Practical Programming for Strength Training

I have spent an inordinate amount of time researching methods, philosophies, theories, workout programs, etc etc etc. Much of the information I've found tends to be contradictory at best. There are many self-qualified "experts" passing out free or even costly information. How does one judge the quality of this advice? If you use the terms bodybuilding, strength training and power lifting interchangeably you will benefit by reading this book.

Practical Programming provides a base of understanding which is helpful when sorting through the plethora of information out there on weight training in general. Practical Programming lays the foundation upon which a strength training program should be built. With this base of information one is better able determine the appropriateness of a training program as it relates to the trainees goals along with the what, when and why of progressing (or not) a program.

While the book is directed toward coaches/trainers, the information within is valuable for trainees as well. I wouldn't call it an easy read for the novice but it certainly isn't overly technical either.

Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore together have presented years of research and observation in a thoroughly understandable, well-written manual that is a pleasure to read. Targeted towards trainers and coaches, Practical Programming gives intense detail about what goes on within the body during training, down to the minute of the interaction of hormones and chemicals, and the body's reaction to stress at every level. This is, of course, focused primarily on weight-lifting, yet the applications of this knowledge are useful to the vast majority of serious athletes. Specific concerns of competitive cyclists, football players, and other sport-focused athletes and how they specifically are benefited by weight lifting is given useful attention.

The graphs and charts which emphasize certain points throughout the book are wonderfully clear when the particular written details may be a bit complex regarding a given concept, further adding to the clarity and ease of comprehension of the material. A layman of reasonable intelligence and adequate motivation should have little trouble understanding the book, though appropriate background education and experience will produce the most desirable results of a first read. How and why certain training techniques work and certain techniques don't, and why things that don't work are still being taught, is presented in unapologetic bluntness.

Throughout Practical Programming, emphasis is placed upon deliberate progress to clear goals and how to best reach those goals. This takes time and effort in itself, but if you want to train for results the brain work put into programming is just as essential as picking up the big weights. Program arcs may take months of time and can make or break an athlete's career. If you don't have access to a personal trainer, this book gives you many of the tools you need to approach weight-lifting seriously. If you are a personal trainer, this book presents tried and tested methods for getting the most performance out of your clients. Get the authors' other book, Starting Strength, for clearer instruction of the specific lifts and learning them correctly. At the back of the book a very useful table gives a clear idea of what weights lifted on a particular lift represent the stages of Novice through to Elite.

If you want to go work out at a gym simply to kill time, meet people, or `tone' your muscles, this book probably isn't what you're looking for, though reading it may motivate you to use your time effectively. Additionally, philosophy is not neglected, and quotes from great thinkers such Mark Twain, Robert Heinlein, and Lord Russell give certain things perspective. My book boasts highlighted and underlined sections only a week after receiving it, and I am sure I will be turning its pages for reference for the benefit of myself and others for years to come.

"Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig." - Robert A. Heinlein.

After almost sixteen years of lifting I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the subject. I've been put through pure physical hell in various law enforcement academies, at both the state and federal level. I've been a hard core CrossFit devotee for the last almost three years. I thought I knew a thing or two.

I was wrong.

It took about five minutes on the phone with Mr. Rippetoe after reading this book to completely convince me I was wrong. I thought after all my time in the gym I was already at Intermediate level and could jump on in and swim in the deep end. That notion was disabused quickly. No, I was informed, you need some more core Novice work.

I swallowed my pride, sucked it up and asked him for the workout he thought I needed. Page 155, I was told. "Well," Mr. "Rip" said, "change it this way," which included me adding back extensions and power cleans.

"Well," I said, "I've not really done power cleans that much and have no training in them, just been doing them how I think they should be done. Any suggestions? You know anyone in my area who could teach me?"

"Hell," he said, "I'm less than two hours away from you. Come see me Saturday."

So I did.

I spent two hard, grueling, demanding, wonderful, difficult, sweaty, mind-blowing hours in Wichita Falls, TX learning how to power clean. True to expectations I'd been doing them all wrong. I still wasn't doing them close to right when I left his gym, making the long drive home, already starting to stiffen, but I was a sight better than when I got there. Bad habits are hard to break and I had instilled some whoppers. Through it all Mr. Rippetoe was a patient, thoughtful, intelligent and articulate coach. He picked on little things, wanting precision. That's what the O lifts demand, to make real progress.

I start doing my power cleans tomorrow in the gym for my Novice workout. And, thanks to Mr. Rippetoe and Mr. Kilgore, I'll be making slow and steady progress in poundages for some time to come. Then maybe I'll be moving enough weight to graduate to the next level and go back and add some of my MetCon work.

But you have to crawl before you can walk. So, crawling it is.

If you want to start lifting or already are - Get. This. Book. It will be there for you at every stage in your lifting career.

quite comprehensive yet accesible review of empirical evidence of what works and for whom, which makes it very useful.

almost completely lacks proper references to sources of evidence, which undermines trustworthyness.

This book is a sequel to "Starting Strength" and focuses on programming of training. When it comes to routines, there is no shortage of them. Open any Men's Health or Muscle and Fitness Magazine and you will find several pages of sets and reps for shouders or abs or whatnot. The irony is that in order to progress, you don't need sophisticated machines or routines. You need free weights and simple short progams. After a while you will need more complex approach, but it still does not have to be rocket science.

This book gives you the approach that will keep you progressing for years and years of training. Most importantly, it lays down the principles of programming of training, and you can develop and plan your own routines, according to your preferences. Training should be fun, and this book follows this adage.

I cannot comment on professional coaches, but for amateurs like me, training with weights, this book and Starting Strength are sufficient in order to keep progressing and enjoy training.