Science and Practice of Strength Training

Science and Practice of Strength Training is a favorite book among strength and conditioning professionals. Now in a third edition, it offers upgraded artwork, updates based on current science, and new information to enhance the practical application of the concepts presented. A new coauthor, Dr. Andrew Fry, joins the already-popular author team of Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky and Dr. William Kraemer to make this third edition even better than its predecessors. Together the authors have trained more than 1,000 elite athletes, including Olympic medal winners, world champions, and national record holders. Influenced by both Eastern European and North American perspectives, their experience and expertise are integrated into solid principles, practical insights, and directions based on scientific findings.

Science and Practice of Strength Training, Third Edition, shows that there is no single program that works for everyone, at all times and in all conditions. It addresses the complexity of strength training programs while providing straightforward approaches to take under specific circumstances. Those approaches are backed with physiological concepts, ensuring readers gain a full understanding of the science behind the practice of strength training. In addition, the authors provide examples of strength training programs to demonstrate the principles and concepts they explain in the book. The third edition features more detailed artwork and has three new chapters on velocity in the weight room, overtraining and recovery, and athlete monitoring.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I focuses on the basis of strength training, detailing basic concepts, task-specific strength, and athlete-specific strength. Part II covers methods of strength training, delving into velocity training, training intensity, timing, exercises used for strength training, injury prevention, overtraining, athlete monitoring, and goal-specific strength training. Part III offers even more practical applications, exploring training for specific populations, including women, young athletes, and senior athletes. The book also includes suggested readings that can further aid readers in developing strength training programs.

This expanded and updated coverage of strength training concepts will ground readers in the understanding they need to develop appropriate strength training programs for each person that they work with.

Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, PhD, is an emeritus professor of kinesiology at Penn State University. A strength and conditioning consultant for Olympic teams from the former Soviet Union for 26 years, Zatsiorsky has trained hundreds of world-class athletes. He has also authored or coauthored 15 books and more than 350 scientific papers. His books have been published in a variety of languages, including English, Russian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Czech, Rumanian, Serbo-Croatian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from universities in Poland and Russia and is an honorary member of the International Association of Sport Kinetics. Zatsiorsky served for 20 years on the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, listening to classical music, and exercising.

William J. Kraemer, PhD, is a full professor in the department of human sciences in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. Prior to this appointment, he held full professorships at the University of Connecticut, Ball State University, and Pennsylvania State University, along with joint appointments at the medical schools of these institutions. He also has been a teacher and coach at the secondary and college levels and was a captain in the U.S. Army, working at the U.S. Army’s Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts. He has had extensive experience working with coaches and athletes in developing their strength training programs. Dr. Kraemer is a fellow of several organizations, including the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He has served as a member of the ACSM's board of trustees and their administrative council, and he is a past president of the NSCA. He has authored and coauthored over 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the scientific literature. He has received numerous awards for his work and research, including the 2020 ACSM Citation Award, ACSM's Joseph B. Wolfe Memorial Lecture Award, and NSCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of JyvÄskylÄ in Finland. He has been ranked as one of the top strength and conditioning and sport science professionals in the world.

Andrew C. Fry, PhD, is a professor in the department of health, sport, and exercise sciences at the University of Kansas. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in physical education at Nebraska Wesleyan University, he earned his master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and his doctorate in exercise physiology from Penn State University.

During his two-year postdoctoral training, Fry studied cellular and molecular muscle physiology at Ohio University. This was followed by 13 years at the University of Memphis, where he was the director of the Exercise Biochemistry Laboratory. At the University of Kansas, he helped develop the Research and Coaching Performance Team in collaboration with University of Kansas Athletics. His research interests over the years have consistently focused on physiological and performance responses and adaptations to resistance exercise, as well as overtraining.