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Power Factor Training : A Scientific Approach to Building Lean Muscle Mass | 
 enlarge | Authors: Peter Sisco, John R. Little
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $1.05
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Avg. Customer Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 517981
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0809230712
Dewey Decimal Number: 613.713
EAN: 9780809230716
ASIN: 0809230712
Publication Date: April 1, 1997
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Product Description
Bodybuilding experts Peter Sisco and John Little present a revolutionary new system for building maximum muscle in a minimum amount of time. Power Factor Training emphasizes very heavy overloading of the musculature and long rest periods between workouts, resulting in amazing gains in size and strength. This astounding guide details the proven physiological principles of the program, answers specific training questions, and outlines a concise workout schedule that is sure to benefit beginning, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilders.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 80 more reviews...
 I've been using this regimen for just over 3 years... October 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
..I had a few months of interruptions but overall I am extremely please with my results. Closing in on 50, preventing injuries was a priority and doing the partials as described in the book pretty much guaranteed this for me. In my last workout that included the legs, my total weight topped 1.6 million (yes, you're reading that correctly) lbs. This program has done well in sculpting my body and giving me what I call practical strength. Strength that I can use in everyday tasks...i.e. last week I moved 15 yards of dirt from a driveway in a normal work day.
The only drawback sometimes is that the intensity of the workouts sometimes stimulates my system so much, I have a hard time going to bed at night, not soreness, more like the jitters. I have definitely noticed how developed my tendons in my legs have become. There have been plateaus at times but I always break through. I track and graph my progress using a spreadsheet modeled after some charts shown in the book. I can see improving for some time.
Don't Get Stuck April 10, 2007
These important concepts for heavy training will teach you to knock down your mental blocks and really maximize your ability.
i'm fuzzy on the math, but the concepts are dead on March 2, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In reading the book, its too easy to get caught up in the mathematics, however, reading between the lines, the author's "concept" (versus implementation) gets right a few key points. You have to train heavy, and in doing so, heavy training is the only way to shock the tendons, ligaments - even old George Hackenschmidt said the same thing in his book (1920's). Also using the bench press as example, the author shows how the final press out position you can handle more weight, but getting it up is harder, how we need to train the latter part, the press out. this is what is exactly done in push pressing, and olympic jerk... you cheat with your body to hoist the weight up, it allows for much larger weight, but by keeping it overhead you make big gains... the authors concept is valid... if you just lived by a "sticking point" i.e. 'can't hoist up the weight' you'd always be stuck at say a bench of 120lbs or whatever. You have to eliminate the sticking point and get to the point where your body can bear the most weight. He talks about functional strength and full range of motion. I think heavy/HIT/hardgainer routines FAIL because of the person using them doesn't know the compound full body lifts. The most all around lifts are: front squat, romanian deadlift, overhead pressing (jerk/push press, etc) those done heavy will stimulate the full body. You will not stimulate the body by doing heavy cable curls. They go heavy on the wrong exercises. I didn't follow the math, but I did like the concepts the author puts out, all of his citations by the way for examples he cites all 50's 60's lifters (old school). Also he notes that weightlifters need carbs (if body is low in carbs it will cannabalize muscle) which is good to hear. carbs=good.
A Different Approach To Training With Lots Of Interesting Information September 25, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book "Power Factor Training" has a lot of interesting information in
it. Though the overall approach here is not something I would use exlusively,
most of what is written is definitely thought provoking and that is why I felt
it deserves five stars.
There's a lot of interesting information on the MISinformation that has been
around bodybuilding for years (for example, the myth that you can actually
shape your muscles beyond your genetics such as shaping one`s biceps peak).
Also there is a strong focus in this book on avoiding overtraining and
the need for proper recovery between workouts.
This book focuses on the use of short range partials as their primary
component of training. In my own training I prefer the X-Rep training
approach (advocated by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson). X-rep (extended
reps) training is done using partials AFTER doing full reps.
I could see using a purely partial rep workout occasionally, but not as
my sole approach. Holman and Lawson, also developed POF training (Positions
of Flexion) which is diametrically opposed to the approach taken in Power
Factor Training. They also have a scientific basis for their approach (much
of it is on the web and they have written several e-books their approach).
To me, the X-reps approach seems to be the best of both worlds because
you are strengthening your body in many different synergistic patterns of movement.
While this may not be necessary for building mass, it's a much more athletic approach. If
pure mass is all you want perhaps pure partial rep training is a good fit for you.
One of the best things I've gotten out of the Power Factor book is
the idea of trying to find the right weight/rep scheme to perform in
a certain amount of time and to try to keep a record of that in order
to chart one's progress..
In spite of the fact that I obviously have a different approach to my own
training than the authors prescribe, I still think this book is well worth
reading because there is a lot of valuable information that is well
detailed and explained in clear language.
 good idea - bad demonstration August 21, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I think that the best way to find the optimum training method for yourself, is to read everything and use critical thinking combined with experience and experimentation. This book seems to me to be a prime example in support of this method of research.
I find that it is true that you will limit your results if you insist upon "full range" training. The example of the bench press, where the subject was doing full range presses w/200 lbs., it seems biomechanically true that if he limited the range somewhat, his progress would accelerate. This much is true,to my experience,- a good idea - but the degree of limitation of the range is where the demonstration goes off track. If you limit your range of motion to that necessary to stimulate the muscle you are training, then you will minimally involve any weaker muscles that limit the amount of poundage. The limitation should not, however, take away the effective range of the exercise. In our bench press example the subject should not limit the range to the very last extension, because the triceps will get more work than the pecs, the exercise range should be limited to parallel positon (not below the plane of the bench) to take advantage of this type of max-weight training. the way most people do a bench press (full range) limits them to the strength of their anterior delts and slows the development of the pecs. Of course, this all depends on whether you care about your progress in the "classic benchpress"(how much weight you can press through the full range of motion) or if you care more about developing a specific muscle group as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible.
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