I just finished this book and frankly, this is a book that needed to be written. I have a significantly long training and coaching history, and most consider me to be well read and very aware of the subject and material.
Most books fall into two categories:
1) Your basic commercial garbage and gimmicks that while not always horrible range from overly simplistic to downright ignorant (most anything at your local bookstore and certainly this is mirrored in poor quality on the newsstand)
2) More advanced texts on the subject most of which are hard to find in addition to being beyond what most people are able to digest and be able to apply (Siff's Supertraining as well as the Russian works translated by Bud Charniga and others)
There is really no place for someone without a lot of experience and exposure to go to and learn real training and programming from the ground up. This book is unique in the respect that it provides what are considered very advanced topics and implementation in a book intended to be digestable for someone who is not an experienced coach or expert on the subject. That's not to say this is written at the idiot level, it's an in-depth read, but nothing that interest, motivation, and general grasp of the English language can't easily make it through.
On to the book.
To understand programming and organization, it's necessary to understand the responses to training, the constraints imposed by the body and how both change with the developing lifter or athlete. The authors provide all of the relevant systems and physiology including very thorough explanations of periodization and dual factor theory. The real value here is that this is perhaps the only work that clearly shows how and why programming will need to change as the athlete develops and this is far beyond the usual commercial garbage but down to the very nut and bolt level of managing training loads and volume always with the fastest progression available as the goal.
All of that background builds into the second half of the book where detailed plans, guidelines, and examples are laid out. This is probably the most useful piece as all the theory in the world won't help someone who doesn't understand what implementation should look like so working and evolving models are provided and examined in depth. Here they separate chapters into Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced trainees as categorized by the amount of time and work required to break through previous levels. A novice adapts and supercompensates on a workout to workout basis, an intermediate on a weekly basis or weekly periodization, and an advanced in multi-week mesocycle blocks of 4-8 weeks. They omit the Elite lifter (annual or semi-annual progress) acknowledging that it is beyond the scope, highly specialized and tailored, and that very few will even reach the need for the advanced stage let alone Elite. This organization makes a lot of sense in that trainees are not categorized by years of experience or weight lifted but by ability to make progress and what an appropriate program may look like for where they are currently regardless of how their lifts stack up to someone else's in the weight room.
The beginner section programs are laid out in detail and could almost be followed like a road map. The book explains what a program should look like, why it should look like that, ties it back to the theory and explains exactly what to do and why to do it when progress stops at a given point. This is not saying it is over-strict but it presents the plan as an example and discusses the issues as they arise in timeline- like fashion as well as offering choices and advice for selecting the best option in each situation. The intermediate centers around managing loads and sessions throughout the week and presents various progressive plans for how training will look as the athlete continues to develop. Building upon that is the Advanced where various periodization models are explained from the classic Russian models; to Mike Stone's, Head of Sports Physiology at the USOC, methods; to new research in hormonal fluctuation models and Glenn Pendlay and Mike Hartman's work on that subject to aid in pinpointing the precise levels of loading an athlete can handle and thereby instead of making educated guesses know exactly what amount can be and is being tolerated and exactly when to back off. A great deal of information here used by some of the very best athletes and coaches in the world.
A number of plans and methods at various points are laid out and explained in detail as well as plans for sport specific training and peaking for events consisting of accumulating different training capabilities and how to order them properly at points in time to arrive in best possible overall condition.
There are also many nuggets of practical information concerning anything from how to return from long layoffs, older or masters level lifters, to implementing weight training programs for those already very fit from other sports (high level sprint cyclists are an example).
I can't recommend this book enough. I've read just about everything and it's the only book that truly lays out a career (for most) or near career (for the most talented specialists) development plan as well as provides bottom-up background and theory to understand why the plan might look the way it does at any point. It is not pitching a best or only way or some revolutionary new discovery, it is patiently explaining what is known about the subject by the very best and presenting clear examples to guide one through implementation.
If one is interested in real training or looking to get the most out of oneself or one's athletes, this is the book to own. This is the whole science in a nutshell from the most basic to cutting edge implementation. It is how to develop a human from totally untrained to a full or very high level of potential with why and how things change along the way. This is a low-cost investment that will not only provide large returns in the short run but will continue paying off for your entire career. I can't recommend a book more strongly. Practical Programming for Strength Training - Mark Rippetoe - Exercise Program - Weight Training - Strength'
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