Rating: 
Summary: A great book!! I saw results after only ONE week!
Review: After only ONE week of following Mark's training program I noticed a major difference in how I felt. I'm 3 weeks into his program now and continue to see improvements. He has shown me how to improve flexibility and increase core strength which has reaped benefits on the basketball court. After only one week I noticed I had much better footwork (from stability exercises) and increased endurance (body-weight leg exercises). Also, I used to have occasional lower back pain...that has all but disappeared thanks to the physioball and foam roll exercises.I have preached this book like it's a new religion and several of my friends have begun to use his program. One individual has had nagging back problems for years, and just after a few days of using the Movement Prep exercises he's seen vast improvement. For $20 you can't go wrong....there is so much useful information in this book! It's very well written, the illustrations are excellent, and I found the nutrition section to be very educational. As an aside, I just purchased Mike Boyle's "Functional Training for Sports". It's not as polished but follows the same principles and offers even more exercises, although it utilizes an extensive array of equipment most people won't own. Not coincidentally, Mike Boyle now works for Mark at Athlete's Performance.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: Although this book says it is for everyone, if you have had a good training routine for more than 8-12 months this may not be for you. I have run 2 marathons and work out 3x per week on a regular basis but wanted some more weight reduction and increased lean muscle mass. I started following the plan but it did not do enough for me compared to what I was already doing and I started to see a bit of a slide. The endurance training was not good for me at all, for others it could be great but the target zones were way too low. So if you are starting out or have started and stopped this would be a good book, but not if you are already working out regularly and have a good cardiac routine you may want to really review the details within the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent workout for total conditioning
Review: As the years have gone by I have begun to notice little nagging aches and pains that interfere with my training and athletic performance. By following this program I believe I have been able to recruit and train the small muscles, the stabilizers, that allow the larger muscles to perform optimally. Because of this those nagging aches and pains have begun to disappear and I have been able to regain some of the lost athletic form of days gone by. Mark's program is not just for wanna be professional athletes, it can be useful for anyone who pursues an athletic lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: Where's my sliderule?
Review: Break out your old calculus books to help you with the workout spreadsheets in the back. COMPLICATED. Some good information, but simply overwhelming in its scope. I had hoped for a somewhat brief core strenthening program (30 minutes 2-3 times a week). As a triathlete with a pretty full workout plate, I simply do not have a hour a day six days a week to spare.
Rating:
Summary: Great Overall Workout
Review: Core Performance contains great workouts for overall conditioning. Being in my mid-forties I've tried a little of everything to keep fit and active. I lifted weights for a number of years but had to slow down as I got older due to tendonitis in my knees and a torn calf muscle, mainly due to not being flexible enough. I then tried power yoga which got rid of the tendonitis and tightness but I didn't feel quite as strong. I then tried this program which combines the resistance training and flexibility that I was looking for with a little cardio thrown in to boot. Following this program my body just seems more active and alive plus I've toned up quite a bit too. Part of it is the commitment to working out 5+ days a week but it is also due to the combination of workouts presented in the book. The Core Performance workouts consist of 4 separate phases which start off relatively easy but get progressively harder. The early phases aren't that difficult although they seem awkward because you are forced to work muscles you don't normally work. These phases also lay the groundwork to prepare you for the later phases which are more difficult. The later phases will get your attention but if you stick with it you will not be disappointed. If you commit yourself to following the workouts presented in Core Performance, the benefits you gain in overall conditioning will more than make up for the price of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Overall Workout
Review: Core Performance contains great workouts for overall conditioning. Being in my mid-forties I've tried a little of everything to keep fit and active. I lifted weights for a number of years but had to slow down as I got older due to tendonitis in my knees and a torn calf muscle, mainly due to not being flexible enough. I then tried power yoga which got rid of the tendonitis and tightness but I didn't feel quite as strong. I then tried this program which combines the resistance training and flexibility that I was looking for with a little cardio thrown in to boot. Following this program my body just seems more active and alive plus I've toned up quite a bit too. Part of it is the commitment to working out 5+ days a week but it is also due to the combination of workouts presented in the book. The Core Performance workouts consist of 4 separate phases which start off relatively easy but get progressively harder. The early phases aren't that difficult although they seem awkward because you are forced to work muscles you don't normally work. These phases also lay the groundwork to prepare you for the later phases which are more difficult. The later phases will get your attention but if you stick with it you will not be disappointed. If you commit yourself to following the workouts presented in Core Performance, the benefits you gain in overall conditioning will more than make up for the price of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 / 5 for the program but only 3 or 4 for presentation
Review: Having read other reviews and having followed the 12 week program for 9 weeks so far (and counting), I can make the following comments: The positives... 1. The program itself is very effective - it really works the whole body and not just the "obvious" muscles favored by traditional strength training. There are some great exercises in here. If you are serious about conditioning your body, buy this book - no question 2. Some people will not be able to follow the entire program, but I do believe that, even if you don't have the time or willpower to work out six days a week, the routines can still be useful to you in a three or four day a week version. 3. OK, it does take time to work it all out...this is not a simple program and not for a novice to working out. If you are novice, this book will freak you out and probably doom you to failure. Newbies should start with something more simple, if you successfully follow a simpler program for 6-12 months, come back to this book at that time. For the more experienced among you: take the time to work out what the program demands of you, you will be rewarded for your efforts!! So, having endorsed the overall effectiveness of the book, here's where I think Mark could improve before releasing another book. 1. The science is a little flimsy: Other reviewers have raised legitimate concerns...people like me who are prepared to spend 6 days a week working out want to understand the theory behind it all a bit better. I really hoped for a better understanding of how these exercises impact my musculo-skeletal system. Mark should co-write another version (or another book) with an experienced Chiropractor in order to solve that part of it. 2. Some of the instructions are not specific enough: there are exercises on the worksheets that are not explained properly earlier on in the book (e.g. the bridging adduction). Also, it is not always clear how long to hold certain stretches or movements for maximum effect. Timing is only made really clear in the strength and elasticity modules. There is no discussion about how you should think about increasing or reducing weight as you change the number of repetitions. All in all, an excellent effort, but I am left wondering if I am doing some of this "the right way" and also wondering about the science that would explain why the program is effective, which might help me to better customize the plan to my unique needs after I "finish" the 12th week. Despite my criticisms, I would add that this is the best book I have seen on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Run (or better, Forward Lunge) to buy this!
Review: I am not a professional athlete, except in my day dreams - but after reading and starting this program my dreams are much more realistic! Reading and adhering to "Core Performance" offers us mere mortals a unique opportunity to be in company with world class athletes and their training methodology. The philosophy, techniques and nutrition espoused in this book are excellent, effective and very realistic to maintain in a civilian world.
And now, to my joy, it is rubbing off on our whole family. This is destined to be one of those dog-eared classics heavily used and re-read for decades.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Effort by Verstegen
Review: I bought this book with the mindset that it was going to show the grueling regimens Verstegen puts his athletes (especially his baseball athletes) through.
In that sense, I was disappointed with the book. The book was aimed to reach the general gym going population whose main goal is to "stay in shape".
If you are a serious athlete, the book is useful in its other principles such as becoming more flexible, gaining elasticity (explosiveness) and recovering quicker. But its strength chapter is very basic and it should be a basis onto which you add more complex lifts and movements such as Olympic lifts, squats, deadlifts, etc.
Thus here is the irony: After reading the book, you (at least i did) get the impression that parts of it are for more serious athletes while the rest of it is for the average gym-goer. For i just don't see the average person doing plymetrics or taking part in some of his recovery methods. Overall a very informative book on how Verstegen trains his atheletes.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of digging to get to this core
Review: I have no doubt this program would really work if I had the time to spend on the recommended exercises. If you're a complete novice to the workout world, I think this program would be a bit difficult to pull off. The charts included are a bit on the technical side and require further explanation because at first glance you don't know what the heck is going on. Even though it might be right on, the nutrition section is also impractical because it breaks meals into many small meals - I'm always with clients during the day I can't break for a meal right in the middle of my meetings. I purchased the CD ROM which is very helpful in conveying how the exercises are done correctly. I'm really surprised that they didn't produce a DVD instead of the CD - the quality would have been much better and maybe they could have explained the program a bit better. Maybe the program won't seem as complex when I start to get into it but as of right now it's not too self evident. I'm going to give it a go - wish me luck!
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