Home Newsletters Accelerated Muscular Development Review: Innovative AND Effective

Accelerated Muscular Development Review: Innovative AND Effective

Written on May 27, 2009 at 8:23 am, by Eric Cressey

If you liked Maximum Strength…

Then you’ll love Jim Smith’s Accelerated Muscular Development.

I often get asked what would be a good program to use following the Maximum Strength program, and while my first answer is always a resounding Show and Go!  However, there is another excellent option out there for those who want to get outside the “Eric Cressey School of Thought.”   In creating Accelerated Muscular Development, Jim “Smitty” Smith did a fantastic job of introducing a thorough e-manual that includes strength training programming, flexibility training, nutrition, recovery protocols, and detailed explanations that put overly “sciency” concepts in an understandable and usable format.

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Personally, I’ve always loved Jim’s innovation and willingness to think outside the box. If you ask him about what makes this program so good, though, here’s what he’ll tell you are the top five components of a successful program:

1. Comprehensive – A good resistance training program teaches you what to do from the moment you walk into the gym, until the moment you leave. It does not just provide you with the primary strength exercises and a rep scheme. A progressive strategy must be incorporated so that by the time you are ready for your primary strength exercises, you are warmed up and ready to go.

2. Education – Do not just follow any resistance training program you get out of a magazine or on an internet forum blindly. You have to make specific and informed decisions based on your individual needs. A good program teaches you so that you can make these decisions.

3. Instruction of Proper Form and Full ROM – The strength exercises in a good resistance training program are demonstrated with proper form and instruction. It is not enough to teach the deadlift by saying “pick the weight off the floor.”

4. Easy to Understand – The science behind building muscle and getting stronger is sometimes explained in a very complicated manner. These concepts are much easier to understand with visual diagrams and real world application.

5. Systematic Approach – A comprehensive strength program provides you with a systematic approach where each essential component is represented and input at the right times. This allows the lifter to make sure each activity is not forgotten or missed, which means he can concentrate on training.

I’d highly encourage you to check out this product if you’re looking for something new – and particularly if you enjoyed Maximum Strength.  For more information, visit www.AcceleratedMuscularDevelopment.com.

In the Trenches with Eric Cressey

I figured we’d go with a little change of pace this week and switch from written content to audio content, as Mike Robertson interviewed me for one of his recent newsletters.  Mike and I talk about everything from shoulder assessment, to the possible future of shoulder surgeries, to strength development, to what’s new at Cressey Performance, plus a whole lot more. You can listen to the entire audio interview HERE.  Enjoy!

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4 Responses to “Accelerated Muscular Development Review: Innovative AND Effective”

  1. Lelli Says:

    These books you tell us about would totally make me broke if I had any less will power when it came to items of this nature.

    This is going on my “b-day wish list” for sure.

  2. JT Says:

    I started Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Method after finishing Maximum Strength and my strength has continued increasing while only being able to lift two days a week.

  3. Nick Chertock Says:

    Everything Smitty puts out is High Quality, I’m sure AMD will be no different.

    Great interview with Mike, I listened to it when it first came out, even changed my pull/push ratio after listening to your comments. I haven’t been able to throw overhead since I was 16 years old, I ruined my shoulder playing tennis. My hope is to be able to throw and serve overhand again someday down the line by taking a logical approach to training, which I get from your fine newsletter.

  4. Chazz Potthast Says:

    Eric:
    I really enjoyed Maximum Strength and will definitely check out AMD. However, I’m wondering whether I should first deal with a strength imbalance I became aware while following the Max Strength program: my dumbbell push press capability on my right(dominant) side is about 25% greater than on my left. Any suggestions?
    Many Thanks


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