Brings together a TON of information | Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches,...

Great book for anyone involved with athletes | Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes | Michael Boyle

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	• Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes Michael Boyle On Target Publications, 2010 - 315 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent follow up to previous publications

Advances is not a "pick it up off the shelf with no training background" kind of book. But if you have read "Functional Training For Sports" and just about any other thing Mike Boyle has written or contributed to, you need to read this book. Ours is an industry in which nothing is set in stone. Research changes constantly and we change the way we do things based on the current, most reputable knowledge at hand. Coach Boyle does a great job of summing up those advances in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who has at least the base level knowledge (read FTS or Athletic Body In Balance, Core Performance, etc) and is looking to further their education. I personally find Mike Boyle to be one of the brightest, most influential people in our industry, and I would back just about any product he puts out with the highest integrity.

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Brings together a TON of information

I don't like flavor - of - the - day fitness books, with pretty models demonstrating the latest fitness fad. I like solid, practical information that I can actually use, that helps me train, improve, and stay healthy and injury free. This is my kind of book.

In my opinion, Mike Boyle's background sets him apart from the pack. As a physical therapist, he has a strong academic background and is an actual health care provider. He's a prolific writer with original ideas and a cogent, consistent approach. He's worked with athletes at all levels in a variety of sports, for a long time.

Functional training - this idea has been so talked-about, used and misused, that it is in danger of losing its original meaning. Boyle is "old school" functional training: training methods that are aimed at developing the body in the ways that it is naturally designed to work, the way that it functions best on the track, in the field, and on the job. Not pointless stunts in the gym, done with rubber balls, bongo boards, etc.

This book is really dense with information. Personally I am irritated when I buy a fitness related book and find it is mostly pictures of someone in under-armor demonstrating exercises, with very little information on why to do the exercises, and how to put a program together. This book is the opposite: detailed, well thought out information on everything from the rotator cuff to the forty yard dash times to Olympic lifting to periodization to ... you get the point. For example, in one chapter he discusses treadmills with some very surprising information about a type of treadmill that is less well known but for most people far superior to most of the treadmills on the market. This information helped one of my customers select treadmills for their training studio, and his clients LOVE them.

His earlier work, Functional Training for Sports, was (and is) a great book and a solid introduction to some of Boyle's core concepts; this new book includes that information and expands on it dramatically, and includes many, many topics not discussed in the original book. It is not just an update or revised edition, it is a far more complete work. Whatever you do, you will learn a lot that you can use in your training, or your client's or team's training.

Performing at a high level and having a long career: that is what every athlete wants; and I think Mike Boyle has achieved this as a writer. I'm giving it five stars.

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Great book for anyone involved with athletes

This book is an excellent resource for anyone that deals with athletes. Although some of the things covered may seem controversial to what people have always assumed, Mike does a great job of describing the "why" behind his thought process. Definitely a must have for anyone, especially people just starting out in the field.

Bob Taylor ATC,CSCS,PES

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From Soup to Nuts-Boyle has functional training covered

I have certainly known of Mike Boyle for many years. His name often came up in discussions and articles on strength and conditioning as well as functional training. Mike is as well known for calling it like he sees it as he is for his contribution to strength and conditioning.

Up until a couple of years ago, Mike and I had never met. I wasn't sure what kind of guy he was going to be when we did finally meet because I can't say that I've always agreed with everything Mike's ever written. But who wants an industry of clones?

In the summer of 2007 I had arranged a meeting with Chris Poirer of Perform Better to show him a pre production prototype of the Core-Tex(tm) at the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, CA. I sent Mike an email because I knew he was going to be presenting there and asked him if he would be available to take some time to look at the Core-Tex and give me his opinion.

There's no doubt in my mind that Mike gets approached all the time by people with products and ideas (because I certainly do). Even so, Mike got back to me right away and graciously agreed to spend some time with me between his presentations.

When I finally got to meet Mike, it was a pleasure to see that he just one of the guys. Like so many of the great educators in our industry, Mike had no ego and was genuinely interested in hearing more about the Core-Tex(tm). He didn't have to do this since he didn't know me but he extended me a professional courtesy. And to me, that was a class act.

When I got Mike's book, Advances in Functional Training, I took it on a plane to England and read it cover to cover. This book is probably the most comprehensive book out there right now in respect to the amount of content it covers on the various components of functional training.

We all know that some people believe that functional training equates to circus acts-which of course it is not. This book covers the full continuum of what functional training really is and leaves out the circus acts.

I often speak in terms of training for function versus functional training because for me functional training denotes a mode or method of training and training for function denotes and objective. The content covered in Mike's book falls right in line with training for function.

Mike has spent a lot of years in the industry. Yet he is humble enough to readily cite those that have influenced his approach to training and states his reasons for following the training principles he adheres too.

Since the functional training continuum covers everything from restoring normal movement patterns to maximizing sport performance, there is a tremendous amount of information to cover. A book could be written for each aspect of training for function along the continuum. As comprehensive as Advances in Functional Training is, it couldn't possibly cover everything along the continuum in the depth that each topic requires.

But that is not bad thing. Because what Advances in Functional Training does is give the reader a full appreciation of the many aspects of function. And there is no shortage of content in this book (314 pages).

For example, my professional strengths are focused more around the assessment process and corrective exercise. Therefore, it's not often that I get to work with clients as they move toward the more advanced end of the functional continuum. Mike's book serves as a great resource to me for identifying some of the critical variables that need to be part of the training progressions.

The term "soup to nuts" keeps coming to mind when I read through this book. The book begins with where all training should begin-the assessment process. It then takes you through the continuum with appropriate progressions right up to athletic preparation. Mike not only does a great job at guiding us through the functional continuum, but he highlights critical areas where injury and common training pitfalls take place.

A minor criticism of this book is the lack of direct references from the research literature. Although Mike does give credit to other authors and practitioners, I don't recall reading any direct citations of the literature. Doing so would have strengthened the delivery of many of the concepts in the book.

Advances in Functional Training really is a comprehensive look at a topic that regularly stirs debate from trainers and coaches with different training philosophies. Mike Boyle has made some tremendous contributions to our industry and with this book he provides ample evidence and rationale for a functional training approach.

Anthony B. Carey M.A., CSCS, CES
Author The Pain-Free Program: A Proven Method to Relieve Back, Neck, Shoulder, and Joint Pain
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Advances in Functional Training

Advances in Functional Training: Book Review

"Quality is never an accident: it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. " Advances in Functional Training is Coach Michael Boyle's most recent book and a "must have " resource for today's strength and conditioning professional. I have had the opportunity to read Coach Boyle's book(s), view his entire DVD collection and attend his mentorship program in Boston. I can say with 100 percent conviction that the quality of information and practical application gained from this material is unmatched anywhere in the fitness industry. It is the wise choice of many alternatives. Coach Boyle is not afraid of change; in fact he embraces it, blazing the path for young coaches to follow in his footsteps. He is a pioneer in the field, always looking for better, safer, more effective training methods for his clients and athletes. Advances in Functional Training is a culmination of these beliefs tapping into the mind of Coach Boyle's methods, progressions and exercise prescription. Through deliberate practice, twenty-five plus years of experience, and a resume of "who's who" in the athletic world, Coach Boyle is the BEST resource for any young coach looking to become great.

I strongly recommend reading his entire collection of materials, starting with his first book Functional Training for Sports. This will give the reader an opportunity to see the evolution of Coach Boyle's methods, but more importantly will give the young coach confidence in realizing that the learning process is ever evolving. What better way to learn than from a Coach who's traveled a life long runway seeking perfection in his craft? The investment far outweighs the cost.

Anthony Donskov, MS, CSCS, PES
Donskov Strength and Conditioning, Inc.
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In the seven years since the publication of his first book, Functional Training for Sports, new understanding of functional anatomy created a shift in strength coaching. With this new material, Coach Boyle presents the continued evolution of functional training as seen by a leader in the strength and conditioning field.

reviews: page 1, 2

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