Product Description
Regular exercise can reduce a person's biological age by 10 to 20 years, and the key to exercising effectively is maintaining and increasing strength. A higher level of strength also improves immune systems, helps prevent age-related diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis, lowers stress, and increases mental acuity. Written by a master athlete over 50, this accessible book offers specific exercises for improving health and fitness, tips on maintaining and increasing mobility and motor skills, nutritional advice, strategies for stress management, and worksheets for personal strength training schedules. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Re-upper
Excellent motivator and instruction aid for seniors who want to re-up into the world of healthy exercise and re-wind their biological clock.

Strength Training For Seniors
Has a whole section on understanding the basis of our strength with diagrams of the muscular system of the human body. Good reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Playing basketball is more than skill and strategy. Whether you're crashing the boards, playing position defense, or setting picks, you need strength to contribute to your team's overall performance. Strength Training for Basketball is a practical workout manual that shows you how to increase your strength with a ready-to-use program designed specifically for the physical challenges you face on the court.

Designed for hands-on use in the weight room or gym, Strength Training for Basketball includes safety guidelines, ready-to-use training logs for the entire year, and step-by-step photos for 21 strength training exercises and 3 medicine ball drills most beneficial to the basketball player. Plus, this book gives you facts about the use of weights by basketball players and methods for building strength for basketball.

Don't let a lack of strength keep you on the bench or deny you valuable points. Get in the game and make the big plays by using the practical strength training program provided in Strength Training for Basketball. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Best strength training guide!
This book is the best and easiest to follow book on strength training I have ever used.It was referred to me by my certified strength training coach.Not only for basketball but for any sports program and especially for young people getting started.Careful guidance on how to begin, how to set up your own program, and how to adjust the program as needed.Very straightforward and well-written.The basics have never been so well presented...and these basics will have profound and safe results for anyone who follows the program as presented.Absolutely excellent!

Must have for basketball strength training
This is an excellent book for strength training.The book gives you a 12 month program that lays out the exercises and amount of weight to use every day.The amount of weight is determined by testing that is part of the program.The program is 4 different phases..offseason 1, offseason 2, pre-season, and season.My high school age son has been using the program from the book for only 5 weeks and I can already see the results.

Get Strong
This Was a really good Book ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

Nate from Texas
Good solid resource for lay people.I am a fitness professional with my own clientele that includes normal folks, kids, and athletes of various ages.I found some new exercises and exercise combinations to use in designing training programs.I expected to find some really unique stuff, but can't say that I did.

That said, Robert Dos Remedios has a great reputation in our industry.I don't think you can go wrong purchasing this unless you are a seasoned pro already.

Decent Info, Horrible Editing
I am not going to go into too much detail because I would just be repeating much of what has already been said.But...

The editing is insanely bad.There are not just typos, but much bigger layout problems--sections of text are repeated or placed in the wrong order, tables are in the wrong place (i.e. text will refer to the table below when it is in fact at the top of the page), and some pictures are missing.The way the book is put together is such an amateurish hack-job that it is amazing that it found its way to print.I would say that Rodale Books must be run by trained chimps, but that would insult the chimps.

Aside from the editing, I actually like the workouts a lot, and I think the book provides some good information.With a bit of time (and a critical eye to weed through the various sources of information) one could find all of this information on the internet for free, though.Of course, it is easier (and maybe a bit more trustworthy) to get all the info from this one book--so if the book were put together in a halfway respectable manner, I would probably recommend it.

The "book" Could Be a Pamphlet.No Kidding.
Beyond silly.And,yes, I bought this "book."It's a gimmick--full of pictures, far, far too many pictures.Its brief text offers a single, excellent idea.Simply stated, get off the treadmill or the elliptical, and push or pull something.Done.Do you really want to condition your body? Do you need to be awakened to another level of seeing how to create your own workouts, even as the "experts" go on telling you what to do? I'm sure that there are many superior books, but one of them must be Dan John's, NEVER LET GO, where the "information" in this book is, literally, a footnote on one of its pages. And I mean that.

Effective information
The basic idea for this concept very valid.Coach Dos does a nice job of explaining the thought processes and concepts.As mentioned in other reviews, the editing is poor, i.e. some of the pictures showing the workout steps are ordered incorrectly.I wish there were more examples of programs laid out for you to follow.Except for the few things mentioned above, which are relatively minor, it is a great workout guide.I would recommend it.

DO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The nice thing abouut this book is that if you aren't on your knees in between sets feeling like your about to die and wishing you could be anywhere else other than what you're doing, thenyou aren't doing the exercises right.
It's a face paced,explosive packed program that will whip your ass into shape.I'm 43 and I started with Coach Dos Mens Health Power Training years ago.I bought CST just a few months ago and it's taken my fitness level even further.I can do more over the age of 40 than I could at 30.Coach, wish you were around in my 20's.
Do yourself a favor and throw all those "it's easy!" programs away.In order to change you will have to feel discomfort and pain.And that's the fun in it anyway. Who wants to do it easy?Not me.
This book is excellent and easy to follow.I have the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells which makes weight changes quick so you move through each circuit very smoothly.

DO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
In the seven years since the publication of his first book, Functional Training for Sports, new understanding of functional anatomy created a shift in strength coaching. With this new material, Coach Boyle presents the continued evolution of functional training as seen by a leader in the strength and conditioning field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Lots of limitations and still 5 stars!
As an avid exerciser, I have found some excellent programs (e.g. Mark Verstegen's "Core Performance"The Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life), but eventually muscular adaptation and psychological boredom demand mixing up one's routine. Beyond searching for the "next best" workout, I have been eager to expand my knowledge about the underlying rationale for various workout programs, so that I could continually vary a routine of my own design. I am not a weekend warrior, and my days of varsity athletics are long behind--but I do have some old injuries (an ACL given up to the game of lacrosse) and am committed to being active well into my later years.So from this perspective, functional training is intensely interesting me.

I have no advanced training in athletic training, kinesiology, or any related fields, but this book is so rich in insights, that I feel much more well equipped to evaluate and craft a complete exercise program than the typical personal trainer at the local gym.And when I mean complete I am referring to thinking about joint mobility, joint stability, static flexibility, dynamic flexibility, injury prevention, balancing pushing and pulling exercises across multiple pains of motion (and doing the same with knee dominant versus hip dominant exercises), emphasizing unilateral exercises, rehabilitating a painful knee with a focus on eccentric movements and hip stabilizers, the role of core strength, developing power through appropriate use of Olympic Style lifts, the pitfalls of an over-emphasis on steady-state cadio endurance work & the benefits of intense intervals, and using foam rollers to enhance recovery and decrease muscle density. Phew!

The limitations: This is not written with the interested layman like myself in mind. The author presumes a degree of knowledge of his reader consistent with the target audience.For me this meant brief explanations of certain movements/exercises and a dearth of helpful images.There also seem to be some inconsistencies based on text that I suspect is left over from his previous publication Functional Training for Sports (I still can't quite figure out where Mr. Boyle stands on dead-lifts, for example).That said, this is an amazing resource for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of athletic training or just plain old effective exercise.

Great for trainers, coaches, in-the know trainees
Overall this book is a great addition to any coach or trainer's library.Alot of recommendations on how to train, when to progress, and what to look for in technique, body alignment, and knowing to progress the athlete or client to a new stimulus.May not be suitable for the average gym goer who reads mags, and steroid users.This book with its knowledge is for trainees or coaches who seek to perform better not just look better.You won't get huge muscles training in this fashion, but you will reduce your chances of injuring yourself, improve your performance on the field, court or workplace.As a trainer I love reading this book because it teaches us to teach our clients to move with movement quality not movement quantity, a la CROSSFIT.Very simple, and basic approach to fitness, strength and conditioning.I enjoyed reading it from front to back again, and again.

Easy to follow and informative
As an exercise enthusiast, I have to say that this book is one of the most informative I have read on the topic of strength and conditioning. Mr. Boyle does an outstanding job of providing objective findings and loads of information in a format that's easy to follow. He stresses improved performance, but more importantly, injury reduction. He does this while challenging the reader to think for themselves. I have used several of the programming principles he advocates for, and I like the results. I am stronger, but more importantly, more flexible with better range of motion and less pain. Highly recommended.

Great book for anyone involved with athletes
This book is an excellent resource for anyone that deals with athletes.Although some of the things covered may seem controversial to what people have always assumed, Mike does a great job of describing the "why" behind his thought process.Definitely a must have for anyone, especially people just starting out in the field.

Bob Taylor ATC,CSCS,PES

Brings together a TON of information
I don't like flavor - of - the - day fitness books, with pretty models demonstrating the latest fitness fad.I like solid, practical information that I can actually use, that helps me train, improve, and stay healthy and injury free.This is my kind of book.

In my opinion, Mike Boyle's background sets him apart from the pack.As a physical therapist, he has a strong academic background and is an actual health care provider.He's a prolific writer with original ideas and a cogent, consistent approach.He's worked with athletes at all levels in a variety of sports, for a long time.

Functional training - this idea has been so talked-about, used and misused, that it is in danger of losing its original meaning.Boyle is "old school" functional training:training methods that are aimed at developing the body in the ways that it is naturally designed to work, the way that it functions best on the track, in the field, and on the job.Not pointless stunts in the gym, done with rubber balls, bongo boards, etc.

This book is really dense with information.Personally I am irritated when I buy a fitness related book and find it is mostly pictures of someone in under-armor demonstrating exercises, with very little information on why to do the exercises, and how to put a program together.This book is the opposite:detailed, well thought out information on everything from the rotator cuff to the forty yard dash times to Olympic lifting to periodization to ... you get the point.For example, in one chapter he discusses treadmills with some very surprising information about a type of treadmill that is less well known but for most people far superior to most of the treadmills on the market.This information helped one of my customers select treadmills for their training studio, and his clients LOVE them.

His earlier work, Functional Training for Sports, was (and is) a great book and a solid introduction to some of Boyle's core concepts;this new book includes that information and expands on it dramatically, and includes many, many topics not discussed in the original book.It is not just an update or revised edition, it is a far more complete work.Whatever you do, you will learn a lot that you can use in your training, or your client's or team's training.

Performing at a high level and having a long career:that is what every athlete wants;and I think Mike Boyle has achieved this as a writer.I'm giving it five stars. ... Read more

Product Description
A key title in the successful Complete Guides series, this is the definitive text on using free weights for strength, conditioning and flexibility training.Free weights are the simplest and most effective pieces of equipment and are found in every gym and many homes. The benefits of their use - as opposed to fixed-weight machines - are becoming increasingly appreciated in the fitness industry, and include: saving money on gym membership with home workoutsa wider range of exercisesexercises working more muscles than fixed machines for a quicker workoutavoiding over-training single muscle groups, which can lead to strength imbalancesbetter co-ordination and core stability In addition to a variety of exercises, the book will also contain sample programmes, tips on technique, and exercises for specific sports, ages and body types. ... Read more

Product Description
More than a one year personal fitness diary, The Ultimate Weight Training Journal covers basic nutrition, aerobic exercise, and strength training. But most important of all, this book shows you how these three tools can best be used in attaining a better physique, better health, and more strength. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

workout book
Was the perfect book to take to the gym every day. Liked the spiral part, as it wore well when it got tossed around.

The Ultimate Weight Training Journal
The Ultimate Weight Training Journal is the best log book for weight training that I have seen.It includes ample room for writing in your workout routine in addition to other pertinent information.Furthermore, the beginning of the book has sample weight training routines and descriptions of quite a number of exercises with pictures.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

GOOD FOR STARTERS
It is a very good introduction book. I liked it. I have been using it for two months. But as the name says it is not for any body who is above this level. ... Read more

Product Description
Youth Strength Training offers the fundamentals needed to create a safe environment for youth activity.Also included are teaching tips and guidelines based both on research and first-hand experience in the development of youth programming. Six complete full-body workouts using various forms of resistance are covered in detail, with accompanying photographs and instructions for modifying each exercise for different skill and fitness levels. Produced in cooperation with the American Council on Exercise. ... Read more

Product Description
Think circuit training is for the feeble and faint-of-heart? Think again. This book revolutionizes the way circuit training is viewed by men all over the world. In addition to its truly hardcore workouts, this book provides links to dozens of Web sites for elaboration on its principles and examples of its techniques. Its workouts are intense, diverse, creative, and, most importantly, proven.

One of its workouts is the exact one used by the cast of 300 as it prepared for filming.

Hardcore Circuit Training for Men is a no-nonsense approach to high intensity fitness training. The exercises and circuits provided will give you the motivation you need to get super fit, and the expertise required to dramatically improve your muscular strength and aerobic fitness. In a park, a hotel room, a gym, or even the living room there is a circuit here to suit every man s needs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great workouts
This book is filled with great exercises and workouts that are really easy to follow.The instructions and pictures are straight forward and the workouts are intense.I feel a lot stronger since I started following these programs.Highly recommend!

Yawn
Nothing specific to men in this book, and nothing new. It is a flimsy, poorly illustrated publication with information that could be found on any one of hundreds of web sites or other, better books on the subject. I found it a waste of money and my copy went immediately to the used book store.

Excellent Training Reference
Hardcore Circuit Training for Men
by McHale and Udu
Price World Publishing

Reviewed by : Dr. Joseph S. Maresca

This book is about high intensity fitness training.
An object of the book is to set forth training modalities
to help with weight loss/maintenance, muscle tone and
superfitness. A major theme of the presentation is
on conditioning. Nutrition is integrated with
the regimen. The rules are to eat little but often.
Eat after exercise and eat raw food to preserve the nutrients.

I find that juicing fresh vegetables is the best to promote
gastrointestinal health , roughage to aid in peristalsis
and overall high nutrient content. Peristalsis involves
successive waves of involuntary contraction
along the intestinal walls aimed at forcing the contents
(usually food)forward. Historically, the Paleolithic and
Mediterranean diets have been excellent in my personal
experience which has been confirmed by extensive readings .

A trainee should warm up for several minutes and
concentrate on the muscle groups to be worked.
There is a reversal of the warm up or cooling down after
intense exercise. This step transitions the body from an
exertion state to a rest state. In my own experience,
an extensive workout should have a winding down sequence
so that the body can make iterative adjustments to the
reduced activity.

There are a series of push ups, back extensions, leg raises
and other exercises. Next, the author presents the kettle bell
exercises like single arm bench presses, Turkish " get ups",
Russian twists and other elaborate sequences.
The kettle bell is a wonderful exercise to enhance torque
movements in the body. I have found the kettle bell useful
for range of motion enhancement/preservation and conditioning.

Extensive sequences are shown for plate workouts, squats,
lunges and barbells. The Swiss ball workout was designed
originally for physiotherapy. The body responds
to the instability of the ball and engages more muscles to
keep you in balance. The exercise may be done best under
supervision- particularly for older trainees and novices.
Extensive cycling and rowing exercises work even more muscles.
There is a section on working out with light weights,
as well the bench press exercises.

Overall, the book is well organized, understandable and
priced reasonably for virtually every household budget.
The presentation would be well-suited for a wide constituency
of readers.

Very challenging, very good
"Hardcore Circuit Training for Men" is an excellent book for those seeking hard hitting, intense workouts. One will never get bored with its dozen or so unique and challenging workouts. A number of the workouts were designed to be done outside of the gym (e.g. on a hill, at a pool, etc.), and the workouts that were designed for the gym offer more than a few often-overlooked, but great exercises with which even experienced fitness buffs may be unfamiliar. Some of the exercises are very taxing if one has never performed them before including, but not limited to the Reverse Woodchip Kneeling on Stability Ball. The exercise descriptions are accompanied by large photos and links to YouTube for video demonstrations which can be helpful for some of the more nuanced ones. This book doesn't waste much of the reader's time. It delves into the good stuff right off the bat and stays focused throughout.

Dissapointment
i thought the book was ok till the chapter on stability ball training, they recommended Reverse Woodchop Kneeling on Stability ball!! ... Read more

Product Description
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Rugby is the most comprehensive and up-to-date rugby-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round rugby-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other rugby book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will increase the players power and quickness resulting in more effectiveness in rucks and mauls. By using this program, you will make considerable gains in your strength, agility, and stamina which will result in more success in scrums and have you competing strong until the final whistle.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great book!
I'm an assistant coach of a HS rugby team.We will be using these routines in the offseason.The routines definitely cover the muscle groups required to play a demanding sport such as rugby.

Concise
The book is very concise and to the point. It provides you with the information that you seek effectively.

Worthless for rugby
Basic weight training information and program, nothing you cant find for free and better online. However if you want a compact program in your hands its a good starter. Don't buy this however if you actually want to have workouts specific to your position in rugby. I've never taken a look at the other books in this series, but i suspect that the workouts are almost all the same across any of the books( ulitmate guide to... football, cycling, etc). Really not worth the money for anyone who has experience in weightlifting or is looking to scrummage better, tackle harder or have a quicker sidestep

Good on training - bad on rugby
I got this book for the off season training.

Solid general weights routine, but very little rugby specific training or 'insider knowledge'

Better and more specific training information out there to use.

Simple
this is a real meat and potatoes book, which i think is a good thing.the worst thing about reading books about excersise is hearing about stuff that you dont need to know.this book is for people who have the time and desire to go to the gym at least 4 times a week.no half-hearted efforts here.
if you follow the book's schedule YOU WILL MAKE GAINS.this i think is the key to this books effectiveness.its not the lifts that he chooses or the number of sets/reps persay- if you have been lifting for sometime, most of the concepts will be pretty commen sense.he also leaves things open for you so your lifting sessions dont get stale.
I think one word sums this book up...simplicity.everything is done for you, you just need to have to drive to do it! ... Read more

Product Description
Have you stopped experiencing increases in strength and mass? Do you equate the bench press with shoulder pain? If so, your body may not be functioning at 100 percent. Optimal Muscle Training is a unique book and DVD package that will show you how to achieve the highest level of function.

The book provides information on how your body develops imbalances, how testing can pinpoint problems, and how specific training to correct imbalances will optimize muscle function. The DVD enhances the information presented in the book with over 100 practical exercises and three levels of muscle testing that you can use in developing an individualized training program.

This fully integrated package allows you to learn the subtleties of muscle testing and exercises. Optimal Muscle Training--with its testing procedures, technical instructions, anatomical considerations, exercise demonstrations, and training guidelines--is one powerful training tool. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Certified strength and conditioning specialist takes the pain out of building muscle
Ken Kinakin is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, a chiropractor, and a certified personal trainer. He has competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting for more than 20 years.That certainly qualifies him to write a book on optimal muscle training. And he's done an excellent job in this new book.

This is a complete program for optimizing strength, increasing growth, and minimizing injury. And with its multiple menus, the included DVD allows you to customize your experience by quickly accessing what is most relevant to your needs. Overall, the Optimal Muscle Training book and DVD is a powerful training package.

Oh, I must add you'll get your personal password to a very special, private website where you can download lots of great information.

In the book, the author asks, "Have you stopped experiencing increases in strength and mass? Do you equate the bench press with shoulder pain? If so, your body may not be functioning at 100 percent. Optimal Muscle Training is a unique book and DVD package that will show you how to achieve the highest level of function."

Here are some of the things you'll read about in the book:

Chapter 1: The Anatomy of Optimizing Strength
Chapter 2: Assessing Weight-Training Readiness
Chapter 3: Linking Muscles to Exercise Movement
Chapter 4: Analyzing the Risk-Benefit Ratio of Weight-Training Exercises
Chapter 5: Designing Training Programs for Optimal Strength

This book is really about body conditioning. It's a complete program for the person who want to build muscle.

In the preface the author writes, "This book was written to educate trainers, doctors, therapists, and weight-training enthusiasts about optimizing muscle function during weight training. At the heart of this book is a simple process: assessing functional level and then finding out how to use weight training to optimize a person's full potential. Each person's unique biomechanics and functional status affects his or her weight-training program.These issues need to be addressed logically, step by step, to design an optimal weight-training program."

The book is unique in that it shows you how to test each muscle and muscle group for indications of weakness. When found, it's assessed and you learn how to optimally train that muscle or muscle group. This is how you get the greatest benefit from your training.

You'll also learn how to determine whether a certain volume, intensity, and technique will benefit you and at what risk. "Certain techniques offer a large benefit but also carry a large risk, but if the person's expertise is high enough, the trade-off may be worthwhile and can be done safely . . .," we read.

You'll appreciate the photos of each exercise and the bar graphs showing the risk on the left and the benefit on the right. Then you'll read a description of how you can modify the exercise to safely do it with less risk but high benefit.

The last chapter helps you to plan your own personal optimal muscle training workout.

I found this book extremely well done and most helpful. It will guide you in developing a program that is safe but, at the same time, provides optimal results.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Dry
PRO: The book and DVD, are professional works, and right on the money.
They are a must for those who exercise and want to avoid injuries. Even better for those experienced weight (resistance)trainers who already burned their fingers and try to escape the pain and slow recovery from injuries. They are seemingly unstoppable happenings of this fitness Optimal Muscle Trainingbusiness. One can understand its own body much better with this source, especially from the DVD, which is a standalone work in itself. By and large the contents are almost above any critics as far as a well learned experienced exerciser can relate it. The cost is a steal for what you get.

CONT: Honest works but unfortunately the remarkable contents are presented in a quite discouraging fashion. The use of the DVD is not explained in the book properly. An other boo-boo is the menu that drives the DVD. One has to figure it out what it does and what it hides. Frequently, submenu items are repeated under different titles. But the real problem is not in the primitive, unexplained control. It is a dry, very, very discouraging presentation. The athletes are honest puppets but their guests do not invite repeat from the public. Additionally, their musculature is less defined than a mediocre bodibuilder on stage, that could serve the purpose of visual reference.

I hope the next edition will serve the purpose much better, but I am not sure it will be cheaper, though.

Really good book!
I had to by this book for a class, and it is incredibly helpful!Anyone looking to become a personal trainer should at least check it out, if not by it.

EXCELENT FOR ME
THIS WAS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. I BOUGHT SOME WEIGHTS AND DIDN'T
KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT LIFTING BUT THIS BOOK AND DVD GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT
WITH THE PROPER WAY OF WORKING OUT.IT WAS WELL WORTH IT'S PRICE.

Excellent book for a trainer or fitness enthusiast
This book is excellent in describing muscle dysfunctions that many trainers don't recognize in prescribing weight training to clients. It shows the best way to optimally perform an exercise for max safety and max development.
This is one of the best books Ive read for personal training clients.
This book comes with a great course by the IFPA (google it) called the bodybuilding specialist course. It teaches you a ton of great material!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Appealing Idea
Who doesn't want to believe that they can eat what they want when they want it? I am intrigued by the idea that we, as a whole, have forgotten how to listen to the only true expert on what and when to eat: our own body. It makes a lot of sense and is really pretty simple, but not necessarily easy. It is all about mindfulness. The commitment to learn to listen to and understand your own body is a big one, but worth the effort if it provides the results described in this book. The experiment is underway.

This is working for me, nothing else has
It is such a relief to have found this book. I am an active person who eats healthy food and I have always struggled with weight. Now, this book has helped me tune in to my body and I really am melting into my natural shape.

Probably The Best Weight Loss Book Ever Written
I bought this book several years ago, and treasure it.It helped me shed pounds when I needed to, and has prevented me from becoming really overweight, despite the fact that I love to cook and eat!I love Groger's common sense approach - don't eat when you're not hungry and sensitize yourself to the different levels of hunger. Learn to trust your body.This isn't a "sexy" or trendy diet book, and Groger doesn't give you excuses or mince words. Instead she explains why people develop weight problems and what to do about them. I'm in my 50's and periodically find my clothes getting a little tight.When this happens, I pull out my copy and review what I need to do, and it works!

A ion for a while
I bought this book back in 1984 when I was a college freshman and had gained those famous ten pounds.I was terrified!I had restricted my calories all through high school, but that wasn't working anymore.This book introduced a new concept to me...One has to tune in to feelings of hunger and fullness to determine when to eat and when to stop.The book does not offer any nutritional advice, but I have to say, I did lose weight.I also kept it off, and whenever I battled with weight gain, this book would certainly help...for a time.I'm now in my 40's and I only have to look at food and I gain weight.I re-purchased this book, thinking it would save me again, but it didn't. I require much fewer calories at this stage of my life, and it isn't enough to just stop eating when I'm feeling full.I'm still taking in too many calories. This book helped, though, over the years, because I formed the habit of never letting myself get ridiculously full of food...hurts too much. What HAS helped me to stay trim is adopting a vegan diet, emphasizing raw foods.The food tends to be nutrient-dense but lower in calories...so I'm healthier, to boot.I would recommend this book to people who have never paid any attention to how they feel physically while they're eating.Some people stuff themselves and are totally unaware of how uncomfortable they truly are. This book teaches you to not only recognize this discomfort, but to helps you to realize that it's a feeling you want to avoid.Result - eating less, losing weight.

The best book ever on achieving permanent weight loss
I read this book about 6 years ago and really didn't believe that listening to my body would help me lose weight. I was wrong, it really does. I followed it for six weeks and it changed my life. I lost weight and have never gained it back and I eat whatever I want. ... Read more

Product Description
Ensure optimal results for your clients with the most efficient training and teaching techniques for resistance exercise. Covering all the major muscle groups, Resistance Training Instruction provides all the tools to improve the function, performance, and appearance of your clients.

Detailed illustrations combined with expert technical guidance demonstrate how to target specific muscles as well as the most efficient alignment, positioning, and lifting technique for each exercise. In addition, you will learn how and when to vary intensity, volume, recovery, and exercise sequencing to customize any routine.

Organized by movement function, emphasizing the connection between technique and results, each exercise provides the following:

• Step-by-step instructions for setup and technique
  
• Guidance on monitoring, cueing, spotting, and coaching clients for the safest, most effective training
  
• Full-color anatomical illustrations that depict muscle use throughout each exercise

With sample periodized programs, Resistance Training Instruction demonstrates how to develop base strength, improve whole-body fitness, and design advanced split routines by selecting, combining, and sequencing the best exercises for each client.

Used by the renowned Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research to certify personal trainers, Resistance Training Instruction makes it easy to achieve maximum gains for all of your clients. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Personal Training Excellence
Super book with concise information and well illustrated exercises and notes! This is a must have for everyone who wants to know just that bit more about exercises or needs a study companion for any exercise science/ personal training related course.

Very Comprehensive Book On Resistance Training!
First let me explain what I mean in the title of my review by the word comprehensive. I don't mean that its just a book with zillions of exercises, though it certainly has more than most people would ever need. But it is comprehensive in terms of giving you a lot of the science behind resistance training, the kinesiological aspects of what the different exercises do, and it covers many functional types of exercises. It also covers the concepts behind program design and periodization.

It is similar in many ways to his "Muscle Mechanics" book in terms of the exercises covered and exercise science, but it's put together quite differently. I prefer the layout of this book much more because of the way he places the exercise science and programming aspects before presenting the specific exercises. One section really builds into the next beautifully!

I am a Certified personal trainer and I have gotten, and continue to get, a lot of use out of this book. It's also a book I recommend to clients who want to learn more about resistance training in a more well rounded way. Some of it may be more information than the typical novice trainer would need, but for those who are willing to take the time, I find it to be written in very clear, user friendly language. He doesn't try to speak in complex terminology just to make it sound like rocket science, yet he does cover a LOT of ground!

This is the only book I've seen that gives a clear explanation of the Muscular Subsystems and a lot of information on functional based training (as opposed to the typical "bodybuilding" type approach). Yet it also covers more standard exercises as well.

I would highly recommend this to someone who wants to learn about the "why" and "how" of resistance training rather than someone who just wants to be "spoon fed" exercises and routines. You can find the typical exercises and routines in most fitness magazines or bodybuilding books which basically regurgitate the same information over and over again. This one fills the gap that those types of books have left wide open.

Also, to get a book with this much information at such a reasonable price is incredible, as most books of this quality would be considerably more expensive!

Another book I highly recommend for both fitness professionals and interested non-professionals is Douglas Brooks "Effective Strength Training", it's very similar in terms of it's thoroughness, with extremely detailed explanations of exercise technique and sound exercise science as well!

If you are really into resistance training they are both worth having in your fitness library!

HIGHLY Recommended!

Just ok
I expected this book to diplay all types of workout routines, but it didn't.Good for technique of some exercises, but definetly not good about showing all exercise routines.

Good Book for begginers.
It's a good book for begginers and also for professionals too.
But recommended more for begginers. It has helpfull general information about exercise and showing the right position of body during exercising but there are more ways of showing the right way of doing the exercises.

muscle mechanics updated
I disagree with other reviewers on a couple of key points. First, Aaberg's MSUCLE MECHANICS is not basically the same book. It lacks crucial information on exercise tempo, periodization, etc. MUSCLE MECHANICS has a list of references that RESISTANCE lacks. RESISTANCE has acknowledgements, but Charles Poliquin's name is spelled incorrectly (Poliquin is author of THE POLIQUIN PRINCIPLES). If you don't already have MUSCLE MECHANICS, then opt for RESISTANCE TRAINING PRINCIPLES. If you do currently possess MM, then go for Aaberg's other book STRENGTH, SPEED, & POWER. It does cover tempos, etc. as well as being a good intro to functional training.

A second disagreement I have with another reviewer concerns partial movements. As a long time trainee I have learned through bitter experience that, "The body never forgets an injury". Aaberg's advice regarding the disregarding the "full range of motion" philosophy (a philosophy that will take many years to kill)is right on the money. Using heavy resistance in the "red zone" of a joint on the premise that it is necessary or useful for "fully developing the muscle" or that it will increase or maintain flexibility is an invitation to injury. This may be one of the reasons that the Westside Barbell Club spends very little time doing full range bench presses and instead chooses partial movements such as board presses and floor presses for much of its training.

RESISTANCE TRAINING INSTRUCTION is too short to illustrate every exercise. Happily, it does not show potential shoulder wreckers such as upright rows, lat machine pulldowns behind the neck, or presses behind the neck. Nor does it show stretches. The routines do have exercises for the rotator cuff. This is a huge plus. Aaberg at times announces quite clearly that some subjects are beyond the scope of his book.

At the present time -- January 2003 -- this is one of the best introductory texts on the market. If you're looking for a single text that covers everything, forget it. If there is one, it will probably be outdated in one month. When I read most training texts my BS detector goes off several times. When I read Aaberg's stuff it's pretty silent. ... Read more

Product Description
Introductory guides might have been useful when you started, but now you’re ready for more. Serious Strength Training will help you boost your workouts and results to the next level! Armed with solid scientific principles and proven training and nutrition programs, you will gain more muscle strength, mass, and definition than ever before.

Tudor Bompa, the world’s foremost expert on optimal schedules for training, and Mauro Di Pasquale, a leading nutritional authority specializing in strength training, combine their knowledge for you to use. Follow their general programs or tailor one to your special needs through effective manipulation of the six training phases—anatomical adaptation, hypertrophy, mixed, maximum strength, muscle definition, and transition–and proper application of the individual metabolic profile.

Serious Strength Training is essential reading for those who want to lift in the big leagues. From the 66 maximum muscle-stimulating exercises to the detailed dietary plans, make it your guide to the greatest training you’ve ever done. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Serious, but what?
Every page is packed with "information," and page after page strung together in a style that's extremely difficult to follow and digest, much less apply to tomorrow's workout. There are a couple pretty good basic concepts, but it doesn't take a whole book to explain that over the course of a year one should vary the types of workouts performed. The charts for the various workout designs may be helpful for some people, but there's just too many of them, and ultimately you'll design your own. I agree with other reviewers that it's a bodybuilding book, not a strength book. The proof of course is in the photographs. I'm just an ordinary citizen looking to get serious about strength as a component of my overall fitness, and this book isn't helpful. A bodybuilder might find this a helpful companion book, going a couple pages at a time. On that basis I'd give it three stars, except for the wrong title and the photographs of starved women.

Right on target
I have read two more Bomba's books, i implemented his principals to the training of our young cyclists. It boosted their performance, their selfconfidence and the will to keep training. I trust mr. Bompa, that's why i bought and allready read this book. It is as i expected to be. Pure science, busting many bodybuilding's myths and showing the only way to develop a marvelous physique. Greetings from Greece.

Serious Strength Training
This book provides the road to travel for anyone who wants to be successful in training.As a former competitive power-lifter in the early 1980's,this book includes much lost knowledge from that training era.It's a very intense book and will make you strong for life.The routines are old school and not for the faint of heart,however the strength gained will not be lost.Good luck and may the force be with you.

title is misleading
this book is about body building, not strength training.and yes, there is a distinction between the two.get the Rippetoe "Starting Strength" book instead, if you want to learn about strength training.can't say if this book helps with body building as i am not interested or knowledgable about that.i guess a title of "serious body building" is kind of self contradicting :)

Advanced Training Routines
This book breaks down the concept of periodization which means periodic changes in training routines. If you're serious about bodybuilding this is a must read. Very useful if you are thinking about competing.

This book is focused on bodybuilding and powerlifting.

The author has different books about periodization for many other sports. He is one of the leading authors in the field of periodization. Check him out. Great info for athletes, coaches, trainer, teachers, etc. !!! ... Read more

Product Description

With expert analysis of technique for more than 100 resistance training exercises, Effective Strength Training is just the guide you need to ensure these exercises are performed correctly and with minimal risk.

Drawing on the latest scientific principles and theories related to resistance training, Effective Strength Training provides the “how” and the “why” behind the proper performance of popular upper-body, lower-body, and trunk exercises. By understanding the purpose and correct form for each exercise, you can gain the full benefit each exercise provides and avoid injury. Whether you teach strength training or do it yourself, you'll find new and helpful information that you can put to use.

Douglas Brooks, one of the top personal trainers in the United States, questions the safety of controversial exercises such as the upright row, dipping movements, cable exercises, and machine chest presses. After putting these exercises to the test of objective scientific evaluation, he then recommends valuable guidelines for safe use.

Effective Strength Training also addresses high-risk situations where exercises fall short of safe biomechanical standards. If you're dealing with orthopedic limitations—such as knee or back problems—or challenging training goals, these solutions will help you make prudent, corrective modifications.

Practical and to the point, this book also presents the latest information related to resistance training program design and defines and discusses topics such as training systems, periodization principles, and a continuum of training programs.

Effective Strength Training is full of no-nonsense strategies and expert advice that will simplify the design and teaching of programs to meet the best interests of your clients or students. And, if you're a strength trainer yourself—especially if you're seeking certification by the International Weightlifting Association—this resource will help you successfully reach all your training goals.

Customer Reviews (2)

Effective Strength Training
It was a book I needed for a class-I recommend it for anyone that wants to start or improve there weight lifting program

Effective Indeed!
The information in this book is far more worth the dollar value. Mr. Douglas is a talented writer and extremely wise man. The book's focus is on correct lifting technique, with a few pages discussing program design. It is similiar to Muscle Mechanics by Everett Aaberg, but describes more excercises. It also debunks many resistance training myths and explores the use of high-risk exercises and their appropriateness. The "10-step any exercise drill" will help you choose the right exercises.I highly recommend this book to anyone who resistance trains, and wants to do it effectively, safely, and for many years to come. Check out his other books if you want expert advice on training. ... Read more

Product Description
Wayne Westcott and Tom Baechle, two internationally recognized weight training experts, have written this research-based guide for instructors at health clubs, YMCAs, community centers, nursing homes, retirement communities, and other organizations who want to help older adults reap the diverse, far-reaching benefits of strength training.

Summarizing current research and supplying multiple references for each topic, Strength Training for Seniors: An Instructor Guide for Developing Safe and Effective Programs provides all the tools you need to serve the older adults in your community:

• General guidelines for senior strength training
• Specific teaching strategies and training procedures
• Detailed instructions and illustrations for free-weight and machine exercises
• Sample 10-week free-weight and machine workout programs
• Tips for modifying the programs to meet each client’s needs, abilities, and limitations
• Alternative exercises using bodyweight and elastic bands
• Practical methods for assessing progress
• Nutritional guidelines

If you want to gain the understanding and the confidence you need to develop effective workouts for older adults, Strength Training for Seniors is for you! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Super basic
I'm an ACE-certified personal trainer and was looking for some good information and new exercises to use with my client who is in their 60s.This book took basic strength training exercises and had a picture of a senior doing the exercise.Nothing in this book was new to me.If you are a physically active senior, this book may be all right for you.If you are a senior who has been sedentary or who is looking to improve upon daily activities of living, this book may not be right for you.

Great Encocuragement for Older Weight Lifting
I'd recommend the version meant for the end user, however, unless you are actually an instructor. I got both but it was redundant. The core stuff for the weight lifter is in both books. Key thing is that it is very convincing that older folk, those above say 50, can and should do weight lifting. It's a good addition to all the other good stuff you should be doing. This book eases nubie's like myself, into weightlifting, even if we opt to use set equipment rather than free weights. Both free weights and other gym equipment is portrayed in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Gold Gym Weight Training Book
My husband had a copy of this years ago & really liked it.We lost it, so I ordered this replacement.It is a wealth of basic strength exercises you can do at home with free weights.Very useful ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Useful Logbook
Use this great logbook to record your workouts and learn how you can improve.This book is especially helpful for those using the Power Factor Training program.

Power Factor Training Logbook
This book came in very helpful, I had to alter some of it to personalize my work-outs, but it worked out for me. Great book and information.

Not Useful
Please see my review of Power Factor Training (the book).I pointed out the power factor training program did not work for me.

This log is made to assist a person on the power factor program.It has the workout routines ( A and B) plus a host of specialized programs.In addition it has charts you can fill out to mark your progress.It also has an overview of power factor training that is nearly as informative as the books you can buy on the subject. From the point of view of inclusiveness the manual succeeds; however, from the point of view of usefullness it fails.

The manual has blocks that are too small to write in, and the charts are very small.The book needs to by 81/2 by 11 to write in well, or at least much larger than it is now.Sections could also be added for warm up, stretching and cool down as the authors recommend these need to be included in every workout routine.

My largest complaint is in the amount of pages devoted to the normal power factor program.After all the other material is considered the area for the normal power factor training routines A and B comprise about 1/3 of the book.Maybe less.The specialization routines take up a lot more of the book.Why include the specialized routines in this manual?

Thus the manual does not have enough space to write in easily, does not have enough pages for the normal power factor workouts, includes too many pages for the specialized routines, and does not include fundimental information in the pages used for the workouts.

All in all a substandard effort.

Thumbs up for the "P/F" Logbook
I really enjoy using the Power Factor Logbook! It is an excellentcompanion to the P/F book series. I enjoy the workout to workout feedbackthat I receive. In just a few workouts I knew what my optimal reptitionrange was for each of my body parts. I quickly learned that just attemptingheavier weights did not always equal an optimal Power index. Sometimeslowering the weight and really banging out the reps was the key.Thankyou to Mr. Little and Sisco. Keep showing us "sane" ways to trainin this "Insane" world!

Logbook???
I have enjoyed reading the authors book, Power Factor Training and alsotheir other three books specializing for specific bodyparts using the Powerfactor training method. However, this log book is a complete waste of time.The information about why the power index and other things is repeated inthe beginning and the charts are organized in a haphazard way which makesme completely useless unless you are someone who hates to make your ownchart and print it out for use, this book could be useful although it mightnot pack along well in a gym bag. Who can write in those small chartsanyway, the print would have to be so small.The authors need to come outwith something more useful than just a log book. Something which advancesthe Power Factor training routines and not just repeated information inevery other book. Plus it would be beneficial if they would start updatingtheir website! ... Read more