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Summary: Good idea; but the authors overlook several principles.
Review: The authors present a good program using partial repititions, as well as a good case for the benefit of such training. However, they believe partial training is the only, most optimal, way to weight train, and this is an incorrect assertation. Partial training has obvious benefits (stronger joints, etc.), but it neglects aspects of muscular development that can be obtained only by full-range training. Contains a lot of useful information anyway, and is a good read even if you do not agree with everything the authors suggest.
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Summary: Not as it might seem....
Review: At first blush, POWER FACTOR TRAINING appears to chronicle a new phase in heavy, powerful and precise bodybuilding. But after reading it thoroughly, copying the charts and graphs and guaging my workouts precisely for the past three solid months, the fatal flaws of this program become painfully obvious. By linking time to the program, one finds that the ways to make gains are to lift more weight, or to lift the same or less weight faster. Most programs judge gains by weight lifted and reps, but by adding time, there is an "apparent gain" when one changes the time per workout, which is not a true improvement in strength. By a similar token, one will notice that their weights will only improve if their weight per set stays relatively low, and the repetition number stays high, like 20-25 reps per set. Indeed this bucks the trend of the "bodybuilding establishment", but is the establishment incorrect? Not when one tries this program for over three months or so. At that point it becomes stale, pointless and lackluster.
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Summary: completely true
Review: This book shatters all of the myths surrounding bobybuilding as well as giving you an excellent way to measure your workouts and tell wether you are overtraining, undertraining (very hard to do), or in most cases not training at all. This book introduces these concepts and shows exactly how and why they work. If you read this book you cannot browse it once or twice and get the full impact. You must read the whole book, dedication to index. And always keep an open mind.
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Summary: This book ends the mass confusion about bodybuilding
Review: I cannot say enough about this book. Once you decide to stop doing your current "shoot from the hip" workouts and decide to take a scientific approach your workouts will skyrocket with success. You must take this book with a very open mind. The programs suggested are not something you will see in muscle magazines. Its a totally different approach that requires very accurate record keeping during each workout. Plan on purchasing a stop watch and note paper because you will be documenting everything. The positive aspect is that you will know exactly how well you are doing. Each workout dictates your next workout and you eventually become very efficient during your workouts. This efficiency places heavy demands on your recovery system making it necessary to actually workout less often. After six weeks I have found it necessary to workout only twice per week at under 60 minutes. At first the workout seems like it will be really easy. After about two weeks you will notice that its actually very demanding. My weights and repetitions just keep getting higher. I decided to purchase this book after I realized that I had not made any significant gains in the last three years. Once you have the book you just have to realize what you are doing is probably wrong or inefficient and give this a chance. There are only a couple of negative items associated with this type of workout. 1. You must not waste any time during your workout 2. Socializing at the gym will have to stop 3. Your clothes will start to feel really small 4. You will be accused of taking steroids As I said before, the hardest part is stopping your current routine and making the switch. But once you try it, you will never workout wrong again.
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Summary: This is the best bodybuilding book ever written.
Review: Since the early 1970's there have been hundreds of bodybuilding books written. A few of them have been quite good .... many have been pure hogwash. So many myths and misconceptions have pervaded the field of exercise and muscle building that it must be impossible for the average reader to wade through all the "b.s." Well, I am here to tell you that POWER FACTOR TRAINING is the best bodybuilding book ever written. If you're going to read this book, be prepared to plow your way through many controversial aspects of muscle-building technique. Have faith, though; you'll come out the other side with a total understanding of the one and only requirement for building large and strong muscles. Exercise is my business ... I teach it all over the country. POWER FACTOR TRAINING has my strongest endorsement. Once you open this book, you open the door to your greatest possible muscular gains.
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Summary: The only intelligent bodybuilding book I've ever read
Review: This book was so good I couldn't put it down. Most BB books simply tell you what to do and you have to accept their word as gospel. Power Factor tells you WHY. They shatter so many myths with logic and scientific *results*. How many books *prove* what they are saying? Some of the myths are: protein requirements, doing multiple exercises for the same muscle, number of days you really need to workout, etc. One of the things I never suspected was holding me back is that I'm working out too frequently. After reading this book, I will never again bother to listen to groundless claims from anyone. I finally found a BB book that makes sense & was interesting to read.
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Summary: This book is absolutely fantastic.
Review: The information and theories presented in this book are phenomenal. Every ounce of information that the authors present is scientifically backed, if it doesn't work, it's not in here. I was skeptical at first but my gains speak for themselves. I work out twice every 7 days and gain as much as 15 lbs per lift per workout, and I don't use steriods, and I'm not Schwarzeneger. Take my advice, this book is definitely worth it.
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Summary: For all those who doubt.. read ahead..
Review: To all those nay-sayers out there.. you truly owe it to yourself to read this. I have been using PFT for almost 11 months. Before PFT I had been working out 3 days a week.. for nearly a year and I had lost little to no fat and maybe gained 9 lbs of lean mass. I have now lost considerable body fat (down to around 9%) and I gained approximately 55lbs of muscle. I now can perform a FULL-RANGE bench press of 430 pounds, and strong range partials with 610lbs. Yes, 610 lbs, 12 to 14 times. So yes, there is a TREMENDOUS gap in my full and partial range 'max-outs'. But please tell me what percentage of the male population can bench 430 lbs! To be honest I am only about 5'10" and I'm not sure if I even want to push my full range max any further. I have heard of far too many horror stories about guys tearing pecks in the 500 lb range. The rumor that doing nothing but strong range partials will make your full range numbers decrease or go stagnant.. are partially true. I wont go into all of the 'symptoms' of this. It doesn't matter. I found a way to "fix" it. As a warm-up for PFT.. simply do one set of each exercise. You will use the heaviest weight possible that will only let you perform 6 to 8 *FULL RANGE* reps. Remember to perform each rep in FULL RANGE OF MOTION. I think this is very, very important. Do one warm up set per exercise.. resting approximately 60 to 90 seconds between exercises. After you completely finish your warmup, rest 3 - 4 minutes before going into your first set of power factor training. You should be good and pumped now.. both physically and psychologically. While power factor training, I always perform ONE heavy set per muscle group.. and perform 12-15 reps per set. I have actually been experimenting lately with taking my final rep in pft and performing a 5 second static hold, then lowering the weight. I have done this for three workouts and it truly has *seemed* to help me break through a recent plateau. (I am known to have a bad workout every once in a while.. especially if I have gotten little sleep) ///Very Important Section-Supplementation\\\ You will need 3 supplements for your body for it to perform at its peak capacity. They are protein (preferrably whey).. creatine (v-12 and swole are fantastic).. and some sort of ZMA. Do your own research to determine what supplement does what if you dont already know. I am almost certain that I simply would not have made the gains I have in the last 11 months without these supplements. I say that because I have stopped taking these supplements and my power factor numbers did NOT decrease.. but my gains slowed down considerably. In fact, I put pen to paper and my gains slowed down almost 33% when I stopped taking those 3 supplements. Do you HAVE to use them? No, but they truly helped me. ***For all you boxers/MMA fighters listen up!!!*** Let's be honest. How many guys out there wouldn't mind adding some power to their punches? I both box and kickbox and let me tell you, pft can make your strikes devastating. PFT has at least tripled the power of my punches and kicks. I can do 800lb calf-presses.. with one leg. I can do strong range leg presses with over 2200 lbs. Since all of that power is generated in my strongest range.. that means I can generate lots of power with little or no range of motion. That means your strikes are more powerful and faster. Yes, faster. (I will address speed in a sec) My knees and thai kicks will REALLY knock the air out of anybody brave enough to hold the punching bag.. regardless to what striking distance I am to the bag. PLYOMETRICS-The Key! If you want to be able to QUICKLY inflict blow after powerful blow to your opponent or punching bag, you must and I repeat MUST perform these two key plyometric exercises. And they are real simple, but they will get your blood pumping if done properly. The first one is for your upper body. Perform a regular push up and lower yourself to a half-inch over the floor. Now force your body upward so you can then clap your hands in front of your chest and put them back and place to catch your body. As soon as your hands hit the ground, launch yourself up in the air again, clap and so on and so forth. Do this 10-12 times for 2-3 sets. This one is for the legs, find some steps where the first step is approximately 12 inches or so above the ground. Jump up and land on the ball of both feet. (Not the heel) They jump off, land on the ground and immediately spring back up and land on the step again. Do these 20-30 times for 3-4 sets. You will not believe the changes in the functional power of your body. Anyway, do the above and unlock your true potential.
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Summary: This book is a joke
Review: Power Factor Trainging is a waste of time. First they use a lot of fancy math to show what bodybuilders all ready follow, they use a rep range of 6-10 to increase size and strength. Using partial reps in bodybuilding has it's place but not every workout. Of course they take partial reps into static holds in their even worse book Static contraction training. If you are looking for quick results take roids otherwise real muscle gains take time. Champion bodybuilders usually take about 9 years of traing to reach their peak. Like wise get away from ego lifting. Strength for a bodybuilder is a means to an end not the ultimate goal. If you care so much about your one rep strength you are a powerlifter. Nutrition and cardio info from this book is seriously lacking and not helpful if you are interested in being a bodybuilder. Overall save your money and don't buy this book.
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Summary: For those who want to gain strength and/or size
Review: This is THE course. First off, let me start by saying I haven't lifted weights in about 3 years, and haven't lifted weights seriously in 10 years (I had a weight bench at home that'd I'd use once in a while.)
A lot of people who stated in their review that they didn't get stronger, no matter what they said to the opposite effect, didn't exactly follow what this book proposed. For example, one reviewer stated that they started in February, and by May had gotten up to 330lb in their bench press. That in and of itself shows that either the person was a super weakling, or they just didn't follow the program. 3 years ago, my best bench press was around 150lb, so I figure I can assume that without regular training, it wouldn't have gone up much beyond that point. That being the case, my first PFT workout doing bench presses (workout b) started at 225lb for 2 sets of 20 reps, 245 for 1 set of 20 reps, and 245lb for one set of 8 reps. That was on Sept 1st. The next workout that had bench presses (workout b) was on Sept. 7th, started at 275lb for 2 sets of 20 reps, and 295lb for 2 sets of 16 reps. I fully expect my third workout b workout(scheduled for sept 18th) to have me pushing at least 300lb, if not more. Keep in mind that that was the second time I did workout b total, over the course of 1 week. My current workout is 2 workouts a week, workout B on Mondays or Tuesdays, and Workout A on Saturdays. To say that it took someone 3 months to hit 300lb means they weren't following what they were teaching in the book. Their bench shouldn't take more than 1 1/2 months to go past that point. This training method isn't just about doing partials at high speed, it's about staying in the "sweet spot" of your training zone, paying attention to your progress, taking enough time off between workouts to allow full recovery, and most importantly, keep raising the weight level/lower the time to complete each workout, for each workout. You shouldn't be doing more than 30 or so reps per set, and for the final set, you probably shouldn't be able to do more than 5-8 reps with the weight you have on the bar. For me, anything other than my leg presses and toe presses, is usually after 4-6 sets. I'm keeping my log on my livejournal for anyone who's interested. It's at http://www.livejournal.com/users/lonewulf/
Watching this journal will give you a good idea about what's possible with this system.
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