Book review: Serious Strength Training, by Tudor Bompa

Now that I’ve got the first stage of my personal training qualification out of the way, I’ve got some time to put my feet up on the sofa and slowly work my way through books about training. I know, that is slightly perverse but I should hope you’d be getting accustomed to my strange ways by now…

Anyway, here’s the first in a long line of training-related book reviews coming your way… Let’s start with Tudor Bompa’s book on strength training, Serious Strength Training (affiliate links: UK, US).

Get serious about your strength training

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So, why should I buy another book about strength training?

Well, funnily enough, that’s exactly what I thought.  Then I looked at the authors, which include Tudor Bompa and Mauro Di Pasquale.

• Tudor Bompa - Tudor Bompa is a Professor Emeritus at York University, in Toronto, Canada.  In his long career, he trained a number of Olympic athletes, including two gold medallists.  He was also influential in setting the direction of cross-country skiing training but it is for his work on periodisation that he is most famous.  Indeed, he is described by Wikipedia as ”the father of  periodisation training”.  For further reading on Tudor Bompa, see this interview.
• Mauro Di Pasquale – Mauro Di Pasquale is a former World Champion Powerlifter and the creator of the Metabolic / Anabolic Diet.  He is a practicing physician in Ontario, Canada, as well as being an international speaker and prolific author.  For further reading on Mauro Di Pasquale, see this interview on T-Nation.

This is not a book by some flash-in-the-pan personal trainer, who has jumped on the bandwagon and written a book purely on the back of a successful marketing campaign.  These guys know their stuff.  They are the real deal.  Anyway, moving on…

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So what’s it all about?

The book is divided into three parts:

#1:The science of strength training

This section goes over the anatomical adaptations that occur within the muscles following strength training.  Much of this is covered by my article on muscular adaptations but I was interested to read that the description of the way in which muscles contract, the binding of myosin to actin by cross bridges, is a theory known as the “sliding filament model” and isn’t observationally measured.  I didn’t know that.

This section builds on three principles:

1. Vary your training – through varying different parameters, continual progress is more likely
2. Observe individual differences – one size does not fit all
3. Employ step loading – increase the loading over a four-week cycle, low-medium-high-medium

And three laws:

1. Before engaging in strength training, develop joint flexibility
2. Before developing muscular strength, develop the tendons
3. Before developing limb strength, develop the core

The remainder of the section covers the concepts of periodisation, macro and micro cycles, diet and recovery.  The diet section is where Mauro Di Pasquale unleashes his Metabolic Diet for your consideration.

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#2: Maximum stimulation exercises

This section begins with a discussion of recent electromyographical (EMG) research  to identify the best exercises for stimulating different muscles in the best possible way.  The selection of the exercises is skewed predominantly towards machine weights.  I can see myself coming back to this book in earnest in my old age, as I look for ways to continue training without beating up my joints so much.

After that, comes a section with some pictures of very attractive people demonstrating these exercises.  Go on, have a flick through…

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#3: The six phases of training

The periodisation model consists of taking six phases of training and arranging them into a year-long plan in which the phases are given relative importance corresponding to the goals of the athlete.

1. Anatomical adaptation – this phase is based on circuit training, is usually short unless the trainee is poorly adapted, and often includes bodyweight movements to reduce the training stress
2. Hypertrophy – this phase is designed to increase lean mass.  The authors take some time dispelling what they consider to be the most pervasive myths of mass-gain, including the idea that muscles can only be trained once per week, as protein synthesis is completed after 48 hours.
3. Mixed – this is a transitional phase that begins to include some elements of pure strength training into the hypertrophy programme.
4. Maximum strength – this is what it says on the tin.
5. Muscle definition – for bodybuilders looking to cut bodyfat, this is the section to look at.
6. Transition – now that you’ve completed the cycle, mentally regroup and get ready for the next cycle.

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Summary

This is an interesting introduction to periodisation for strength training and a useful primer on Mauro Di Pasquale’s thoughts on the Metabolic / Anabolic Diet.

It’s a great summary of training principles, but, for today’s more functional and free-weight orientated trainee, it will be a little too machine-focused and bodybuilding-based.  Still, it’s a great resource and one that has authority you can rely upon.