What are we taking about?
Optimizing Strength Training – Designing Nonlinear Periodization Workouts by William Kraemer
What does this product claim?
| Optimizing Strength Training: Designing Nonlinear Periodization Workouts explains how nonlinear periodization works and then demonstrates how to create nonlinear periodization training programs, including programs for special populations. Readers will learn that by creating different workouts for each day, they can emphasize exclusive training styles in every workout to maximize adaptation as well as ensure adequate recovery from the rigors of training. Fitness professionals and coaches will discover that this unique training style reduces the boredom encountered when using similar workout protocols for two to four weeks at a time and therefore lends itself to creating a more satisfied client base.
Using practical and user-friendly terms, the authors provide the knowledge required for understanding nonlinear periodization and training principles, selecting acute program variables, and discerning the practical considerations of nonlinear periodization before undertaking training. They also provide sample workouts using nonlinear periodization methods and discuss critical assessment techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of a program and determining training readiness. Fifty case studies at the end of the text serve as an exceptional feature for grasping a realistic approach of how nonlinear periodization meets physiological and scheduling demands while achieving optimal training goals. |
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Review:
This book is softbound and weighs in at 256 pages. The binding is sturdy, the type is easy to read, and includes black and white illustrations and graphs.
Chapter 1 – Periodization of Resistance Training: This covers the basic reasoning behind periodization. What it is, what it does, and what that means to you. It goes through the basic history of linear periodization and presents a case on why non-linear is superior.
Chapter 2 – Training Principles: Your basic physiology and how it relates to resistance training. Here you learn about specificity, progressive overload, and training frequency.
Chapter 3 – Acute Program Variables: This chapter lays down the basics of a single workout session. Exercise choice, order, sets, reps and rest periods.
Chapter 4 – Practical Considerations: This somewhat relates to chapter 2 and 3 in more of a “brining it together” way. Again it goes into physiology talking about designing a grander scheme program layout in relation to training effects and how they effect an individual person and individual training session.
Chapter 5 – Workout Design: Building on chapter three you look at individual workouts and building them from the ground up. This chapter gives examples of what each training day would entail and how a session might relate to another.
Chapter 6 – Assessment: This chapter looks at assessing individual qualities for both general program measurement purposes and individual session purposes (dealing primarily with fatigue in the latter).
Chapter 7 – Training Tips and Tools: Expands on previous chapters such as using training logs as assessment tools, exercise variation, recovery, and age\gender considerations.
Chapter 8 – Case Studies: Gives 50 “real life examples” of different athlete with problems and “how to fix” scenarios.
Commentary:
As I’m sure you’ve gathered this book deals with setting up a non-linear periodization program with primary emphasis on sports related applications. The book itself is a pretty good resource as far as program design laying out a large number of considerations as far as exercise\training session variables. For the most part it flows well and each chapter builds on the previous in a way that the reader never feels lost or overwhelmed and by the end of reading the entire manual a person could probably attack each session with gusto.
There’s a few flaws in the over all theme I think worth mentioning. First the author doesn’t really seem to present a strong case for this particular style of periodization. There are studies sited (done by the author) but those presented don’t seem to really represent a wide variety of approaches and some just leave you scratching your head on why someone would do “that” to begin with. Further into the reading it stresses having a grander scheme to the non-linear design but it really doesn’t give any strong examples on how someone should go about setting up that master plan, which is a big strike against the entire purpose of the book. Finally, the last chapter is pretty much worthless. Most of these case studies are “X is tired\feels good, what should you do” with the answer being “let them rest\push them harder”…gotcha.
With the whole thing in the balance I have to lean towards “this does what it claims”. While I don’t think it does particular justice towards its cause, it provides some solid information concerning program design in relation to practicality. The average reader should be able to pick this up and read this and perhaps not necissarily write out a master plan taking them to the next level, but pick up some solid guidance as far as walking into the gym and accomplishing a purpose.
