Want to add mass? Get ripped? (ironically, the two most frequently seen questions on here, even though this is a STRENGTH & CONDITIONING FORUM, not bodybuilding!) Get stronger? Faster? More productive workouts? Better recovery? And overall better progress and results!?
No, it's not andro, not creatine, not whey protein, not tribulus...
They're called books! Educating yourself with fundamentals of sound training will by far, prove more beneficial than any supplement you can buy. Information is the magic shortcut. All too often I see people spending hundred's on andro or special super hydrolyzed whey isolates, looking for that edge. But they will do nothing for you, if you don't know how to properly train! I see so many newbies asking which are the best supps, or supps they have already bought. Believe me, a sound training manual (book) will be a far better investment if you aren't familiar with core basics. Remember, supplements are just that-SUPPLEMENTS, not the foundation of success! They MAY provide a SUBTLE enhancement to progress. Sure, there is this forum, and there are people here to help and offer advice. But instead of relying completely off of a forum, try buying a basic book, based off of your specific needs and desires. Use this forum as a toolfor learning; a SUPPLEMENT to your knowledge if you will, but not as a staple. There is so much to learn if you're unfamiliar with weight training and training in general, and a good book or two (or three, or four etc.) will most likely explain most of what you need to know better than any person here (unless someone decides to spend a few days tapping out pages and pages of info here...which is unlikely, unless you've got some $$ you're willing to part with :)). What books you should buy to start out with? Try ali's list, complete with synopsis'. C'mon don't be lazy! You actually might enjoy them.
Great post, as usual. Do you have any other favorite books you would like to add to Ali's list?
Awesome post!
I have some favorites, but none are straight newbie material. (i.e.for some must need to know lifts, and for others a better understanding of physiology/anatomy)
Here are some of the ones I like, that I THINK weren't on ali's list:
-Essentials of Strength & COnditioning, 2nd Edition, Human Kinetics (does have some things I disagree with, however, some outdated info, but for the most part does make a great "second level" book)
-Designing Resistance Training Programs, Steven Fleck and William Kramer 2nd edition (easy read, good)
Endocrine Physiology by Griffith and Ojeda (warning, dry read, but good info)
-Tudor Bompa, Periodization of training in sport(easier read, great info)
-Tudor Bompa, Serious strength training(same)
-Neruomechanical basis of kinesiology (dry read, good info)
-Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance (Same)
-Speed Trap, Charlie Francis (sprinting oriented book, but does offer useful information pertaining to aspects of resistance training/speed work)
-Motor Learning and Human Performance, An Application to Motor and Movement Behaviors by Robert Singer (very dry read, excellent content however)
Thanks.
And oh yeah...unfortunately, I think this book would be most appropriate(as a 'second level' book, after they've mastered the basics) for the majority of novices here considering their goals/questions; Fred hatfield's: Scientific BODYBUILDING. The Irony...
(I've only skimmed through the book briefly, but it looked like good content)
Scientific bodybuilding, as with hatfields nutrition book and Power book are getting a bit old when it comes to certain things.
From what I vaguely remember of it, it's pretty good but the supp. section is VERY dated unless there's an updated version of it out (mine was a couple years old). It was good enough for someone to steal from the weight room that I left it in.
IMHO if you get onto infoseek and look up exercise you can usually find some good sites.
I'm sure between all of us who post here we have a good number of links to good sites. (people on the internet are cheap)
MTerada: It's been quite awhile since I skimmed that book, and my memory is pretty vague on it and I didn't have the time to look at it in-depth (was shopping with GF at mall, go figure lol)-so your comments on it are probably more accurate. Even so, I still think it's got enough good content to be a worthy investment for a novice. Regarding internet people being cheap; well I've seen many of these "cheap" guys blowing their savings on prohormones, superduper protein mixes(ex: check out the 'need to gain 20 lbs in 6 months!' thread), and 'mass gainer' bs... I think if they have the $$$ to blow on supps, they probably have enough $$ to invest in a good book or two, which is often cheaper, and much more beneficial. There is a lot of good info on the net, along with a lot of bad info, in addition to 'holes' and incomplete coverage of certain aspects (then again, I haven't looked at that many sites). How can they distinguish one from another?
jonwell: I don't know whether to interpret that as a sarcastic insult or a compliment lol! I guess I'm fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) that I've always found sports science & resistance training highly intriguing/amusing, even when reading some of the 'dryest' sources of info.
nice post
"Body for Life is by the far the most comprehensive book I have ever read."
Oh my stars and garters! Boy do we have our work cut out for us with you!
What is in Body for Life anyway?
(And I mean relating to strength and conditioning. I don't need exerpts of touchy feely stories.)
LOL jonwell! I missed that!
MTerrada, BFL has very basic information oriented toward people lifting for aesthetic reasons. I haven't read the whole thing, but knowing Phillips' writing style, I'm sure he drops names of his physique champs and references their "inspirational stories" all the time (nothing wrong with that, just not my cup of tea). Plus, his program mandates a lot of supplement use.
I always used to skip over Bill Philips introductory spiel in the MM2ks because it was usually pointless. I went straight for duchaine's stuff or towards the end I would just goto the back where the research section was.
Thanks for telling me whats in BFL though. I've heard a lot of people say how great it was, but these people as a rule hadn't been training for a long time.
I've found "Science and practice of strength training" to be a great book. It is set up in a bit of a text book format, asking you some complex questions along the way.
Understood. Sorry. :)
Buddhadev, actually the BFL book has less than 3 pages dedicated to supplement use. And to follow the program he does not mandate their use.
Oh really? I was just going on what sorts of programs his "champs" tend to advocate. Thx for the correction.
Jerome:
It's not a matter of personally "despising" Phillips--it's more a matter of disliking his philosohpy. First of all, his workouts are terrible for development of functional strength: too much volume, too many isolation moves, and too many silly, useless exercises.
Even if your concerns are mostly just aesthetic, you'll get there a lot faster with a more "old-school," strength-oreinted approach. Phillips' workouts will send you down a path of a lot of wasted time and sweat.
He advocates way too much supplement use in his magazine. It's basically a large supplement ad. There's no reason at all that people should be coughing up that sort of $$$ for supplements.
Furthermore, there's the larger issue of why his name gets many of us sighing and rolling our eyes: his marketing philosophy. Phillips is pandering to the Oprah and Entertainment tonight-watching chrome and fluff crowd of suburban gyms with his constant sentimentality and "inspirational stories." He coaxes his readers with endless feel-goodisms and postmodern pop philosophy. This is anathema to the general spirit of toughness and internal moitvation which are the unwritten culture of this forum, and indeed, this entire sport.
He has the right to espouse the philosophy he chooses as surely as I have the right to look upon it with contempt.
Final criticisms: I think the blatant, adolescent-like hypersexuality of his magazine's photography is laughably ridiculous, but that's also his right. And for that matter, other fitness magazines aren't much better about this. At least he doesn't promote the warped steroid look of some other publications.
Some good things about him: He's definitely getting people to exercise who might not have done so otherwise. I also think it's a sign of class that his company offers a satisfaction guarrantee on its supplements--for what that's worth (not much since one doesn't really need all those supplements anyway).
That's all I can say about the guy.
Buddhadev
Three books I've been using that I really like are...
Super Squats
Beyond Brawn
The Insider's Tell All Handbook On Weightlifting Technique
Beyond Brawn has a ton of information, and Insider's Handbook has been invaluable for me in learning correct form for several exercises.
I like the Super Squats routine, but refuse to drink 2 quarts of milk a day, like it advises.