Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Training Program

5/3/1 is - after StrongLifts 5x5 - the most popular training program inside the StrongLifs Community. Several StrongLifts Members like James, Will and Adam (all +500lb Deadlifters) had great success with 5/3/1. I've also been successful with this program in my own training and when coaching private clients.

Because I've received questions about what I thought of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 training program I decided to write a review about it. Here it is.

What's 5/3/1? The 5/3/1 program is a 3-4 day "upper/lower-body split". Each day is devoted to the Squat, Bench, Press or Deadlift followed by 2 assistance exercises for that lift. I almost always train 4x/week using this template:

• Mo: Squat + assistance
• Tu: Bench + assistance
• Th: Deadlift + assistance
• Fr: Press + assistance

First week you do 3 sets of 5, 2nd week 3x3, 3rd week 5/3/1, and 4th week you deload. Then you repeat this cycle but with 5-10lb more than the last one. Unlike StrongLifts 5x5, the sets are ramped and the last is an all-out set.

Author of 5/3/1 program is strength coach Jim Wendler, a former football player turned competitive powerlifter. Wendler has Squatted 1000lb, Benched 675lb and Deadlifted 700lb in the 275lb class. He has also trained at Westside Barbell with elite lifters Louie Simmons and Dave Tate (Jim works at EliteFTS).

As the story goes, Jim became tired of being fat and lifting with bench shirts and Squat suits. After losing 25lb, he created 5/3/1 to regain the strength he lost. He has since Squatted 650lb, Benched 405lb and Deadlifted 705lb raw.

What I Like About 5/3/1. First, it works - I added 44lb to my Deadlift, 33lb to my Squat and 11lb to my Bench in 27 weeks first time I did 5/3/1. Those weren't even all-out 1RMs, and keep in mind I started light in order to build experience with 5/3/1 (always better to start too light than too heavy).

StrongLifts Member Will (24y, USA) made the following gains the first time he did 5/3/1 for 6 cycles from October 2009 to March 2010:

• Squat: 335lbsx1 -> 335lbsx5  (theoretical 1RM: 335 -> 390)
• Bench: 160lbsx5-> 170lbsx8 (theoretical 1RM: 186 -> 215)
• Deadlift: 315lbsx5 -> 355lbsx6 (theoretical 1RM: 366 -> 425)

Theoretical 1RMs because Will didn't actually test them but based them off his results on the all-out sets of 5/3/1. Maybe not 100% accurate, but the strength gains are clear. Since then StrongLifts Member Will Deadlifts and Squats 500lb, and just started his 2nd round of 5/3/1 exactly 1y after his first one.

Here are the strength gains of competitive strongman StrongLifts Members Adam R. (29y, Australia) with 5/3/1. In brackets the theoretical 1RMs...

• Squat: 230kg --> 10x202.5kg (270kg)
• Bench: 125kg --> 7x125kg (154kg)
• Deadlift: 205kg --> 8x187.5kg (237kg)
• Press: 92.5kg --> 8x87.5 (110.8kg)

Aside from the fact that the program works, it's clear that the philosophy of 5/3/1 is similar to that of StrongLifts 5x5 - free weights, compound exercises, progressive loading. The frequent deloads and absence of 3x/week Squatting also make 5/3/1 less challenging while still providing gains. This makes 5/3/1 especially suitable for guys looking for an easier to stick to long-term program.

What I Don't Like About 5/3/1. Gains on 5/3/1 are slower than on StrongLifts 5x5 because you're adding weight every month, not every workout. This is not really a critique of 5/3/1, this program is after all for intermediate and advanced lifters, not for beginners. Guys like SL Member Will, James, Adam and me are more than happy if we can add 50lb to our 500lb Deadlift in 12 months because we know that the stronger you get, the slower the strength gains become.

Different story for the guy who can't Squat 225lb yet or worse, who still has to master proper Squat technique. It should be obvious that Squatting 3x/week and adding 5lb every workout will improve your technique and boost your Squat faster than Squatting only 1x/week and adding just 5lb per month. Add that beginners with lack of training experience will often overdo the assistance by doing too much and misunderstand "all-out sets" by going to failure.

This is also not a critique of 5/3/1, but of guys doing training programs they aren't ready for. 5/3/1 is for intermediates and advanced lifters who have built the discipline of sticking to a program, and who are ready to make a long-term commitment - 2 months isn't enough, think at least 6 months, or even 12.

More Information About 5/3/1. Jim Wendler has written a definite 5/3/1 guide in which you'll discover technique tips for the Squat, Deadlift, Bench and Press, how to choose your starting weight and assistance exercises, how to warm-up, 2-3x/week templates, and much more (97 pages total with pictures).

• Click here to grab your copy of 5/3/1

That's an affiliate link so I will get a commission for each sale. I got no problem with that because the 5/3/1 program works and it's the most popular training program inside the StrongLifts Community after StrongLifts 5x5.

(Note: you can also get an ebook version of 5/3/1 from EliteFTS.com)

STRONGLIFTS BVBA © 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Worse: the lack of results makes you lose motivation to go the gym. Maybe they are right after all: you can't gain weight because of your bad genetics and fast metabolism. That's why you must keep training harder. A lot harder.

Right?

Wrong!

Top 3 Mistakes Hardgainers Make. You've been lied to. You don't have a fast metabolism or bad genetics. And you don't need to train harder. You need to train smarter. Stop making these mistakes:

• Eating Like a Pigeon. The reason you can eat anything without gaining weight is because you don't eat a lot. I know you think you do, but you don't. Otherwise you wouldn't be skinny. Track calories for proof.
• Training Like a Pro Bodybuilder. Isolation exercises 6x per week don't build muscle mass & bulk. And unless you use steroids, you'll overtrain by going to the gym so many times per week.
• Wasting Money on Supplements. Most don't do what they promise and they're always useless without a solid diet & training program.

Here's How to Gain Weight Fast. It doesn't matter how skinny you are or how long you've been struggling with this. You can gain weight. You simply need to use the right methods. These are:

• Eat Like a Horse. If you're a hardgainer you'll only gain weight once you start eating at least 5000kcal/day - consistently. Milk, pasta, nuts, eggs and tuna should be your new friends.
• Train for Strength. Did you know Schwarzenegger could Bench 440lbs & Deadlift 660lbs? That's how he built his physique: heavy and free weight compound exercises. Body part splits came much later.
• Take Rest Days. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you train them. If you go the gym 6x/week and train to failure all the time, your muscles will never get a chance to recover and grow.
• Be Consistent. You won't gain weight if you eat 5000kcal today but only 2000kcal the rest of the week. You also won't gain weight if you go the gym 1x/week and skip your 2 other workouts. Consistency is crucial.

Muscle magazines try to tell you supplements are key to gaining muscle mass. Truth is that each major muscle magazine owns a supplement company. Their routines are ineffective on purpose: to get you hooked on supplements.

Muscle Gaining Secrets. The only eBook that I know of that gives you the exact methods to gain weight naturally is Jason Ferrugia's Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Jason is an ex-hardgainer who struggled with his skinny look for years. When he finally gained 100lbs drug-free muscle, he decided to do something about all the bad advice. He published his methods in an eBook: Muscle Gaining Secrets.

What are Jason's Muscle Gaining Secrets? His methods are inline with what I've been stressing on this site: eat more, get stronger, no supplements. That's why I joined his affiliate program and get a commission for each sale.

Here are some of the things you'll learn inside Muscle Gaining Secrets:

• 7 critical factors your training program must address if you want to gain muscle mass naturally - without supplements or steroids.
• Mass building nutrition: must-eat carb & protein sources to gain weight and 10 nutrition rules you must follow to lose your skinny look forever.
• How to gain muscle mass without gaining fat: how to use carb cycling to build muscle while maintain or even decrease your body fat.
• Muscle building meal plans: example weight gain diets of up to 6000kcal per day, including weight gain diets for vegetarians.
• Top muscle building exercises: detailed descriptions & pictures of more than 100 exercises that will make you gain weight.

Muscle Gaining Secrets is a downloadable eBook that counts 147 pages. You get 7 free bonuses on top of it, including a composition tracker, a 60min audio course, lifetime private membership access and lifetime eBook updates.

Click here to download Muscle Gaining Secrets now.

Muscle Gaining Secrets comes with an 8-week no-risk money back guarantee. If you don't gain muscle mass after 8 weeks, contact Jason and he’ll send you a full refund. No questions asked.

STRONGLIFTS BVBA © 2011 All Rights Reserved.

I've been following, off-and-on, 18-24hr fasts for the last 6 months or so. When I did it regularly, I lost weight and had much more energy (especially the day after breaking a fast).

Generally I start a fast after my midday meal, and break it with either a mid-morning snack or lunch the next day. Fasts include no calories at all, but plenty of water!

For some great, scientific info check out eatstopeat.com and the author's blog at BradPilon.com. Brad's basic premise is that, after 16 hours of zero calorie intake, your body's production of growth hormone increases rapidly, helping in fat release hormones etc. I'm no scientist, Brad explains it much better.

The idea is to eat a diet of good, whole foods and let the intermittent fasts take care of one's calorie deficit.

I'm gearing up to begin intermittent fasting again from this week to include 2 24-hr fasts a week. Based on past experience I expect to drop a good amount of weight, and also have plenty more energy for my lifting days. - Rokku.

Forum member Nburge asked how much weight Rokku lost on Eat Stop Eat and how long it took him. He also asked whether he would fast on workout days or the day before. Rokku's reply:

I didn't lose a great deal, but got down to 10lbs lighter than I am now (mind you, I'm quite fat). I think I probably lost 10lbs in a month or so. I never did any weights work while fasting, although I didn't do any heavy weights really at the time. I think, going forward, I will mainly be doing cardio on days where my evening training is mid-fast.

Providing my eating was clean(ish), weight loss happened straight away. I tend to lose 4-5lbs overnight, and can retain 1-2lbs of this over the next few days after beginning to eat again.

Hope this makes sense! - Rokku.

I fast the day before I lift weights and break the fast the morning before I go to the gym (2hours before). I also start the fast 1x per week post lifting, about 8h later on the same day.

Another question by Nburge: do you drink anything else than water during the fast when doing Eat Stop Eat? And what about 72h fasts?

I drink diet coke when I need something more exciting :) And one can drink black tea/coffee w/o sugar or sweetener. Basically, if it has 0 (or minimal) calories, it's free to have. On Eat Stop Eat's "plan", it's zero cals to ensure you hit that growth-hormone increase created from fasting.

Check this video from Brad Pilon where he covers how growth hormone helps burn fat:

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Note, you can get an increase in GH from intense exercise, too, obviously)

It's great to see IF being discussed here on SL :)

Regarding you fasting for ~72, why not two 24 hour fasts, with whatever healthy (or semi-healthy) food you can get otherwise? I think you'd get limited benefits after 36 hrs or so... - Rokku.

I drink water with or without apple cider vinegar during a fast. For weight loss, weight control or overall health, Brad Pilon recommends 1 or 2 fasts of 24h per week combined with strength training. No 72h fasts.

Last post by Rokku about Eat Stop Eat:

The trick when breaking one's fast is to eat like you never fasted in the first place (ie, don't eat pizza just because you think you 'earned' it -- something it took a while for me to learn!)

Pilon's approach is to do what's right for you; his aim is to break the obsessiveness around nutrition. Personally, I try and space my fasts out evenly during the week, but whatever feels right - sometimes I just decide to start fasting :)

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. I arranged a special offer with Brad Pilon for you. Order Eat Stop Eat today and you'll get 2 free eBooks on top of it. Here's what you'll get if you order today:

• Eat Stop Eat.The 90 pages eBook in which Brad debunks the myths on fasting, explains the benefits and will teach you exactly how to fast.
• How Much Protein. Debunks protein myths and teaches you how much protein you really need to build muscle. 121 pages eBook.
• 10 Day Diet Solution. How to get rid of bad eating habits – like overeating – in less than 2 weeks. This eBook counts 25 pages.

You’d normally pay 109,85$ for this package. But if you order today you’ll only pay 57$ and save 52,85$ (almost 50%).

• Click here to get the special Eat Stop Eat package today.

Eat Stop Eat comes with an 8-week risk free money-back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Brad and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in Eat Stop Eat.

You can also get Eat Stop Eat only or the Eat Stop Eat Advanced package which contains additional audio material. Both are available from Brad Pilon’s site, click here now for more info.

STRONGLIFTS BVBA © 2011 All Rights Reserved.

A few years later I tried Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet. On this diet you alternate daily 20h fasts with 4 hour feedings. I quit this diet after a few days because getting all your calories within a 4 hour time frame didn't suit my lifestyle.

I didn't give fasting much consideration after this. Until a few weeks ago while preparing the post How Many Meals Should You Eat Daily. Researching how meal frequency affects your metabolism got me interested in fasting again.

Studies show that eating every 3 hours doesn't increase your metabolism. Less frequent meals or fasting doesn't decrease your metabolism neither. Fasting can actually boost your metabolism during the first 36 hours.

But that wasn't why I wanted to give fasting another try.

Your Relation with Food. For years I ate healthy from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday I ate mostly junk foods. This is now called the Cheat Your Way Thin diet: eating junk food this way accelerates fat loss and keeps you motivated.

It kept me fit. But after 10 years of lifting and eating healthy, I came to a point where I preferred to live without junk food. I wasn't enjoying it anymore. And I was getting tired of the Sunday's bloating & laziness.

I knew that the 2 reasons for the junk food consumption on Sunday were my laziness to cook, but also a need for variety. It seemed I needed a break from cooking rituals and whole foods once a week.

I was solving this with the Sunday's junk food. And while it worked, it bothered me. Because it seemed this was nothing more than a habit. A bad habit. One I wasn't enjoying and which seemed tough to break.

Fasting. This is what eventually got me to fasting. Too lazy to cook on Sunday? I would fast from now on instead of eating junk food. Fasting also teaches you to control your hunger & cravings. Sounded perfect.

I started looking for books on fasting. I discovered there weren't a lot of useful ones. Most of them saw fasting only as a detox tool — advising fasting for up to 10 days — and didn't consider the perspective of weight lifters.

There were only 2 approaches that could work: Martin Berkhan's Leangains and Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat. I was tempted by Leangains, but since it's similar to the Warrior Diet (16/8h fast/feed vs. 20/4h), I wasn't sure I would like it.

More important: Martin Berkhan hasn't released a system on Leangains yet. So unless you apply to his coaching program, you'll have to read his blog & search forum posts to understand how it works.

Eat Stop Eat. A reader recommendation eventually made me go for Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat. And since I found the information inside it so helpful I decided to recommend it on StrongLifts.com. So I joined Brad's affiliate program.

Eat Stop Eat is a downloadable eBook. It counts 90 pages and has the most up to date research about fasting, 46 references to be exact. Brad debunks myths on fasting, gives you all the benefits and explains exactly how to fast.

Eat Stop Eat is easy to apply. The only thing you need to do is fast 1 or 2x a week for 24 hours. You choose which days fit you best. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from Eat Stop Eat:

• Lose Fat/Weight. Fasting 2x/week for 24h drops your calorie intake by 25%. It also boosts your fat burning hormones.
• Build Muscle. Fasting causes no muscle breakdown and doesn't slow down your metabolism. Brad debunks both myths in Eat Stop Eat.
• Break Food Addiction. Hunger & cravings are often more mental than physical. Fasting teaches you to control both.
• Save Money. Fasting 2x a week means 8 days per month less food. My monthly grocery bill dropped by about 20%.
• Increase Productivity. My fasting days are the most productive ones: no cooking, no eating, no need to worry about food, ...
• Increase Energy Levels. You won't feel tired or lethargic or weak at the gym. My trainings the day after fasting are often the best ones.

My Experience with Eat Stop Eat. I've been fasting 2x per week since almost 2 months. Sunday 8pm until Monday 8pm & Tuesday 8pm until Wednesday 8pm. I lift weights Tu/Th/Su, so 2x the day after fasting.

I haven't experienced any strength loss. I actually feel stronger the day after fasting. I asked Brad if he had an explanation for this. His reply:

The fact that you no longer worry about nutrition, or put as much... dependency ... into your nutrition, would let you concentrate on what really matters...

I've only lost about 1lbs/0,5kg. But that's because I eat more carbs to meet my caloric needs. Body fat hasn't increased although carb intake is higher. Grocery bill has dropped by 20%. Sunday's junk fests are history.

The biggest benefit for me is increased productivity. I get more work done on the days I fast. Main reason is that those days are longer: no cooking and no eating saves me 3h/day. And I don't need to worry about food.

Eat Stop Eat & StrongLifts 5x5. If you're doing StrongLifts 5x5, here's how your week could look like this when you do Eat Stop Eat:

• Monday: StrongLifts 5x5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Tuesday: rest + 8 nutrition rules
• Wednesday: StrongLifts 5x5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Thursday: rest + fast
• Friday: StrongLifts 5x5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Saturday: rest + 8 nutrition rules
• Sunday: rest + fast

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. I reached out to Brad and told him I found the information in Eat Stop Eat useful so I wanted to recommend it on StrongLifts.com. I asked him if he could come up with some special deal.

Brad agreed. As a StrongLifts.com reader, here's what you'll get:

• Eat Stop Eat. The 90 pages eBook in which Brad debunks the myths on fasting, explains the benefits and will teach you exactly how to fast.
  
• How Much Protein.Debunks protein myths and teaches you how much protein you really need to build muscle. 121 pages eBook.
• 10 Day Diet Solution. How to get rid of bad eating habits - like overeating - in less than 2 weeks. This eBook counts 25 pages.

You'd normally pay 109,85$ for this package. But if you order today you'll only pay 57$ and save 52,85$ (almost 50%).

Click here to get the special Eat Stop Eat package today.

Eat Stop Eat comes with an 8-week risk free money-back guarantee. If you don't like it, contact Brad and you'll get your full money back. I'm confident, however, that you'll like the information in Eat Stop Eat.

You can also get Eat Stop Eat only or the Eat Stop Eat Advanced package which contains additional audio material. Both are available from Brad Pilon's site, click here now for more info.

STRONGLIFTS BVBA © 2011 All Rights Reserved.

One of my biggest influences when it comes to strength training is Eric Cressey. Years ago, his articles helped me fix my back & shoulder injuries by pointing me out to the importance of posture, mobility & balanced training programs.

April this year I heard Cressey had a book coming up: Maximum Strength. I was familiar with his other products like Magnificent Mobility DVD, so I pre-ordered Maximum Strength without hesitation. Here's the review.

Who's Eric Cressey? Eric Cressey, MS, CSCS is a strength coach and owner of Cressey Performance in Boston, MA. He's also a competitive powerlifter: 400lbs Bench Press, 500lbs Squat and 650lbs Deadlift in the 180lbs category.

Cressey works with athletes of all kind, but mostly baseball athletes. They call him the "shoulder guy" or the "mobility guy" because he can not only get you stronger, he can also make you lift pain- and injury-free again.

Maximum Strength. Tagline reads "Get your strongest body in 16 weeks with the ultimate weight-training program". Maximum Strength counts 12 chapters, 190 photos & 227 pages. Table of contents:

• Foreword by Dr. John Berardi (from Precision Nutrition)
• Introduction
• 1. Why Stronger is Better
• 2. Building Strength
• 3. Maximum Strength Program Overview
• 4. What to Expect
• 5. Maximum Strength Warm-ups
• 6. Phase 1: Foundation
• 7. Phase 2: Build
• 8. Phase 3: Growth
• 9. Phase 4: Peak
• 10. Nutrition for Maximum Strength
• 11. The Muscle Between Your Ears
• 12. Maximum Strength for Life

Introduction. Maximum Strength starts with Eric Cressey's background. How he got into weight lifting doing bodybuilding routines before switching to strength training, and the changes in physique & mindset which occurred.

His point: always train for strength instead of size, even if size is your goal. Get stronger to build muscle, lose fat and live healthier. If you're a regular reader of StrongLifts.com, this will sound familiar.

1. Why Stronger Is Better. In the 1st chapter Eric Cressey compares strength training with bodybuilding. You get 6 reasons to train for strength instead of for size, even if size is your goal.

• Why strength training is more time-efficient
• Why strength training is more useful in the real world
• Why strength training is more motivating
• Why strength training is a faster way to build muscle
• Why strength training is a better way to build self-confidence

2. Building Strength. The 2nd chapter further compares training for strength vs training for size. You get a lot of theory, but Cressey manages to explain things in layman's terms. Some things you'll learn inside chapter 2:

• How does strength training differ from bodybuilding in terms of training?
• The dense vs. pump look: how does your training affect your physique?
• What makes muscle grow? What makes muscle strong?
• The different methods you can use to build strength

Maximum Strength: phase I program overview

3. Maximum Strength Program Overview. Maximum Strength starts with a strength test on the Box Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Chin-up and Broad Jump. 16 weeks later you'll end the program by doing the same test & compare.

• 4 Day Routine. Monday & Friday lower-body, Wednesday & Saturday upper-body. Each day starts with soft tissue work & mobility exercises. The workload varies from week to week: high, medium, very high, low.
• Cardio. HIIT, slow-and-steady or light-intensity exercises. Cressey explains which one you should do based on your bodytype and how.
• 4 phases. Each phase lasts 4 weeks. Phase 1 accustoms you to heavy weights. Phase 2 includes cluster training. Phase 3 increases muscle size. And phase 4 has you lift loads above 90% 1RM for single-rep sets.

Chapter 3 ends with information on what equipment you need to do Maximum Strength: Squat Rack, barbells, dumbbells, pull-up bar, bench, foam roller, ...

4. What to Expect. Chapter 4 answers how much stronger Maximum Strength will get you in 16 weeks. Cressey gives you results of his past clients. This is a strength training program, so the results aren't surprising:

• Increased Strength. Chris Paul, 31, increased his Deadlift from 385lbs to 435lbs, Box Squat 315lbs to 395lbs & Bench Press 265lbs to 295lbs.
• Increase Muscle Mass. Majority of people doing Maximum Strength gain about 7lbs muscle. Not body-weight, muscle.
• Lowered Body Fat. Ryan Gleason, 24, dropped from 244lbs to 237lbs. Body fat went from 23% to 19% while he increased his strength.
• Improved Posture & Mobility. This is thanks to the soft tissue work, mobility exercises and exercise choice. Expect old injuries to disappear.

Maximum Strength: Soft Tissue Work

5. Maximum Strength Warm-ups. Each Maximum Strength session starts with a 10-15min warm-up which consists of soft tissue work and mobility exercises. Chapter 5 starts with the benefits of both.

• Soft Tissue Work. How to do soft tissue work for 10 different muscles using the foam roller/tennis ball. Pictures & instructions included.
• +20 Mobility Exercises. Static stretches, glute activation, hip mobility, ankle mobility, shoulder-blades, ... Always with pictures and technique.
• 2 Warm-up Routines. Cressey put the exercises together for you into 2 routines. Alternate between both each session.

Maximum Strength: Mobility Exercises

6-9. The 4 Phases. Chapter 6-9 of Maximum Strength counts 100 pages. Every chapter consists of training schedule and cardio recommendations for each of the 4 phases. Technique is explained using text & pictures for 84 exercises.

• Squat. Box Squat, Front Squat, Anderson Front Squat, ...
• Bench Press. Close Grip Bench Press, Floor Press, Pin Press, ...
• Deadlift. Rack Pulls, Snatch Grip Deadlifts, Suitcase Deadlifts, ...
• Rows. 1-arm Db Row, Chest Supported Row, Inverted Rows, ...
• Abs. Pallof Press, Bar Rollouts, Side Bridges, Reverse Crunches, ...
• Biceps. Zottman Curls, Db Hammer Curls (Get the book to know why).
• Single Leg Work. Bulgarian Squats, Walking Db Lunges, 1-leg Squats, ...
• and much, much more

Maximum Strength: Sumo Deadlift & Barbell Reverse Lunge with Front-Squat Grip

10. Nutrition for Maximum Strength. Chapter 10 is about nutrition. Cressey recommends you to follow the guidelines from Precision Nutrition when doing the Maximum Strength program.

• 10 Eating Habits. These come straight form John Berardi's Precision Nutrition program. Eat every 3 hours, eat protein with each meal, etc
• Example Meal Plans. One meal plan in case you train in the morning, another if you train in the evening.
• Supplements. 4 supplements you can consider with Maximum Strength, and 5 you should absolutely avoid.

11. The Muscle Between Your Ears. Eric Cressey holds several state, national and world records in power lifting. Chapter 11 of Maximum Strength shares his views on building the right mindset for weight lifting.

• 5 tips to get in The Zone
• What to think about during a lift
• Your training environment: training partners, gym atmosphere, ...
• How to deal with setbacks: lack of motivation, fatigue, injuries, ...

12. Maximum Strength for Life. Maximum Strength takes 16 weeks. In the last chapter Eric Cressey gives you 10 tips you can apply after you've finished his program. Some of these tips include:

• Why you should always set quantifiable goals
• Why you should pull more than you push
• Why you should do single-leg work

What I Liked About Maximum Strength. Maximum Strength is one of the best books I've read so far in 2008. I picked up several things to apply to my own training, and those of the ones I train. What I liked most:

• Exercise Technique. Maximum Strength teaches you correct technique for about 100 exercises.
• Soft Tissue Work. Maximum Strength is the first book I know of that explains how to use foam rollers/tennis balls for soft tissue work.
• +20 Mobility Exercises. Half come straight out of Magnificent Mobility & Inside/out DVDs. Some exercises like the Split-stance Broomstick Pec Mobilization were new to me, but already favorites.
• The Routine. Variety, focus on injury prevention and great choice of exercises: Anderson Front Squats, single leg work, external rotations, ...

What I Didn't Like About Maximum Strength. There should have been a test to see if you're ready for this routine. Maximum Strength isn't for beginners. If you can't Squat 1.5x your body-weight for 1 rep, build some base strength first.

However as a beginner you could start with the soft tissue work & mobility exercises. Especially if you have nagging pains or lack flexibility. The nutrition & mindset chapters also provide good information you could use as a beginner.

Try Maximum Strength Risk-Free for 30 Days. Maximum Strength comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. If after 30 days you feel you haven’t learned anything reading the book, return it and you get every cent back.

Click here to get Maximum Strength from Amazon.

STRONGLIFTS BVBA © 2011 All Rights Reserved.