Maximum Strength: Book Review

Much like diet books, exercise books try to sell us on sex appeal - the promise of wash board abs, celebrity authors and endorsements and the words "chiseled", "ripped", "lean" and of course my personal favorite... "toned". Eric Cressey is of a different mold and so is his latest book, Maximum Strength. Cressey is highly accomplished strength coach that possesses a very unique blend of book smarts and practical know-how. Let's delve deeper in to his book.

The Argument for Strength Training

Cressey makes a masterful argument for the importance of training for strength vs. traditional body building philosophies. In short, strength training is more time-efficient, more useful in real-world situations and better for health and longevity.

The Program

The 16 week program is pretty intense but very well periodized (planned out) in terms of the exercise selection, set/rep scheme and progression. It has 4 - 4 week phases designed to be completed 4 days per week (2 upper body, 2 lower body session) plus the program outline. The pictures of the exercises are easy to follow and the descriptions are well-worded and thorough.

The program is intense - with plenty of deadlift and squat variations under some pretty good load.

There is also a very good section on nutritional guidelines - which touch on the basics of eating for health and strength. A helpful supplement guide is included.

What Sets This Book Apart

There are a lot of great aspects of this book, but the one aspect that sets Maximum Strength apart is Cressey's attention to warm-up and mobility work. Eric is a true pioneer in integrating mobility exercises (preparatory movement), foam roller/small ball and activation work into a training system.

While spending 15 minutes doing these drills may seem like a nuisance, trust me when I tell you it is a vastly important component which acts to enhance movement in the right joints and improve muscle tissue quality and posture. The end result being reduced injury risk.

Who Would Benefit From This Book?

Anybody who desires to increase strength whether it is for athletic purposes, general strength or body composition. This book really stands alone in hitting all of the important factors of training for strength, whilst becoming more mobile and posturally conditioned - all in a very efficient manner. My personal instinct is that this type of program will especially benefit both the seasoned beginner and those who have performed years of bodybuilding-type workouts (ie. high volume, body part-specific and isolation training).

If you are new at weight training, put this one on hold until you have some lifting experience under your belt. Become proficient at the basics and learn how to go through the ranges of motion of the fundamental lifts without weight. Also, you will need access to a fully-equipped gym for this program - which may be a drawback for some.

To summarize, Maximum Strength further secures Eric Cressey's reputation as being one of the best in the business in helping people perform better. If you are motivated and not afraid of some hard work, this book is well worth looking into.

Available at Amazon for $12.89, 256 pages.