The author, who is well known in conditioning circles, has penned a how-to text that covers a wide spectrum of conditioning activities. The book is well illustrated with many photos and is divided into 33 chapters. The first 5 chapters give the reader a background of the author’s extensive experience as an athlete and coach, along with a brief history of strength and conditioning focusing on weightlifting. The next 7 chapters focus on program design, and it is here that the author’s European background becomes evident in the areas of warm-up, general physical preparation and restoration.

Chapters 13 to 25 are the heart of the book and contain a wide variety of strength and conditioning programs from novice to elite level. The author has made famous many of the dumbbells complexes and circuits over the years. Again, the area of general physical preparation is well addressed with many innovative exercise regimes. The trunk and torso routines are very challenging in part because the authors’ gymnastic background. Chapter 26 contains a listing of the various exercises along with photos of each exercise. The author has myriad exercise variations that the reader can use to add variety to any conditioning program. Over 200 variations of dumbbell exercises and complexes are included. Chapter 27 – 29 concentrate on competitive weightlifting. Descriptions, technique progressions, and novice and advanced programs are presented. The next two chapters contain innovative material on wheelchair training and “at your desk” training for office workers. The author concludes with chapters on reconditioning and outlining a weight training class.

Because this is a how–to text, the author does not include a lot of research material. This book will appeal to anyone looking for innovative approaches to strength and conditioning. Its strength is in the area of general physical preparation and variety of routines for all ages and for all types and level of fitness