Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky

One of the things I hate most about our field is that so many people have an opinion, and very few have real data to backup that opinion. As my old boss used to say, “Every Jerk has an opinion, if you don’t have data, you’re just another Jerk with an opinion”. Of course, he used another word instead of Jerk!

That’s where this book really diverges… DATA. Mr. Zatsiorsky was responsible for training world class athletes in the heyday of the former Soviet Union. Almost all of his opinions are backed up by real studies on real athletes. Now some of you might say “but Bruce, I don’t train Olympic Athletes, what does this book offer someone like me who trains the average Joe?” While it’s true that trained athletes do react differently to training stimulus than an untrained individual, I think this book has a great deal to offer as far as how the body reacts to certain training stimuli.

Now this book isn’t for everyone. It is a very technical read. There are no amusing antidotes or pretty pictures. What you will find is the raw, unadulterated information that is so frequently miss-quoted in other less technical strength training texts. Yes, look back at many of the other books you’ve read and you’ll probably find his name mentioned in the credits somewhere.

Part 1 of this book starts out by going over some of the fundamentals of strength training, from timing to task and athlete specific strength definitions. He doesn’t leave anything to chance. Why are we seeking strength increase? Are our goals even possible for this athlete? (He spends some interesting time discussing the effects of athlete size on strength expectations).

Part 2 goes into strength training methods, for different goals, and lays the groundwork for most current theories on periodization. I have no doubt most of the current self proclaimed periodization experts got their foundations from Mr. Zatsiorsky.

As far as I’m concerned, this book is a “must read” for anyone serious about their strength training knowledge. Don’t just take my word for it, check out what others had to say about it in the reviews at Amazon:

Science and Practice of Strength Training