Explosive Power & Strength: Complex Training for Maximum Results

The titleof my review is a tautology, but that's what this book is about, really. It gives the coach or athlete a good introduction to why and how they should use complex training for sports. Chu writes a good chapter on the theory behind complex training, or as some call it: contrast training. Contrast training is simply put to train similar movements or the same muscles with both resistance and plyometric exercises in the same workout. You will learn how to put together a training program using contrast complexes in your workouts, and how to periodize the complex method in a training year. The author is concerned with safety, complex training is after all not for everyone, the athlete needs to have a certain level of strength and skill for the training to be safe and beneficial. Chu advices on what volume of complex training an athlete can perform for maximum progress. And...it works. I've tried myself. I improved my vertical jump six inches in twelwe weeks when I was on a complex program.

Yes, the book doesn't have extraordinary exercise descriptions, but the essential exercises are described well... I don't think the point of the book was to describe exercises... the purpose was to explain to you "Complex training" and how it can help you achieve "Explosive power and strenght." If you want superb exercise descriptions, try his book Jumping into Plyometrics (That's the purpose of the book to describe plyometric exercises), but if you want to actually KNOW how to use complex training then this is the right book for you. If you are a beginner and know nothing of exercise I'd try another book, but if you're fairly seasoned and understand good training sense and technique then pick it up.

This is an excellent book that is broken up into 3 parts delineating the nature of complex training, then the nuts and bolts of complex training, and finally how to customize a workout routine for your athlete or team.It is my most frequently used resource on a shelf full of this type of material.

This book combines Weight training and plyometrics. This method is considered dangerous by many but if used correctly is extremly effective. Two athletes in the USA were said to have improved their 100m best times by over a second, one of them improving from 12.3 down to 11.1 after a years use of this training method along side his sprint training. If not used correctly this method of training could be the end of your athletic career. Do NOT build up too quickly. Use the preparation phase properly and ease off if you are still tired from any previous training session. Used wisely you can pretty much abolish the idea that you have to be a born sprinter. Michael Johnson is a second quicker than most because in his training he also uses this method and has been for years.I started my training a year ago and have improved my 400m time from 48.32 to 46.21 and I believe the complex training has had a major role to play in this.A very good book.