Olympic Weightlifting Book - Pre-Order

[michael cooley]

Originally Posted by John Schneider

Got it today. It looks really good and I can't wait to sit down with it, then put it into effect. Greg, you can expect many questions. Very nice work.

Santa came to my house, too!!!

Kids, go play in the yard. Daddy's got some reading to do!

mpc

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by John Schneider

Got it today. It looks really good and I can't wait to sit down with it, then put it into effect. Greg, you can expect many questions. Very nice work.

I got it today as well, and worked through the first major section on progression for the snatch and c&j and the lifts themselves. So far, meets the expectation as the Starting Strength for the olympic lifts.

I own, now, 5 books on weightlifting, and this is by far the clearest and most detailed explanation of the lifts and absolutely the best progression for learning them. I wish I had this book 2 years ago.

[Kris Reeves]

Mine came Saturday afternoon...and all I can say is wow! This is such a great reference!

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Arien Malec

I got it today as well, and worked through the first major section on progression for the snatch and c&j and the lifts themselves. So far, meets the expectation as the Starting Strength for the olympic lifts.

OK, gave the whole book a first pass. Again, the core material on the lifts and progressions is excellent -- very clear and thorough and significantly better than anything else I've read -- again the best analogue is the explanation on the lifts in Starting Strength (if anything, there is more detail in this book). The material on faults and corrections is far better than anything I've read -- I especially like the emphasis on primary faults and secondary faults, as well as clear and practical progressions for correcting the faults.

The material on assistance lifts is good, but could have used links to Greg's material on the CA website.

The programming section covers the basics and gives some nice programming templates. The only opportunity for improvement is that there's a lot more that can be said on this topic.

The nutrition section is again far better than anything equivalent that I've read, although nothing new to a PM reader.

The closing section is on the basic of competitions, including basic rules, weight selection strategies, and practical advice on making weight. I've never read this material anywhere, and it's quite clear.

Really, an excellent book.

[Kevin Perry]

Just recieved the book in the mail a few minutes ago... im giddy like a school girl

[Greg Everett]

Arien -

What else would you like to have seen in the programming section?

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Greg Everett

What else would you like to have seen in the programming section?

Re-reading, I can see that what I wrote looked like a critique -- it was more a statement that a more complete treatment of periodization would have required more space than was practical for an already large and comprehensive book.

I would love to see the Practical Programming for weightlifting :-) Actually, I want the PP for weightlifting for 38 year old beginner-intermediates with a poor strength base, but I'd take the former.

PP provides a theoretical framework for strength training (the two factor model) and a set of practical applications for that framework to understanding the differences between beginners, intermediates and advanced trainees, and to program design to meet the needs of each. I can read PP, and understand what my personal overall program design needs are, how to design a program for myself or someone else, and how to judge a program someone else has written.

Given that weightlifting requires strength, technique and power, and that the fatigue and adaptations produced for one modality interfere with the other, it's hard to apply the lessons from PP directly to weightlifting without modification.

For instance, the fatigue caused by a more strength oriented routine interfere with technique and power development for the core lifts. A bulgarian focus on the core lifts may increase technique and power but limit the development of overall strength. When is a focus on one vs the other merited?

The power movements and high pulls help develop overall power, but may interfere with the motor patterns of the core lifts. When should and should they not be included in a program?

These are just examples of something a general framework for weightlifting periodization with practical examples might help answer. There are whole books on this for multi-year periodization for elite lifters, but nothing that I'm aware of for the beginning/intermediate/early advanced lifter.

It would also require your book to be twice as long :-)

[michael cooley]

Originally Posted by Arien Malec

I would love to see the Practical Programming for weightlifting :-) Actually, I want the PP for weightlifting for 38 year old beginner-intermediates with a poor strength base, but I'd take the former.

I would concur with Arien -- though I also concur with Arien that it's an excellent and informative book, and I'm thrilled to add it to my collection.

My biggest frustration with Practical Programming has been my inability to adapt its principles to weightlifting. PP worked great for me, and has helped bring my squat back up to a semi-decent level, but for me that's ultimately just a means to an end. PP's focus is more squarely placed on general strength training -- not O-lifting. That said, PP is based on fundamental principles that should still apply in any context, if properly implemented.

Ironically, I think you've lit upon a (if not the) solution in the CA WOD, which I began following a few weeks ago on a modified 3x/week format. Of course, the influences of the CA WOD are readily apparent in the programming section of your book, but some discussion of the methodology and underlying principles upon which the CA WOD format is based would be extremely helpful. Especially for those trying to adapt the concepts to alternative formats (e.g., 3 workouts per week, or 4, or 8 or whatever).

All in all, though, it's a terrific book, and an excellent addition to the fount of knowledge out there for weightlifters.

mpc

[Gregory L. Johnson]

Ok, all this discussion has motivated me to finally order the book. I am looking forward to reading it and learning from it. Since I am learning these lifts on my own it's probably a requirement.

[Allen Yeh]

Lyle McDonald's review of the book

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/blo...letes-coaches/