If you've recently read a book about weightlifting, nutrition,
health, or another related topic and you'd like to share your opinions about it, write a review!
Whether its a great book that everyone should read, or if you don't think its fit
to prop a window open, let everyone know why.
Send us your reviews with the book title and author's name and we'll post it.
Optimum Sports Nutrition (review by Gabrielle Bové)
To
Squat Or Not To Squat---That Is The Question (review by Bob Beamer)
Powerlifting(review
by Bob Beamer)
Defying Gravity (review by Bob Beamer)
Inside Powerlifting
(review by Bob Beamer)
Dinosaur Training
(review by Joe Burks)
The Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding (review by Chris Morris)
SUPERTRAINING
(review by Roger Broeg)
Power To the People
(review by Joe Burks)
Powerlifting Basics (review by Bob Beamer)
Strength Training Magazines (review by Roger Broeg)
The Science of Sports Training &
Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports
(review by Bryce)
Brawn and Beyond Brawn (reviewed
by Stephen Mulholland)
Stella's Kitchen
(review by Ed Urbanski)
Optimum Sports Nutrition
Your Competitive Edge
By Dr. Michael Colgan
Advanced Research Press
This book has some good and bad features to it. It's an excellent
reference book about nutrition. Dr. Colgan runs his own institute where he conducts his own research on Olympic
and other top athletes. He refers to these studies frequently and gives the statistics, details, and references.
Dr. Colgan talks about what to eat, drink, where to train and when, what supplements to take and what to avoid.
For example, he talks about a study he conducted about Chromium Picolinate where he gave college freshmen in a
weight training class either 200 mg of Chromium or a placebo. The group receiving the Chromium gained 1.7 more
lean pounds of body weight than the control group.
The thing about this book that I found distracting was Dr. Colgans fierce intensity
towards nutrition. He often gives advice that I would consider inappropriate for the average, or even competitive
lifter. For example, Dr. Colgan recommends that athletes supplement their diet with 3-6 mg/day of boron citrate
and aspartate by Twinlab ONLY, plus .5mg-3 mg of copper and 2.-5 mg/day of Manganese, as well as many more specific
supplements. He also recommends drinking ONLY distilled water and not eating or touching anything containing forms
of aluminum, and only exercise outdoors on low smog days, away from traffic, and early in the morning before pollution
counts rise.
If you are able to sort through the overly fanatical advice and focus on only the
advice pertaining to you and your sport, he does offer some insightful suggestions, references and rules that all
athletes should follow.
Review by Gabrielle Jayde Bové
To
Squat Or Not To Squat---That Is The Question
By Rickey Dale Crain
Rickey is a very good squatter who has been in the power game for many years. In this book he does a good job of describing his style of squatting and how the reader can improve. It is written so that beginners will get the most from it but intermediate and advanced lifters should also learn something. Note, he describes his style and does not try to teach other styles. It works for him so he wants it to work for you.
He writes in a way that would make me feel like I was in a gym learning from him. How did he do this? He uses pictures and terms you hear in a gym, no four letter words though, and describes the point he wants to make in short bursts as if the weights are on his shoulders. There are some gym stories, pictures of great lifters and some humor to keep you going.
There are chapters on nutrition, several squat routines, equipment, how to squat and contest savvy. Many pictures of Rickey with great lifters of the past and even some pictures of just great lifters.
I saw only three problems with the book.
1. In an early chapter he says a later chapter describes how to use knee wraps. I looked but never found the wrapping information.
2. I would like to see more information for the older lifter. He has a few points for us but more would be better. He is one of us too.
3. The captions on his sequence of squat pictures are too brief. Since it is a book on how to squat, I think more pointers of what to observe in the pictures would be helpful.
A good book that is easy to read on the complex subject of power squatting. I recommend it for anyone in the powerlifting sport.
Review by Bob Beamer
This is a good book for someone beginning in the sport of powerlifting or for fitness center lifters who just want to know more about what those chalk covered hulks throwing 45 pound plates around are all about. Groves describes the three powerlifts so that anyone can know enough to get started. He also profiles several lifters, male and female, and lists their routines, diets and training philosophies. I thought he did a good job with the profiles and how he fit them into the book and I am not big on profiles.
I thought he stayed on the "No Drugs" soapbox a little too long. But then, a new lifter may need this kind of information and feelings especially from someone outside their peer group.
I also did not care for the style of squat he presented. Narrow stance and knees forward.
The tone of the book was matter of fact and did not seen to generate enthusiasm for the sport.
The lifters he profiled were referred to as multiple national and world champions. Well, none of their names rang a bell with me and I have read PLUSA magazine for the last twenty years. Actually, I looked through my back issues and found an article on one fellow he profiled.
A beginner can learn a lot from this book but it is not for the intermediate or advanced powerlifter.
Review by Bob Beamer
Any competitive powerlifter or competitive strength athlete should have this book. Yes, it is old and may be difficult to find but is worth the search. Bill presents information he has learned from a very successful lifting career on how to do your best at a contest. You are at the end of your training cycle and the contest is about here. What do you do? This book will tell you. If you and your competitor are equal in strength and you have read this book and he has not, you will win! He also keeps the book interesting with over 75 action pictures by telling lifting stories.
Some of the chapters are:
Final preparation for a contest
Training the final two weeks
Mental preparation
In this chapter he tells
you how to breathe.
Sex and the barbell
No, it isn't kinky to
do with the barbell.
Nutrition down the home stretch
Making weight
The factor of rest
Some old Indian tricks
The art of warming up properly
Find it, read it, use the information, you won't be sorry.
Review by Bob Beamer
Inside Powerlifting
by Terry Todd
My first book on powerlifting bought in 1980 and I still read it from time to time. An excellent book for learning about the sport and for building enthusiasm for it. Todd describes the four lifts in stories about world class lifters back when there was just one lifting federation. He describes their training routines, style, philosophy and diets in easy to understand text and pictures.
The pictures are worth the price of the book. These are the pioneers of modern powerlifting shown lifting huge amounts of weight without tight shirts or suits. They rival any pictures you see in modern magazines. There is even a picture in there of the first official 700-pound deadlift.
Even though this book is close to twenty-five years old, a look at the routines will show you not much has changed. You have to use heavy weights, be dedicated and focused on the powerlifts.
I can't help but wonder how many of these legends would still be lifting, if they had the support and protection of our modern equipment back then, and how much they would be lifting today. Thankfully, there is one of those legends still lifting. Reading "Inside Powerlifting" may even help you win a T-shirt in his weekly trivia question.
Definitely worth reading.
Bob
Brooks Kubik
What is Dinosaur Training? In a nutshell, HARD WORK, plain and
simple.
You get 27 entertaining chapters on how to get stronger using nothing but
short abbreviated routines, with basic compound movements, with a few odd objects
thrown in.
This book gained Brooks (middle-aged lawyer and 4 time National
Bench Press Champion) a lot of fans. Unfortunately a lot of people missed the section on
"Using what works for you" and insulted everyone who did not meet their
definition of a dinosaur. So a lot of people got turned off by the term "Dino
Training".
Good primer for those looking for something different to add to
their
workouts. Also some good routines thrown in here and there.
Overall a very good read.
(review by Joe Burks)
The Modern
Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding
By Arnold Schwarznegger
Despite it's name, this is a good book for anyone, whether they
are interested in bodybuilding or not. Pros: Very detailed exercise instruction along with in-depth studies of
each muscle group, their function, range of motion, etc. Each muscle group has it's own chapter and Arnold goes
into great detail on what each muscle does and how to effectively train it. He shows numerous lifts for each muscle
group and along with pictures, has excellent descriptions from start to finish of each lift. The first part of
the book is a good history and pictorial of bodybuilding from it's start to the late 90's. He also gives some sound
nutritional advice. Cons: Most of his routines seem to be a bit much for those not chemically enhanced. My main
gripe is that he barely touches on the subject of steroids and all but denies ever using them. The other con is
the price, but I always get it from the local library. Summary: Using a routine that is right for you, you would
be hard pressed to find a better resource of exercise instruction and muscle structure information. And if you're
an aspiring bodybuilder, the history and pictorial section can be quite motivating.
(Review by Chris Morris)
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SUPERTRAINING
By DR Mel C Siff and Yuri Verkhoshansky
DR Siff is a sports scientist who has done symposiums all
over the world on Soviet Strength training. Yuri Verkhoshansky invented the conjugate method of periodisation espoused
by Louie Simmons today. He is also the father of plyometrics.
Readability is highly technical, have your dictionary ready for this one.
I read it cover to cover when I first got it but find it far more useful as a reference book. It needs an index,
which DR Siff emailed to me later. I believe the newer edition comes with an index built in.
This book explains the scientific “whys” of strength training. Regardless
of whether you are training for Weightlifting or some other sport.
I learned more from the first chapter in this book than I have learned
in 24 years of training and reading everything I could get my hands on.
There are no routines in this book. But it will certainly leave you qualified
to design your own. Also you will understand why a routine would or wouldn’t work based on the information this
book supplies.
There are 70 pages of information on periodisation. And a bibliography 10
pages long.
The information in this book is gleaned from soviet research dating back to
1935, as well as, up to date research by the authors themselves.
I think this is an excellent reference book and a fine addition to the library
of any weight trainer who genuinely wishes to understand the science behind what he is doing.
(review by Roger Broeg)
Power to the People
Pavel Tsatsouline
This thin little book is what my wife refers to as a
pamphlet.
I got this after reading a few thing on the internet about
it. I hate to rely on other people's opinions, so I bought
it to see what it was about.
In a nutshell, Pavel promotes lifting 5 days a week doing
2
lifts, side press and deadlift. The book demonstrates the
how to for these lifts along with curls, floor presses and
variations of the deadlift (sumo, romanian, duck deadlift
off of a platform) snatch pulls, clean pulls, health lift
and even curls.
No warm ups and you start with your top weight for the day
and the second set is about 10% lighter than the first. 2
sets for strength, more if you are going for bulk.
Some claim great results following Pavels program, others
hate it and think its a waste of money. Good sound
principles on progression, hyper-irradiation and a few other
things.
Entertaining read, good info, but pricey for the number of
pages.
Here is a link to a summary on a Pavel seminar by Jason
Keen. You will get some good Pavel info here
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~keen0018/ptp.htm
(review by Joe Burks)
Powerlifting Basics,
Texas Style
Paul Kelso
A book well worth reading if you are thinking about getting into powerlifting. Paul is a good storyteller and manages to present a lot of good, basic information while telling an interesting and humorous story. In fact, his story about setting up a powerlifting program in a small East Texas college is so entertaining it is easy to forget he is describing power training philosophy and routines. As the title says, this is the basics. Simple routines using basic equipment and then showing up and working at it are the points he is teaching.
A fun book to read. Lots of information for the beginning powerlifter and first time competitor. There is even information here for the advanced lifter who may have lost sight of the basics.
(review by Bob Beamer)
Powerlifting
Magazines
(review by Roger Broeg)
There are 3 good strength-training magazines on the market. None of the 3
are owned by supplement companies. All three offer nothing but good sound information pertaining to increasing
one’s strength, and competing.
All three are distinctly different. Which one you subscribe to would depend on what
your goals are and what you are looking for.
Powerlifting USA is the oldest strength training specific magazine on the market. They have been following
the sport for over 20 years. This magazine gives the most thorough meet listings available. You will find more
meet results in this magazine than you will find anywhere on the Internet. They also have the most complete schedule
of events available, though Powermag is catching up to them.
Though shy on articles, they do carry all the latest from Louie Simmons on
WSB style training. If you are looking for a meet, or wondering what the competition might be like in a given area,
this would be the magazine for you.
PurePower I
have only read one issue. This magazine is a bi-monthly publication. All of the info is based on the editor’s interpretation
of the latest scientific findings.
For more information click here http://www.purepowermag.com/
Two books I really can reccomend although I have
not quite finished the first.
"The science of sports training" by Thomas Kurz
and
"Explosive power and jumping
ability for all sports" by Tadeusz Starzynsky and Henryk Sozanski.
You can find them here.
http://www.stadion.com/index.htm
Frankly Kurz's book is what I hoped "supertraining" would be and was sorely
dissapointed, although I often use supertraining for reference on specific issues. Supertraining has everything
in it but how to "supertrain" ;-)
Kurz's book is well put together, the chapter kinda flow nicely along and covers
about any sports performance theme that any coach could want.
In many sports training books the diet chapter is pretty much a "throw-away";
not so in this case. The best part however is after reading many books where psychology is not considered at all,
and sports training seems to come down to detached "performance body processing", Kurz's book is extremely
refreshing. It not only talks about performance/psychology issues but he integrates it with everything else and
best of all he give you workable ideas on what to do with that knowledge....as in how to alter things if your guy
or gal (or you) is having troubles. It puts *it all* together in a way I have NEVER seen done before.
You will not find "10,000" things to do with a curl bar, how to "peak
your bi's in five easy lessons" or stuff like that, but you will find a very well distilled and comprehensive
book on sports training eastern bloc style. The best layout on practical periodization I have EVER seen. Extremely
practical. Everything from flexibility (really excellent!!), endurance, power, recovery, coordination, agility,
psychology etc...etc..etc...
I already had Kurz's Scientific Stretching book which is also good. If any of you
wonder where Pavel T. gets alot of his "ideas" this is where. Nothing against Pavel, I like the guy,
but Kurz does it better and did it earlier. No East bloc tough guy schtick either. Kurz writes like he assumes
you are not a dolt.
The Explosive power and jumping ability book is of the same calibre and contains
MANY illustrations and concepts I had not thought of before. Plenty of exercises and ideas.
I dont' wish to seem like I am spamming anything but well... stuff this good should
be spammed.
On the site where you get the books there are also alot of articles that you may
find good to read. they will give you and idea of what the books are like.
Bryce
Brawn and
Beyond Brawn
Stuart McRobert
CS Publishing Ltd
ISBN : 9963-7838-0-5
First, a brief description of the book.
Brawn is a fairly slim - 231 pages - volume, which has been touted by many as the Hardgainer's Bible. See www.hardgainer.com
for their definition of a hardgainer, and the book also has a definition : "A hardgainer is someone who finds
making gains in size and strength hard to come by". Brawn is written more for the bodybuilder than the powerlifter,
and the emphasis is very much on drug-free bodybuilding. The author adopts an anti-drugs stance throughout.
The book emphasises the need for short and intense routines of mostly compound exercises, not the lengthy multi-set
routines often touted in the popular muscle magazines.
The first three chapters give an outline of the philosophy behind hardgainer-type training, define body type terms,
give some basic anatomical information on muscle structure, consider genetic variation, and look at potential body
and strength development.
McRobert then looks into exercise choice, form, and the importance of persistence in training. Intensity variation,
periodization, increment increases, rest and recovery are covered, and a complete chapter is devoted to the squat.
Further chapters describe various routines, discuss specialization and nutrition, and look briefly at other training
methods such as superslow and super high intensity training.
That just about covers the book's contents.
It's a good read, in my opinion. The information is laid out in an easy to follow structure, and there's just enough
detail to be easily assimilated and understood by the layman without going into intricate anatomical and physiological
descriptions. A lot of it is plain common sense to anyone who has been training for a while. Use mostly compound
lifts, rest enough, eat enough, use proper technique, and add a little more weight to the bar regularly. That's
the essence of the book in one sentence.
The downsides - well, again, in my opinion, there are one or two minor details I would question. The author mentions
several times training to failure. I don't believe there is any valid physiological advantage in training to absolute
failure. Admittedly, I don't know enough about the human body to state that training to failure is definitely wrong
or is a waste of time, it's purely a personal opinion, and training to failure is not always a safe option in the
gym.
The author also states that deep squatting puts too much strain on the lower back. Surely that would depend on
how strong the lower back in question is?
Overall, however, I could certainly recommend Brawn as a good read for any would-be bodybuilder or weight trainer.
Now, to the follow-up book, Beyond Brawn.
Take a copy of Brawn, change the text formatting to short numbered paragraphs, don't use one word where seven will
do to get an idea across, pad the book out further with a long chapter on trigger point therapy, add another mountain
of words about the success of a training cycle, preach every word as if you were on a high mahogany pulpit, and
wrap the book in the cotton wool of avoiding injury at any cost, and there you have Beyond Brawn.
NOTE - The above comments are all my own personal opinions, which I believe I'm entitled to hold, as I've bought
both books. I train with weights, not as a bodybuilder, nor as a powerlifter, but because I enjoy it, and to see
if I can get a little stronger every now and then. Those are my only weight training credentials.
Stephen Mulholland
Stella's Kitchen
by Stella Juarez
Okay Gang, I promised Gabrielle that I would do a book review on Stella's Kitchen, a cookbook that emphasizes "creative
cooking for fun, flavor and a lean, strong body". I bought this book for my wife for Christmas, so obviously
we have not had a chance to try very many of the recipes, but all that we have tried were excellent. I get hungry
just reading through the book! I never did a book review before so please bear with me as I struggle through it.
First let me say that the book is available through Dave Draper's website, which is www.davedraper.com. The cost is $19.95 and on
the website there is the complete Table of Contents and a sample page of the book. There are 18 recipes for Beef;
22 for Poultry; 12 for Seafood plus 15 different tuna recipes; 13 Breakfast recipes, plus 9 different ideas for
oatmeal; 4 Protein Snacks, plus 20 Protein Shakes and 6 different ideas for Cottage Cheese; 12 Vegetables (including
my favorite "High Protein Fried Rice")and 11 recipes for different Sauces. One of the things that I liked
most about the book was that each recipe lists the following Nutritional Info Per Serving: Calories, Carbohydrates,
Protein, Fat and Fiber. Also the book contains tons of other useful information such as various names of cuts of
beef with a graph showing from lean to fat. Tips on how to cook beef, selecting cuts, chicken facts, troubleshooting
the protein shake, cooking tips for busy lives, cooking on a tight budget, substitution and replacement, the grocery
list, etc., etc. Just tons of very useful information! Dave Draper wrote the Forward to the book. I met Stella
in Las Vegas at the Mr. Olympia Contest last October, and she is just one fantastic woman! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this
book!
Ed Urbanski