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Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights (Book Review)

Posted: 24 May 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Alex Hutchinson's first book Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise is officially released today. Congrats to Alex, (being a distance runner), who beat me (a sprinter) in the race to publish their first book.

Who the heck is Alex Hutchinson?

For those who read the Canada's Globe and Mail Jockology column on a regular basis, you are already familiar with his writing.

But it's really a small world. Both Alex and myself are former members of the the McGill Redmen Track Team but in different eras: myself in 1982-86, 1993 and Alex from 1993-1997. Today, he still holds 3 McGill records (1000m, 1500m and 4×800m) compared to my lone record in the 4×200m.

But enough of the reminiscence… let's get down to his book.

The first half of the title of the book is a bit misleading as the question "Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights" is only one of the 100+ fitness questions in the book.

If you are a beginner in physical fitness, or contemplating a workout program after several sedentary years, this is a must read book. Even if you have started running or exercising with a few years under your belt, I still highly recommend this book.

Why?

As a coach and Blogger, I get numerous questions on comments and emails on a daily basis… from simple stupid questions like "how long does it take to get a six pack" to more complex questions like barefoot running, compression shorts, determining maximal heart rate, core training, and so on.

In fact, there are 111 fitness myths covered in this book, and since Alex is a scientist (he has a Ph.D. in Physics), he uses current research in explaining what works and, most important, why it works. Conversely, he covers some of the fads and gimmicks on why things don't work as well.

As for the competitive edge, he does cover the taper period as well as the effects of coffee and caffeine. (just to name a few)

He even covers the question Is endurance or sprint speed more important in soccer? I am glad we both agree on this topic. (for a hint, read the series by Jonas Forsberg)

If you are an avid reader of Men's Health, then you'll like the style of the book with the short "cheat sheets" for quick reading.

Don't be surprised in a few years with all the latest fads out there (like Quercetin to improve endurance, Acai berries for weight loss, EMS machines for fat loss and muscle toning, etc) that we'll see an update to this book!