Weight Training - Steps to Success

Thomas R. Baechle & Roger W. Earle. Third Edition, Human Kinetics, 2006. 180 pages 11”x8½”, paperback, £11.99. ISBN 0-7360-5533-9

Research tends to show that, for endurance athletes, while weight training undoubtedly increases your strength, there's little or no gain in performance in your sport. This is because one of the principles of training is specificity, and you may well be better off spending that time on riding the bike, swimming, or skiing.

However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't train with weights: there are other reasons why it's a good idea. Strengthening the muscles around the joints helps to prevent injury; improving core strength avoids back problems; light weights and many repetitions develops cardiovascular fitness; weight-bearing exercise increases bone density, particularly important in us older people; and all of this improves your balance, which in turn helps to prevent injury, and so on. And in the off-season it's a psychological break from eight months training on the road or the turbo.

After that you need advice, either from a coach, or a manual, or both. Free weights or machines? Low reps using heavy weights, or high reps and low weights? Off-season only or throughout the season? Those whose primary sport is something other will want a different programme from those who just want to pose.

This is as good a manual as you're likely to find for taking you from beginner to competent weight trainer. It covers fundamentals (how muscles work), the basics of lifting and training, choice of exercises and loads, nearly 100 pages of exercises for all parts of the body, schedules, guidance on designing your programme. There's a kilo/pounds conversion table and a useful glossary. And at under £12 it's outstanding value for money.

Ramin Minovi