I just got his new “Modern Trends…” and here is what it contains.
for anyone who has his “Strength Training Theory” course from a few years back, save you money, alot of the stuff is verbatim. Very disappointing from that regard.
The main reason to buy it would be for the final chapter on his top 10 methods for increasing strength, But again for his regular readers over the past five years, this is a repeat.
handy to have in one volume though, but nothing a little work on a wordprocessor couldn’t do.
As the title suggests, it only covers rep and set selection, for those who have been around for a while it is probably not worth buying. for those new to the game it would be a valuble addition, but the “Principles” would cover most of the work and more anyway.
I know I’m not the only one, but isn’t it dissappointing that every much awaited publication by him is just reapeated works?
The principles contained heaps of his MM stuff, this book is the same, and I fear that his “Arms” book could just be a collection of his previous work, eg. Arms Race MM series, swiss ball arms workout, etc.
I love his work, but it is starting to suck when you pay good money for old stuff.
I got an advanced copy of “Modern Trends” at a Poliquin seminar in October. I didn’t have his “Strength Training theory” book, so the first two chapters were new to me. But I agree, the third chapter with the routines I remembered from T-mag articles.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the arm book was a re-hash of older stuff either. I think he did so many articles before the books when mayve he should have done it the other way around. I know I definitely hate to pay my money for something I could read online for free!
Thanks for the update, fellas. I will probably still purchase the book. I’m a Poliquin-neophyte and can’t get enough of the guy. Does he insert his side comments and jokes like the Principles? It was great to have some humor added in with some valuable info.
I don’t think the book is that bad! I haven’t finished the whole thing, but so far it’s pretty good. Yes, some of the stuff is from older articles (5/4/3/2/1 method, etc). But for someone interested in working on maximal strength, but not sure what set and rep ranges to use, it’s a pretty good read. Sure, if you’ve been doing this for years then maybe the book isn’t that valuable. But overall, it seems to contain good information all in one spot. Rather than having to sift through various articles or whatever. I recommended it to a friend who plays baseball. Because strength is one area he is lacking. And for someone fairly new to the weight training game, this book would be very valuable to him for increasing his strength.
I was thinking of buying that book. Can you tell me how much is taken from his work on t-mag and MM2K? Also, can you tell me how big the book is? It’s bad he doesn’t list the number of pages on his website.
It seems like CP is pretty good with the cut and paste functions on the computer. He should give up writing because he’s too busy training athletes. People will buy this for the name recognition and will seriously be ripped off.
For the most part, the book contains many things that Poliquin has talked about here and there. But now you have it all together in one place. So it is useful. I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s better written than Poliquin Principles, and contains good information. Any articles in T-mag that Poliquin wrote about set/rep schemes are in this book. Stuff like Cluster training, wave loading, 1-6 principle, 5x5, 5/4/3/2/1 and a few other variations. Look, if you want to get strong and are not sure what set/rep combos to use, this book will help you out. No, it’s not as good as other books available. But it’s another point of reference.
If you already have "Get Buffed" and "How to Write Strength Training Programs" by King, "Strength Training for Martial Artists" by Staley, Training for Speed by Francis and Poliquin Principles, then maybe you should think about adding this to your collection. I've read a lot of books. And this one belongs with the above. But some of the above are better than Modern Trends. So it depends on what you're looking for and if you can afford the measly $30. Hey, I paid that much for Combat Conditioning, and it only contains black and white photos and descriptions with a few pages of Q&A's and sample routines. And I think it was worth every damn penny! Jeez, you guys bash Poliquin. He has something to contribute as many others do to. I like to have a library of knowledge and various points of reference, so for me the book isn't that bad.
Here is some advice, if you really want too advance your knowledge skip this book and go for his Strength Training Theory course.
It is more expensive, but not only covers everything in this book, but I assume what will be in the future volumes.
This book is basically a cut and paste of some of the chapters in this course.
Plus you get a certificate if you pass the multi choice exam at the end.
It’s a great course covering not just sets and reps, but, duration,frequency, rest periods, exercise selection, exercise order, specificity, plyometrics, core training, flexibilty, periodization, and more.
It is an invaluable text, covering all areas of strength training, not just two specifics.
It’s about $99, but well worth the extra.
The book will leave the novice strength athlete with more questions, and not equip them with enough information to construct the most effective programs, and will leave the experienced lifter wanting more. The course answers almost everythinng and will more than satisfy the reader.
I don’t want to come off as sounding dissapointed, because I have got most of my best information from Poliquin, and alot of it free, but it is dissapointing when you wait for ages for a book, anticipating some new information, and you continually get the same stuff you have already read, sometime verbatim!
I’m still awaitin his arms book, don’t think it will be coming with the video mentioned in T-Mag ages ago.
Remember when Phillips said years ago that he was making a video with Poliquin and that it would be free to all readers of MM?
Still waiting…
I for one would gladly pay money to get video/videos on some of his techniques. Anyone else?
Look–I respect Charles’ work. Or used to. I too have the books that you mentioned Nate. I also have some more scientific ones by Siff, Zatsiorsky, Kurz, etc.
CP makes $$ off people who are attached to his name. If you want his work, print off all his articles and put them in a binder. Save $30. I don’t understand Nate Dogg and Timbo. You guys are so jacked that you think you owe him if he prints a book, or recommends a supplement. You guys would eat cat-food if it were recommended by Charles himself. C’mon, act indepently.
Let’s get more objective here and call it crap when we see it.
I too was disapointed. I have collected most his articles and have his first book. I could have put together the book myself just from his other articles. I was hoping for some newer ideas. Does anyone know if he plans other volumes? Oh well I seem to lean towards Charles Staley’s advice lately. His last few articles I feel have been both new and inovating.
jd…you’re right, bud. I don’t know about the cat crap;-) part, but I tend to drool over just about everything the guy prints. I guess it’s the way he approaches things. I even bought that piece of garbage, Manly Weight Loss, simply because Poliquin wrote it. As a matter of fact, I’m about (and was at the time) 5-6% bodyfat, so I really don’t have any use for it. I take the criticism without reserve. It’s like having a favorite band and buying every single one of their albums regardless of how good or bad people say they are. Coach Poliquin really opened my eyes up to some things, and since then I just like to get my hands on everything that I can of his. I have not yet purchased this volume and because of the vast criticism have not yet made a decision. However, the Principles has been an invaluable tool for me in designing my own and other’s workout programs. I agree with you though, that my horizons should be expanded, and I should open my bodybuilding library up to some more proven, scientific info. I truly appreciate the criticism, as I feel it’s constructive, and for encouraging me to be more objective:-)
wrecker…is the strength training theory that you’re speaking of a seminar, or is it something that can be purchased (a manual)?
It appears that I am unable to post the site where you can get the Strength Training Course/manual.
Must be covered under rule 2: No promo or advertising.
Anyway it is a manual, I got it 3 years ago, and the new book is basically the first 3 chapters, verbatim.
Do a search using “goggle” and you should find it. Someone looking to be “Slim and Fit” shouild ahve luck
Wrecker, I know what site you’re referring too. I almost purchased that certification course a few months ago but wasn’t sure if it was worth the money.
And no, I wouldn’t eat cat food if Poliquin recommended it! I don’t go by any of his nutrition recommendations. Okay, I’ll agree with you that most of the stuff can be found in previous work. So it’s not really anything new. But like I said, it’s all in one place. So it’s convenient. I think Poliquin has something to offer, and I like to have a library of various books. And I purchased many other books, and recommend many other books, before this one. I don’t owe Poliquin anything. He owes me something for selling crappy books (Poliquin Principles, Manly Weight Loss). It’s all good though. There are many other books I’d recommend before getting this one. It’s just something else to add to my collection. And at least it’s written better and has all the information in one, easy-to-read book. You know?
(Don’t know if this will get posted but…) Nate and wrecker can you guys give a little more precise name to the site where you can get this book? Could you write the name of the site without the “.com”? I tried searching for it the way wrecker suggested but I couldn’t get anything. Thanks guys.
Just type “slimandfit” as the web site address. You’ll find it, along with a few of Polquin’s stuff. Hope that helps! You can’t hint it any better than that unless you add .com to it!
Wrecker, I totally agree with you. I’ve said before on other threads that there would be a good market for a Poliquin Seminar video, or something along those lines. Everyone who attends the seminars seems to get a lot out of them, while the people who buy his books are often disappointed. But I disagree with jd that assembling all his T-Mag (and other) articles, printing them out and binding them will end up saving many people much. Figure your time, man! What’s minimum wage in the States now, 7 bucks an hour or something? I bet you’d spend more than four and a half hours to do all the searching, printing and collating…
Poliquin did take strength training aticles to a new level. But his booksonly give you bits of information. I found Ian King’s “Get Buffed” to not only present more information but tie it all together for practical use. If you don’t have this book, buy it instead.
Nate D and Timbo–I’m glad you posted about what I thought about this. Every once in a while, we all need to be put in our place. I was buck wild about him a few years ago, but the more I read, the sillier all this guru status of various strength coaches becomes. Just keep reading/learning, and apply the info to your own life. Peace.
Chris Chardon–First off, minimum wage is $5.15. 2nd, I wouldn’t print all his articles straight. Maybe a few here and there. It would take a few days with a laid back attitude. My point was to buy another useful book instead of wasting $$ on primarily previous articles. One could simply archive his info for less dough. But, if you need to have that book, even though you can find the same info on t-mag, then spend the $30. I can find other things to spend my $$ on. Thanks.