Elitefts Bench Press Manual by Dave Tate (e -book)
I'm a longtime admirer of Tate, so I come to this review of his manual with a certain pre-conceived notion 
that it's bound to be an effective and instructive book. And it is; let me tell you a few reasons why.
Tate sets out to teach lifters how to become better competitive bench pressers; there is no bodybuilding aspect to his Bench Press Manual, and he doesn't pretend otherwise. Gritty photographs taken inside the legendary Westside Barbell Club workout area set the tone. These remarkable black & white pics make me sweat, and feel like I should be training right now.
There's a remarkable amount of detail inside this 212-page book; Dave Tate, Louie Simmons, and other notable lifters and coaches come alive. If you've never read any work by Simmons or Tate, be prepared for straightforward, no-bullshit "telling it like it is." They don't mess around, there's no delicate "maybe this" or "If this feels good." Instead, you learn the details and truth about Conjugate Training, and why the three aspects of this method entirely debunk Western or linear periodization training. By the time you've finished studying the Elitefts Bench Press Manual (this isn't light reading you'll do on a treadmill!), the phrases "maximal effort", "dynamic method" and "repetition method" will be firmly and forever imprinted in your training protocol. And you'll be practicing them in the gym, and your bench press will be headed upward.
Some of the important nuggets of truth I took away from this book are:
*The dynamic method means to apply as much force as possible to the barbell. I cannot stress how critical this is to your training and competitive lifting.
*Synchronize your muscles to perform; get stronger by developing better neural activation.
*If two different athletes performed a set of ten reps in the barbell squat with 80% of their one-rep-max, the novice would walk away without having strained much, while the advanced athlete probably wouldn't be walking anywhere until he'd gotten off the floor.
*I'm struck by examples of how Tate, Simmons and Westside Barbell have been willing to change training techniques and percentages over time. These are the least dogmatic trainers in the world.
*A one-minute rest constitutes about a 1:6 work to rest ratio, and anything over 1.5 minutes will negate the training effect. (Think about this the next time you're squatting or deadlifting or performing pullups).
*Tate is a big proponent of not going to failure in training. Thus proper recovery for the next workout is assured.
* One of Dave's important rules: Never perform a non-shirted bench max through a full range of motion.
In the world of Dave Tate and competitive bench pressing, the line between a beginner and an intermediate lifter is an immense gulf. The beginner has more than a year of strength training and a decent technical base. However, an intermediate lifter is competing and has a lift in the Powerlifting USA Top 100 (categoriezed by weight class)! This means the vast majority of lifters in the world never are more than beginners, to the elite lifters.
From basic instruction covering how to handle your body on the bench, and where the bar should be traveling, to complicated workout cycles, literally every aspect of training to be a competitive bench presser is covered in depth, with verve and passion, in this book. If you fancy yourself a powerlifter, and you don't own the Elitefts Bench Press Manual by Dave Tate, you're dreaming.
$29.95 www.elitefts.com
A Week in the Dungeon - Mark Dugdale and Dorian Yates - DVD
IFBB pro Dugdale pulled off something that's only a dream for many bodybuilders; he traveled to London, 
England, and the legendary Temple Gym to train with Dorian Yates. How many of us who watched Blood and Guts countless times dreamed of such an opportunity? Well, Dugdale made arrangements with Dorian, the guy who inspired him to be a bodybuilder, and fighting through food poisoning the entire trip, he crammed four shattering workouts into a three-day visit. This DVD documents the entire trip.
Once Dugdale opened the bright red door in the alley, he left everything behind and was in Temple Gym, where there is nothing else, just training. Dorian gave Mark good advice on day one, suggesting that training beyond failure while dieting for a show is when he suffered all his major injuries, and that Dugdale should be cautious and learn from his experience. Going beyond failure when dieting and dehydrated isn't a good idea, Dorian says today. When Dugdale asked him if he'd have listened to anyone telling him this when Dorian was Mark's age, he admitted he probably wouldn't!
After some discussion about how they should conduct their "rest-pause" workouts, the two of them got down to some intense, loud sessions. Dorian constantly talks to Mark during the sessions, in my mind worth the price of admission alone. Yates is very hands-on, encouraging and loud and intense. As he says at one point, "You're only at Temple Gym once, so we're going to fucking go for it!" I love it.
Dugdale reported he discovered his workout form wasn't as strict as he thought it was, and that Dorian helped him feel the muscle much better throughout all the workouts. This is a lasting lesson he took home.
Lore from Temple Gym: "English weights are heavier than American ones, aren't they?"
"Squeeze it!" (repeated dozens of times)
"You made me look like a girl on that, man."
Shoulder workout: "Start with the real shit now."
Leg workout: "If you're scared... that's fine." (said with a smile).
Dorian to Dugdale's wife: "I tried to make him throw up but he didn't, he's pretty fit."
When Dugdale told Dorian he usually wraps his knees for squats over three plates, Dorian replied "Fuck that shit," and explained why there's no need, that the muscles grow stronger when not supported by the wraps, and that he's not a powerlifter. I loved it.
After so many boring workout videos and DVDs released over the last few years, A Week in the Dungeon is refreshing, inspirational and instructive. Watch this and I refuse to believe you won't want to run to the gym immediately and train your brains out.
$40.00 (www.markdugdale.com)
American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime
by Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keefe and Christian Red.
Starting with the dynamic cover shot of Clemens, this 428-page book relentlessly holds the reader's attention. I began reading knowing as much or more as the average well-read person in this field about both Clemens and Brian McNamee, his trainer, but the depth and detail these four New York Daily News reporters put into this book is mind-boggling. They seemingly track Clemens' use of anabolics from his first injection on, all in the words of McNamee.
Using his testimony as a framework, and after many additional interviews, McNamee paints a picture of the pro sports world from the inside that is both entertaining and engrossing. The authors talked to hundreds of professional baseball players and others in the pro sports arena, and reveal a captivating story. Whether Roger Clemens used steroids or not becomes a moot point, in my mind. The authors clearly share the point of view that all performance-enhancing drugs are the work of the devil, and never draw the line between health and recovery, critical to all professional athletes, and performance enhancement that is against rules at one time or another.
The never-ending legal battle between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee takes center stage of the second half of the book, and sometimes the reading becomes a bit dry. Always present, no matter what happens to him, is McNamee's devotion and loyalty to Clemens. He held out for a long time without naming Clemens, but after the Feds had him dead to rights for various charges of distribution and sales, he knew it was in his best interests to tell all to the Mitchell Report investigators and to the infamous Jeff Novitzky.
In the pages of American Icon, the likes of Jose Canseco, Andy Pettitte, and many others come to life. An entire span of two decades in American sport passes through these pages in fascinating style. The overworked phrase "This is a page-turner" is apt describing American Icon. This is essential reading.
$26.95, Alfred A. Knopf, publishers (www.randomhouse.com)
Yell at John Koenig at [email protected]
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