T Nation

Essential Weightlifting Literature?

Olympic Lifting
#1

Hi,

I’m basically trying to compile a list of “essential literature” for strength training/conditioning/etc.

I’ve realized that I’ve never read anything specifically about the sport of weightlifting. I’d like to start out with something like what Starting Strength is to barbell strength training for Oly lifting.

Thanks

#2

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=222

#3

Yes, I’ve seen the Russian literature on EFS before. I’m more looking for a recommendation of a couple books at most, instead of a long list. Thanks.

#4

I’ve got this one;

http://www.cathletics.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=155

It’s very good

#5

Arthur Drechsler’s “The Weightlifting Encyclopedia” is a good comprehensive reference on o-lifting.

#6

Go into the gym and lift and/or get a coach. I’ve found the books never helped me.

#7

SuperTraining by Siff and Verashansky ? Great in depth as far as strength training knowledge. Still though no really good Oly books that have been written in a similar vein to Starting Strength to answer your original post…

#8

I second Drechsler. It covers everything OL related.

I also like Tamas Feher’s ‘Olympic Weightlifting’. Not as detailed as Drechsler, but it covers the European style and just feels more ‘modern’.

Re: The Russian library, I have all the 15 books, some are useful, some are useless, in any case, ‘The Training of the Weightlifter’ is a good starting point, it covers OL technique and basic programming.

#9

Thanks guys.

@killerdirk - Super training is definitely on my list

As for other non oly stuff… Going to read some stuff by Pavel. Need to look into some stuff by Cressey, Louie Simmons (I’ve read like over a decades worth of his articles on his site), Dan John… I’d like a good book on Strongman too.

Last book I read was Building the Gymnastic Body. Having previously been mostly into powerlifting, this changed the way I looked at things a lot. I’d consider “my sport” to be martial arts, but I love weight/resistance training.

I don’t do it strictly to improve my martial arts performance…especially since I’ve been resistance training long before I got into martial arts. But powerlifting inevitably leads to injuries, lots of injuries. Gymnastics, martial arts, oly lifting and strongman are can as well, but it just seems to be a lot more manageable and not as much of an inevitablility. So now my training consists mainly of oly lifts, gymnastics and strongman. I enjoy it quite a bit more too and feel a lot better.