Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning

I needed this book for a class, but I'm so glad I've got it. I have purchased many books to help improve my knowledge in this area, but this is one of the best. Very easy to read; chapters are very digestible. The chapters continue to build on one another rather than taking one topic and then dropping it for the rest of the text.

This reference manual is geared toward sports science undergraduate students. It's the only book you'll need to study for the CSCS exam from the NSCA.

This is a great book to prepare you for the CSCS exam. Very comprehensive and endorsed by NSCA.

First, lets clarify the audience of this book. It is meant for undergraduation students in Exercise and Sport Science or Kinesiology programs focusing on strength training. And as a reference for professionals in the field. I have owned this book for four years and have used it a lot in my undergrad and Masters programs in Exercise Science. New edition should be out soon, which is good since some of the info. is dated. So here are some thoughts:

First, it is the only reference you will need for the CSCS test from the NSCA. Not every answer on the test is in this book, but a good 90% of them are. It is basically a book put out by the NSCA that puts everything into one place.

The organization is pretty good in my opinion. I think the book flows pretty well and is divided up fairly well. Especially the first section of the book (more scientific oriented, while the second half is more applied).

The writing can be dry, but I was OK with it. Moreso, I am unimpressed by how quickly some subjects are glanced over. Fourteen pages only on periodization? Are you kidding me?! It is also very "safe" when it gets out of the scientific arena and gets into the applied arena (the little that it does that).

The weakest chapter by far is the chapter on plyometrics. The drills are very simple and not described well, and this chapter alone could cost someone a passing grade on the CSCS test if they are using this book as their only study guide (just because the test focuses so much on plyos and this book's chapter on it stinks). There are also some stretches made in the book in regard to recommendations that are "common" but not yet scientifically studied. One of these recommendations is, again in the plyometrics chapter, the discussion about "ground contacts" and intensity of plyometrics. Just one example, the info. on facility design is pretty general and, really, bad, too.

Overall it is a good book for the basics and for its intended audience. It could even be OK for a perosn that just is really interested in fitness and human biology from an exercise standpoint who is not an Exercise Science major if they put in a little time learning about the subject matter. Anyway, if you want to go deeper I would STRONGLY suggest Mel Siff's book Supertraining. Even deeper yet, go with Strength and Power in Sport, edited by Komi (this book is a tough read for most - written for scientists for scientists and Graduate level Exercise Science students but I've had it since I was a junior in undergrad). Both are very hard to find (don't even think they have Supertraining on Amazon, but you can get it from elitefts.com if they don't).

Used to train prospective strength and conditioning coaches for the NSCA CSCS exam, this book can also help anyone build a strong foundation of knowledge about how exercise improves the human body. Not just an exercise physiology text, this book includes gems like the classic Stone and Bryant periodized model of weight training (the three-phase progression from high-volume hypertrophy training to high-load strength training); the demystification of big lifts like the clean and press, the power pull, or the snatch; how heavy power training selectively thickens Type II muscle fibers; sports psychology and metabolic training; how the lower body is often undertrained; a more intelligent way to use progress strength training with DAPRE; and an unparalleled discussion on plyometrics. This book anchors its thought-provoking and definitive discussion with relevant references, helpfully cited in context so you can clearly see for yourself at the scientific evidence upon which this book--and much current knowledge in exercise science--is based. The treasures of this book must be extracted at the cost of dry science-speak writing (nouny, overuse of the verb "to be," and heavy reliance on the passive voice): as I read along, I found that selectively underlining and briefly restating key ideas in the margins of this text kept my attention. Not only personal trainers in training but consumers tired of glib books lacking citation of scientific evidence would find this book extremely useful, and certainly more accurate than many consumer fitness books currently on the market.