Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition, is the fundamental preparation text for the CSCS exam as well as a definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals will consult in everyday practice.
As a general resource for strength training professionals to have in a resource library? 5 stars. It's jargony in places, but everything in here is evidence-based and no one in the field should have trouble parsing it. It's great to have in your reference library in case you're iffy on a specific data point or stretch.
As the textbook for the CSCS (i.e., its advertised purpose), only four. It's still a great text for all the same reasons, but I don't feel it prepares you for the test quite as much as advertised. It's not an exhaustive look at all the things you'll need to know for the test, but it does cover most of them in great detail.
(Bear in mind that I did use this text as part of my study plan for the CSCS and passed, so your mileage with this review may vary)
Although the book delves into multitudes of subjects on strength training ,it fails to provide depth into any of the subjects discussed . This should be viewed as a introductory book not as a learning guide .
Obviously it's dry, but the material is very interesting and (for most of the chapters) well-presented, and thorough. This is a great introduction to the practical application of exercise physiology. (Also using it as a study tool for the CSCS exam, which I take next week...might update this later with how much it helped me for the exam.) Highly recommended for EP undergrads or anyone interested in strength & conditioning, personal training, rehab, etc.,
This is a very thorough text for CSCS test preparation. Includes review questions for each chapter. Highly recommended for aspiring CSCS professionals.
Just got into Strength & Conditioning within the past year and this book was loaded with a ton of great information. Covering a wide variety of topics, I was recalling a lot of information from kinesiology and ex. phys. while going through every chapter. Really prepared me for my CSCS, even though I would recompensed accessing some additional online sources. Will probably add this book to my personal library down the road, but took well over 100 pages of notes and gained a tone of new knowledge from this book.
Great text and resource. I had a copy of the 2nd and 3rd editions of this text and decided to purchase this 4th edition earlier this year. Highly recommended for anyone who intends to prepare for the CSCS exam or any CSCS who wants to add to their professional development library!