What do you think?
Rate this book
Hybrid Ability: The Most Advanced Approach to PowerBuilding: A Perfect Balance of Aesthetic Development and Strength
The most advanced approach to "PowerBuilding", the perfect balance of aesthetic development and strength, combines methods of training at the highest levels of both bodybuilding and powerlifting. Implemented into phases to create the most efficient adaptive response to results, Hybrid Ability is beneficial for any athlete, gym goer, or fitness enthusiast. It lays out a 12 week program, and goes in depth into multiple aspects of the mindset and approach that yields not only progress in the gym, but what creates champions. The program was created directly from the training journal of Nam Shartzer, who is a top contender at the national level in bodybuilding, and is currently the #1 ranked squatter, and on the top 10 All Time Best World Ranking List in Powerlifting. He goes in depth and uses personal references to explain small cues to apply in training; physically and mentally, that have contributed to his experiences as a multiple sport division 1 athlete and his rise to the top in both powerlifting and bodybuilding.
59 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2017
42 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 11, 2022
This book is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for me but since I have to choose a whole number I'll go with 3.
This is a very short book that is mostly a 3 month training program that features two hypertrophy blocks and a volume block. The volume block is more of a strength block.
Weeks 1-4 are lighter sessions that are building form and mind muscle connection.
Weeks 5-8 are very similar to weeks 1-4, but the weight starts to increase. You could say this part is building work capacity.
Weeks 9-12 are mostly a strength block that aims to use your component gains to improve your three compound (powerlifting) movements. The analogy in the book is that weeks 1-8 are the offseason where each player in a professional sports team are training individually so that then they return for the season (weeks 9+) the team is stronger than last season.
I haven't run through the full program, but I'll give it a shot in the future. Right now I'm in a strength block and I will incorporate some of the phase 3 workouts into my schedule. Today I did the first legs workout from phase 3 and it was perfectly fine.
Every bodybuilding or strength training book comes with their flavor of how you should train. There are some universal truths but the program is not what leads to success. Genetics play a massive role in how we respond to specific exercises and what we see the most progress from. The universal truth is that most lifters don't do enough work in the gym, rest too much (or pay too much attention to other people in the gym), and don't workout with enough intensity.
If anything, this book highlights the lack of intensity most lifters bring to the gym in their accessory movements. It's easy to do a hard set of squats or deadlifts but many phone in their leg extension and leg curls.
My personal opinion... Have a plan and make sure you put effort into your sets. That doesn't mean going for a 1rm or 3rm. It means doing quality reps at a weight you can manage until your muscles fatigue. If you get the best work by doing slow controlled curls with a 20lbs dumbbell then do it. Who cares if the guy next to you is flailing his arms around to curl a 50.
This is a very short book that is mostly a 3 month training program that features two hypertrophy blocks and a volume block. The volume block is more of a strength block.
Weeks 1-4 are lighter sessions that are building form and mind muscle connection.
Weeks 5-8 are very similar to weeks 1-4, but the weight starts to increase. You could say this part is building work capacity.
Weeks 9-12 are mostly a strength block that aims to use your component gains to improve your three compound (powerlifting) movements. The analogy in the book is that weeks 1-8 are the offseason where each player in a professional sports team are training individually so that then they return for the season (weeks 9+) the team is stronger than last season.
I haven't run through the full program, but I'll give it a shot in the future. Right now I'm in a strength block and I will incorporate some of the phase 3 workouts into my schedule. Today I did the first legs workout from phase 3 and it was perfectly fine.
Every bodybuilding or strength training book comes with their flavor of how you should train. There are some universal truths but the program is not what leads to success. Genetics play a massive role in how we respond to specific exercises and what we see the most progress from. The universal truth is that most lifters don't do enough work in the gym, rest too much (or pay too much attention to other people in the gym), and don't workout with enough intensity.
If anything, this book highlights the lack of intensity most lifters bring to the gym in their accessory movements. It's easy to do a hard set of squats or deadlifts but many phone in their leg extension and leg curls.
My personal opinion... Have a plan and make sure you put effort into your sets. That doesn't mean going for a 1rm or 3rm. It means doing quality reps at a weight you can manage until your muscles fatigue. If you get the best work by doing slow controlled curls with a 20lbs dumbbell then do it. Who cares if the guy next to you is flailing his arms around to curl a 50.
Displaying 1 of 1 review