Practical Programming for Strength Training
Mark Rippetoe · ★★★★★ · 272 pages · 2006
Well to make it clear I didn't really finish the book because I didn't read the section on Intermediate and Advanced training. I probably would have never even gotten to the section on the Advanced training since it is for competitive lifters.
But overall this is a great book on understanding the physiological aspects of weight training and how to adjust weight training goals with the physiological response of the body. It really serves as a compliment to Starting Strength which goes through all the exercises that this book bases its training program on.
But the main thing I got out of the book is this: days of lifting are not when change happens, change happens on the days of rest after training when the muscles break down and get rebuilt. Further, as they get rebuilt they get rebuilt stronger so adding weight every time to the exercises would be a good way to improve until the point where it is no longer possible. After that is where the sections on Intermediate and Advanced training comes in and I haven't gotten through that because well I'm not there yet.