets it. The science of “anticipatory regulation”: getting your brain to use the knowledge that is gathered consciously, like an impending dive or a looming finish line, to activate or deactivate safety mechanisms that are otherwise purely unconscious. Endurance as second stage thinking. Managing a cognitive trait called response inhibition, which involves overriding your initial instinct, as a key. The other things That does not mean that you can ignore simple things such as temperature, oxygen, lactate, calories, proteins, fat, dehydration, pain tolerance and mostly effort. So how do you improve your response inhibition and effort? Manage perceived exertion Pain training (apparently pain is fundamentally a subjective, situation-dependent phenomenon) Train the brain to become more accustomed to mental fatigue Test your capabilities, whatever you’ve done before, you can do again plus a little more Create placebo effects Create lucky charms Apply acts of random kindness Use drugs Apply virtual reality (running against yourself) Training in resilience Training in non-judgmental self-awareness Training in mindfulness Again performance and mindfulness meet All the techniques you find in most self-help books. Mind techniques to become a better athlete (or CEO). Teaching athletes that they can do more than they think they can. Knowing that their fiercest opponent will be their own brain’s well-meaning protective circuitry. In short, there is more in there, if you’re willing to believe it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 309,554 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1 in Biomechanics - Human Kinetics 1 in Psychological Testing & Measurement (Books) 6 in Psychological Training & Coaching | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,311 Reviews | ## Images ![Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Ahj05+9oL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding *by A***B on 12 March 2018* Brilliant overview of the physiological and psychological factors impacting on performance, and the developing understanding and exploration of the relationship between the two. Alex Hutchinson has done a job that combines his rigour as a scientist with his superb writing skills which see him tell a compelling and pragmatic narrative. In an age of quasi science and the sound bite as an accessible book this stands right out in having real credibility, such as when presenting a balanced view of alternative explanations, as well as readability. For those who want to go deeper into any of the subjects raised it is made clear where to go for more. For those wanting to step back and go for something more foundational Astrand and Rodahls Textbook of Work Physiology should be a go to text. If you like Endure and haven’t yet done so Steve Magness’s Science of Running is another one to read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ There is more in there, if you’re willing to believe it. *by R***K on 13 August 2018* When you read books about leadership, athletes and Navy Seals, you understand that many things are possible with the right mindset. Hence “Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance” Endurance Reaching the limits of endurance is a concept that seems yawningly obvious until you actually try to explain it. He defines endurance as “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop.” And the mind plays a huge role. However, the brain’s role in endurance is, perhaps, the single most controversial topic in sports science. Not dead, could have done more He quotes a coach’s observation about a second-place Olympic marathoner jogging around the track waving his country’s flag. “Do you notice he’s not dead?” he asked. “It means he could have run faster.” Pacing Studies have found that we can’t avoid pacing ourselves: your “maximum” force depends on how many reps you think you have left. It also turns out that, whether it is heat or cold, hunger or thirst, or muscles screaming with the supposed poison of “lactic acid,” what matters in many cases is how the brain interprets these distress signals. Body and mind With the rise of sophisticated techniques to measure and manipulate the brain, researchers are finally getting a glimpse of what’s happening in our neurons and synapses when we are pushed to our limits. They found that brain and body are fundamentally intertwined, and to understand what defines your limits under any particular set of circumstances you have to consider them both together. Smiling The British military has funded studies of computer-based brain training protocols to enhance the endurance of its troops, with startling results. Even subliminal messages can help or hurt your endurance: a picture of a smiling face flashed in 16-millisecond bursts, boosts cycling performance by 12 per cent compared to frowning faces. Frame of mind Another British study in 2012 showed that cyclists in a heat chamber went 4 per cent faster when the thermometer was rigged to display a falsely low temperature (26 instead of 32 degrees Celsius). The right frame of mind, in other words, allows you to push beyond your usual temperature limits. You are operating at 65% The brain’s task is to protect you. It is a survival machine. Read “Solve for happy“. Which is why pacing instinct is not entirely voluntary: your brain forces you to slow down, long before you’re in real physiological distress. So the brain plays a role in defining the limits of endurance. Most of us can summon about 65 per cent of our theoretical maximum strength. Switch of the safety switch For example, the fact that people can dive to three hundred feet or hold their breath for nearly twelve minutes tells us that oxygen’s absolute limits aren’t quite as constrictive as they feel, that we are protected by layer upon layer of reflexive safety mechanisms. Change the settings Average strength increases of 26.5 per cent after hypnosis. So the question is how can you change the settings of your brain? Can you gain access to at least some of the emergency reserve of energy that your brain protects? There’s no doubt that some athletes are able to wring more out of their bodies than others, and those who finish with the most in reserve would dearly love to be able to reduce that margin of safety. But is this really a consequence of the brain’s subconscious decision to throttle back muscle recruitment or is it, as a rival brain-centred theory of endurance posits, simply a matter of how badly you want it? The science of anticipatory regulation They found that the importance of any underlying physiological signal depends in part on how your brain receives and interprets it. The science of “anticipatory regulation”: getting your brain to use the knowledge that is gathered consciously, like an impending dive or a looming finish line, to activate or deactivate safety mechanisms that are otherwise purely unconscious. Endurance as second stage thinking. Managing a cognitive trait called response inhibition, which involves overriding your initial instinct, as a key. The other things That does not mean that you can ignore simple things such as temperature, oxygen, lactate, calories, proteins, fat, dehydration, pain tolerance and mostly effort. So how do you improve your response inhibition and effort? Manage perceived exertion Pain training (apparently pain is fundamentally a subjective, situation-dependent phenomenon) Train the brain to become more accustomed to mental fatigue Test your capabilities, whatever you’ve done before, you can do again plus a little more Create placebo effects Create lucky charms Apply acts of random kindness Use drugs Apply virtual reality (running against yourself) Training in resilience Training in non-judgmental self-awareness Training in mindfulness Again performance and mindfulness meet All the techniques you find in most self-help books. Mind techniques to become a better athlete (or CEO). Teaching athletes that they can do more than they think they can. Knowing that their fiercest opponent will be their own brain’s well-meaning protective circuitry. In short, there is more in there, if you’re willing to believe it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ mind over muscle - brilliant *by R***B on 18 September 2025* A gripping, science-backed exploration of what truly limits human performance and how the mind, not the muscles, often holds the key…. excellent marathon training companion. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/56827777-endure-mind-body-and-the-curiously-elastic-limits-of-human](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/56827777-endure-mind-body-and-the-curiously-elastic-limits-of-human) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-07-18*