Table of Contents
Praise for MAXIMUM STRENGTH
Eric Cressey is equal parts academic scholar and in-the-trenches veteran. Its hard enough to find a fitness expert who exhibits one of these qualities, let alone a man who exemplifies both.... Cressey is a complete professional.
SEAN HYSON, Fitness Editor, Mens Fitness, Sly, and Muscle & Fitness magazines
Maximum Strength is a guide for those who truly want to make meaningful changes to their bodies. Eric Cressey has created a program that will challenge any individual to push themselves to levels they have never been before. In the years that I have known Eric, his goal to help people achieve maximum performance and get the most out of their bodies has never wavered.
MICHAEL IRR, BS, CSCS, Assistant Strength Coach, Chicago Bulls
Eric Cressey is one of the sharpest minds in the field of performance enhancement today. His ability to apply his knowledge in an efficient, progressive, and comprehensive manner is outstanding. He continues to be a fundamental resource for me in this profession.
CHRIS WEST, MS, CSCS, ATC, Associate Head Coach, Strength and Conditioning, University of Connecticut
Not only does [Cressey] have an unparalleled knowledge base, but he also has the innate ability to think critically and apply this knowledge into his programming. This leads to stronger, healthier, and better-performing athletes and clients.
MIKE ROBERTSON, MS, CSCS, USAW, Director, Custom Athletics
ERIC CRESSEY, MA, CSCS, renowned strength coach and record-setting powerlifter, is the author of The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual and cocreator of the Magnificent Mobility DVD and Building the Efficient Athlete DVD set. A regular contributor to Testosterone Nation, Mens Fitness, and Elite Fitness Systems, Eric is the owner of Cressey Performance, which features two strength and conditioning facilities in the Greater Boston area. He lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. www.EricCressey.com
MATT FITZGERALD is the author/coauthor of seven books, including Brain Training for Runners and Triathlon Magazines Complete Triathlon Book. He writes regularly for such national publications as Maxim, Mens Fitness, Mens Health, Runners World, Triathlete, and Maximum Fitness and for Web sites such as www.Active.com and Runners World Online. A triathlete, runner, and coach, he lives in San Diego, California. www.mattfitzgerald.org
To my parents,
Susan and George Cressey,
for sticking with me through the thick
and definitely the thin.
FOREWORD
by John Berardi, PhD
A few years back, when my personal Web site was publishing the work of up-and-coming coaches, trainers, and nutritionists, I received an e-mail from a young Eric Cressey. Eric, a recent university graduate and weightlifting enthusiast, had decided to try his hand at writing and was wondering if Id be interested in publishing an article hed recently put together. The article was all about teaching weightlifters how to budget for things like gym memberships, gym equipment, healthy food, and nutritional supplementsand it was pretty good. So I decided to run it. Interestingly, more than 30,000 readers checked out the article. And they loved it.
I had no idea that this type of article would have such an impact. But Eric did. You see, Erics a true problem solver. By nature he looks for areas that can be improved upon and sets out to make those improvements. Back when he sent me that first article, he recognized a specific problem people were having. And he set out to find a solution. Of course, by nature, he hasnt let up since.
Impressively, since that first article, Erics star has been on the rise. Over the past few years, he has established himself as one of the top exercise and performance specialists in the world, a guy people come to in order to build muscle strength, to boost muscle size, and to improve their fitness. It doesnt hurt that hes earned a masters degree in exercise science from the prestigious University of Connecticut, studying under top strength researchers Dr. William Kraemer, Dr. Carl Maresh, and Dr. Jeff Volek. It probably doesnt hurt either that hes published more than 250 articles on strength training, hes brought to market several books and DVD products in the area of strength training and athletic preparation, and hes personally helped hundreds of athletes and recreational exercisers reach their goals. Nor does it hurt that hes a guy who both talks the talk and walks the walk.
Eric Cressey is one strong SOB. Seriously, how many 165-pound guys do you know who can bench-press over 400 pounds, deadlift over 600 pounds, and squat over 500 pounds? Heck, Im in the high-performance field and I dont know that many. And Cressey wasnt born strong. Nor did his parents feed baby Cressey massive quantities of spinach while having him pull a plate-loaded red wagon for exercise. In fact, he grew up fairly chubby and unathletic. But with the right plan (and a good amount of heart) he built his strength from the ground up. And you can, too.
Now, I know what youre thinking. Just because a guy can figure out how to get himself strong doesnt mean he knows how to get you strong. And youre right. However, thats where you have to look past Cresseys barrel chest to the results he consistently produces with othersresults that youll be able to read about as you progress through the Maximum Strength Program. For example, check out Chris Paul on page 37. He gained 80 pounds on his box squat, 30 pounds on his bench press, and 50 pounds on his deadlift in just 16 weeks by following the Maximum Strength Program. Also make sure to read about Dan Hibbert on page 37. He also gained 80 pounds on his box squat, 30 pounds on his bench press, and 70 pounds on his deadlift on the same program.
These results are no fluke. The Maximum Strength Program formula is well researched in the science lab and well proven in the real-world lab known as the gym. Would you expect anything less from a guy whos learned it in school, whos done it in the real world, and who continues to teach it successfully?
By now it should be obvious that I highly respect Eric Cresseys professional expertise and that I wholeheartedly believe in the power of the Maximum Strength Program. Indeed, I know that if you consistently apply the principles youre about to learn, youll be turning heads both in and out of the gym. While training, your gym mates will wonder how the heck youre making progress with every single workoutspecially when theyve been dedicated but stagnant for years! And your nonworkout friends will wonder whether youve been washing your cotton shirts on high heat or youre simply packing too much muscle for your wardrobe. Either way, Im sure youll be fine with both sets of observations.
However, one of the best parts about this particular book is that youll not only learn how to lift for increased muscle strength and size but also learn a host of other valuable lessonslike how to lift pain- and injury-free. Thats right; get out your foam rollers, folks, and start doing those mobility drills. The injury prevention segment of the program is worth its weight in gold, as itll help resolve previous muscle and joint pain as well as help prevent these aches and pains from rearing their ugly heads in the future. My clients and I swear by this books warm-up methods.
