Training Books

A very good book which i found by chance at book liquidation table at the local mall!! It's very simple to follow and will give you a good workout without leaving you wiped out. Johnny begins with a novice program and then follows it with a high school, college, and advanced program. He provides summmer, fall and in-season programs. The olympic-style lifts are done primarily in the "hang" position.

I found that following his Novice program will pack on some muscle and get you strong in a hurry. In fact it can be used for as long as you want!
All of the programs are full body programs with plenty of illustrations.

This book is alot better than most of the weight-training books out there.

After I started this program, I got huge. Helped my overall performance in the martial arts. Good descriptions of sports-strength related lifts. Lists programs for beginner, high school, college, and pro. Also, some good motivational reading.

This is the best workout guide I've ever used. I expereienced major strength gains -- too bad I discovered it after my high school football years. The power-lift moves are ideal for building the type of power necessary for football specific techniques. Don't just blindly follow the programs -- Read what Johnny has to say. He provides the best education on weightlifting. I would especially recommend this book to high school football programs and players.

I purchased this book when it first came out (right after the 1986 Giants SuperBowl win). Although the graphics are a bit simplistic (including cover) Coach Parker put his expertise in this book. Coach was one of the first to study power lifting in the former USSR and applied what he learned here. He takes a complex program and breaks it down to a level a reader understands. I am a former SemiPro player who benefitted greatly from these workouts. The first benifit I noticed was how explosive I was off the ball (Def. Lineman). These exercises are olympic style lifts and he modified them for the football player. He trains you up to 80% of your max but leaves you strong and powerful for the game. He accounts for the entire season and has levels for HS, college and Pro. Although this is a football workout, a non football athlete will benifit as well. Although pictures and that Giant team is outdated, the principles to get you in best football shape are not. Highly recommended for High School level and up.

I loved this book so much, I went out and got the rest to the series to read. The story line and the characterizations of the characters are incredible. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

I am a very picky reader. I love to read, but it has to be the perfect story line. If you know what I mean. Lots of people think of Christain books as being boring. that is what I thought when I saw this book. After a friend told me to read it I was wrapped up in the story line! I even went out of my way to find, and buy the rest in the series! This book, By Honor Bound, is a story of real life problems, plus heros and heroines that will stay in your heart. If you are looking for a book (or books) to read, find one of the Guardians of the North books and dig in!!!

I have read the first 2 of the Guardians of the North so far. I have enjoyed them immensley and can't wait to read the others! I would definately recommend these books to anyone who enjoys history, a romance, or a wonderful Christian novel! I have enjoyed many other novels by his father Gilbert Morris. I have read the entire House of Winslow series and can't wait for the latest book to come out! I would certainly recommend this book to anyone willing to read it!

I've read the whole "Guardian of the North" series.It is well written and easy to read. The history of early Canada wasnew to me and very interesting. I recommend that the books be read in the order intended although that is not absolutely necessary. If you like Christian fiction, this series is worth a try!

For the starting cadaver dog handler this book is a must. I recommend it to all my students. It does an excellent job of detailing the scent imprinting training, establishing a readable alert and the advancement of training. Not only does it cover the handling and training of the dog but discusses in depth the handlers responsibilities and information useful to any agency wishing to deploy the cadaver dog. Excellent information in a basic readable form. Not much experience in scent work needed prior to implementing these techniques. A wealth of information.

The book was sent on time, and it cost less then other places that I looked at. Nice shape, and a great place to buy from. Kudo's!

This is an excellent book! Great for the civilian SAR Dog Handler or a person jutst doing research on the subject.

Tremendous resource book (especially for the Novice and/or Advanced SAR Dog Handler) for trouble shooting Handler/SAR Dog problems and maintaining a training program/profile.

Could also be utilized in conjunction with a qualified/competent instructor.

I found this handbook well written, organized and thorough. A must have for anyone interested or involved in this specialized field of cadaver dog handlers.

I AM 53 AND HAVE SUFFERED FOR YEARS WITH A BAD BACK. I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING INCLUDING THERAPY. NOTHING WORKS AS WELL AS CALLANS BACK EXERCISES! I BOUGHT THIS BOOK USED RECENTLY. I WISH I WOULD HAVE FOUND IT YEARS AGO! IT WOULD HAVE SAVED ME YEARS OF PAIN! WHAT A SHAME ITS OUT OF PRINT.

The first few pages of this book are devoted to emergency relief of lower back spasm. If you've ever had to get out of bed by rolling out onto the floor, getting onto your knees, then slowly & painfully rising to your feet by supporting yourself by leaning on the nightstand...you know what I'm talking about. Her emergency exercises work.

The long-term stretching & toning program is a lot like some yoga exercises...but with some very important--and seemingly subtle--differences that will protect your back from some of the dangerous stresses that certain yoga positions put you into.

It's a shame this book is out of print. Haunt your local used book stores until you find it!

This book should not be out of print! I have been a low-back-pain sufferer most of my adult life and have tried everything from weightlifting to yoga with little or no positive result (in some cases, very negative results). But this book, with its common-sense approach to both back therapy and overall exercise (making it clear that, yes, back problems are no barrier to staying in shape) got me from 80% of the time in back pain to 95% of the time pain-free, strong, and able to hike, bike, and do all the other things that would in the past have gotten me into painful trouble. Also, but just incidentally, it toned and slimmed my entire body, a selling point for Callanetics for women, but believe me, this man doesn't mind losing his "love handles" on the way to a better back, either! Callan Pinckney is some kind of miracle worker, maybe because she used herself and her own back as the laboratory for the program she created. Simply amazing!

I found the book and 2 sets of audio tapes of Callanetics for Your Back years ago. I purchased 5 sets and only have one set left. Is that version still available? Callan Pinckney's easy lying down back exercises are the most valuable and helpful found anywhere. Help me find more copies, please! I'm searching for friends.

I agree with the earlier reviews; this book is great. We've used it in our church setting, and the men who are going through it (many being trained for the first time) have said often how much they like it. They do say that it is a "workout," but none of them would subtract any part or chapter.

There are a few typos and such that will no doubt be fixed in the future editions. Regardless, I highly recommend this manual.

Several of us had the opportunity to use this book for our officer training in preparation for becoming elders and deacons last summer. For many of us who were not raised in the reformed tradition of our Christian faith, much of the material was new and greatly needed. The material is comprised of 16 chapters written by different individuals and covers material such as our Biblical calling, history of our Reformed Doctrine and several chapters of practical guidance on how to fulfill our calling. I find myself referring to it often over this last year. It would also be useful for the Congregation at large to better understand the goals behind the Elders and Deacons responsibilities as they shepherd God's Church while we are serving in these capacities.

As an elder in the United Reformed Churches in North America, I have found Called to Serve: Essays for Elders and Deacons as an indispensible resource and training tool. The book divided into 16 well written chapters by various reformed authors, each knowledgeable about the history, duties and responsibilities of elders and deacons. The book also contains vital essays on church government and church discipline. Not only has it increased my knowledge of my church office, it has also reminded me of the scriptural mandate for these offices. As such, the book has underscored the important role that Christ has established for these offices in his church. My Council is using the book for officer training at our monthly meetings and it has been a blessing to all the men. We use the questions written in the back of the book for a 10-week officer training course. These are excellent for review and discussion during our meetings. I highly recommend it to other church councils for use as a training tool or to church members interested in better understanding one of the marks of a true church.

Called to Serve is an excellent resource not only for training officers in Reformed and Presbyterian churches, but also for expanding one's own understanding of the New Testament's teaching on the subject of ministers, elders, and deacons.

Though the book is written by and for officers in churches within the Dutch Reformed tradition, I would highly recommend it for use in PCA (the denomination in which I pastor), OPC, and other Presbyterian denominations as well.

One of the best and most challenging chapters, written by editor Michael Brown, addresses the question of whether people with baptistic theology should be allowed to join Reformed churches. Though the Dutch Reformed answer this question differently than do Presbyterians (the former say "no," the latter "yes"), this question is nonetheless a crucial one with which all potential officers should wrestle, regardless of their denominations' take on this issue.

As a church planter in the Presbyterian Church in America I am in the process of training elders and deacons, and after having searched far and wide for quality curricula, I was thrilled to come across this well-written and accessible volume. I commend it highly.

Rev. Jason J. Stellman
Exile Presbyterian Church
Woodinville, WA

This book is very well researched and informative, but it is not one of those history books that reads like an exciting novel. It has its dramatic moments--an author would have to be a far worse writer than Bigelow to rob this story of its drama--but it is not an easy read.

One problem with Bigelow's writing style is that he does not organize the narrative in a way that helps the reader digest all the information. For example, there were seven infantry corps in the Union army, and each corps had three or four divisions, each with its own commander. In addition, there were also the brigade commanders, the cavalry and artillery commanders, and the various aides-de-camp. That's quite a list of players on just one side of the drama, and it is difficult to keep them straight under the best of circumstances. Once Bigelow introduces them, though, he expects the reader to remember who they are through the rest of the book, and will often refer to them only by last name.

He has a confusing nomenclature that he employs at times to indicate, parenthetically, the brigade, division and corps of an officer. It is a cipher that has to be decoded, however, as opposed to simply reading "commander of the second brigade, first division of XI Corps." His code shortens the text, but lengthens the reading time, and forces a break in the reader's focus. It is better than nothing, though, and nothing is often what one gets. At one point, I had reached the conclusion that there was a particular officer who had switched sides in the middle of the war. Consulting the index, I discovered that there was a Capt. Best commanding the artillery of the Federal XII Corps, and a Col. Best commanding the Confederate 23rd Ga. Aha!

This confusion of players is exacerbated by the fact that Bigelow does not always use his turn signal when he switches from talking about one side in the conflict to the other. There is no "meanwhile, in the Confederate ranks" to let you know he has dropped one thread of the tale and is picking up another. This can cause whiplash when it is noticed and bafflement when it is not.

In spite of these problems with Bigelow's style, though, I still recommend reading the book for those with more than a casual interest in the Civil War. Bigelow did meticulous research on the conflict, and much of the raw data that he gathered is included in the text, footnotes, and appendices. As another reviewer noted, he goes into great detail on the movements of the different armies. (Unfortunately, my copy did not come with the detailed maps, and that made it harder to follow.) His analysis of the failures in command is also very intelligent. For that, I give the book four stars, but be warned that it is tough sledding unless you are highly motivated and patient.

The trouble with this book is that the most recent publisher does not acknowledge that the author, John Bigelow, lived and wrote his book in the 19th Century.

My copy of this book was accompanied by a dustcase filled with dozens of desk-sized maps covering every phase of the campaign, some focusing on small parts of the action, others broadening out to all of northern Virginia. The author even recommends that you use the maps to follow the text, moving colored pushpins around on the maps as you progress. While I didn't go that far, I must say that this book surpasses any military history that I have read in its integration of map study, broad analysis, and small-unit action.

This is an old book, but is a certain classic. The language and writing style are timeless, so don't let that scare you away. I continue to view THE CAMPAIGN OF CHANCELLORSVILLE as the epitomy of what a campaign or battle study should accomplish. If you can find a copy, get it, and enjoy.

This volume written by John Bigelow is the definitive study of any one battle of the Civil War. It goes in detail of every movement and the time of each. Includes an amazing volume of excellent maps. While reading his text you actually feel that your observing the battle. If there is one book I can recommend to read about an actual battle this is it. You come away with a new enlighten reality of what it really was like.

This was a quick read...not too wordy like most of the other books about pet care out there. I like the fact that a veterinarian wrote it too. Answers all questions from training to behavior and medical problems. A great book for anyone who owns a dog or cat... if you thought you knew everything about owning a pet, this book is sure to prove you wrong!

My boyfriend purchased this book along with the mastiff puppy he got me for christmas....I thought I knew all i needed to know about dogs until I read through this incredible book! It covers everything from basic training to health issues and behavioral problems. Even the most experienced pet owner should have a copy of "Canine and Feline 101". I found it to be a quick ,informative read, -I highly recommend to anyone looking for some insight on choosing and adequately caring for a four legged friend!

Being a first time puppy owner (a beautiful 6 month old pit bull mix), I found this book to contain all the information I need to raise her properly. With regards to raising my puppy, I have discovered in this book proper housbreaking techniques, effective yet gentle obedience training, and preventative health care. As I read ahead, I see that the rest of the book seemingly has a wealth of information guiding me through every step of mine and my dog's life together, honestly explaining which situations call for which vaccines, and how to recognize that my dog might be in pain or sick. I highly recommend this book to dog and cat lovers alike.

As a cat breeder and cat enthusiast, I find this book to be a must have for all cat lovers. Written in easily understood lay terminology, the author takes you through every stage of a cat's life, offering great insights eash step of the way. I will recommend this book to all who adopt my kittens.

Imagine that you're an extremely bright 28-year-old M.B.A. graduate working for one of the world's largest medical supply firms. You're told on a Friday that you'll be running a division in another country on Monday. Most reasonable people would consider that scenario outrageous and unrealistic. But it happened all the time at Baxter International, which placed young, relatively inexperienced employees in positions of extraordinary responsibility with no warning. Twenty-five years ago, many of those individuals became major players in the then-fledgling biotechnology industry. Harvard Business School professor Monica C. Higgins takes an exhaustive look at how and why a disproportionate number of former Baxter executives became so influential in biotech start-ups. Her extensive research reveals that Baxter was the ideal training ground for innovative thinkers and risk-takers. She sees Baxter as a textbook example of how imprinting corporate culture and values upon an individual can have a career-shaping impact. The book, though more scholarly than entertaining, provides insight into career imprinting and its implications. getAbstract recommends it to anyone interested in learning how individuals and industries are molded.

I never write reviews but I feel compelled because I was so impressed with this body of knowledge.

Professor and now author Higgins offers up explanations of why and how one company is able to consistently churn out their industries future leaders. She shows and proves why Baxter has been so successful in growing their executives and shows us what an organization needs to produce winners and leaders.

A great, must read for all industries.

How can one organization transform an entire industry? This fascinating book suggests a new answer -- by spawning a generation of leaders with a distinctive approach to management, who use that approach to start up successful companies in the same industry. Professor Higgins' argument suggests some interesting questions too. For example, why would an organization want to spawn a generation of leaders whose start-ups could potentially challenge and surpass its own success? This book is extremely thought-provoking and will lead you to look with a fresh eye at the industries you are most familiar with. While the argument is grounded in the biotech industry, the implications go far beyond.

"Career Imprints" provides an insightful, interesting, well-researched look into how our earliest organizational experiences produce the tacit knowledge of "what work is" that we carry with us throughout our professional lives. Higgins' fascinating chronicle of the Baxter Boys' overwhelming influence on the development of the biotech industry shows how the right career imprint at the right time creates a strong strand of cultural DNA that flourishes and propagates to generate a new breed of industry leaders. Higgins' discerning discussion of the interplay between organizational culture and personal career trajectories makes this a book worth reading - not only to help us all better understand and map our own careers, but also to help HR professionals think systematically about designing appropriate career imprints to instill in our own workforces. This wonderful book is a ground-breaking addition to the management literature - a must read!!

As well as the wonderful teachings mentioned in the previous review, two chapters of this book, which is a compilation of talks given in Denmark and Nepal in 1966, are Guided Meditations. The first one is on Refuge and Guru Yoga, and the other is the Vajrasattva Meditation. Both of them are the farthest thing from theory. I am just a beginner but because of the Tsoknyi Rinpoche's down-to-earth simplicity and clarity, I found it very easy to perform the meditations. These are immediate, very beautiful, and extremely powerful experiences, practical teaching direct from a recognized master. And you can perform them over and over! This was the most powerful part of the book for me so far. Also, almost every chapter ends with a few pages of questions and answers from those in the audience. These are very interesting and help to make the teachings even more real. The chapters are arranged in a wonderful sequence, where each one builds on the other. I read one chapter a day, and each day I was able to experience more and more of the teaching, so that the next chapter always seemed to be leading me to the next step. And it was always extremely relevant to the day's events. I consider it the most wonderful of blessings to have been given the chance to encounter this book.

Simply the best book I've read on Dzogchen, the effortless integration of space and awareness that is our natural unaffected state of being. Very down to earth and unadorned explanations with lots of humor and spontaeity-truly embodying the premise of Dzogchen (and the four Noble Truths) that our problems are rooted in the attempt to fixate and discriminate. Read it. Practice it. May all beings benefit!

This is a wonderful Dzogchen book written by one of the sons of Tulku Urgyen, the great, recently deceased Dzogchen Master. It is a companion volume to the author's "Fearless Simplicity." But, it's a very different book than that one. This book includes lectures and questions from students (with answers). Thus, it is virtually all about Dzogchen (primarily Trekcho and some Togal) without the inclusion of many preliminary practices and Tibetan-specific mythologies. The author is obviously well acclimated to Western culture-it includes lots of analogies and metaphors using common Western experiences. The chapters may seem a bit redundant to an expert practitioner, but the author has an uncanny way of using descriptive analogies to hone in on the meaning of difficult concepts and ideas. As he himself states on page 119, "Superficial examples cannot completely illustrate the real meaning, they can only hint at it." But his hints are very effective. I've studied Dzogchen for some time and have still been concerned about the use of certain English terms in the translations that don't seem to match the meaning of the speaker. Tsoknyi Rinpoche provides simple, meaningful explanations of many of these that have cleared up much of the confusion in my mind. Some examples are:
1. Concept-now appears to refer specifically to duality, not all concepts in general: on page 85: "Train in the state of naked awareness, free of concepts. `Concept' here means perceiver and perceived, subject and object. That's how it really is."
2. Clarity-now appears to be referring to the perception of Rigpa rather than the nature of Dharmakaya: on page 86: "The moment you recognize Rigpa, there's a sense of being wide open. Awake. Free of subject and object, free of thoughts, free of the future, with no dwelling on the present either. It's like pouring water in a crystal bowl - totally clear. With the cognizance comes some clarity, some brightness. Not the brightness from the electric bulb or daylight but an internal sense of being lucid."
3. Diligence-is more like a little push rather than forcing oneself: on page 87: "If you don't feel that glad about being diligent all the time, then push yourself, say, twenty percent. That much is okay. If it's a hundred percent pushing, you're forcing yourself, and it's like mental torture."
4. Habitual attachment-and its relation to who we think we are: on page 87: "...habit becomes your personality - and then one day it is you! Change that."
5. The Unity of Emptiness and Compassion-I could never understand why they should be unified, I thought the definitions of the two words was incorrect, but it turns out my understanding of the word "unity" was the problem: on page 151: "the indivisibility of emptiness and compassion means they should be a unity."
6. Compassion-relative vs. ultimate: on page 157: "Compassion free from concepts is an expression of self-existing wakefulness...There is a way also to be conceptually compassionate, which is different..."
7. Western vs. Eastern practice-relative difficulties: on page 166: "It may sound a little strange to say this, but when one practices in a place where there is no external support for Dharma practice - a place where people don't necessarily respect and praise the fact that you are a spiritual practitioner - maybe it is more possible to be really a genuine practitioner in such a place. In fact, maybe it is much easier."
8. Vajrayana Deities-are they real or only mental projections? Their relation to the oneness of subject and object: on page 177: "one shouldn't think that deities are totally non-existent and nothing other than one's projection. It is not like that either. The deity definitely exists, although not necessarily in a way that is separate from one's own perception...The blessing of Manjushri may involve giving yourself the answer."
I actually bought two copies of this book from Amazon-because I've already given one away.

I had the good fortune to see Tsoknyi Rinpoche teaching at Lerab Ling in France last year. When I first came across this book, I wondered how such an animated and provocative performance could be brought to the printed page. Thankfully, this compilation of his talks does succeed in conveying the vitality and humour that is his hallmark. He teaches in an experiential way, getting directly to the main point in a manner that is easy to relate to and to understand.

By his use of uncomplicated language and examples from everyday life, you begin to see that there is indeed a way to be free. He shows how a simple shift in our understanding of mind, releases our entanglement in our desires and fears, in our imaginings. Rather than struggling with thoughts and emotions, we begin to understand mind's expression as a creative, ephemeral display.

By becoming familiar with and applying this perspective, both in meditation sessions and during daily life, we un-knot those complex habitual patterns that entrap us, becoming simpler, more carefree. "Simply having the idea that smoking is bad doesn't make us stop smoking, because we have a deeply embedded habit. (...) What is necessary is to interrupt the habitual involvement in the act, again and again."

I found that reading the book really deepened and improved my understanding of what meditation is. He spells out how we can practice freedom from moment to moment, remaining present, uncomplicated and carefree, even amidst the busyness of life.

This carefree condition is not an indifferent dismissal of the hardships of living but an all-embracing openness, a deep and heart felt union with everything. "Carefree doesn't mean careless, that you are sloppy or that you don't care about others. "

The talks cover meditation, distraction, refuge, ngondro, compassion, devotion, the bardos, confusion, enlightenment, emptiness; you name it, it's probably there! He explains these topics with such simple accuracy that the book is eminently readable by beginners as well as seasoned dharma veterans.

My only grumble, (well this is samsara so I had to find some fault!) is that there are occasional misspellings.

I found this to be the most useful and inspiring book I've read in ages. Get it!

This is a resource that recognizes that homeschooling, even Catholic homeschooling is by no means one-size-fits-all. This book has a little bit of everything. There is a chapter for the hyper-organized and one for unschoolers. There's one on burn out and one on the joy of homeschooling. There's info on teaching the gifted as well as the autistic. And yes, there is humor.

I just noticed that the last two reviews were by people who participated in the book. I thought I would write a review as someone who has no connection with the book. In summary, it is excellent.

I have found that in so many homeschooling books, authors tend to repeat themselves needlessly. Authors write in 100 pages, what could easily be found on someone's website written more clearly and concisely. This is not the case with this book. There are almost 500 pages of solid advice on Catholic homeschooling. Every chapter is written on a different subject by a different author, and the breadth and depth of the information is excellent.

A good example of this is the chapter on Art Appreciation: Recognizing Symbolism in Religious Art by Pattie Kelley-Huff. She explains what many religious symbols in artwork mean. For example, an anchor is a symbol for hope and steadfastness. She has entire lists with what the symbol means. The author also gives resources for further study.

Many of the chapters recommend additional material. I, personally, love mathematics, and I would consider that one of my strongest subjects. However, in the chapter on math, the author provides a listing of Math literature by grade level that I never would have known about on my own.

The only negative, I would say, is that because the book is written by various authors, some chapters are weaker than others. The chapter on teaching a foreign language would be an example of this.

I truly believe that this book will provide something for every Catholic homeschooler. In fact, even non-Catholic homeschoolers, or Catholics that want to enrich their child's school education might also find information in this book. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with it.

I wrote a chapter in this book, as well as did proofreading for it. The most amazing thing about this book is that I found new resources and ideas. I'm a homeschooling veteran, so it takes a lot for me to get excited about a homeschooling item.

When I read many of the essays, I discovered new things for math, new things for science, and new things for literature. I was so excited, I couldn't wait for the book to get out so I could recommend it to all homeschoolers.

Catholic homeschoolers will appreciate the faith-filled pages, but all Christian homeschoolers will find support, guidance, humor and love in the pages of this book. The authors wrote to share their stories, but also to share resources, ideas, help and knowledge. This book is a real gift to the homeschooling community.

There are chapters written by dads and older homeschooling students, too, which I found so encouraging to read. This book goes beyond what most homeschooling books can do because it has over 40 authors. That's a lot of good ideas in one book.

I am a contributing author to this book, so I am not unbiased. However, that said, I have also read the book and found so many essays which were thought provoking treatments on pedagogy, as well as more practical elements such as home management and mother's well-being. There are also essays authored by and directed towards fathers, who are under-represented in this subject matter. This book is as useful to those starting out as well as those who are preparing children for high school and college. This is a necessary book for those interested in or actively involved in Catholic education in the home.