Customer Reviews

High-Intensity Training

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Coach Philbin has done a tremendous job in putting together this fantastic training resource. The book is well written, has helpful pictures, and clearly explains the TRUTH behind the High Intensity Training system (H.I.T.); which in my experience is without a doubt the safest, most efficient and effective training methodology around. If you are at all involved in health, fitness, or strength & conditioning - this book is a must read! We have made sure our entire staff at Elite Athlete Training Systems (E.A.T.S.) has read this resource from cover to cover!

This book teaches the High Intensity Training Philosphy- which is the best training methodology out there!

The book has been highly reviewed by these leading strength coaches:

Ken Mannie Strength Coach

Michigan State

"John Philbin has captured all of the fundamental elements of the High Intensity Training system, while adding a host of innovative, scientifically sound applications for one of the most comprehensive books ever written on the subject.

Philbin brings his experience as an Olympic-level and NFL strength/conditioning coach to an extremely well-written text on designing and implementing a year-round strength program for all sports, as well as for those merely interested in sound, highly-effective training.

Some highlights include chapters on Advanced Overload Techniques, Periodization Plans, Sport-Specific Programs, and Creating the Competitive Edge. The introductory chapter on A Brief History of Strength Training takes the reader on a guided tour of the genesis, growth, controversies, and development of modern day strength training. John's tips and recommendations for avoiding common pitfalls (e.g., "overtraining") are insightful and scientifically grounded.

This book is a must read for all strength training practitioners, regardless of preferred methodology, and will prove to be an outstanding resource and reference vehicle for many years to come."

AND from Dan Riley

Strength and conditioning coach, Houston Texans:

"High-Intensity Training is safe, time efficient, and compatible with the muscular needs of most athletes. In this outstanding resource, John Philbin teaches sound techniques to maximize results using HIT. Athletes, coaches, and the strength training community will benefit significantly from his advice and programs."

This is not your typical book on "How to get Big Arms." This is a serious book about using HIT principles for training the Athlete. A must read for Coaches trying to learn about HIT as it applies to Sports Strength Training and Conditioning. It also shows how to use other methods along with "High Intensity" Training. It's an easy read without the usual "hype" found in most books about Strength Training. John Philbin is an experienced Strength Coach and Program Director and you can benefit by his experience.

John Philbin's book has many good points and I learned a few things I will apply to my personal workouts. However, in some respects, he makes High Intensity Training much more complicated than it needs to be for a majority of people. Overall, it is a decent book, but I think newer trainees looking for basic information on HIT may wish to look elsewhere.

The sections I enjoyed included his discussions of "time under tension" as a third progression factor in addition to repetitions and weight. This is a handy way for people to measure the pacing of their repetitions.

Another section I found useful was the section on nutrition and sleep and recovery in general. I think many people who lift weights do not pay enough attention to this area.

The sections I found a little complex and perhaps not as accessible to many included his areas for workout structure and his section on excercises. I think many people would benefit from just learning a few basic exercises, such as squat, deadlift, overhead press, dips, chin-ups, and bench press, and learning to be intense on those before worrying about much smaller movements which are listed in this book.

I guess I was a little bothered by the "micro" details of working out, when at its heart HIT is simple to understand but difficult to execute. The basic premise is to work VERY hard and VERY briefly. However, perhaps John Philbin is trying to further the science of HIT with his experience, and perhaps my personal bias towards effective simplicity taints my review.

In any case, this book is good, although I think those interested and new to HIT should check out The New High Intensity Training by Ellington Darden.

I PLAYED 11 YRS. IN THE NFL AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT REAL TRAINING COULD DO FOR MY GAME, BUT ALONG CAME COACH ASANOVICH WITH HIT TRAINING THAT NOT ONLY MADE ME STRONGER BUT IT KEPT ME HEALTHY. COACH PHILBIN HAS THE ONLY SANCTIONING BODY TO CERTIFY THIS PHENOMENAL TRAINING.HIS BOOK IS THE AUTHORITY ON 'HIT' TRAINING,YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO READ THIS BOOK AND TRY ALL THE PROTOCOLS. I GUARANTEE IF PERFORMED CORRECTLY YOU WILL ONLY TRAIN HIGH INTENSITY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

I was really enthusiastic when i bought this book, especially after reading about the author and his background. But after reading it i was highly dissapointed. The only reason i gave this book 2 stars is because it would steer the reader toward shorter and briefer HIT workouts which are still 90% better than the garbage Joe Weider and AHhhhnold have written.
The biggest complaint about the book is it hardly mentions or recommends the most productive exercises for gaining mass and strength...squats,deadlifts,overhead press, chinups and rows etc...and when they are mentioned the treatment is skimpy and the variations often dangerous. he recommends deadlifts and stiff legged deadlifts be done in a smith machine! this is very dangerous cos this machine locks ur body into an unnnatural groove and throws a lot of stress on the joints. Furthermore 100 pages of the book (from 211pgs!) are used to describing and illustrating exercises which are at best only marginally useful for the typical trainee. By doing this he indirectly states that these isolation exercises are superior to the big basic exercises! this is ridiculous. Also the author heavily promotes manual resistance training using no weight but a partner providing resistance, and states "manual resistance training is the most useful skill and athlete can master". i have used manual ressitance and they are an useful adjunct to basic barbell training but promting them instead of it is absurd. how can a routine of manual exercises ever compare to giving your all on a set of heavy squats, deadlifts and pressing and rowing. also the biggest drawback to this training is there is no way to measure progress.
The author commends Ellington darden and Arthur Jones (2 HIT pioneers) for the work done in promoting sensible training but there is no way either Darden or Jones would appreciate Philbin's work due to his promotion of little exercises in place of the big ones.
The only plus points in the book are informative sections on the mechanisms of muscle growth, physiology, energy systems, somamtotyping and the section on nutrition and rest even though inadequte is still better than the misinformation written in muscle magazines. Bottom line: this book is marginally useful if yuo're already experienced in HIT (and already big and strong) and want to try a few new things. If you really want first rate adivice on buildigng a big and strong physique please read Beyond Brawn by Stuart Mcrobert. Ellington Darden and Mike Mentzer are worth a look as well. If the author or anyone wants to respond to this review my email is - bigdarshan@apexmail.com

I have recently started training with HIT to maintain my strength as I near my 50s, to supplement a balanced workout routine that includes running and playing soccer. I find it is a great strength conditioning option. I am not using HIT or any other strength conditioning routine to build strength on a grand scale, but rather to maintain a consistent strength level. John's book has been a tremendous guide to help me choose different exercises that are innovative, effective, and, perhaps most importantly, safe, a key concern as the joints get a little more unstable with age. Dr. Philbin's book is presented in a simple, informative way that any reader can understand. It's a must read for anyone who wants to consider different, and I think better, ways to build strength.

This book, and Philbin's concepts, have enabled me to re-capture my top form, and have gotten me there with no injuries. If you want to be in top form, you need to read and apply this book to your workout regime.

I read another review of this book where the reader was disappointed that some of the traditional strength building exercises were not emphasized more in HIT training. After several months of applying this book's methodology, I can attest that no exersize is omitted, and quite the contrary, utilizing a variety of exercises to strengthen each muscle group is a huge benefit of this program. By rotating different types of sets into your workout, you get a much more usuable finished product. Instead of saying that I increased my squat by 35% over the last 4 months (which I have by the way) I'm able to say that my speed, agility, and total fitness as measured by my leg strength has increased over 50%. Another great component to this approach is that my recovery time is about half of what it used to be when I concentrated on the traditional strength building concepts.

Philbin's writing style breaks this training system down in easy to understand and apply steps. However, once you adopt the HIT program into your workout, you'll find that you've never trained so hard and with so much efficiency before.

HIT is a great book, and the best workout doctrine I've ever seen.

This is an okay book. The idea behind it, doing more in less time by keeping the intensity high is an important one. The only issue I had with the book was exercise selection. It seems to be heavy on machine use, and while I understand that for HIT purposes, this is probably easier to implement, the purist in me wanted to see more basic movements using free weights.

I am a 41 year old Army Lieutenant Colonel and fitness is part of my job and life. For roughly the past 25 years, I have been a gym rat. I spend a great deal of time on-line and reading books on strength training and bodybuilding. HIT training is something that intrigues me, because of all the stuff that I read from Arthur Jones, Dan Riley, Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates, and Ellington Darden.

I bought Coach Philbin's book and was impressed by the logic of the methods. After reading it and doing some more digging, I was really surprised to see that his facility is within an hour drive of where I live. I was recently able to go there and get a workout with one of Coach Philbin's trainers. It was phenomenal! The workout was exactly as presented in the book - short, intense and effective.

Because of my training, I need more than theory to become a believer. The book is a great manual, but the workout reinforced it in spades.

Concise and to-the-point read. I highly recommend it for gym rats like me.