You don't need another cookie-cutter program. You need to learn to take control.
Any coach will tell you: A training program MUST
respect individual differences.
respect individual differences.
Many do, in a broad sense (programs aimed at beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifters), and while those are a step in the right direction, they still don’t address all the factors that make an individual unique. How people (and how their training programs should) differ:
- Recover from training on different time scales
- Find certain types of training more or less fatiguing
- Have different strengths and weaknesses stemming from different body proportions and training histories
- Have different injury histories
- Have different schedules and lifestyles outside the gym
- Most importantly, have different goals and training preferences
Cookie-cutter training plans can't adequately take all of those differences into account.
It seems to be general wisdom that programming should be “left up to the experts,” and that the best way forward is to find a pre-made program that’s worked for other people, follow it to a “T” and not mess with it too much.
I could not disagree more.
While that may be necessary for someone who’s brand new to lifting with very little understanding of programming and how their body responds, after you’ve been training for a while, blindly following pre-made programs will hold you back from reaching your full potential.
Pre-made programs may be “good enough” for a broad array of people, but they’ll never be exactly what you need to make the best progress possible.
The more time you waste, the more your future competitiveness will suffer.
Younger athletes have advantages that cannot be replicated in later years. Getting to your competitive peak as soon as possible is crucial. There are three key advantages to being young:
- Your nervous system is a bit more excitable and works a bit faster, meaning you can reach maximal muscular contraction faster.
- You have a bit more of the protein elastin in your tendons, so they’ll be able to store a bit more elastic energy (giving you a more powerful “bounce” out of the hole at the bottom of a squat).
- You simply recover from hard training faster. You have higher testosterone levels, you sleep better and release more total growth hormone at night, and a multitude of other factors that help you be better able to handle high training volumes, recover faster, and progress quicker.
Bottom line: Cookie-cutter programs aren't going to get you to your competitive peak; but the sooner you get to your competitive peak, the better you'll be.
I wasted 5 years of my training.
Why am I so passionate about having the knowledge and ability to manage your own training?
Because I know how big of a difference it's made for me.
I wasted five years of my training.
In 2007, I squatted in the mid 500s, benched in the high 300s, and deadlifted 605.
The next five years were a story of frustration, stagnation, plateaus, and injuries. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I tried almost every pre-made program in existence during that time period. None of them could get me out of my rut.
I didn't exceed those numbers until 2012.
What changed? I took control.
I started aggressive experimenting with managing my own training. I started by making adjustments to programs that felt like they'd almost worked for me before. Some of these initial experiments were successful, but many weren't. Over time, however, my success rate started climbing and I finally broke past my old plateaus.
From there, I took what I'd learned in the process and started writing my own programs from scratch. That's when my progress really took off.
Since then, my squat has climbed into the mid 700s, my bench into the mid 400s, and my deadlift into the low 700s.
The results have felt great, but the peace of mind has felt even better. I'm no longer dependent on the "experts," whose programs never helped me in the first place.
Introducing, "The Art and Science of Lifting" ebooks. These books are for people who want to break away from the herd and take control of their results.
I wrote these books because I don't want other people go through what I had to in order to get this knowledge.
I had to learn these lessons the hard way, because there weren't any comprehensive resources to teach me. I don't want anyone else to need to deal with the frustrations I had to.
These books represent the cumulative knowledge gained from over a decade under the bar, the frustrations of that 5-year plateau, hundreds of classroom hours, working with hundreds of clients, and countless conversations with other lifters and coaches.
I've put in the time, the effort, and the energy to learn all the lessons contained in these books (often, unfortunately, learning those lessons the hard way).
The Art and Science of Lifting represent the culmination of that journey, and the knowledge I've accumulated along the way.
The Art and Science of Lifting ebooks are meant to be different. All the training programs I’ve put out are either free or cheap because I know a single program is just a temporary fix. These books, on the other hand, are designed to equip you with the information you need to succeed long-term.
It’s like the old saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” Most ebooks give you a fish. The Art and Science of Lifting teach you how to fish; they provide you with the foundational, timeless information that is always relevant and that will benefit you for the next 30 years, not just the next 12 weeks like a training plan.
Once you read these books, you’ll know what I know. Plateaus won’t be intimidating anymore – you’ll know what it takes to get through them. You’ll be able to write, adjust, and constantly improve your own training plans best suited to YOUR goals, instead of being reliant on cookie-cutter programs that rarely work as well as advertised.
With these books, you will:
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1
Learn to write your own programs so you can take control of your training.
No one knows your body and your training better than you. Learn the necessary principles to make smart training decisions for yourself.
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2
Learn to cut through the bullshit and establish what information is important for YOU.
You're tired of people screaming to the masses about their (at-best) mediocre ideas and programs. The information that's necessary to become self-sufficient in your training is often lost in the noise. Here it is, loud and clear.
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3
Build a solid base for long-lasting gains so you can stop wasting time and money.
This ISN'T some short-term, one-time solution. These books focus on making you self-sufficient, so you can reach your full potential independently.
PURCHASE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND RECEIVE THE TRAINING TOOLKIT AS WELL, 100% FREE.
In addition to The Art of Lifting and The Science of Lifting:
- Start learning to control your training with the customizable 16-week Average to Savage training program.
- Identify and eliminate weaknesses with the No Weak Links PDF guide.
- Take the guesswork out of nutrition with the Self-Correcting Macro Plan, which is basically a diet coach in a spreadsheet.
- Apply the scientific method to your training with the data-driven Training Tracker spreadsheet.
NO RISK, 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
We are sure you'll love The Art and Science of Lifting ebooks. If you don't, though, we'll refund you 100%. There's no risk. Simply send us an email to support@strengtheory.com, and we will immediately refund your money. No questions asked.
$97 $47
What's inside: 200+ pages, 50+ infographics
Each book is about 100 pages long, for now. The Art of Lifting is very easy to understand, and serves as an introduction to all of the important concepts a lifter needs to worry about. The Science of Lifting is a lot more in-depth and takes you through how to understand training holistically – how to set up your training and diet, how and when to make adjustments, how all of those factors interact with your life outside the gym, and much more. To put it mildly, it’s very dense.
However, the books also accommodate different learning styles. I'm a visual learner, so I made sure all of the key points were also illustrated in 50+ beautiful infographics.
We asked people what they thought of the whole package on a scale from 1 to 10, and a resounding 90%+ of people rated it an 8, 9, or 10. The average rating was 84%, which, we’ll note, slightly edges out The Avengers.
The Art of Lifting
108 pages. 22 explanatory graphics. Broken up into two parts: Stuff That Matters, and Stuff That Doesn't Matter.
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Keys you in on the factors that really matter and make the most difference in your training progress.
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Helps you avoid common traps and pitfalls that happen when you focus efforts on the wrong things.
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Accessible and beneficial to people of all knowledge levels.
Click to look inside.
Click to look inside.
The Science of Lifting
98 pages. 35 explanatory graphics.
- Deepen your knowledge base built from reading The Art of Lifting.
- Learn how to apply model-based thinking in order to reason through issues like an expert instead of looking for black-and-white, cookie cutter solutions.
- Become self-sufficient as an athlete. Stop guessing about what might works, and start knowing and being confident in your next step.
What our customers are saying:
I’ve been reading about strength training and fitness for many years, but after reading the Art and Science of Lifting books, I finally feel like I get it. I have a much clearer idea of what does and does not matter — a crucial distinction in the noise-filled world of fitness writing. I’ve got a better grasp on my own personal strengths and limitations, how to work with them, and how to most efficiently spend my time and training effort. And for the first time ever, I feel like I could be confident in creating my own programs and analyzing their effectiveness.
Rich Toscano
To me, these books were worth far, far more than their modest cost — I can’t recommend them enough.
This is the kind of information I would have killed for when I started training. These books provide you with essential details on theory without forgetting that you also need to get under a barbell. There's a powerful combination of common sense, readability and training science in there. I expect people to take more out of the Art and Science of Lifting than they do most training books (and in far less time).
Geoff Girvitz
In an ocean of countless fitness e-books, “The Science of Lifting” and “The Art of Lifting” nailed it. Greg and Omar aren’t selling a fad or telling you to do x amount of reps and sets. They effectively explain the conceptual framework required for long term development of the strength athlete through the foundational early research of Seyle to the most current studies applicable to strength training. These books cover everything from physical to psychological and tie the two together to give you everything you need to take out the guess work and make progress as a beginner to an advanced lifter. As a trainer and grad student, I found it awesome how these books effortlessly cover such a large amount of concepts and easily present them to readers of all levels of athleticism.
Adam Sayih
In the strength scene, it's rare to find someone with both a deep understanding of the state of the art in research and the ability to apply it in real world programs. Greg and Omar manage to pull this off and present it all in a well-written, easy to understand manner. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting smarter and stronger.
Thom Lamb
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The Art and Science of Lifting are (in my humble opinion, and the opinions of the vast majority of people who bought them) already pretty darn good. But you don’t get anything perfect on your first try. You don’t get anything perfect on your second try. Or your third. Or your fourth. We recognize that, and are devoted to constantly improving The Art and Science of Lifting.
When we wrote the first edition, we asked ourselves what problems we saw people dealing with, and what information we wished we knew along our lifting journey. We sent drafts out to six other experts we trusted and asked for their feedback and suggestions, and incorporated them into the books. We knew the wants, needs, and perspectives of eight people.
Now, that number has grown to over 6,000, and is growing every day. As we learn more and more about what people want and need, more about how the books can be expanded, refined, and corrected, and more about the human body and the training process itself, the books will continue to expand and improve.
The books came out in March, and we’re already in the midst of working on the second edition because of all the ways we saw we could improve a product people already loved.
If you buy The Art and Science of Lifting now, when the updates are done, you won’t have to buy the second edition (which is shaping up to be twice as long, and likely more expensive). Or the third, or the fourth as we continue to expand and improve them.
NO RISK, 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
We are sure you'll love The Art and Science of Lifting ebooks. If you don't, though, we'll refund you 100%. There's no risk. Simply send us an email to support@strengtheory.com, and we will immediately refund your money. No questions asked.
$97 $47
What industry experts are saying:
Omar and Greg have assembled a comprehensive guide to lifting that provides an excellent blend of science and practical application. Written in an easy-to-understand style, it serves as a blueprint for improving muscle strength and size. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter, this two-book set is a valuable addition to your fitness library.
Brad Schoenfeld
Ph.D, CSCS, FNSCA
Greg Nuckols and Omar Isuf cover a wealth of information in their books; including details on proper volume and intensity parameters to recovery methods and nutrition. The information is presented in an easy and enjoyable format for the reader. It takes the guess work out of training and provides information the reader can actually use to help reach their goals. I only wish books like these were available to me when I first started lifting, it would have saved me many years of mistakes. I recommend these books for serious lifters at any level.
Strongest 220 lb. powerlifter of all time (2121 lb. total)
Greg and Omar hit a grand slam with "The Art of Lifting" and "The Science of Lifting." As far as self-published eBooks go, they're top notch in terms of formatting, writing quality, and content. They went the extra mile in making the products look good and ensuring that they were error-free. I found myself nodding in agreement over and over again as I read the books. The books provide a 1-2 punch by first simplifying matters and then delving into more complex information. I highly recommend these two products and believe that they belong in any serious lifter's computer library.
Ph.D(c), CSCS
The days of thoughtless training are gone. What the "big guys do" is important, but no longer the only source of advice on how to get bigger, stronger, and leaner... Especially if you're limited on the amount of time you can invest in the process. The fruits of science are a great guide, but there's so much to know! If only there was a source of science-based information on what to best put your efforts into to get the best results limited time allows. "The Art of Lifting" and "The Science of Lifting" do just that. Science-based, practical information on what matters most, what matters least, and what doesn't matter at all for results in fitness. If you’ve been a bit lost on the seemingly contradictory advice coming in from all sides of the fitness industry, very soon you won't be. This book is for you.
Ph.D
About the authors:
About Greg Nuckols
Greg Nuckols is the owner and founder of Strengtheory.com, a website dedicated to combining lifting advice with biomechanics and scientific theory. More than 250,000 people visit and learn from Strengtheory articles each month. Greg is very tapped into what questions people have and what information is often misconstrued. Practicing what he preaches, Greg has held 3 all-time world records in powerlifting. His current numbers are a 755lb. squat, 475lb. bench, and 725lb. deadlift.
About Omar Isuf
Omar Isuf is the owner of the most popular fitness YouTube channel in Canada. As such, Omar interacts with hundreds of viewers every day, answering questions and using feedback to create content that's both informative and accessible. Omar understands what lifters need to know and what information is easily misconstrued. He has collaborated with the best in the industry on various video projects and dispelled myths about nutrition, hypertrophy, strength, and movement. Omar's best lifts are a 500lb. squat, 350lb. bench, and 585lb. deadlift.
NO RISK, 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
We are sure you'll love The Art and Science of Lifting ebooks. If you don't, though, we'll refund you 100%. There's no risk. Simply send us an email to support@strengtheory.com, and we will immediately refund your money. No questions asked.
$97 $47
What industry experts are saying:
When the time machine is invented, I will send my 19 year-old self "The Art of Lifting" along with a note, "Andy, this is legit. Stop looking elsewhere." It will save me ~5 years of wasted efforts moving forward trying to filter out what works and what doesn't. I'd then dial the time machine forward 6 months and send myself the second book, "The Science of Lifting." This is the best book I have read on training. Period. I can see it being useful for many, many trainees in helping them conceptualize things to answer their own questions, as well as providing simple and understandable models for coaches to use in explaining things to their athletes. I'll then use that time machine to go back in time and buy Apple stock, hug my mum a little more as a kid, and tell myself where the cops hid their speed trap on the Dragon Skyline road. Gains come first though, obviously. It will be a pleasure to recommend this to my readers. There are so many cases where as a popular fitness writer people come to your site and ask questions where you have to answer, "It depends," (or launch into lengthy paragraphs) and I can now point them to this resource. Very well done indeed. I believe that Greg has (and is) raising the bar in the fitness writing industry. This is the best.
Diet Coach, Rippedbody.jp
"The Science of Lifting" and "The Art of Lifting" cover a wide range of training information applicable enough for a beginner yet in depth enough for any seasoned coach/lifter. The combination of these two books will cover 99% of everything a lifter needs to know, how to apply it, and why. I would call these two books essential reading for any serious lifter. I only wish I had these resources when I first started lifting; I would have gotten a lot more results.
Elite Powerlifter, Co-Host of the Powercast
"The Art of Lifting" and “The Science of Lifting” are to put it simply, epic. Applicable to everyone at almost any level and in every way. I've learned a lot and am enthusiastically going to refer a lot of people to these resources when they come to me asking about lifting. Highly recommended.
Best drug-free 83kg lifter in the world
Omar and Greg are two of the best in the business. I was introduced to Greg through Omar's channel and quickly began going through his archive of articles and found myself very impressed. Both of these books are packaged with information that took me years to somewhat learn and I still am learning new stuff by reading these. I wish books such as these were in existence when I first started resistance training. These would've saved me countless hours of wasting my time in the gym doing pointless things and most importantly increased my gains tenfold.
Chef, Fitness YouTuber, Entrepreneur
Greg is quickly becoming one of my most reliable sources for learning more about lifting. His ability to blend very high-level concepts with common sense and practical application makes him incredibly valuable for the fitness industry as a whole.
BSc, CES, CSCS, MES
NO RISK, 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
We are sure you'll love The Art and Science of Lifting ebooks. If you don't, though, we'll refund you 100%. There's no risk. Simply send us an email to support@strengtheory.com, and we will immediately refund your money. No questions asked.
$97 $47