Strength and power are essential attributes for any martial artist, affecting everything from how hard you punch to how high you jump. Whether your goal is to defeat an opponent in the ring or on the street, the stronger you are, the better the odds of walking away as the victor.

Strength and Power Training For Martial Arts is a total approach to building your strength base. Learn how to use free weights, machines, body weight exercises and plyometrics to build your muscles while increasing speed and flexibility. Each muscle group is discussed in detail - how it’s used in martial arts, how to develop it, which exercises are most effective, and most importantly, how to take advantage of anatomical strengths when striking, blocking, kicking and grappling.

Beyond muscular strength, this book looks at the concepts of cardiovascular strength endurance, the impact of flexibility on strength, mental approaches to training, and the anatomy, physics and biomechanics of power. Strength and Power Training For Martial Arts wraps up with training plans for karate, taekwondo, hapkido, judo, jujitsu, aikido, muay thai/kickboxing and mixed martial arts as well as advice on designing your own personalized strength training plan.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Not all that useful
If you already have even a minimal background in sports and fitness, I would not recommend spending the money to buy this book. While it is informative and well written, I found that I already knew most of the material even though I have no formal education in sports and fitness - I just got into weightlifting on my own and figured things out, sometimes by watching what other people in the gym were doing. However, if you are totally clueless when it comes to strength training, then this book would probably be useful for you.

5 Stars A Little Brief In Some Areas, But Overall Packed With Good Information!
Let me start off by saying that this book was literally packed with good solid information on resistance training for martial artists. Are there better books on resistance training? Yes, and there are also some that are a lot worse that are written by bodybuilders themselves, so that point is actually pretty mute at this point. Perhaps the better question would be, “Is there any better books on resistance training for martial artists?” I truly don’t know as of the writing of this review, but suffice to say that if there is, then this book has got to be right up there with them.

The author begins the book by providing some really good background information before delving right into the “meat and potatoes” part of this book by covering a wide array of subjects such as; cardio, flexibility, resistance training, plyometrics, etc. Although the author goes into a fairly detailed explanation of a lot of the exercises, I felt that there were a few were the accompanying text was a bit brief. However, having said that, that is to be expected in a book with this type of format where the author is trying to give you a wide variety of techniques and exercises to perform.

Although there are a lot of other books out there that do cover the individual types of exercises to a much greater degree, this book is a very well done basic overview of the exercises that any person should do in order to improve not only their martial arts skill, but also their overall health and well-being.

Here are a couple of other books that I also recommend on the subject of resistance training.

Starting Strength (2nd edition)

Practical Programming for Strength Training

Shawn Kovacich

Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

5 Stars Awesome book for functional strength
I am not a martial artist but I am very well educated about health and fitness matters. I am also very fit. This book has taken my routines to a much more beneficial level in terms of having useful strength and power.

2 Stars For Beginners Only
I have been doing martial arts for almost six years and bought this book looking for new ways to develop speed and strength that directly relate to martial arts. I found the book to be very elementary, it lists different suggested workouts for different arts, but they are just a different combination of simple exercises such as pushups and body weight squats. If you have never done martial arts or followed a workout plan before, this is a good beginner book. If you’re already working out or have been doing martial arts for more than a year, I’d look elsewhere.

4 Stars Good strength trainign book
This book does and will provide the information you need to plan your strength training. I found it to be very help in targetting the areas I needed help with. If you are training this book is a great refernce.

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Semper Fit! Get in fighting shape with the US Marines.

From the Halls of Montezuma to the caves of the Taliban, the United States Marine Corps is the toughest fighting force in the world. This authentic inside look at the physical training programs of the United States Marine Corps is guaranteed to get you in the best shape of your life. Whether you are a Marine, plan to be a Marine, or just want to be as tough as a Marine, you’ll discover how to get in top physical condition. From Recruit Basic Training on Parris Island to Officers Candidate School at Quantico, you’ll experience firsthand the rigorous physical regimens that turn ordinary people into extraordinary Marines.

You’ll discover:

• The Marine Corps Daily 16, an innovative workout you can do at home or at sea—with no equipment required
• Plenty of photos of Boot Camp and OCS like you’ve never seen before, including the awesome obstacle course
• Detailed information about Marine fitness requirements and guidance on how to become a Marine…if you’re up to the challenge.

Since its first publication in 1999, The United States Marine Corps Workout has been used by thousands of military and civilian fitness enthusiasts to achieve the highest levels of physical fitness. Now updated to include the changes that have taken place in the Marine training regimen in recent years, The United States Marine Corps Workout represents the very latest in military fitness research.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Solid workout book.
I liked this book. To complement what other reviewers wrote, the book has actual day by day schedule of Marine boot camp pt exersices. It highlights the difference between OCS at Quantico and Parris Island/San Diego recruit training. In addition to daily 16 it has workout schemes for different time schedules. The photos were useful, as many would concentrate on a particular machine or exersice and show it from various viewpoints.

David

3 Stars Simple & graphic
This book is well written, easy to use and read. This simple and short volume is best thought of as a graphical “how to perform the movements” exercise guide. I recommend it for anyone.

5 Stars Great book
I think the book is excellent for anyone interested in personal fitness, regardless of whether or not they have joined or will join the marine corp. The stretches, explanations, and workouts seem to be carefully reviewed by professional physiologists and excercise scientists, but I dont know if that is really the case. the nutritional information is solid. It gives insights into boot camp and the marines life.

4 Stars It’s got some uses
The 16-day workout plan and the exercise tutorials are good. A lot of the book has no use to the average home user. Unless you have access to a military training ground. It does highlight some of the stuff you will do in boot camp.

5 Stars Great gift idea!
My husband is a Phys Ed teacher and loves to work out so he purchased this book and LOVES IT! I recently found out that my 18 year old brother is swearing in to the Marines so I sent him a copy to prep for boot camp. Anyone who swears into any branch of the military deserves a gift and you can’t find one much better than this one!

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This revolutionary weight-loss program combines the science of Nautilus training with the principles of sound nutrition and provides a total, step-by-step plan to burn body fat by building muscle. 230 photos.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A balanced, healthy diet without suffering
I went on this diet about ten years ago, and went from a dress size 12 to a size 6. I know it works. I am planning to get on it again after my child is born. I want my old body back!

4 Stars Great book
This is a great book. I have lost many pounds using the methods in the book. But I replace his Nautilus routines with my own free weight and other routines. The only quibble I have with the book is that there may be too much sugar in the diet. Darden states that the diet is not for everybody but I believe there is too much sugar for anybody. It doesn’t seem to harm anything for the normal individual but it does encourage a sweet tooth.

5 Stars This method really works
I first did the Nautilus diet about 3 years ago, and lost the first 20 lbs during the 10 week regimen, then 20 more lbs after the regimen ended because I kept up the healthy eating and exercise routine. I kept this weight off for 2.5 years until I moved home for 6 weeks before my wedding! Since then I have probably gained 15 of the lost pounds back, but it is b/c I stopped exercising and eating properly. I have just started the diet again, and know (REALLY KNOW) that in 10 weeks I will look fantastic again. This book gives you a menu for each meal, recipes to follow, and a grocery list. It really couldn’t be easier. When you think about it, 10 weeks is only 2 1/2 months. That surely isn’t long to wait for a new body and a new lease on life. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone needing an easy and effective diet.

5 Stars Forget anything else if you can spare 10 weeks to a new body
Ellington Darden makes fitness plain and simple. Dieting is futile without exercise to develop muscle. The exercise regimen fits all levels and goals , including every thing down to the grocery list! If you can’t succeed here, go home!

5 Stars Pleased
I did this diet and didn’t feel it was a diet. I got lots to eat, recipe’s were great. I didn’t lose the weight I should’ve because I cheated but still lost 20 lbs. and I’m still following this menu as it is good and easy to do. I’m hoping to lose another 10 lbs. yet. I highly recommend this book. Bob

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A unique series of Pilates strength-building exercises using the Swiss exercise ball, resistance bands, and weights

• From the bestselling author of Pilates on the Ball and Abs on the Ball

• Features specialized strength-training workouts for readers of all ages and fitness levels

• Chapters include check points to help readers set realistic goals and tips for physical educators, coaches, and Pilates teachers

In Strength Training on the Ball Colleen Craig shows readers of all fitness levels how to build strong bones, improve balance, and reduce body fat while toning and defining the body. Combining the unique functions of the exercise ball with the endurance- and flexibility-building benefits of strength training, Craig presents 75 ball exercises using weights, resistance bands, and the body’s own resistance. Her exercise variations make strength training safe for beginners, children, teenagers, and seniors and challenging enough for the seasoned athlete.

Strength Training on the Ball is modeled after Craig’s groundbreaking and bestselling works Pilates on the Ball and Abs on the Ball. It contains step-by-step photographs for each of the exercises, check points to help readers set realistic yet motivating goals, and teaching tips for physical educators, coaches, and Pilates teachers. The book concludes with three specialized strength workouts: a therapeutic workout for those recovering from injuries, a basic workout for absolute beginners, and a challenging workout for athletes and gym enthusiasts.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Stuff From Colleen
As a Pro Trainer, there are only 2 fitness pros whose books & DVDs I approve of for my wife to use at home.

Mine and Colleens!

All of her stuff is good - you can get alot of good ideas from this one - check it out.

Joey Atlas - The Wizard of Fitness

[...]

2 Stars preachy tone, too wordy
The tone of this book is so preachy and condescending that I can’t seem to get to the exercises themselves. Each chapter begins with a several-page story about a person whose life was turned around their work with the author on Pilates. Then there are several long pages of essays, with lots of quotations and name-dropping and helpful self-improvement tips like “every day you will need to restart” and “one becomes old when fixities of habits are established.”

I am sure that there are subtleties about the approach that need to be conveyed. However, I would prefer to use a book with a more direct writing style so I can get the information I need quickly and get on with my workout.

1 Stars Waste of my money…unhelpful book
This book is not great. There is a lot of useless fluff at the beginning of each chapter, when the author tells a long, very boring story (ie: an October day on a train) that is not conducive to building core strength. The pictures are in black & white, and there are not as many great exercises compared to other books. With this book, you’ll probably spend all your time reading rather than doing exercises. This book is not direct or to the point, resulting in many pages that again, you’ll have to read to find maybe one key point.

5 Stars Colleen is Amazing
I own all of Colleen’s books and they just keep getting better and better. I ride horses and I was looking for a workout that would inprove my balance and help me to be more aware of what my body was doing. The best part of working out on a ball is that if you make a mistake the ball moves so you KNOW that you are doing something wrong! I recommend this book for eveyone!

1 Stars No Way
The lessons in this book are extremely advanced. If you do Pilates, and enjoy it, this is for you. This is NOT A BOOK FOR A BEGINNER.

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Discover for yourself the magic of Strength Training Anatomy, one of the best-selling strength training books ever published!

Get an intricate look at strength training from the inside out. Strength Training Anatomy, with over 850,000 copies already sold, brings anatomy to life with more than 400 full-color illustrations. This detailed artwork showcases the muscles used during each exercise and delineates how these muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures. Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the information gives you a multilateral view of strength training not seen in any other resource.

This updated bestseller also contains new information on common strength training injuries and preventive measures to help you exercise safely. Chapters are devoted to each major muscle group, with 115 total exercises for arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The Body Healthy and Beautiful
A truly excellent and startlingly useful and attractive book to use for preventing, healing or curing almost anything that ails the body that can be addressed by properly targeted weight training and exercise. The artwork is most phenomenal. Recommended exercises quickly helped me get past a clutch of back and muscular strains and abuses.

5 Stars Great Reference for Muscle Development Training
Very informative book for isolating the muscle you want to work on.The illustrations are the best I have ever seen.

3 Stars Good Book
It is a bit short on variety, but the stuff in there is thoroughly explained. It is very useful in the gym.

4 Stars Fantastic art, less fantastic information.
If I were a serious weight trainer, dealing with the desire to build muscle and deal with using my muscles properly, this would be a great book. As an old guy interested in implementing a strength training regime, it was not terribly helpful.

2 Stars Helpful for understanding science not body building
This book just details the muscles that get engaged when performing an exercise. It doesn’t really talk about how many times we should workout in a week, what to eat, how to combine exercise etc…all that is in the book is just the exercises and a small explanation on the muscles that is engaged while performing the workout.

I would not recommend this to people trying to develop their body and needing a guide.

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The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Boxing is the most comprehensive and up-to-date boxing-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round boxing-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other boxing book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book supplies you with a year-round workout program designed to increase punching speed and power in your jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Following this program will raise your stamina and endurance which will result in extraordinary footwork that will have you dancing around opponents and hitting them with sharp combinations until the final bell.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars a boxer’s bible
This book is perfect! A workout plan geared specifically toward boxing that really works! Appropriate for any level of boxing! I highly recommend this book!

5 Stars Box like a heavyweight champ!
This is the best book I have seen for boxing training! No matter what level you compete at, this book is for you. I have really improved my agility in the ring after reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in being a better, more athletic boxer!

5 Stars Yo Adrian!
If Rocky could do it so can you — and this book is the secret how. The book (aka “the boxing bible”) won’t only put you on a plan to increase strength and stamina, but it will also boost your quickness and agility. After reading this book you’ll be able to knockout Mike Tyson.

5 Stars A Knockout
This book made great suggestions for improving some of the most critical parts of being a successful boxer–endurance, power, agility, and speed. This book takes a healthy approach to boxing–it succinctly and clearly outlines how, depending on your experience and level of competitiveness, you should proceed on improving your ability as a fighter. I recommend this book without any hesitation.

5 Stars Maybe Not The Ultimate Guide, But A Darn Good One Anyhow
Even though I disagree totally with the title, “Ultimate Guide,” I do have to admit that the contents of this book are right on the money and very specific to the sport of boxing. Although all of the exercises and stretches demonstrated in this book can be found in pretty much any good book on weight training and/or stretching, it is the specific focus of this book that makes it so unique. In other words, it is not the individual exercises in this book that make it such a great resource, but the way the material is presented to the reader whose primary focus is on improving their own boxing skills.

Although I didn’t necessarily agree with absolutely everything the author presented in this book, I would have to say that I found at minimum at least 90% of the material in this book to be valid.

The majority of workout routines suggested in this book should be considered as just that, suggestions. Use them as guide to go by and create your own training routine based upon your physical abilities and personal goals.

I have already started incorporating several things that I picked up from this book into my own training regiment and have found that I have already made some improvements in just the first couple of weeks. This book was definitely worth the price I paid for it.

Shawn Kovacich

Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

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