Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Thomas R. Baechle (Author) "Each skeletal muscle is an organ that contains muscle tissue, connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels..." (more)
Key Phrases: body contact position, aerobic endurance athletes, conditioning director, Study Questions, High Moderate, Human Kinetics (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
A reference text for fitness professionals, sports medicine specialists and fitness students, this book explores the scientific principles, concepts and theories, as well as the practical aspects of strength training and conditioning. It covers the structure and function of body systems, training adaptations, testing and evaluations, exercise programme design and the organization and administration of the training facility. The book is divided into five sections: in the first part, experts in fields such as exercise physiology, neurology, biochemistry, anatomy, biomechanics and endocrinology discuss the principles of their respective areas of expertise, and how they can be applied to designing safe and effective strength and conditioning programmes. The second part discusses the necessary steps of testing, from selecting the most appropriate test to evaluating results. The third part provides information and instruction on stretching, plyometrics and speed development exercises, and lifting and spotting techniques. The fourth part sums up the information from the first three sections of the text, explaining how to design an effective strength training and conditioning programme for athletes. The final part addresses facility management, including equipment, facility policies and procedures, staff concerns and emergency preparedness.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers; illustrated edition edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873226941
• ISBN-13: 978-0873226943
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #456,586 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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

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.