Review "Practical Programming"

[gobbla]

Practical Programming for Strength Training $22 on amazon.
Author Lon Kilgore and Mark Rippetoe

What is it?
It's a guide to the principles of strength training. Simple huh? Seriously...that's what it is.

It gives some basic physiology and general thoughts on training and then it moves into the meat and potatoes. This book dumbs down strength training to the point to where you've pretty much got to be a rock not to "get it". There are three large sections with "novice, intermediate, advanced" training concerns and approaches. It tells you what to do in each...easy.

This is actually a pretty hard review because it really does what it's supposed to do, it's not fancy, it's not pretty. It's an extremely "practical" guide to programing. You have a question...you read...question answered...press on.

Interestingly enough it covered some of the more debated topics on this board such as "overload" and how it's achieved and how many reps to do with what weight % per rep. It gave a handy little chart when designating "light, medium, heavy" days and what each means in terms of loading and reps.

All in all it is what it is. IMO it's well worth the purchase price and is easily on the "most people should buy this" list. Two thumbs up.

[Lisa~]

Thanks for the review! I appreciate you taking the time to do it.

[flying scotsman]

Gobbla, Mark Rippetoe is a quite a new name to me but he seems to be getting very good reviews for his books.

Thanks for the review.

[gobbla]

Glad to help. If anyone has any questions about the book I'd be glad to field them as I said above it's really hard to say too much just off the top of my head because there isn't any gimics or tricks or anything "special" about the book. Find what category you fall under (training age) and follow a program that falls under those principles...that's pretty much it

As an FYI starting strength is a fantastic book that EVERYONE should buy. People make comments about "size doesn't matter"...well...this one proves that theory bunk. You've got 30 or so pages dedicated to the big lifts vs a paragraph in most books and you learn a LOT.

[slimsaw00]

Gobbla is right. . . Rippetoe is just straight to the point. I'm doing his Starting Strength Routine, and almost a week into it I really like it. Simple, focus on the big lifts, lift heavy. . .repeat.

I think I'm going to get Practical Programming once I've exhausted and milked Starting Strength for all its worth.


-Matt

[Jason B]

It is a great book, finished it last week. You could train for the rest of your life with this book alone. Don't bother if your looking for any fancy crap though, this book gives the most straight forward, simplest ways to get big and strong. As the author puts it, 'the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.'

[slimsaw00]

All this good praise. . . I might have to get it right now!

*Matt put the credit card away*





-Matt

[BjsAust]

I told my wife I was done buying fitness stuff, but this sounds great for my position.

[gobbla]

Chances are your wife already thinks you're full of poo anyway. Buy it.

Nothing you buy will give you all the answers you're looking for. There are too many questions and too many possibilities. This is the first programming manual that I've purchased that I recommend to a general audience. If nothing else it will go a long way towards steering you to the path of asking the "right" questions. That's a pretty strong value in and of itself.

[BjsAust]

True.

Just ordered it and Starting Strength from amazon in amongst a bunch of work related text books and some fiction books.

Now to explain that CC bill :p.

[bullandbear]

Any comments on Kilgore's new ebook - Basic Fitness Testing: Field Tests for Sport & Fitness Professionals?

[bipennate]

I have a STACK of books, journals, and magazines sitting on my floor waiting to be read...great, now it looks like I'll have another thing to add to the ever-growing pile!

Thanks g