Customer Reviews

Strong Enough? Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training

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This collection of advice, anecdotes, and opinions makes for a great read. I own "Starting Strength" as well, and make use of it frequently as a reference - quick checks to find form issues or clarifications. "Strong Enough?" is a different sort of book, one that is enjoyable to read cover-to-cover. There are still plenty of practical lifting tips, but they're gleaned as you go from the broader context.

If "Starting Strength" is the next best thing to having a lifting coach beside you in the gym, "Strong Enough?" is the next best thing to having a beer with him afterwards.

"Strong Enough?" is a collection of eighteen articles Rippetoe has written on a variety of topics related to weight-training over the years. Within these articles are anecdotes of events and people that have shaped his opinions and life. Far more informal and conversational than the other books, but still incredibly informative, and running the gambit of inspiring to hilarious, they entertain and inform in Rip's rare style.

There is an enlightening dissection of Silly BS from a variety of medical and fitness sources, more excellent quotations of the great minds you should read, and you can find out just how much weight training is related to the topics on Art Bell. Some stories are quite touching too, and you get some insight into the kinds of things that can be learned through the years by someone who cares to keep their eyes open, ears attuned, and sense of humor never too far away. Interspersed between and within the articles are pictures that span the three decades of Rippetoe's career, from intense competition lifts to other scenes from the gym and life, including the author's mother in the 75-79 master's age group setting an impressive state record. I'm looking forward to the calendar, personally... no word on its release date yet.

Add this book to your shelf for a thought-provoking read when you can't get into a heavier tome.

The product description states "There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym" and Mr. Rippetoe has done just that. His willingness to share the type of information that can only be earned the hard way, by training, competing, and training others to the highest level of success is within these pages and presented in a meaningful and useful manner that reflects Mark's well-known and often caustic sense of humor. Forget the "get abs in thirty days" hype and the concept that biceps and ab muscles equates to fitness, health, and strength. The real information is in Strong Enough? and its useable NOW, enjoyable NOW, and necessary NOW in a culture awash with the notion that you don't have to work hard to improve.
Dr. Ken Leistner

I've read Rippetoes other two books and I actually didn't even know about this one until I found it cruising on Amazon. Excellent book just like the previous ones he wrote. The book is very easy to read and you don't have to have a PhD or have an extensive lifting background to read and appreciate the book. It helps if you do lift weights and want to get better but still anyone can read it. THis is a great book to arm yourself against the fitness idiots of the USA that think training should be short, easy or solely based on aerobic training. He talks about the myths of fitness such as:
Why strength machines are inferior to free weights
Why youth training can include weights and not stunt their growth
Why squats are good for the knees
Why women can train like men and still be feminine
Why Aerboics are a waste of time if you are trying to get in shape
He writes his articles in a very funny and simple way that everyone will enjoy.

Pick up this book it is an excellent read. In fact pick up anything the man writes. Just about everything I've ready I can use to coach, train myself or if I wanted to write a paper in school if I were to get my masters.

I've just finished Strong Enough? and I have to say that I found it to be an incredibly informative and entertaining read. I am a practicing Chiropractor and have been involved in serious weight training for over 10 years. I have a background in exercise physiology with a BS degree in Kinesiology and a coaching endorsement from my undergrad university. My personal philosophies of health include a combination of Chiropractic care with regular weight training exercise. I honestly feel that a great many of today's health care problems could be prevented by this combination. I will be recommending to my patients who are engaging in athletic endeavors and weight training in general to read this book, along with Rippetoe's other works, Starting Strength and Practical Programming.

Coach Rippetoe is able to provide a wealth of information that is both advanced enough for the academic as well as being clear and concise enough for the general public. He does a fantastic job of conveying the importance of weight training, and doing so properly. Along with this, he's got quite the sense of humor. More times than I can count I found myself laughing along with a passage as I was reading.

Strong Enough? is a rare find in this world of popular "fitness" magazines and bodybuilding rags that preach the same tired (and largely ineffective) routines time and time again. I find myself reading along and thinking to myself, "I've told people this same information so many times! Why don't they get it?" It's refreshing to find someone willing to set the topic of weight training straight for a change. Instead of misleading the general public with ineffective routines alongside pictures of chemically enhanced models/"athletes" and an equal amount of advertising copy, Coach Rippetoe puts the information out there in clear terms. But this book doesn't include a canned workout that readers can just pluck out of the pages and implement into their gym time. This book offers a unique commentary on the past and present state of strength training. Offering his personal thoughts over a long and successful career as a strength coach, Rippetoe gives readers something new to think about. This is true for novice, intermediate, advanced and elite lifters alike. In the rare chance that there is nothing in this book that is new to the reader, at the very least it is a useful reminder of some very important concepts. And that alone is worth the price of the book.

Adding in some wit and humerous commentary to the generous dose of common sense makes this a fun, quick and easy read. I think that anyone who trains with weights should have a copy of this book on their shelf or in their gym bag. I know that I will be recommending it to my patients, and anyone else who is involved in weight training.

Thanks for writing your books, Rip.

This is an entertaining and informitive book. Like this author's previous work, the primary focus is on the correct performance of the basic lifts ( squat, press, deadlift, bench, and clean ).But, this is more than just " nuts and bolts", it is also "hearts and minds". Rippetoe has thought long and hard about how we should train and why we should train, and his obsevations on both are enlightening...and somewhat controversial This book is entertaining because all this thoughtful analysis is written with a great deal of humor and insight. I have read and re - read this book and I always come away with something to think about.His passion for lifting and his dedication to those who train is evident throughout. The chapter on "Good Form" alone is worth the price of the book.

A really good book. I have to say the book is too advanced for me at my level, but I am still learning a LOT. And the best part is, this book is actually fun to read! I actually find myself really enjoying his style and sense of humor. If you're looking to be educated and entertained - a true rarity - you should really get this book.

Note that it does focus a lot on squats, deadlifts, and building muscle, and tends to "look down" on long distance running. I consider it a valuable perspective in today's environment which is so focused on cardio, distance running, pilates, etc. This is just good old fashioned brawn-based muscle building. I also really like that it focuses on hard work - things that are hard are good for you, and we do tend to avoid things that are hard.

Really - a must have for anyone serious about building muscle or even just getting into good shape.

This is more of a motivational read/gut check/reality check rather than a technical guide like Starting Strength. Although it does get into technical aspects of lifts, I skimmed over these parts as I've already read and continue to use Starting Strength as a guide and resource. Strong Enough is an excellent read, easy and interesting, if you are at all interested in maximizing your strength potential. This is not about shortcuts or quick fixes, remember, anything that seems too easy or a quick fix usually doesn't produce true results. I put this book in the same category as Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubic, and I love that book too.

I love this book so much I've read it twice back to back. As soon as i finished I started right back at chapter 1 again! I place this book right up there with other classics such as John McCallums "Key's to Progress", Brooks Kubik's "Dinosaur Training", and Bill Starr's "The Strongest Shall Survive". In fact "Strong Enough" may be the best of the bunch.

The book is an enjoyable read. It has some discussion of techniques of lifting, some anecdotes, and is a useful complement to the Starting Strength. Rippetoe can be extremely irritating on his forum. One thing cannot be taken away from him: he knows what he is talking about when it comes to exercise. In this book his personality comes out very obviously, in a nice way. The book is not a straightforward instruction on exercise, but rather a bedside reading for those who love lifting barbells and talking about it.