Men's Health Power Training: Build Bigger, Stronger Muscles with through Performance-based Conditioning

I am a bodybuilder and a personal trainer. After reading Power Training, I can honestly say I have finally found the bible of physical fitness. There are numerous scientific studies (and not just "bro science") that suggest compound, freeweight / bodyweight exercises are far superior and a heck more beneficial than your typical "beach muscle" isolation routine - i.e. dumbell curls, side laterals, etc... There are lots of evidence that clearly prove squats and deadlifts are "kings" of exercise. Yet, everytime I walk into a gym anywhere in the US, I see nothing but the curl crowd. This culture stems from the fact that juiced-up, roid freaks have dominated (and in many ways controlled) the information highway in the fitness industry. What I mean by this is that every time you read Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, or Musce Media 2000, you will see two things: A) The favorite routine of today's Mr. Olympia, or some other popular bodybuilding star who's basically a walking pharmacy; and, B) advertisements for supplements. Don't be fooled! Fitness magazines are run by the same supplement companies on the ads. And the routines you read on these rags will only work on roid users.I have read countless books on the subject, written by popular, well-respected authors such as Rippetoe, Kilgore, Poliquin, Roberts, Starr, etc... I know that squats, deadlifts, and Olympic-style lifts are the most efficient and effective exercises. The problem I've always had, as a trainer, is that because of all the information out there, I always seem to struggle how to put the best routine for myself and for my clients - UNTIL AFTER I'VE READ THIS BOOK!This book is all you need to reach your goals. This is by far the most comprehensive book on the subject. This book is based on solid science and not some IFBB vodoo crap trying to sell you worthless supplements. My only warning is that if you are a newbie novice lifter, you should consider buying Starting Strength by Rippetoe. It's available in both book and DVD format. The reason I say this is because you want to make sure you master the basic lifts - squats (50 pages long in Starting Strength), deadlifts, presses and power cleans. You could get hurt big time if you lift incorrectly. And if you are an intermediate or advanced lifter, you will benefit alot from Coach Dos' book.The basic workflow that the book outlines is basically as follows: Explosive, Knee Dominant, Hip Dominant, Vertical Push / Pull, Horizontal Push / Pull, Rotational, and Bridge. The lifter is also advised to follow a bilateral / unilateral pattern. For example, you might do pull ups one day, and then one-arm pull down the next session. Simple, yet EFFECTIVE. The book also show tons of exercises I've never seen before.Lastly, the nutrition section of the book. It works. Plain and simple. How do I know? Because I was morbidly obese over two years ago at over 33% bodyfat and over 42-inch waistline (I am 10% BF at 185 lbs, 5'8" tall, as of this review). And at 38 years of age, I can squat 275 lbs below parallel and deadlift 275 lbs, both for reps. The "pillars" are the same philosophy that I've been personally following and preaching to my clients with great success. Not gonna go into detail cuz space is limited. Would I recommend this book if you want to lose fat? Absolutely! What if you want to gain muscle? Yes, absolutely. Losing fat or gaining muscle is mostly about caloric intake. In fact, this program is great for fat loss because it will preserve your muscle (read "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto.)In conclusion, you can do countless concentration curls, leg extensions, or dumbell flyes. I will guarantee that, using the knowledge I've learned from Coach Dos, my newbie skinny-a$$ (or morbidly obese) clients will surpass you in strength, size and athleticism in no time. It's sad how bodybuilding magazines have really brainwashed the masses. So don't be a stereo-typical meathead and buy this book. You will not be sorry!THANKS, COACH!PS. Do you know Coach Dos's designation CSCS? It stands for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. It is by far the toughest certification a trainer can take. It is the Gold Standard in the sports training industry. Coach Dos really knows his stuff.

I'm not one to rave about many things but I have to give this book credit.I have just began to outgrow the basic beginner stages of working out. I kept looking for a resource that will guide me though the intermediate through advanced stages of training, but everything out there seems to be geared specifically toward bodybuilding or powerlifting (neither of which I have an interest). Than I found this book!!This book is exactly what I was looking for. A complete guide to building FITNESS through lifting and conditioning based workouts. The thing I like best about this book is it "teaches" the user how to set up an effective program. This is something other books on the market seriously lack. It provides you with template, an exercise menue, and a basic set of principles that if you follow you are set for years worth of progression!!Olympic lifts is something I really wanted to learn but I just couldn't figure out how to program them in some of the other "routines" I was seeing in books. I was tempted to join CrossFit but the lack of structure those guys train with makes no sense to me. This book not only presents how to implement O-lifts into your program, but they are laid out from beginner up to advanced so the user can practice these lifts in a safe manner (unlike the CrossFit clowns who have grandmothers power cleaning on day 1, no I'm not kidding).When I read some of the other reviews talking about "functional", I thought "ohh boy here we go". The term "functional" has been bastardized to hell in the fitness industry. Much to my surprise I was not presented with 100 pages of bosu ball balancing crap like I thought I would be. It was like a breath of fresh air to here coach Dos address my exact concern with the term "functional". Dos really uses the word in the correct context, keeping strength and technique of importance and not over killing you with a workout that looks like a circus act.My only minor caveat is some of the lower rep ulilaterl stuff will be very hard unless you have insane balance skills. I would fall over before I got any kind of workout sitmulas out of 5 rep one leg deadlifts, but maybe that's just me. My "workaround" for this is to use the hammer strength unilateral machines for my lower rep unilateral stuff. I know it goes against the grain of the book slightly but it makes more sense to me that if I'm training for a strength stimulas (low reps) to NOT emphasis balance for that rep range.Great book!!

Men's Health Power Training presents all the information you need to create a great training program whatever your goals may be. Whether you are training for a marathon or a bodybuilder's contest, the various training methodologies are thoroughly discussed in a casual but straight-forward conversation with the author, Robert dos Remedios.This book is full descriptions and pictures that allow for easy understanding of how each exercise is to be performed. The grouping of exercises by function and the workout card system make creating personal and varied training programs a simple task. The nutrition chapter is brief and to the point with no-nonsense information and meal plan. No recipes here.Impressive enough to keep a copy myself and forward copies to my sons.