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No Limits: The Will to Succeed
""When I'm focused, there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in the way of my doing something. There is not. If I want something bad enough, I feel I'm gonna get there.""
Michael Phelps is one of the greatest competitors the world has ever seen. From teen sensation in Sydney to bona fide phenom in Athens, he is now -- after the Beij
...moreHardcover, 240 pages
Published
December 9th 2008
by Free Press
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I enjoyed reading this book. I think part of the reason was that the hype of 2008 Beijing Olympics has died down and people are now looking forward to 2012 London Olympics. The timing freed me from too much “noise” from on-line opinions of fans and critics of Michael Phelps (born 1985). Strong on-line opinions can sometimes influence my enjoyment in reading biographies and memoirs of famous people.
It’s been half a year since I read an athlete biography or memoir. At the start of th...more
It’s been half a year since I read an athlete biography or memoir. At the start of th...more
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I was one of the ones caught up in the Olympic games in the summer of 2008. I had Phelps fever and was looking for 8 also. Letting my at the time 8 year old stay up to watch the swims live.
So fun being able to see her face and know that she also one day could do that! (well maybe not Olympics but competitive swim for sure.) Maybe even College! Okay she is only 10!!!
Michael's journey to Beijing is one of swimming, swimming, swimming and really very little else. E...more
So fun being able to see her face and know that she also one day could do that! (well maybe not Olympics but competitive swim for sure.) Maybe even College! Okay she is only 10!!!
Michael's journey to Beijing is one of swimming, swimming, swimming and really very little else. E...more
When it comes to things Michael Phelps is good at, swimming is number 1. Getting you fired up by reading could be number 2. The book reads like a conversation. Well, conversation is a mild way of putting it. The book is inspiring without being egotistical. There is no "Look what I can do cause I'm better than you" but rather a "Look what you can do if you get out there and try." I recommend it to young athletes, to former athletes, to anyone who has ever competed for anything...more
No Limits is the inspirational story of Michael Phelps' phenomenonal drive to win eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. It explores the hard work, commitment, and sacrifice that go into reaching any goal. Whether it is on the starting block during an Olympic swim meet or in the weight room on a typical day, Phelps's dedication and determination has led him to unparalleled excellence. Filled with anecdotes from family members, friends, teammates, and his long time coach, No Limits reveals an in...more
This short work takes the reader through each of Phelps' eight gold-medal winning swims at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I really enjoyed this book! A caveat, though - I am a competitive swimmer. Phelps describes his time progression in various events, his performance at different meets leading up to the Games, etc. and for those not a part of the swimming world, this might quickly become tiresome. I found it fascinating, though, and this level of detail helped explain what motivated Phelps to ach...more
In No Limits: The Will to Succeed, Michael Phelps chronicles his record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics through eight chapters. Each chapter is about a different race, which he explains the different aspects of each one, and also explains what happened with each race at the Athens Olympics, four years prior. Through the 400 Individual Medley, he tells the story of how his swimming career began, and how he and his coach, Bob Bowman, met and have interacted ever since. The 400 F...more
This was the belated completion of my 2008 reading goals (goal: read at least one non-equestrian sports book) and coincidentally was a book about making goals and working to meet them. You can't fault the guy's determination and focus but as a writer he should stick to swimming and his co-writer should offer a refund on his services. The endless "and then I..." and listing of swim times got old pretty quick. I like that he competes only against himself and never trash talks the co...more
As far as books about athletes go, this one was pretty good. At first I was thrown off and a little bored with all the numbers and dates and names, but soon after I saw the story, er...Michael Phelps's story... and got pretty excited, especially since we watched him on live television back in August 2008. He's had a few books out already, and since this is the most recent, I don't know if I'd read the others for the sake of redundancy. (Maybe I'll skim them.) I laughed and even got a little ...more
The book has a slow start, but it picks up. I learned that Phelps would consume between 8,000 - 10,000 calories per day in preparation for the Olympics in Beijing.
I'd give the book 3.5 stars. He is a talented swimmer, but no real clear signs of tough struggle through his life, (ie: he didn't grow up poor, abusive father, etc.) He did have an attention disorder, but I think that most young kids just have a real short attention span whether they are diagnosed with a problem or not, ...more
I'd give the book 3.5 stars. He is a talented swimmer, but no real clear signs of tough struggle through his life, (ie: he didn't grow up poor, abusive father, etc.) He did have an attention disorder, but I think that most young kids just have a real short attention span whether they are diagnosed with a problem or not, ...more
Erika
added it
This was my secret santa gift this year because everyone who knows me knows that I find him very fascinating. However, I wasn't expecting much when I started reading this. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's not literary work of genius, but it's definitely an inspirational book, and reminded me just how much there is to get out of life if you only have some passion and dedication. It's a get-your-butt-off-the-couch book for sure. And, as is Phelps' intention, it makes the sport of swimming much...more
I'm a sucker for these types of books, what can I say? :P
It was interesting to read just how much time and preparation Phelps puts into his career. This would be an eyeopener for anyone who thinks that swimming just isn't that hrd, or that Phelps doesn't deserve to even be considered as one of the world's greatest athletes.
Make no mistake- this book isn't high quality literature. ;) But if you're interested in reading about what went into preparing for his amazing accomp...more
It was interesting to read just how much time and preparation Phelps puts into his career. This would be an eyeopener for anyone who thinks that swimming just isn't that hrd, or that Phelps doesn't deserve to even be considered as one of the world's greatest athletes.
Make no mistake- this book isn't high quality literature. ;) But if you're interested in reading about what went into preparing for his amazing accomp...more
Michael Phelps tells the story of swimming as it applies to his life. Each chapter synthesizes his past with the story of each of the gold medals he won in 2008. Lots of interesting information and some good life lessons.
"So many people along the way, whatever it is that you aspire to do, will tell you it can't be done. But all it takes is imagination. YOu dream, you plan, you reach. There will be obstacles. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, wit...more
"So many people along the way, whatever it is that you aspire to do, will tell you it can't be done. But all it takes is imagination. YOu dream, you plan, you reach. There will be obstacles. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, wit...more
let's face it, there is something fascinating about this guy! Unfortunately, I didn't really care for the writing of this book. I suppose it was meant to sound like Michael Phelps is just sitting there telling you his life story, but it's a little distracting when sentences run on for entire paragraphs and grammar is all over the place. It also jumps around a lot, so I found myself having to flip back frequently to figure out what time I was reading about. I did enjoy the content however...it AL...more
Formatted to individual race events in Beijing; each chapter represented one of the eight golds in China and some part of the history leading up to that event. Lots of stats and times for swimmers that Michael has faced over the years. I think format caused for skipping around a bit in the story. Although maybe not the intent of the work, I hoped for more on what makes Michael tick and the personal commitment, discipline and desire that pushed him to be the greatest Olympic athlete of all tim...more
Not my favorite book in the world. It seemed like he was trying to be modest the whole time, but it came out as major cocky. Also, maybe it wasn't my favorite because he kept saying how much harder swimming is than running. Still a great athlete, but I think it is definately debatable whether he is the "Greatest Olympian of all time." Swimming is the only sport where your could even come close to winning that many medals, sure, but does the number of medals you win correlate with the k...more
I was interested to hear about Phelps' ability to push himself and overcome limitations that others had imposed on him. His is a story of hard work and motivation. The part that stuck out to me was that he learned to concentrate on finding out what he *could do, rather than worry about what he couldn't do. or what others were doing.
The writing was a bit simple and the way the book was organized, did lend itself to repetition but I didn't find it confusing or annoying.
It's not a work ...more
The writing was a bit simple and the way the book was organized, did lend itself to repetition but I didn't find it confusing or annoying.
It's not a work ...more
Got this cheap at Borders in audiobook form for my drive back to Dallas. Interesting that he divided it up into 8 chapters based on the 8 events he got golds in during the 2008 Olympics. Each chapter focuses on that event and all the events in his life that relate and led up to it. You learn a lot about his childhood, overcoming ADHD, etc. as well as the events of those Olympics. Good read, not my favorite athlete autobiography as of late, but makes me excited for next summer!
I originally thought this would be an autobiography but it was more focused on his accomplishments with swimming and the Olympics. If you're REALLY fascinated with learning the history about that, then this is a book for you to read. If not, don't bother. I would have liked to learn more about his life growing up and the trials/tribulations he experienced. He sure wasn't kidding when he said his life consisted of three things: eating, sleeping and swimming.
I actually am only giving this 3 stars. The first chapter is worth the entire book, and in fact after the first chapter I put this book down and moved on to others.
Having said that, The first chapter is all about what it takes to be a winner, with a lot of focus on the importance of your visualization, dedication, and goal seeking.
Worth a trip to the library for the first chapter, but I doubt I'll read the whole thing.
Having said that, The first chapter is all about what it takes to be a winner, with a lot of focus on the importance of your visualization, dedication, and goal seeking.
Worth a trip to the library for the first chapter, but I doubt I'll read the whole thing.
An interesting look at all that went into winning 8 gold medals in Beijing. I like the way that the book is organized-each race gets a chapter where he discusses what has happened in that race in the past and then how it happened in '08. One thing that bugged me was how he kept mentioning how humble he was. In my experience, if you have to convince others of your humility, your probably have a ways to go.
this is THE worst book about sports i've ever read. the sentences were repetitive, too short, and extremely annoying. there was no cohesiveness. I was very disappointed with the co-author and i found myself groaning aloud every 10 pages or so. but you can't really blame phelps since he never really got a proper education outside of the pool. that abraham guy, though...god, he's an awful writer!
Why do you think you can do it?
Because I believe in myself, because I reach for my goals, and because I work to get there.
WIN = what's important now?
The definition of a champion: someone who can deal with any obstacle that comes his or her way, can deal with any situation at any given point.
"Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men." -Eric Namesnik
Because I believe in myself, because I reach for my goals, and because I work to get there.
WIN = what's important now?
The definition of a champion: someone who can deal with any obstacle that comes his or her way, can deal with any situation at any given point.
"Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men." -Eric Namesnik
I enjoyed reading this book because I think his swimming accomplishments are amazing and I like swimming. He does have some really great inspirational comments. He has a great work ethic and has a fantastic believe in ones self attitude. With that being said, he does ramble and unless your are a swimming fan, some of the swimming terminology may get boring.
While the individual races and stats are often very confusing to follow (especially if you aren't into swimming) the overall message of the book is excellent. His drive to be an Olympic champion is phenomenal. The majority of the book shares a lot of his coach Bob Bowman's philosophy. It's not just about swimming but can be applied to anyone's life. I was inspired!
Just finished "No Limits" by Michael Phelps. While grammatically speaking, not the best written book I have ever read, it was still a great book and I highly recommend reading it. He is truly the greatest athlete to date, and I cried reading this book just like I do every time I see him swim. I can't wait to see what he does in London in 2012
I actually loved this book, which surprised me. I couldn't put it down, read it in 2 days. I am not sure whether I would have felt the same way if I hadn't been a swimmer in my previous life. Chris and I agree, it is a book we will have our children read when the time is right.
My best bet is that this book is only appreciated by hardcore swimmers. Perusing Amazon reader reviews helped to confirm my suspicion. If any non-swimmer is willing to take the plunge (pun intended) and try it out, please let me know how much you understood and appreciated. I for one loved Phelps' accounts of his races--my heart was pounding and I wanted to cheer!--but then again, I know what it means to sprint the last five meters of a race and to have your goggles fill up with water on the ...more
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. I enjoyed watching Michael Phelps race and I have to admit I was intrigued by him. I usually do NOT read auto/biographies but I was willing to give this one a chance and I was pleasantly surprised. As another reviewer stated, it did read like a conversation which I found pleasant and the attitude that was projected was always positive. All-in-all, it was well-worth the reading time.
very enjoyable read, especially for an ex swimmer. good i sight into his mental toughness and the hurdles he had to overcome. as a current swim coach i would liked to read more details about his actual training.
Not the best piece of literature ever, but it put me right back to 2008, watching all of his gold medal races. I think it is his Olympic feat that makes this book amazing, not necessarily the book.
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