Customer Reviews

Designing Resistance Training Programs - 3rd

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not for everybody. The average gym member will be lost by all the advanced knowledge. Be warned that it is very technical and the reader should have a background in exercise physiology to fully comprehend it.

This book can answer it. An incredible overview of the science of resistance training is presented, with a summary of all of the scientific research done for years and years on the subject. If you are looking for the deeper meaning of resistance training concepts and want to know how and why they work, then this is the book for you. If you are a weekend trainer with no education outside of short little seminars and conferences, then you will not enjoy this book. A backround in exercise physiology as well as a thorough understanding of anatomical terminology is definately reccomended. But for those who know their exercise physiology, then this book is a great expansion into the science of resistance training.

If you enjoyed this book, other reccomendations would be "Science and Practice of Strength Training" by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky and "Supertraining" by Mel C. Siff. "Serious Strength Training" by Tudor Bompa may also be of interest. All of these books are great for those who wish to dive into the deeper level of training. But if you're looking for superficial information, exercise ideas, home gym type stuff, then these books are not for you. These are designed for health professionals, not weekend warriors. Be prepared for science and technical terminology.

I agree with the other reviewers that this book is highly advanced, and not for beginners. It contains absolutely everything that has ever been studied on the subject. However, even for the seasoned trainer, it is hard to find what you are looking for, and even harder to understand. There are so many references and technical terms that the essence of what it is saying is almost lost. If it was written in English, and organised into a logical manner, it would be far more useful. The tables are very difficult to read. A gap still exists for a book containing all this information in plain English. It would be half the size and much more readable.

I just finished this book and have put together what I feel to be an awesome exercise prescription based on the information from the book. It is really a text book on the subject but in no way is it incomprehensible. I thought the entire book had a good flow to it and very detailed. The essence of the book is that workout design must be designed in phases meaning periods of heavy weights low reps with periods of light weight and high reps. I especially liked the information on Isometrics which the book goes into with much detail. This is the best book on resistance I have ever read.

This is one of the most comprehensive books on the shelves when it comes to exercise prescription and design.

Briefly, the most comprehensive source of strength training adaptations and programs on the market today

The book I received was in great condition and has been very useful for me. I recommend it as a reference for those in the business of building athletes.

First, my background. A personal trainer and student of exercise science, with quite a few years of practical and theoretical knowledge in the field itself. I have to say, if i hadnt read the book 'Supertraining', i might have rated this text much higher. This book delves into all the different training variables such as sets, reps, frequency and even contraction types, with sufficient detail that is based on the most current research. If you have not studied exercise physiology at a university level then you will probably get lost in all the detail, so i wouldnt recommend it for your 'weekend warrior'. All i can ultimately say is that this book is adequate for anyone wanting to know what goes into the design of a properly designed resistance training program, but if you are after the 'bees knees' of strength training texts, then 'supertraining' is the way to go. I personally found that on that text alone you will know 90% of what youll even need to be a great strength trainer. But if you cant get it for whatever reason, then this would be a viable option.

I purchased a course through a fitness education company, the IFPA. This text book comes with their program design specialist course.
This text is great with a ton of useful information on everything from reps/rest periods, to hormonal response to exercise to periodization. The only problem is that the authors would have made a better read if they left a lot of the technical terms out of it. Its a littly tricky to undersand for your average beginner, but a great resource none the less.

While this volume promises to help the Periodization trainee to design a workable program, it offers little if anything more than the original work on Periodization provided.

I've used the aforesaid volume to help with resistance training that I've done for most of my athletic life (fifty years of weight training to provide the muscle for Judo, karate, whitewater kayaking, marathon swimming and mountain biking. I was looking for something more than what this volume offers and found that the authors apparently gave their all in the original work on Periodization.