Heavy Hammer Gym

Insane Training

Title: Insane Training: Garage Training, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, and All-Out Bad-Ass Workouts

Published: October 2014, St. Martin’s Griffin books

Author: Matt Kroczaleski

-World champion/record holding powerlifting as well as a NPC bodybuilder. 220 lb class world record holder: 2552 lbs: 1003 lb squat, 738 lb bench, and 810 lb deadlift.

Main Theme: Discusses how to lift for maximum strength, use any equipment to train, push yourself to the limits, work through plateaus, and “become the ultimate INSANE TRAINING beast!” (back cover)

Content Summary: Explores the 3 main lifts, expands on more versatile equipment and training techniques, and includes many full length sample programs.

Content Analysis: This book is very organized and easy to read. Uses great wordage and not many editorial errors. It is full of great quotes such as the one on pg. 8

“…I’m referring not only to the correct use of form but also proper weight selection, intelligent programming, appropriate assistance exercises, and knowledge of how changes in technique affect both the primary muscles used and the amount of weight that can be moved.”

Many sample programs show the insane style of training. Discusses proper resistance band training in Chapter 5 more in-depth than other sources. Gives good PR for www.elitefts.com and www.mattkroc.com. Only 2 negative things. Some people could say (not this reviewer) is that the book contains too many programs and doesn’t focus enough on 1 or 2. This is Kroc’s style. Mix it up and train insane. But, the cover and title imply odd-shaped implement training and not much is said about this. I expected more on this end of things in addition to barbell and dumbbell training.

Conclusion: Overall I would highly recommend this book for intermediate to advanced athletes looking to better themselves with intense programming opportunities.

The Strongest Man That Ever Lived (Louis Cyr)

Title: The Strongest Man That Ever Lived (Louis Cyr)

Published: 1927 originally, reproduced in2011 by StrongmanBooks.com

Author: George F. Jowett

– Founder and President of American Continental Weight-Lifters (ACWL), Convinced the AAU to adopt Olympic weight lifting as an official amateur sport in the USA. Editor of Strength magazine from 1925 to 1927, author of many books including “The Key to Might and Muscle.” Jowett published his own magazine “The Bodybuilder” from 1936 to 1937 (10 issues), He also sold a physical culture course entitles Jowett’s Body Sculpture. He advised both Bob Hoffman and Joe Weider in the early days of their respective magazines.

Main Theme: Author’s personal (but informed) opinion that“…chronicles his [Cyr’s] life and many feats of strength that led him to the title of The Strongest Man That Ever Lived.” (back cover)

Content Summary: Covers the life of Louis Cyr from birth to death. Recounts major feats of strength in the old-time strongman circuit of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Content Analysis: Contains information that is probably unknown to the average person and even to the intermediate strength athlete. This biography is done in a very personal and “story-telling” style. The book is very elegantly written, such as the quote on pg. 36

“Then dawned the year of 1891, the epoch-making year in the annals of strengthdom, which brought together from all parts of the universe rivals of immeasurable quality who were to meet and write their names indelibly upon the sands of time…These were the feast years for the sons of Hercules, Titan, Vulcan, Anak, Atlas, and Samson, and around their heroic forms and deeds romance has wrapped a cloak of enthralling magic…caused the primitive seeds of Adam to struggle to the surface for a little while to remind many of us of our utter inefficiency, but, nevertheless, kindled the idealism with us to admire and deify the man that God made.”

The only bad things about the book are some editorial and spelling errors and the fact that the author is not a native English speaker. It is slightly noticeable that English is a second language to the author and that makes a few sections harder to read.

Conclusion: Overall this is a great book for anyone interested in the history of strength competition. It very organized and tells the story of a great man. I highly recommend this book.

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.