The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance

In The Perfection Point, John Brenkus, host and creator of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning “Sport Science,” uses hard data and scientific research to uncover the absolute limits of human performance. The Perfection Point is ideal for sports fans interested in the scientific basis of athletic excellence and a fascinating read for science fans interested in the physics of sports.

What's the fastest a human can run the 100-meter sprint?
What's the longest a human can hold his breath?
What are the limits of human performance?

Until 1954, common wisdom and scientific knowledge considered a sub-four-minute mile an impossible feat for a human. But then Roger Bannister broke that mark, followed quickly by a host of other athletes. Today the world record stands at 3 minutes, 43 seconds, yet even that number doesn't tell the full story of how fast humans can run a mile—records are a mark of how well people have done, not how well they can do.

In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, John Brenkus ventures across the sports world to provide an in-depth look at the absolute limits of human performance. For years, coaches, pundits, and experts have speculated about the extremes of human ability. The Perfection Point finally provides the answers.

“This stuff is catnip to a sports fan.” - The Week

“[Brenkus] busts out some Hawking-like equations in an effort to calculate the outer limits of human athletic performance.” - New York Times Book Review

“If you’re interested in understanding the American character, there are plenty of texts to consult- including, of course, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and Alexis de Tocqueville’s meditations on this country. Here’s another work to add to the mix: John Brenkus’s The Perfection Point, about the absolute limits of human athletic performance.” - Wall Street Journal

“Fascinating...Sure to spark debate in sporting and scientific circles, the book is engagingly written, well argued, and-even when the conclusions seem almost science-fictiony-entirely plausible.” - Booklist (starred review)