The Bookshelf January 2026
Supertraining by Mel Siff and Yuri Verkhoshansky
When I think of Supertraining, it’s not really as a book you’d recommend for someone’s enjoyment. Instead, it’s a book that you’d hand to someone and say, “Well, you asked for it.” To call it the definitive text on strength and conditioning would not be hyperbolic. Every time I talk to someone who is reading it or considering doing so, I issue a warning: “If you understand strength and conditioning, do not read this book.”
It is a book that creates more questions in your mind than it answers. It delves deep into theory, and highlights concept after concept that many of us have never considered. Notably, it gives an encyclopedic understanding of the basic strength principles, training organization, and the success of rigid and regulated training systems.
One of my habits in reading is to highlight and write notes in the book as I read. Because I feel I have a hard time with concepts, I then write all of these note out in a document on my computer. Some books will end up with a page of notes on my drive. For this book, my notes are over 100 pages.
Just after college, I decided I needed to read all the books on Harvard’s greatest English language novels list. I got hung up in Virginia Woolf and James Joyce and knew that maybe I just wasn’t meant to go that deep into the world of literature. Supertraining is that book. It’s only good if you’re all in on the game of strength and conditioning. And, as they say, if you’ve got what it takes, it will take all you’ve got.