Training For Speed, Power and Strength

"My clients found that they had quicker and stronger increases in their training. A great source of information for both my clients and my own personal training."Dan Coughlan, Personal Trainer, Ontario, Canada

Serious athletes don't need reminding of the importance of sports conditioning. They know it's not enough nowadays simply to put in hundreds of hours of basic training - be it on the bike, on the track, in the pool or on the court.

To compete at your very best, you need to build the appropriate strength, power and speed elements into your conditioning regime. That's what gives you the extra edge you need to excel at your sport.

In this 89-page workbook John Shepherd and Raphael Brandon dissect the major current debates in sports conditioning, analyse the very latest scientific findings - then spell out in plain English their significance for the serious athlete. Every page of this brand new report draws on the latest evidence-based thinking in sports science research - new findings that probably won't percolate through to the general sporting press for many, many months, if they make it at all.

It's a rare opportunity to assess the latest thinking on sports conditioning for yourself, and decide how best to integrate it into your regular training regime.

What are the best weight-training exercises for swimmers wanting to Maximize strength and power?

What steps can masters athletes take to reverse age-related deterioration in speed?

What's the best way for you to encourage fast-twitch muscle fibre development?

What are the new techniques you can use to 'fast-forward' your speed conditioning to a new level?

Postage & packing is free. And you've got 30 days to decide whether or not you want to keep the book or return it for a full refund.

Are you as fast as you'd like to be?

Speed. We all want more of it, whether we're 100m sprinters or marathon runners. After all, is it any more frustrating to lose a track event in the last two metres, or a marathon in the last two hundred yards?

However, it is often assumed that those blessed with great speed or strength are born with a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibres, and that no amount of speed work (or neuronal stimulation) will turn a cart-horse into a race horse.

But, in fact, fast-twitch fibres are fairly evenly distributed between the muscles of sedentary people, with most possessing 45-55% of both fast- and slow-twitch varieties. That means few of us are inherently destined for any particular type of sports activity, and how we develop will depend mostly on two factors:

In Training for Speed, Power and Strength we shed new light on how you can get the utmost speed out of your system through the appropriate training techniques.

For example, we describe acceleration techniques used by elite sprinters like Maurice Greene that you too can use to stimulate neuromuscular activity. And we describe several basic mechanical devices, hitherto used only by elite athletes to assist their speed conditioning programmes, that you can easily put to work for you.

Is your weight-training regime specific enough for your sport, and your event?

It has long been accepted that weight training (and the right strength training programme) can improve performance for aerobic athletes. But it's crucial to select the right exercises, perform them at the right intensity and place them within a progressive and carefully structured weights programme.

In Training for Speed, Power and Strength we show you how to weight train for explosive power. First we draw on the "inside secrets' of two leading sports coaches: Olympic rowing coach, Terry O'Neil, and Charles van Commenee, UK Athletics' multi-events and jumps coach.

O'Neil describes a weight training programme that mirrors his athletes' race requirements as closely as possible. Crucially, he also explains how to structure the programme within a 6-week training microcycle so as to Maximize the sports-specific transference of speed and power and avoid what he calls "physiological confusion" i.e. targeting two different physiological goals at the same time.

Then, UK Athletics coach Charles van Commenee sets out the principles underlying his weight training techniques for achieving explosive power. He explains his training methodology in terms of hormonal response to the overload situation, and explains the importance both of exercise relevance and recovery.

Finally, we set out six weight training tips for enhancing performance, whatever your chosen sport.

Do you have adequate power in reserve - even in the closing stages of your event?

Wherever you look in the world of top-class sport, power counts; and one of the best ways of developing this most precious commodity is through plyometric training.

Plyometric exercises are based on the understanding that a concentric (shortening) muscular contraction is much stronger it immediately follows an eccentric (lengthening) contraction the same muscle. It's a bit like stretching out a coiled spring to its fullest extent and then letting it go: immense levels of energy are released in a split second as the spring recoils.

Plyometric exercises develop this recoil or, more technically, the stretch/reflex capacity in a muscle. With regular exposure to this training stimulus, muscle fibre should be able to store more elastic energy and transfer more quickly and powerfully from the eccentric to the concentric phase.

However, to get the best out of plyometrics you need adequate preconditioning. And that's where weight training can play a crucual role.

Moreover, when it comes to selecting the right plyometric moves, the coach or athlete needs to consider the specifics of their sport, the athlete's maturity, his level of pre-conditioning and his ability to pick up what can be a complex skill.

In Training for Speed, Power and Strength we show you how to build plometrics into your existing training regime - and to do so safely, with the minimum risk of injury.

We also set out a periodised plometrics training course, explaining which exercises should be performed in the appropriate phase, paying particular attention to volume and intensity.

You can order a special review copy of Training for Speed, Power and Strength today. Fill in the form below to get a special 33% discount, with free postage:

The information is covered by our ‘no risk’ guarantee: read your copy and if you don’t agree you will improve performance significantly with our training and workout programmes, you’ll receive a full refund on request.

Printed on heavy high-quality paper in handy A5 format (approximate size 8 inches by 6 inches), and covered with a long-lasting laminate, it’s just right for slipping into sports bag or briefcase or as a present for a friend. The review price is just $39.99 (approx £19.99) with FREE post and packing - a 33% discount off the official price of $59.99. You can order it instantly by filling in the form below:

"I have been so impressed that I have asked the Librarian of our National Sports Institute to place an order for all of the titles currently on your list." Robert Morford, National Sports Institute, Malaysia.