On a more practical note, I would also highly recommend Ian King’s How to Write Strength Training Programs. It’s very good at walking you through the nuts and bolts of evaluating and balancing the variables involved in constructing a strength program. And like Charlie (from whom Ian takes a lot of cues), he places a strong emphasis on always weighing the costs and benefits of the strength program within the context of the overall training program (for non-lifting specialists).
If you’re really interested in thinking outside the box on strength training methods, I also highly recommend getting Building the Gymnastic Body by Christopher Sommer. It’s the only book I know of that details gymnastic strength training exercises and proper progressions and is actually geared largely for non-gymnasts.
The key to increasing difficulty is reducing leverage rather than increasing external load. Very humbling exercises, especially when you see 10 year old boys doing advanced versions.
there is a reason why gymnastics, swimming and track are listed by Charlie and Tudor as the best development sports out there.
Gymnastics for strength and flexibility ( perhaps not to the extreme as the kids at the highest level have)
Swimming for endurance ( not to say your kid should be doing the kind of overtraining most swim programs for youngsters advocate and result in life long shoulder issues
Track for speed and strength. Again speed means under 100 meters and much less younger a child is / does not mean distance training for cross country or stupid crap I see most Phys-Ed coaches give " lets begin practice with a 5 k run"
Sounds like a good book Flash. You are always researching something interesting.
Totally off topic Angela, but what the hell is going on in your profile picture?
Snow rolling, which I’d like to hear more about it’s effects on the CNS as mentioned in another thread.
Principles and Practice of Resistance Training by Mike Stone is really good one in my opinion. A little more towards the science end.
The new Periodization text by Bompa and Gregg Haff is actually pretty good as well, gregg haff contributed some good stuff to the new edition.
Adaptation in Sports Training by Atko Viro is good too again more science based. (get from library its expensive)
Hi everyone,
Once againg thanks for your suggestions. LCBaller3 that looks a really good book thanks.
Flash, Ian King’s book is one of the books that I would REALLY like but unfortunately I can’t find anyone in the UK who sells it and no doubt the shipping from Aus will be horrendous! What is the book like btw? Ian shares similar ideas with Poliquin on strength doesn’t he?
Building the Gymnastic Body is one of my favourite books I have. I honestly think that using gymnastics exercises for strength is underrated and often not understood. The book is the only good book on gymnastics strength building on the market. Absolute fantastic book! But the only thing I don’t agree on is his ideas on the connective tissue strengtherning (steady state cycle).
I got recommended another book: “Facilitated Stretching”. Anyone have any thoughts on this book and any other books?
Thanks,
Rob.
Actually, Ian’s prescriptions tend to be a lot more conservative than Poliquin’s. They’re friends (or at least were 10 years ago), but they do things differently.
Facilitated Stretching is probably the best practical book on the application of PNF to flexibility training. I have all three editions, and each one is a significant improvement on the previous ones. The lastest edition comes with a DVD demonstrating the techniques. It’s probably the only book I would recommend as a supplement to Stretch to Win. Those two books together will pretty much cover all the practical bases.
I found the following articles to be better and straight to the point than most of the books out there.
http://www.tmuscle.com/article/bodybuilding/how_to_design_a_damn_good_program_part_1&cr=
http://www.tmuscle.com/article/bodybuilding/how_to_design_a_damn_good_program_part_2&cr=
http://www.tmuscle.com/article/bodybuilding/training_for_newbies_part_1&cr=
http://www.tmuscle.com/article/bodybuilding/training_for_newbies_part_2&cr=
Although, Poliquin, Kenn, Boyle, Rippetoe, etc, are nice read.
I am getting high.
Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.