Practical Programming for Strength Training

This book is excellent !!! The author describes in details the 3 levels of trainee experience as Novice,Intermediate and Advanced and what conditions should be fulfilled to belong in each one.He discusses the principles that need to exist in order to increase strength and why different level of athletes need different training programs.He will also go one step further and explain the difference between Force,Strength and Power analyzing them with scientific formulas.He will tell you what is the importance of each one in sports and why Power is so important or how to improve it.This book is adressed to anyone involved in competitive sports or just need to improve his performance.You can use it at any level you are and progress.Some things are repeated many times but not in a boring way as other books for just full the empty pages.It seems that this kind of repetition helps with understanding of the details without needing to turn back the pages and search for related info to clear things up.I would say that one full reading of book is enough to make things clear and just get back from time to time to refresh or focus on specific training programs as time and progress goes by. Almost all of the training programs are based on barbell training and he gives many examples with actual weights for better understanding.The training programs are very well written but there is some kind of confusion with reps and sets in some tables.It seems the reps have been confused with sets and vice versa,but if you read comprehensively and comprehend the principles you will find out the little mistakes (sometimes you will read 3x5 or 5x3 and actualy will mean the opossite of each one).He discusses the history of Periodization models and analyzes the most important ones that have proved their efficiency through the years.Many variations of each model can help build your own program for your specific needs of sport but not in a confusing way like other books.I have read Brawn for example and was very confused with training programs of that invisible author (It was most like saying do this,do that,do anything you like and drink a gallon of milk...something will work!) I have also read the Starting Strength book from same author and was amazed with the detailed offered to basic barbell moves.Mark Rippetoe seems a brilliant man that knows what is talking about and is not trying to sell you another book full of BS to get rich.Always on point with real life experience as trainee and coach for so many years and always expressed in a simple but comprehensive manner for the average reader.More experienced and smart people can absorb more out of his writing though and maybe can search for more info on specific aspects based on other sources.

I am a 30 year old Husband and Father of two. I love fitness and all things health related. But, let's be honest, the fitness industry is anything but straightforward, concise or, quite frankly, intelligible. Everything you see on the web seems to center on some type of "revolutionary" technique or "must-do" exercise. The amount of information pumped out by fitness gurus and websites simply cannot be integrated into a person's psyche, let alone their training regimen. I believe this might be the cause behind the increased popularity of Crossfit in recent years (though that's a topic for another day). Anyhow, I was seriously befuddled by what exactly I needed to be doing as a fairly young man who just wanted to get stronger (and not look too bad, either). I read through Mark's first book (Starting Strength) and loved it. I wasn't sure if this second book could top his first, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an even better source of information. I won't spend all my time regurgitating the book's outline or contents,but I will give you its impact on my understanding of training. Simple is better. Training doesn't have to be, nor should it be complicated. Yes, as you progress from novice to intermediate to advanced you may have to integrate more "goal specific" lifts. But these exercises and training methods will actually supplant your previous ones, since you are tailoring your training for a specific goal (strength, hypertrophy, a sport, etc.). Also, Mark effectively demonstrates the crucial difference between "exercise" and "training", something I had never previously considered. So this book has done a wonderful job of easing my conscience when it comes to training. I figured out that even though I have been lifting weights for years, I had never proceeded through a legit novice training program. I had just been exercising all that time! I am currently finishing up my second straight month of the Starting Strength Novice program, and I have never been stronger. Weight that used to be my 1RM are now my working sets of 3x5. And I haven't gotten fat or slow or stiff. My diet has remained clean and I am building quality muscle and strength. I no longer worry about whether or not I'm "neglecting a muscle" because I know that keeping the "Big 5" in place and working toward record numbers in those lifts will produce muscle gain across the board. Once I finish the novice program I plan to begin the Texas Method with my wife and brother. If your confused about where you want to go with your fitness, are interested in getting stronger, more muscular, more generally fit for sports of any kind, then pick up a copy of this book. Whether you do Mark's programs or not, you will benefit in some way from the wealth of information available in this book, I guarantee it.

Des variables basiques lors des séances (choix d'exercice, répétitions, récupération, ...) à la programmation de ces séances en fonction du niveau d'avancement de chacun (novice, intermédiaire, avancé), ce livre couvre toutes les bases de la musculation (en dehors de la technique d'exécution des exercices, vue dans le livre Starting Strength 3ème édition)

Molto utile. Pie o di suggerimenti e pratiche di esercizi

El libro presenta de forma clara los conceptos necesarios para desarrollar un programa de entrenamiento de fuerza que permita avanzar desde una situación de falta de entrenamiento a conseguiruna buena forma física. Lo he utilizado para planificar mis entrenamientos desde comienzos del mes de septiembre y estoy viendo más evolución que en años anteriores. El libro es realmente recomendable, aunque gana enteros combinado con Starting Strength, otro libro del mismo autor en que se describen los movimientos básicos que desarrolla en este libro.

Let me save you some time and money, this book advises you to squat, squat, squat, squat, squat, squat, squat, squat, ad infinitum,,,, If you are a professional football player, or sumo wrestler I recommend this book.

O livro é bem didático e muito completo!!! Você consegue facilmente navegar pelos capítulos e encontrar com rapidez o que procura