Coach: Your training literature

[gymrob]

Coach,

I was wondering when you came to create the steady state cycle and implement various aspects regarding your whole training philosphy have you ever found any books useful? for example Thomas Kurz's books etc. I am following the WOD's religiously and they are all I need along with Building the gymnastic body but I like to do a lot of reading on training and was wondering whether over the course of your career etc whether you have really enjoyed certain books regarding training? I was wondering whether you could share any favourites at all if some books have stood out and been interesting in your opinion.

Many thanks.

[Ortprod]

I think Coach has mentioned some of Pavel's stuff in the past (PTTP). Coach is quoted in the "naked warrior".

[Coach Sommer]

Forgive me, but it is very difficult to narrow my influences down to a favorite or favorite(s). I have a voracious appetite for learning and over the years have read and studied an extremely wide array of training literature, quite literally thousands upon thousands of volumes and articles (in the early years of my marriage, my wife used to tease me that there couldn't possibly be anything else that I had left to read 8)); from translated Russian and Hungarian gymnastics texts to powerlifting to track & field to swimming to physiology to special operations to rehabilitation to ultra marathons etc etc etc. Any and everything was fair game. I once perused a 400 page book on Omega 3 fatty acids in search of a specific tidbit after a conversation with Robb Wolf seeking verification that Omega 3 fatty acids reduced inflammation (They do. Luckily for me, the author dedicated an entire sentence to this fact right in the middle of the book :roll:). I have spent countless hours in conversation with Olympic Champions and Coaches from around the world. And to tie it all together, over the course of my career, at the last estimate I have spent well over 35,000 hours in the gym planning, implementing, evaluating and re-evaluating the training of high-level champion athletes.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[gymrob]

Forgive me, but it is very difficult to narrow my influences down to a favorite or favorite(s). I have a voracious appetite for learning and over the years have read and studied an extremely wide array of training literature, quite literally thousands upon thousands of volumes and articles (in the early years of my marriage, my wife used to tease me that there couldn't possibly be anything else that I had left to read ); from translated Russian and Hungarian gymnastics texts to powerlifting to track & field to swimming to physiology to special operations to rehabilitation to ultra marathons etc etc etc. Any and everything was fair game. I once perused a 400 page book on Omega 3 fatty acids in search of a specific tidbit after a conversation with Robb Wolf seeking verification that Omega 3 fatty acids reduced inflammation (They do. Luckily for me, the author dedicated an entire sentence to this fact right in the middle of the book ). I have spent countless hours in conversation with Olympic Champions and Coaches from around the world. And to tie it all together, over the course of my career, at the last estimate I have spent well over 35,000 hours in the gym planning, implementing, evaluating and re-evaluating the training of high-level champion athletes.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

:shock:

That is an incredible amount of information! And 35,000 hours in the gym...crickey! I laughed at the fatty acids bit! A single sentence from a 400 page book to confirm what you thought. So from this I take it that you clearly didn't rely/ favour a narrow array of sources but instead read and researched articles and books from many authors and bought all of this together along with the practical experience in the gym. I was even more surprised to find that you also read books from many other sports such as powerlifting etc. Did you draw a lot of useful information that is applicable to gymnastics from these other sports?

Thanks for the reply. Rob.