Lifting Is Life: Everything Else Is Excuses
Title: Lifting Is Life: Everything Else Is Excuses
Author: Bruce T. Ballog
– Holds certification in USA Weightlifting (2003), National Strength and Conditioning Association (2012), teaching and coaching
Main Theme: “How the pursuit of strength through weightlifting enhances the full scope of ones existence.” (back cover)
Content Summary: Some chapter topics include getting started in a weightlifting program, the basics of diet, nutrition, and supplementation, pain and injury, gender and age restrictions, and sample workout programs.
Content Analysis: Contains a lot of information that is common in the weightlifting scene. Includes some well-worded motivational quotes.
For example, pg. 4, “Weightlifting has the appearance of being purely physical. However, it involves the full scope of ones being. It becomes a self -sustaining symbiotic union of mind and muscle, achievement and goals. It thrives on enthused discipline and is absolutely impartial in granting benefits and rewards. “
Pg. 27, “Patience, practice, and persistence mark the path of progress.”
The book covers the benefits of specific exercise, however I feel it sells itself short on the exercises it recommends. The book really only advocates 4 major exercises: back squat, overhead press, dumbbell row, and dumbbell bench press. The repetition and percentage charts are very accurate to other sources. The book does a great job describing the motion groups: Grounding Group, Push Group Chest, Push Group Shoulders, and Pull Group. The biggest issue in this book is the amount of editorial misses/errors. There are multiple run-on sentences, incorrect uses of there, their, and they’re, many grammatical errors, and poor sentence structure.
Conclusion: Overall the information in the book is great. It is laid out well and discusses many valid points. The book could have been better with more thoughtful proofreading and edits. I still highly recommend this book.
Heavy Hammer Gym 