About
the author: Bill Starr was the Strength Coach to the Baltimore Colts when they
won the Superbowl in 1970. He was the strength coach at a whole list of US universities
including Hawaii, Maryland, John Hopkins etc. A US Olympic Weightlifting Champion,
& national record holder in Powerlifting & Olympic lifting. Starr was
also editor if Strength & Health mag, international weightliftimg championships
coach etc etc....basically he knows his stuff. He's famous for knowing his stuff
and he's a damn fine writer to boot.
Football,
shoulder pads & helmets
Alrighty,
time to come clean - this book is subtitled "Strength Training for Football"
- and that's the American version. So what's it doing reviewed on a fighting site?
First
off, this is a strength training book first and foremost - and it's lessons will
apply to anyone regardless of sport (er, bar darts, snooker and tiddlywinks) -
there's not actually that much focused purely on American Football. Coincidentally,
the weight training in this book is not dissimilar to the weights advice seen
in Greco & Freestyle wrestling books.
Then,
it's aim is to protect athletes and increase their performance in one of the most
brutal contact sports around. How? - by building up super core-strength without
sacrificing blistering speed.
and
how many strength training books have you seen written specifically for MMA anyway?*
Sound
good? It is.
Mullets
& Moustaches
Come
clean part 2 - yes, it was first written in the 70's. So be prepared for everyone
in it to look like they auditioned for the Village People (or have bought the
"Scouser Wig n 'Tash" sets that they sell on Blackpool pier). Hmm...1976,
Britain had just unleashed the Sex Pistols, but in the USA, real-men looked like
Burt Reynolds or a bit like Freddy Mercury.
So
is the information as dated as the facial hair? Surprisingly not. Why? - because
it's based on the following ageless exercises, that's why. The Bench Press, The
Squat and The Power Clean. Starr calls them The Big Three. Plus, think about it,
what's the reason it's been reprinted 5 times? (and Ironmind still continue to
sell it today) - it's because this book is a classic.
If
the book had been given a total modern makeover with new pics & cover you
would not know it's age.
The
Big Three
Why
the Big Three? I quote direct from Starr: " These are 3 basic exercises used
by weightlifters to increase their strength....the football player (and you
can insert Martial Artist, Fighter, whatever there) must work for overall
body strength as opposed to specific strengthening exercises....In other words
the athlete should be building total leg strength rather than just stronger hamstrings.
He should be seeking overall strength in his shoulder girdle rathen than just
stronger deltoids....the program is fast, simple and, most importantly, effective.
It requires very little space and a minimum of equipment...."
So
there you have it. Bill wants you to get strong all round.
And
does it work? Back to Bill..."The program has been tested in hundreds of
schools and colleges over a 10 year span...The results were even more fantastic
than I had expected....Some came back with reports of 60-70% strength increases.
Losing seasons became winning seasons..."
The
Routine
It's
the good ol' 5 x 5. Unsurprisingly it looks like many routines championed by writers
such as Brooks Kubik, Bradley Steiner etc etc.
The
core
Warm
up: sit ups, leg raises, stretching
Power
Clean 5 sets of 5 reps, working progressively heavier each set.
Bench
Press 5 x 5
Squat
5 x 5
- Optional
Extras
- Overhead
Press - you can throw this in once a week instead of the bench press
- Leg
extensions 1 set of 20 reps, then 1 set of 10 reps
- Leg
curls 1 x 20, 1 x 10
Do
it thrice a week, on a heavy, medium, light cycle and "avoid extra training"
- ie, don't sneak in those bicep curls etc. That's a simplistic breakdown, for
more detail get the book!
Strength
Convertability
This
is often a bone of contention with many writers. Can the strength you have build
by lifting weights be converted to strength in your specific sport? Starr goes
into this in detail - but in a nutshell, yes, if you train with free weights but
if you train exclusively on machines then you're stuffed.
A
whole lot more than just weights
This
book was designed as an instructional manual for strength coaches & athletes
and covers a LOT of ground. You get anatomy lessons, nutrition (he does an evaluation
of the Atkins Diet - and concludes that cutting back carbs is good, but to be
a little more moderate than Atkins), mental training, drugs (Starr is anti-roids)
and a really cool section on rehabilitating injuries. There's even information
on weight cutting for wrestlers, boxers & footballers.
The
Good
- Good
nuts & bolts training info. Honest and straightforward to follow.
- Minimal
equipment and space needed. A good
barbell, weights, squat racks & bench will do.
- Written
prior to the huge widespread performance drug culture - the routine works without
roids!
- Excellent
technical instruction on how to perform the lifts.
- Exhaustive
amount of info on a wide array of performance related subjects.
-
Brilliant injury rehab section
- very clear and precise. It's rare to find this info in strength training books
- Excellent
discussion on free weights v machines (and the Free weights win natch!)
- Despite
the funny haircuts, the photos are great - there's an especially awesome pic of
Starr deadlifting 666lbs in a pair of preppy loafers!
The Bad
The
hair, the hair!
- Starr's
not keen on machines but advocates the leg extension & leg curl freely. (to
be fair he does have his logical reasons)
Conclusion
Two
thumbs up for the big three. Starr himself went from a "90 pound weakling"
to become a 200lb weightlifting champ. This book is cool. Have a search around
the web for other reviews - despite it's age, people still rate this book. That's
gotta be a good sign. Arthur Dreschler fully endorses Bill Starr and his training
regimes in the brilliant Weightlifting
Encyclopedia, so good enough for Dreschler, good enough for me. If you are
interested in strength training for contact sports then it's well worth buying.
*
Funnily enough, there's a strength
training for MMA article right here on SFUK. And note the uncanny resemblance
to Starr's routine.
