Periodization Breakthrough!: The Ultimate Training System

I bought this book in college for a weight training class. We were expected to come up with an eight week routine, follow it, and see what kind of results we could achieve. I'd been following weight training routines out of magazines up until this point and had made basically no progress. I read through the book, looking mainly at the general fitness sections and designed a routine that accounted for variety of exercises, rest periods, sets, rep ranges and total volume. At the end of the eight weeks, I had put on 20lbs of muscle and had a good understanding of basic training principles. It took me quite a while to make a routine, maybe 5 hours of reading and messing with the variable to get it right. But once it was designed I just showed up at the gym, plugged in my exercises and didn't have to think again. I've read quite a few books on program design since then, including "Designing Resistance Programs" and "Serious Strength Training" which have been mentioned by other reviewers and feel this is the most practical and accessible text.

This books explains how to build up your own periodized training program. Its practical approach and the step by step procedure make you understand how to reason when plannin g a periodized routine. It is necessary, however, to have a clear understanding of the basic concepts of training, since no information is provided in this regard.

This was a really detailed book. I have read "Serious Strength Training" by Bompa, however I felt that this book gave me more insight into creating my own custom periodization schedule. Bompa's book had most of it pre-planned. The book had excellent citations for research an gave me all the information I needed in a well laid out format.

I need the adress of Mr. Steven J. Fleck, Ph.D

In this book, the authors are very successful at condensing and explaining the concept of periodization in an easy to understand manner. The basic fundamentals are explained along with samples for planning your training from one session to one year! By varying your training according to these methods, you are able to avoid hitting the dreaded "plateau." Dr. Fleck and Dr. Kraemer do an outstanding job of giving the information in an easy to read and understand manner. I highly recommend this book for everyone from the fitness buff to the advanced trainee.