The Weightlifting Encyclopedia: A Guide to World Class Performance
Having been an international-level athlete, coach and judge, Arthur Drechsler brings a wealth of experience and love to this book. Is it possible that too much love and experience went into this book? At over 400,000 words it's tempting to think so,but the book's depth of coverage isn't a fault. It's the text's development and execution that are suspect here. The book is "encyclopedic," but only in the sense that it attempts to cover every aspect of the sport of Olympic-style weightlifting (It does not run through an alphabetized list of concepts and terms.).The editors at A is A, in their zeal to publish an "instant classic" (their own Words), failed to reign in Drechsler's prose (a good copyeditor should have lost 10,000 words) or focus Drechsler on one task (he could have written an encyclopedia and a training guide). Instead, the segment of the audience looking for a reference has to do a lot of sifting to get at the nuggets of information they want (the index helps), and those looking for a training guide would be better served to look elsewhere. This is not a gym-friendly book. Its bulk and poor design make it an unuseful practical tool, with less than adequately illustrated exercises and techniques scattered throughout the text.Yet despite these flaws, this book demands attention from all those serious about the sport. Drechsler's sheer determination toward thoroughness drives this work. In Drechsler's voice dedicated athletes will find an advocate that they may value; coaches and strength training professionals will find a force that they must reckon with. --FromIndependent Publisher