Other/Mixed StrongFirst Philosophy - which book?

[Abdul-Rasheed]

I own several books pavel wrote, and a few others too. I would like to know in your opinion which book conveys the philosophy of training used by StrongFirst best? The is to get a few copies to give my friends as gift. Or folks who wonder why I train differently. Thank you.

 

[Steve Freides]

My personal favorite is one of the oldest, Power To The People! After that, I'd pick Naked Warrior.

But S&S is the book that's most likely to be _used_ by the people you give it to, and that should count for a lot!

-S-

 

[Pavel Macek]

What @Steve Freides said:

Kettlebell - barbell - bodyweight triad: S&S, PTTP!, NW.

 

[Antti]

I find that Pavel has, as expected, refined his craft and his newer books are more straightforward, simple and clear; they have more bang for the page. Still, I find that many of his older books contain several useful anecdotes and odd tips that may be just the thing to tip the scale in the readers favour.

I would also take into account the proficiency of the reader to be, for example for a complete beginner looking to get into kettlebells I would point out at S&S without hesitation.

When it purely comes to the original question, the first book that comes to mind is the Naked Warrior. To me it is a handbook to both developing the most strength and getting the most out of my strength. The exercise selection is secondary.

 

[pet']

Hey,

IMHO, both for their efficiency, simplicity, and easy set up: S&S and Naked Warrior. With these two books, you can train everywhere, everytime, every physical aptitudes (endurance, strength, cardio), with quick workouts.

GTG was a real revolution to me and I made most of my progression (either in bodyweight training or kettlebell training) thanks to this principle.

Maybe I would add S. Sonnon flow concerning mobility.

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Rayhzel]

I only have ETK and NW (when it comes to Pavel's books).
ETK was the one that dragged me in, but I think NW is probably better when it comes down to the philosophy of it all.

 

[Phil12]

For me, Easy Strength was a turning point in understanding the underlying philosophy. I had already read S&S, PTTP, and several other Pavel plans by then, but reading ES made me "get" it. As a bonus it is also marketed towards athletes in general, so may be more appealing to folks who are involved in team sports, martial arts, something where increasing lifts is not their primary motivation for training.

 

[kodo kb]

Depends on the person, because the philosophy comes through well in all of them. That's what Pavel does, he teaches you why something will work and then gives you a program based on what he just showed.

NW explains the concepts simply and really drives them home: perfect for body weight lovers or those not fitness inclined (everyone thinks a 1-armed pushup is cool). BBB actually has a list of Pavel's principles and is the most comprehensive; get that for any body builder types you know. S&S if they're interested in KBs at all. I also love PTTP, but that's really only for someone who wants a minimalist program and is comfortable deadlifting.

And that's just for lifting! There's also Fast and Loose (great for fighters), Relax into Stretch (great for dancers), or Super Joints (great for your mom because you can't get her to do any other workout program... well maybe that's just me).