Book Review: Maximum Strength - Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program

It's been a little while since my last post, and I've been doing a bit of reading... Eric Cressey is a strength and conditioning specialist based out of Boston, MA, who works with many world class athletes in his gym, as well as consultations overseas to those unable to meet with him in person.

Workout books can be very hit and miss. Some have nothing of value in them, and are boring to read. Complete opposite for this book.

Cressey looks at building strength vs size, and gets people involved with the lost art of power-lifting. I think the most worth-while part of this book is the warm-up routine that not only includes some specific static stretches, but also emphasizes trigger point release with a tennis ball and foam roll. There are even some useful self joint mobilizations, something which lacks in many warm-ups. Every routine begins with this 15 minute warm-up, and it's a great way to get limber for what's coming up in the workout.

The entire program begins with a self-evaluation of strength and power, as here is where we get our baseline values to base how much we lift. This test will be administered at the end of the 16 weeks to be able to quantify your gains as you go though it.

Workout weeks have only 4 training days, two upper and two lower quadrants. The sessions are also not very long: an added convenience! The 16 weeks are then split into four phases:

1. Foundation - getting used to lifting heavy, low reps
2. Build - load increase and cluster training
3. Growth - lighter load, but higher rep sets
4. Peak - single-rep sets of about 90% 1RM

The exercise emphasize global, and multi-joint strength, and very little on concentrated work (ie: machines).

If you are looking for a change in your routine and want to build strength, this is definitely a book that I would purchase.