The New Power Program: Protocols for Maximum Strength

Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile but inconsistent
Review: This book is highly recommended for those athletes, coaches and weekend warriors who have a good working knowledge of exercise science - this book is not very suitable for beginners. It addresses issues and topics of periodization, flexibility, and how to train for sports performance while avoiding injury (rather than training for purely cosmetic appeal).

Most of the book is concerned with the useage of weight training to improve power (force) rather than simple brute strength - it's called the Power Program after all. In covering this area it discusses and scientifically justifies the optimum targets and techniques for reps, sets, rest periods and workout length, as well as discussing why eccentric work and negatives are essential; how to train for stability, injury prevention and core strength; the best power exercises for the power phase of the periodised program; and sensible application of plyometrics.

There are countless gems throughout - "even 3% dehydration can reduce your strength by 10%" - but you'll have to dig to find them. The book also includes a cursory discussion of nutrition and mental programming, however these topics probably deserve a whole other text for each. Colgan has published at least 2 books on sports nutrition - the older "Optimum Sports Nutrition", and more recently "Sports Nutrition Guide" - which are excellent sources of nutritional information. All of Colgan's work seems to be targeted at the professional sports end of the scale as they imply the time and money is available to follow the exercise and nutritional programs on a full-time basis. You will also have to put up with his silly cartoons, the occasional odd turn of phrase, and somewhat superior attitude.

Now for the criticisms: as other reviewers have mentioned, some but not all of the photos are a bit poor in quality (obviously from a lower res digital camera); there are contradictions; and it is a little difficult to put programs together. OK, the photos may be a bit lacking in some cases but they still show the exercises just fine. Also on this note of quality, the Apple Publishing "full color large format collector's edition" that I have has started to shed pages as the binding has deteriorated with use, and as a graphic designer I find that the presentation throughout the book is rather poor, still I bought it for the info not the design so it's OK.

Contradictions do occur in the book - the high pull as one reviewer already mentioned - but others too, for example Colgan states that the ideal rest period between sets is 4 minutes, yet all the weight training phases of the periodised cycle use a 3 minute rest. Adding an extra minute doesn't seem like much but this adds up to around 20 minutes per workout, extending the workout beyond the ideal 60 minute range for a workout - so which do you choose? He also emphasises training muscle chains ie multiple muscle groups and joints, for specificity, yet there are exercises included which are isolations, and these don't just occur in the first phase of the cycle where the emphasis is on joint/tendon strength.

Lastly, the book includes only one sample program which is a general program suitable for a variety of sports - as for which ones it doesn't say. Now this is OK if you're happy to spend a couple of hours working a program out which hopefully is suitable for your sport and the facilities available to you, but don't expect to be able to just select a routine from a list of routines - Colgan leaves this to his "forthcoming Power Program Workout Book" which is yet to 'forthcome', or for those who are able to attend one of his training camps. I also feel that the exercises are lacking in developing the posterior chain ie the lower back - glute - hamstring - calf muscle groups. The hamstrings are an especially weak link for most athletes, so for info on this important area I can only recommend that you seek additional info elsewhere (try DeFranco's training and the t-mag websites).

Rating:
Summary: Best strength book ever
Review: This is the real deal. If your number one concern is to get stronger not look bigger than you'd better read this book. Its layed out super simple and written in a language anyone can understand. You'll never be the same after reading it.