I just finished another book and figured posting training books you have read and reviewing them would be pretty cool. Here are the 4 that I remember reading.
Baechle & Earle. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 1999
This book has an insane amount of information. Usually you would think that is a good thing, but it's not. First off, the way they lay the information out is ass backwards. Not only does the ordering of the chapters not make sense, but each chapter minus the first 2 seems to just be thrown together in random order. Typically you would get further in a chapter and look back, I found myself going forward alot because on page 36 they would reference shit from page 200. Secondly, they bombard you with so much useless information it seems as though they are just trying to show you how smart they are. They go so deep into microanatomy that you want to bang your head by the end of the 2nd chapter. Don't bother picking up the book unless you have taken college Biology and Anatomy/Physiology. I copied the later chapters as they are full of good information on programming and stuff, but the first chapters are ridiculous. I mean, do I need to know which part of the muscle microstructure doesn't shorten during a concentric action to design a program? This book is used for preparation for the NSCA's CSCS certification. A buddy of mine who is a Physical Therapist took this certification and he said that unless you memorize every word of this book, you better have at least a Bachelors in the field or take one of their seminars to pass this test.
Katch, Katch, & McArdle. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, 4th Edition.
Incredible book, laid out in a logical manner and chock full of great stuff. Ironically, I thought that this graduate level exercise physiology book was easier to follow than the NSCA book mentioned above. There is some info most casually fitness buffs would skip over like the clinical testing stuff, but for the most part an awesome book. I read this book twice I liked it so much. If you have had even just high school Biology you should follow this book pretty well.
Siebert & Cotton. American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual, 1998.
You would think I would bash this book since I don't like ACE, but this is a great book. I would rate this a starter book because it is easy to follow, and it kind of skims the surface of all concepts giving you enough knowledge on a broad range of topics. This was the first fitness related book I read with the Exercise physiology book being second, I noticed alot of stuff the authors said in this book clicking as I was going through the second book. I would recommend this book to most anyone.
Bill Foran. High-Performance Sports Conditioning, 2001.
I finished this book today, awesome. I love this book. Very informative and laid out pretty well. The only thing I found off was that when they were trying to describe some closed skill movements, they didn't do a very good job. Since there was not a glossary, this could be problematic for someone who doesn't know the difference between drop-steps, split-steps, etc. Another awesome thing is that they not only give sample programs from experts in like 8 sports, they also describe why that is the way you do it so that you can have your own take on it and devise your own program. Prolly it's greatest attribute is common sense. When you read a book from an organization, they pretty much tell you to just go with your range of motoion on stuff like the squat. This book says limited range of motion with heavier weights is fine at first, but at least go all the way down with the lighter weights, that way you at least have the range of motion. Jesus Christ, finally. I will probably read this one again, just because I got half way through it 2 months ago and just picked it back up a week ago. The last part is pretty awesome, although I only read the programs for football and tennis which expedited the second half. Oh well, I will always have it as a reference.
I am thinking my next book will be Speed, Agility, and Quickness by I think Juan Carlos Santana just because I have it lying around at home from when I bought the last book.
So what does anyone else have? I figure since I have read 4, Pfunk and others have read about 100 and we should have a good review section here.
Baechle & Earle. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 1999
This book has an insane amount of information. Usually you would think that is a good thing, but it's not. First off, the way they lay the information out is ass backwards. Not only does the ordering of the chapters not make sense, but each chapter minus the first 2 seems to just be thrown together in random order. Typically you would get further in a chapter and look back, I found myself going forward alot because on page 36 they would reference shit from page 200. Secondly, they bombard you with so much useless information it seems as though they are just trying to show you how smart they are. They go so deep into microanatomy that you want to bang your head by the end of the 2nd chapter. Don't bother picking up the book unless you have taken college Biology and Anatomy/Physiology. I copied the later chapters as they are full of good information on programming and stuff, but the first chapters are ridiculous. I mean, do I need to know which part of the muscle microstructure doesn't shorten during a concentric action to design a program? This book is used for preparation for the NSCA's CSCS certification. A buddy of mine who is a Physical Therapist took this certification and he said that unless you memorize every word of this book, you better have at least a Bachelors in the field or take one of their seminars to pass this test.
Katch, Katch, & McArdle. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, 4th Edition.
Incredible book, laid out in a logical manner and chock full of great stuff. Ironically, I thought that this graduate level exercise physiology book was easier to follow than the NSCA book mentioned above. There is some info most casually fitness buffs would skip over like the clinical testing stuff, but for the most part an awesome book. I read this book twice I liked it so much. If you have had even just high school Biology you should follow this book pretty well.
Siebert & Cotton. American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual, 1998.
You would think I would bash this book since I don't like ACE, but this is a great book. I would rate this a starter book because it is easy to follow, and it kind of skims the surface of all concepts giving you enough knowledge on a broad range of topics. This was the first fitness related book I read with the Exercise physiology book being second, I noticed alot of stuff the authors said in this book clicking as I was going through the second book. I would recommend this book to most anyone.
Bill Foran. High-Performance Sports Conditioning, 2001.
I finished this book today, awesome. I love this book. Very informative and laid out pretty well. The only thing I found off was that when they were trying to describe some closed skill movements, they didn't do a very good job. Since there was not a glossary, this could be problematic for someone who doesn't know the difference between drop-steps, split-steps, etc. Another awesome thing is that they not only give sample programs from experts in like 8 sports, they also describe why that is the way you do it so that you can have your own take on it and devise your own program. Prolly it's greatest attribute is common sense. When you read a book from an organization, they pretty much tell you to just go with your range of motoion on stuff like the squat. This book says limited range of motion with heavier weights is fine at first, but at least go all the way down with the lighter weights, that way you at least have the range of motion. Jesus Christ, finally. I will probably read this one again, just because I got half way through it 2 months ago and just picked it back up a week ago. The last part is pretty awesome, although I only read the programs for football and tennis which expedited the second half. Oh well, I will always have it as a reference.
I am thinking my next book will be Speed, Agility, and Quickness by I think Juan Carlos Santana just because I have it lying around at home from when I bought the last book.
So what does anyone else have? I figure since I have read 4, Pfunk and others have read about 100 and we should have a good review section here.
