Review by Karl Shreeves:

Power Factor Training and its three sequels (the Power Factor Specialization series) are excellent tools for those serious about maximizing their gains. I’m a certified personal trainer and this is the system I use. My personal results have been that Power Factor Training knocked me off a growth plateau I’d been on for six months, and despite having good muscle development already, I’ve had new, steady gains for more than five months.Power Factor Training is the first weight training system that allows you to quantify and plan your progress. Until now, there has been no way to truely measure whether your muscles have more, less or the same strength than on your last workout. By effectively measuring muscle output, you adjust your training to accommodate your body’s stimulus, recovery and growth ability. Sisco and Little have created what’s probably the best system for maximizing muscle growth efficiency, and it absolutely works. Power Factor: Measures raw power — a “snapshot” of what your muscles can do in the short term. Power Index: Measures your muscles’ abilility to maintain a Power Factor over time.You adjust your training weight, reps, sets, time and schedule so that you’re constantly increasing your Power Factor and Power Index. You systematically find the set/weight/reps/time combination for each exercise so that you constantly train at the point where you move the maximum amount of weight (max intensity). This varies with the individual depending upon a muscle’s white and red fiber mix, so that one individual will train with maximum intensity with higher weight and fewer reps/sets, and another with lighter weight, greater reps and sets. Power Factor training allows you to find exactly the combination that maximizes intensity for each exercise and muscle group, to adjust it as you make gains, to know when you plateau and how to readjust to break off plateaus.Power Factor training also embraces the use of Strong Range exercise, meaning that you maximize the weight and increase the reps for an exercise by limiting exercise motion to the maximum strength range (partial reps). Muscle growth stimulus results entirely from overload; once you move more than about 50% of your single rep max, you’ve activated more than 90% of a muscle’s fibers. By working high weight/max weight/strong range, you maximize the overload and time in overload while maintaining maximum fiber activation. Done properly, strong range training also tends to reduce injury potential by keeping you out of the area with maximum joint stress.Concerns with Power Factor Training Most concerns expressed about Power Factor Training result from misunderstanding or misapplying its principles. Many concerns focus on strong range training, which is really only a component of the system — not THE system itself.1. Concern one: The Power Factor formulas don’t accurately measure force because they doesn’t account for limb length, range of motion and torque. This is true, which the authors point out themselves, to extent that a Power Factor/Index is not comparable between two individuals or, to a large extent between different exercises, because of these variables. Sisco and Little point out that there’s no practical way to accommodate all these variables in a workable system anyone can use, BUT a Power Factor/Index IS valid for comparing the same exercise performed by the same individual through the same range of motion, because the variables cancel out. This is all you need to measure power output and change, and you can do it with ANY exercise with ANY machine or free weights.2. Concern two: Partial reps (strong range training) create “muscle imbalances” or limit strength development for the full range exercise. With respect to exercises that isolate a muscle group (e.g., bicep curls), this isn’t true. Muscles don’t grow in one part and not another because fiber distribution and activation pathways are random; a muscle either grows all over, or it doesn’t grow at all. An exercise does NOT have to be full range to stimulate growth (in normal activity, muscle use is rarely full range and usually strong range). Partial repping a compound exercise (multiple muscle groups involved –e.g. the squat) may reduce stimulus to some of the muscles compared to the full range motion. However, those muscles in the weak range; the solution is to target those muscles with a different exercise that stimulates them in the strong range. But, if you feel you need to perform an exercise full range, then do so — the Power Factor and Index concepts still apply (but are not directly comparable to the same exercise performed in the strong range). My personal experience is that as my partial rep strength for an exercise increases, so does my full range strength for the same exercise, and by using targeted, high intensity exercises for each muscle group, partial repping compound exercises has caused no “imbalances.” 3. Concern three: Partial reps (strong range training) doesn’t develop flexibility. This is true, but full range strength exercise isn’t the best way to develop flexibility anyway. Ask anyone in dance, gymnastics or martial arts: if your goal is flexibility, perform flexibility exercises. If your goal is both flexibility and strength, optimize your training by training for these separately.Some thoughts: For safety, Power Factor Training specifies some equipment requirements that you should follow (most well-equipped gyms have what you need). Strong range training is probably not the best system for beginners; several months to a year of basic weight training and full range exercise would be a good idea before trying to handle the super heavy loads involved. This develops automacity with the exercise movements and allows for tendon/ligament development. However, even a beginner using full range can calculate Power Factors/Indexes.

Review by Alan Dale Daniel:

Since the beginning of February of 2001 I have used the Power Factor training method described in this book. I purchased the Power Factor Training Log and used it, and the full body exercises therein, to train. Prior to starting on the Power Factor program I had been using free weights. During the program I followed the directions, and my Power Factor numbers did increase with each passing week (I worked out twice per week). The numbers for the partials I was doing were impressive, at least for me. By May I was doing squats with 330 pounds and bench presses with 230. I was doing two sets of each exercise listed in the A and B workouts in the Training Log. The exercise routines were intense. Because of the time factor, and the push to finish each exercise quickly and move on to the next, the exercise routine was demanding.On May 19th, 2001 I did a full range test of my lifting strength. It had not improved. In most of the exercises the numbers remained static. I had some small improvement in the squats. After the full range test I was muscle sore for three days. Something is definitely different between the full range exercises and the Power Factor partials. And that something does not favor the Power Factor training method.I think the training method was a failure. The charts I was keeping in the book showed a strong increase for several weeks followed by a plateau. After some rest the numbers improved marginally once more. After a rest of 5 days I took the full range test. The results were disappointing.Because of my results I cannot recommend this book or any of the Power Factor publications. It seems many of the trainees have had my disappointing results. The authors need to do more testing to discover why some people are able to advance on this program and others are not. After 3 and one half months on the program it seems I would have shown some improvement; however, there was none.

Review by :

The information provided in this latest edition of the “Power Factor Specialization” series is first-rate. All scientific, all proven and geared to make every workout efficient, this book is the ultimate ab (and leg) training book I’ve ever read. If you want a chisled midsection and muscular, powerful legs, then you will definitely benefit from the information in this book. All of the ab and leg exercises are rated, so that you will never again waste time on an unproductive exercise. The Power Factor Specialization series is the best “training” series of books I’ve ever read. They should be compulsory for all personal trainers who take their business seriously.

Review by L C Tweed:

I would recommend the “power factor ” approach to trainees in the intermediate and advance category. After a 26 year training career (weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding), it was refreshing to read practical training ideas that could immediately be introduced to my workouts to up the overall intensity. Be warned.. these techniques are not for beginners and advance trainees should not overestimate their abilities when they hit those first high rep, short range movements ! Like all new training techniques ,apply your mind to the ideas and and routines presented and make an informed decision as to the best way to use them in terms of your own abilities and training goals…remember there are no final answers in the mysterious world of weight training (in spite what the academics would have us believe !).All I can say is that short range overloads did’nt harm Paul Anderson any (one of the strongest men of all time ) and after my first shoulder workout using this system , my delts were so burnt out I did’nt know where to put my arms !

Review by Jim Schubert:

My father taught me if you agree with everything an author (or anyone else says) one of you is unnecessary, and it’s not the author. This training system works. I don’t agree with the partial reps approach – FOR ME. But applying their formulae to my workouts and using full range movements, I have nearly doubled my functional strength in less than 8 weeks and in only 6 workouts. I have added 11 pounds of lean muscle mass (based on caliper testing). More importantly to me, I have nearly tripled my muscle endurance. And my workouts take a quarter of the time they used to, so I have more time to enjoy other areas of my life. This book is definitely worth reading.

Review by Joseph Huang:

I must say that I am more than satisfied with the content of this book. The research that these two authors have placed in this book is amazing! These authors have given us the basis as to why certain exercises work and why others don’t. They also provide us with an incredibly intense workout program.As a weightlifter, I have read in many books, such as “Beef It” by Robert Kennedy and “Basic Weight Training” by Thomas D. Fahey, that one should not overtrain. What is the definition of overtraining? Well, these two authors have given us a mathematical (yes, mathematical!) formula that can help us measure how much our strength has grown and whether or not we have overtrained our muscles. How many other weight training books have been able to encapsulate our amount of muscular output into a mathematical formula? These two authors took the time to analyze the most popular arm and chest exercises in existence and rated them according to their overall effectiveness. Do you think dumbell butterfly is a good exercise for you chest? If you do, then you really need to buy this book. It’s no wonder why Harvard University’s Physiological Department utilizes this book as the basis for their research.

Review by Jeff Lippincott:

I liked this book. A reader might find it helpful to see why using social network sites and blogs to build (grow) a Web platform and possibly a customer following is the way to go in the Digital Age we live in today. I certainly will recommend this well written tome to my SCORE clients who either are stumbling with New Media or need to learn about it for the first time. The book has the following ten chapters:

1. How to be a social capitalist

2. The power of community marketing

3. Turn the bullhorn around & create continuous conversations with customers

4. Building whuffie by listening to & integrating feedback

5. Become part of the community you serve

6. Depositing into & withdrawing from your whuffie account

7. Be notable: 11 ways to create amazing customer experiences

8. Embrace chaos

9. Find your higher purpose

10. Whuffie “in real life”

You might not be familiar with the term “Whuffie” before reading this book. I know I wasn’t. It supposedly stands for “the store of social capital that is the currency in the digital world.” Marketing today in the New Media is about building relationships. It’s about give and take. It’s not about “in your face” or just throwing money into advertising campaigns. By reading this book you should better understand what online marketing has migrated to be about and why it is important to go with the flow.

This book is not going to tell you how to plan an online marketing campaign. The best book on that subject that I know of is Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day. And to learn more about blogging I recommend: ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, and Secrets of Successful Blogging System. This last item is kind of pricey. But in my humble opinion it is really worth its weight in gold. I have posted book reviews on Amazon for all three of these products. 4 stars!

Review by Andrew Kent:

I’ve become increasingly accustomed to ideas best captured as magazine articles being extended into books. It’s sometimes a bit offensive to be sold something long when something short would have done.

“The Whuffie Factor” is something else entirely — a sentence or a paragraph expanded into a book.

Here it is: Your social reputation is important, so cultivate it well.

Save your money. This book is insulting.

Review by Dick M.:

I installed this power supply in my HP desktop over a month ago and have no complaints. It’s still running fine and is fairly quiet. Not too hard to install for a noobie either.

Review by Graham Marshall:

Man I cant tell what a relief it was to buy this and find it fit snugly in my cooler master case. I had tried earlier to save some cash and try installing a dell power supply, but it wouldn’t take. Install with this Cooler Master power supply is a breeze. The price is nice and so are all cables. Couldn’t be happier.

Review by MusicMaven:

This is a great book if you have a need to sell executive leadership on the usefulness of extracting additional value out of organizational data.

I bought this book with great anticipation as I have been on the search for books that describe how to leverage data analytics within business…I kept waiting for the punchline. There were many references as to how decision analytics can drive efficiency gains and revenue, yet no noticeable mention of how to go about doing it. It read like a subtle sales pitch as to why you should hire Fair Issac to help you get there. There was barely enough technical jargon included to even go start researching descriptive and predictive analytics models. I found myself going to wikipedia and reading about this subject, then going back to the book, waiting..In protest, I refused to read the last 5 pages.

There’s value in the book for those business leaders that have absolutely no knowledge of the topic, which is why I gave it 3 stars. Just don’t go thinking that it provides any insight as to how to start extracting that value.

Review by Shahram Khorsand:

Bought this book based on a quick look at a book store.

I get the feeling that the company “Fair and Isaac” has sponsored this book. The first half is a praise of the authors and their company.

There are a numerous examples of Walmart, best buy and such companies, very little details, most of the text it on such an overview level that it definitely doesn’t give any value. Basically, the book explains that these companies are successful because they use the information they gather through loyalty programs and selling info.

I was expecting more details, insight or break downs on what the analysis have given. The “power of analytics” in the title, led me to think that the author will discuss how they have done the analysis to come to a decision.

Writing exactly the same examples about different companies doesn’t really give much. So the book covers most obvious things. Unfortunately, the book lacks insight of how the analysis were made, the results of the analysis, the decisions or the insight that the analysis provided. The book doesn’t contain much of value when it comes to the decisions that were made and how these were made.

Definitely not worth the money nor your time for reading it