Serious Strength Training

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for athletes and weight trainers
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to expand their training beyond the "muscle mag" mentality.It is thorough,and covers most aspects of training-diet,form,supplements.I have owned it for over a year,and refer to it all the time for modifications to my own workout.Money well spent in my book...

Rating:
Summary: Applies periodization to bodybuilding
Review: The author is quite knowledgable and experienced in this area and provides very extensive and detailed programs for achieving bodybuilding goals through periodization. This book applies common strength training research to bodybuilding (i.e., intensity means % of 1-RM, not how much you vomit). The physiology of strength training section was excellent, although short. The EMG section was intriguing but a bit incomplete. See Tesch's book on MRI's of muscles (Target Bodybuilding) for better coverage of which exercises activate what and to what degree. The information regarding how and why strength or hypertrophy or fat-loss occurs was excellent. I would definitely recommend this book. I agree with other reviewers that it focuses on bodybuilding, not strength training.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid this ...
Review: The book starts with Bompa claiming to have developed periodization in '63. Periodization first appeared in Russia in the 20's and 30's. Dyson (England) wrote a book about it in the late 40's. Lutenow (Russia)really applied it in the 50's and Matveyev (60's Russia) is considered the founder of what we know as periodization today.
This book is about strength training and gaining mass. The majority of the models used in the book are professional bodybuilders who have used huge amounts of steroids, yet no mention is made of this aid to gaining strength and mass.
The exercise descriptions are simplistic and the anatomy is occaisionally incorrect.
Good quality research has demonstrated that the many of the diet and supplement reccomendations made here are of no or limited effectiveness.
I returned the book immediately.

Rating:
Summary: for Bikini guys, Not POWERLIFTERS
Review: The deadlift is not even listed in the index. The title of this book fooled me. Its not for powerlifters. Powerlifting is not even mentioned in the index.

Rating:
Summary: Strong Advice
Review: There are not many good books offering strong advice, so it's important to seek out those that do. When you finish this book, you should check out "Danger Close" by Mike Yon. Danger Close is not a book on getting into shape, but a book that shows what you can be capable of after you are.

Rating:
Summary: You better be serious!
Review: There is a lot of information in this book. Maybe too much. Even though it says "Serious" in the title, the writers are trying to target everyone from beginners to professionals; they are trying to be all things to all people in all stages of strength training. In doing so, they have muddled the waters. They lose you (at least they did me) in all the definitions, classifications, descriptions, explanations, and reasons. Plus, they are promoting their products. (I guess I can't blame them for that.) It is not a bad book for those that are really serious about strength training. The information is there for those who are meticulous enough to extrapolate it and dedicated enough to put it t use. For those people, I give the book 4 ½ stars. For the rest of us who prefer a simpler, more straightforward approach to improving our bodies, there are better books out there.

Rating:
Summary: Great Foundation Information
Review: This book helped my go beyond my novice approach to weight lifting by providing simple, sound advice for getting the most out of a training phase. Other than diet, periodization has been the biggest key to moving past the "when will I ever grow" wall. Muscle Mags did not do it, Weider did not do it, I did it with the valuable direction of Tudor Bompa. Great Work!

Rating:
Summary: For Beginner To Advanced Bodybuilders And Strength Trainers
Review: This book is a great book. It has info on training, nutrition, injuries and how to treat them. It also teaches you how to design your own training routine. I've learned a lot from this book and I recommend it for anyone who lifts weights.

Rating:
Summary: Great mix of science and practicality
Review: This book is an excellent introduction and guide to the world of strength training. It contains a sound mix of scientific evidence, explained in laymen's terms, as well as practical advice I have not seen in other publications on this topic. The mix allows the reader to gain not only a plan for strength training, but an understanding to why he/she is doing what is prescribed. Also, the book is nice in that it provides a range of training options, from beginner to expert, and also depending on your ultimate goal (fitness vs competition). The book is also refreshingly realistic in that it continually expresses long term goals as the end point, not short term gains.

Rating:
Summary: Serious and scientific
Review: This book is extremely useful for bodybuilders and strength trainers alike who want to use a periodized approach to their training. It allows you to design yearly programs to tailor to your needs and goals, whether its to lose weight, gain muscle, or increase maximum strength. There are six phases to maximize all aspects of the trainig continuum, but you don't necessarily need to employ each phase. If your goal is to increase muscle mass, you could focus on using the hypertrophy phases while using a maximum strength phase every so often. Also covered are nutrition, recovery techniques, and exercise presciptions and techniques. It does take some considerable time to design a personalized training program, but that has to be done if you truly want to reap the benefits of periodized training.