Maximum Strength: Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program

by Eric Cressey, Matt Fitzgerald

Most of the 23 million American men who lift weights do so to get bigger; unfortunately, many of them are going nowhere with watered-down bodybuilding routines that don't help them actually get stronger. Eric Cressey's cutting-edge four-phase program, featuring constant progression, variation, and inspiring goals, keeps you focused on increasing strength along with muscle mass, helping you achieve the fittest, most energetic, and best-looking body you've ever had-with fewer hours at the gym.

Genres: Fitness, Health, Nonfiction

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lanita Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Cressey is a masterful problem-solver. He wrote this book with guys in mind. Maybe in future updates he will not.

[Brian Anglim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very complete book providing a complete program. It offers great warmup, stretching, and mobility protocols. A periodized training program with lots of interesting techniques. He has his athletes work on different ranges of motions, speeds, intensities, and rest intervals to maximize performance. I enjoy it's perspective of training for performance and not for aesthetics and be aware that that will come. It is scientific in it's approach. Really enjoyed and would recommend for any athlete or fitness enthusiast.

[Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not done it, but this is a much more solid program for beginner-intermediates than you will usually find without getting a Cressey as a coach. Mobility and stretching stuff is great, well designed, good pictures, etc. You can probably just skip the first chapter or two if you want to get down with the program and know what you want (most of it is Cressey explaining how strength rules and bodybuilders are "fluffy". I disagree, but he's the one with the book).

[Colin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book would have been good in the early 1990's. The program detailed by Cressey is nothing new, nor spectacular.

You aren't missing anything if you skip this book.

If you want a quality strength training program, the Men's Health book by Robert Dos Remedios is much better (and probably one of the best out there.)

[Anthony Montoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good program with basic strength training protocols. Excellent section on functional mobility and warm-ups. I don't agree with all of the nutrition information, but if you're looking to get stronger, this book will definitely help!

[Naman Rawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

cressey has emphasised on the importance of performing mobility drills and warm ups in this book! the programs in here are game changers!
Will defs recommend it to every beginner or intermediate level athlete!

[trickgnosis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cressey is great, one of the most reliable strength training resources around. The program here is excellent, the only thing it lacks is more in-depth exercise description.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

written well! Doing the program myself currently and impressed so far.

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focus on the big lifts. Measure progress. Lift heavy. Standard stuff.
Bit too much focus on cable exercises which require a gym.

[Bojan Avramovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da ne znam nista o treningu snage, knjiga bi mi bila veoma korisna