Word: peak
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...threaded his way up through fields of jagged boulders and knee-deep snow toward the summit of Colorado's Mount Bierstadt last week, Denver banker Don Pritchett looked forward to the splendor and isolation of the 14,060-ft. peak. But when he reached the top, he found he had to share the wind-torn precipice with nine other climbers and a Labrador retriever. According to a logbook wedged in the rocks, a dozen more climbers had already beaten him to the summit that morning...
Secondly, while our beloved T in Boston, begun in 1897, is still the peak of American public transportation, Los Angeles has finally opened a subway of its own. The new red line operates between Downtown LA and Hollywood. But while the T is almost universal in its popularity, it is unlikely that many of the image-conscious (yes, that myth is true) will leave their sport utility vehicles at home during peak commuting hours...
...there's a catch: off-peak travel can mean less than ideal weather. Choose Europe in November, and you may get cold and rain. Venture to Florida or the Caribbean in July, and you may find it extremely hot and humid. There may be fewer sites and programs available, and those that are running often have restricted hours or days of operation. The charming green markets and eclectic stalls of crafts and clothing that line streets in peak season may have disappeared; the golf course you play may not be in top condition. But if you're willing to bend...
...human spine simply wasn't designed to swing a golf club. A 1996 study showed both professional and amateur golfers generating "peak spinal compression loads" of 6,000 newtons (a measure of gravitational force). That's the equivalent of eight times an individual's standing body weight. These back-crunching levels are "close to the known failure loads associated with lumbar intervertebral joints," concludes Thomas P. Headman, a biomechanical engineer at the University of Southern California...
...every time you swing a golf club? Coordinated muscle function. That's what enables John Daly to hit 1,000 practice balls a week with a swing speed exceeding 130 m.p.h. "An uncoordinated swing is much more likely to hurt the spine," Watkins says. "Pros don't generate these peak torques on their spine like the amateur does, because of coordinated muscle function. They can still get in trouble, because they do it 10,000 times. But it's not because they don't have the coordinated muscle strength to protect their backs...