Quake3World

I haven't been around for a while, but I figured maybe some of you could help me find some useful books.

I have always been an advocate of healthy eating and frequent exercise, but lately I have become interested in the technical background of these fields. I would have liked to take a couple of fitness/nutrition courses for university electives, but my school doesn't offer anything in that area, not being very dedicated to sciences like bio and chem.

So I turned to the world of literature. I got various books on health and exercise out from the library, but they mostly all seem to be trying to make a specific case: nutrition books each advocate a particular diet, and fitness books, by and large, mostly seem to be affiliated with specific trainers and workouts.

I am interested in learning the background in as much detail as possible. I want to learn everything I can about the muscular system, the way it is affected by and reacts to the stress of use, especially working out, etc; and the same for nutrition: I took bio and chem in high school, so I know the basic chemical makeup of proteins, fats, carbs, etc., but I'm interested in delving into much greater detail. I recently picked up a book called Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, which spends almost 500 pages on the types of fats, their components and structure, the way they interact with each other, with heat/cold, and with the human body, etc etc.

But I'd like to have such comprehensive on the other nutritional macromolecules as well as the musculoskeletal system and its workings. Any suggestions? (Textbooks would be perfectly acceptable as long as they are widely available -- I live in Canada, so not everyone will ship here who would ship within the U.S.)

Before anything else - I'd go to a local university and buy a biochemistry textbook, a nutrition textbook, and maybe a physiology textbook.
The only problem with a lot of the books you get at the regular bookstore taht are 'detailed' is that they are written for more than informational purposes. If you really want comprehensive information, begin by building a foundation of knowledge with the basic science covered in the textbooks.

I will look around for other good books that fit your needs though.

Why not go to a trainer or a nutritionist and ask them for advice?

Because you'll get more knowledge and a better understanding of things doing what I said first, then asking questions later.

tnf is correct; read the books.

Exercise Physiology by McArdle, Katch, Katch is actually very good.