Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Hardcover)

by Thomas R. Baechle (Editor), Roger W. Earle (Editor)
Key Phrases: downward movement phase, endocrine responses, aerobic endurance training programs, Human Kinetics, Nutritional Factors, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The second edition of Essentials is outstanding- a must read and reference for anyone in the field of strength and conditioning. No other text compares to this work."
David Pearson, PhD, CSCS*D
Human Performance Lab, Ball State University
Board of Directors, National Strength and Conditioning Association
"The 'Essentials' text reflects the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of Strength and Conditioning information available to the public."
Anthony A. Abbott, Ed.D., CSCS *D, NSCA-CPT, *D
President, Fitness Institute International
Former Commanding Officer, Apollo Recovery Team
"'Essential'The title says it all! This new edition makes an already outstanding book even better. It compliments both the scientific and applied aspects of strength and conditioning and is a must for anyone working in the field, seeking NSCA certifications, or interested in pursuing the strength field as a career."
Kent Adams, Ph.D.
Strength Physiologist, University of Louisville
"This book is... an absolutely necessary reference for all personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, educators, students, and athletes who are serious about knowing the nuts and bolts, and underlying principles, of strength training and conditioning!""
J. Henry Drought, CSCS *D, NSCA-CPT *D
Owner, Personal Trainers Strength & Conditioning Consulting
Board of Directors, National Strength & Conditioning Association
"This book will provide the necessary tools for the novice to build a strong foundation of knowledge on which to build. It is also the perfect reference text for those more experienced in the health and fitness profession."
Jaynie B. Schram, MPH, MS, PT, SCS, ATC, CSCS *D
American Specialty Health, Manager Health Services
Executive Council member and chair for NSCA-CC, 1994-1999
"The first edition of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning was touted as the first professional textbook to assist practitioners to develop strength and conditioning programs. Though there are fewer chapters with changes to some chapter titles, the Second Edition provides the reader with better defined chapter content covering more detailed information with current references (i.e. chapter name has greater emphasis on issues confronting the female athlete). The addition of a chapter overview and knowledge application section will assist the reader's understanding of the material presented. Among strength and conditioning textbooks, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning continues to be the leader for this content area across many professional domains."
Kathleen M. Laquale, Ph.D., LATC, LDN
Professor, Bridgewater State College
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Now in its third edition, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the most comprehensive reference available for strength and conditioning professionals. In this text, 30 expert contributors explore the scientific principles, concepts, and theories of strength training and conditioning as well as their applications to athletic performance.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the most-preferred preparation text for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. The research-based approach, extensive exercise technique section, and unbeatable accuracy of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning make it the text readers have come to rely on for CSCS exam preparation.

The third edition presents the most current strength training and conditioning research and applications in a logical format designed for increased retention of key concepts. The text is organized into five sections. The first three sections provide a theoretical framework for application in section 4, the program design portion of the book. The final section offers practical strategies for administration and management of strength and conditioning facilities.

• Section 1 (chapters 1 through 10) presents key topics and current research in exercise physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, biomechanics, endocrinology, sport nutrition, and sport psychology and discusses applications for the design of safe and effective strength and conditioning programs.
• Section 2 (chapters 11 and 12) discusses testing and evaluation, including the principles of test selection and administration as well as the scoring and interpretation of results.
• Section 3 (chapters 13 and 14) provides techniques for warm-up, stretching, and resistance training exercises. For each exercise, accompanying photos and instructions guide readers in the correct execution and teaching of stretching and resistance training exercises. This section also includes a set of eight new dynamic stretching exercises.
• Section 4 examines the design of strength training and conditioning programs. The information is divided into three parts: anaerobic exercise prescription (chapters 15 through 17), aerobic endurance exercise prescription (chapter 18), and periodization and rehabilitation (chapters 19 and 20). Step-by-step guidelines for designing resistance, plyometric, speed, agility, and aerobic endurance training programs are shared. Section 4 also includes detailed descriptions of how principles of program design and periodization can be applied to athletes of various sports and experience levels. Within the text, special sidebars illustrate how program design variables can be applied to help athletes attain specific training goals.
• Section 5 (chapters 21 and 22) addresses organization and administration concerns of the strength training and conditioning facility manager, including facility design, scheduling, policies and procedures, maintenance, and risk management.

Chapter objectives, key points, key terms, and self-study questions provide a structure to help readers organize and conceptualize the information. Unique application sidebars demonstrate how scientific facts can be translated into principles that assist athletes in their strength training and conditioning goals.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning also offers new lecture preparation materials. A product specific Web site includes new student lab activities that instructors can assign to students. Students can visit this Web site to print the forms and charts for completing lab activities, or they can complete the activities electronically and email their results to the instructor. The instructor guide provides a course description and schedule, chapter objectives and outlines, chapter-specific Web sites and additional resources, definitions of primary key terms, application questions with recommended answers, and links to the lab activities. The presentation package and image bank, delivered in Microsoft PowerPoint, offers instructors a presentation package containing over 1,000 slides to help augment lectures and class discussions. In addition to outlines and key points, the resource also contains over 450 figures, tables, and photos from the textbook, which can be used as an image bank by instructors who need to customize their own presentations. Easy-to-follow instructions help guide instructors on how to reuse the images within their own PowerPoint templates. These tools can be downloaded online and are free to instructors who adopt the text for use in their courses.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Edition, provides the latest and most comprehensive information on the structure and function of body systems, training adaptations, testing and evaluation, exercise techniques, program design, and organization and administration of facilities. Its accuracy and reliability make it not only the leading preparation resource for the CSCS exam but also the definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals and sports medicine specialists depend on to fine-tune their practice.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 641 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers; 3 edition (June 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736058036
• ISBN-13: 978-0736058032
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evidence-Based Exercise Info at its Best, November 13, 2008

By	Coach Tom - See all my reviews

When it comes to telling people how to train, I want to know that the advice I give is based on evidence, not what on other people say, and not on what I "think" is going to work. While you could dig around on various electronic databases, such as Medline to get such information, its nice to have all the latest excercise recommendations based on sound research at your fingertips. And if you're looking for such a book, well, look no further.

Readers who regularly read sports science research will see some familiar names on page vii, which contains the list of people who contributed to the book. To me, knowing that people like Kraemer, Faigenbaum, or Hatfield had a hand in this book puts it on solid ground.

And the book is thorough too. Covering just about every aspect of conditioning and training, from basic exercise physiology to how many sets of an exercise should I do, its just a plain fact that there's not much that has been left out. Of course all the major areas such as strength training, endurance training, and flexibility are there as well. Also notable are the great pictures of stretching and strengthening exercises as well as little numbers (2) to refer the reader to the study the info was taken from. Right on!

My criticisms of this book are picky and few. For example I did notice that on page 299 the book advocates holding a static stretch for 30 seconds to become more flexible. Experts in the field who keep up on the research may not agree with this. While the 30 seconds rule applies to a lot of muscle groups, it does not apply to all- like stretching the calf muscles to increase dorsiflexion (see The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution for a nice updated literature review on ankle stretching). In case you're wondering, 30s won't cut it to increase ankle ROM.

In conclusion, as a researcher and trainer, I was really impressed with the evidence-based information and the thoroughness of the text. I think it would be of most benefit to coaches, athletic trainers, personal trainers, or anyone who wants a good resource to guide their exercise prescriptions.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, August 13, 2004

By	kent_mc2 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Hardcover)

If you are studing for the CSCS exam this is your book. And I should stress this is the ONLY review material that you need, the other "review" materials are a waste of time and money. This book does an excelent job preparing you for the test--read the chapters take the tests at the end of the chapters and you should pass with flying colors. As a side note, yes this book is rather dry, however there is NO other book that covers the entire relm of strength training as well as this book--yes, there are better speciality books than this one and yes there are books that are easier to understand--but as far as covering all the bases, this is the best I've found. It also has good color pictures--as opposed to Designing Resistance Training Programs.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Overall View of Weight Training, October 19, 2000

By	Alan Dale Daniel (St. George, UT, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Hardcover)

I have read several weight training books over the past few months and this is the best one I have seen so far. It is rough going in spots because of the techinical language used by the authors; however, the explanations are wonderful and the pictures are nothing less than outstanding. Numerous charts and graphs help the reader understand the text. So much of what is written about bodybuilding and weight training is fluff, not backed up by true research. In this publication the authors are careful to use only the best research findings and they are excellent at saying when something is thought to be proven verses actually proven.

I highly recomend this text to anyone interested in weight training. I read it from cover to cover and was not bored. It is excellent as a reference tool as well.