Chaos Training by Jim Smith: A ReviewBy Jim WendlerFor www.EliteFTS.com
One of the first times that I met Smitty was at a seminar in Boston. I flew in early on Friday and arrived at Total Performance Sports in the afternoon. During this time I watched numerous people train. But one group stood out in particular; The Diesel Crew. Comprised of two people, Jim Smith and Jedd Johnson, these guys trained their hearts out. Not only did they squat but they started bending nails, pinch gripping enormous weights and doing other feats of strength that weren’t normal. Their enthusiasm in training was contagious. They loved to train for the love of strength. Even though I’m supposed to teach at a seminar I learned quite a bit that weekend. I walked away from Boston with a new appreciation for the passion of training. And this was in large part to Smitty. So when Smitty was telling me about his new book I knew it was going to be something special. But I didn’t expect it to be like this. The first thing I did when I got the package was put on a weight belt and chalk my hands. This book weighs about a metric ton and don’t be surprised if this book is blamed by the Federal government as a gateway book to using steroids; you just may need them to pick this thing up. Chaos Training is a book that realizes that sports and life are not in a linear plane. Our world is based on different movements, different planes and we must train in such a way that we are ready for whatever situation presents itself. This book is truly about functional training, but not in the same way the stability crowd has warranted it. No, this functional training is bare bones, hardcore and brutal. This book is not for beginners. This book is designed for the intermediate and advanced athlete or coach looking for more ammunition to add to his arsenal. There are some programs in this book but it’s not going to lay out everything you must do. This book is more of a reference book with just about everything and anything you could want. Here is a small sample of some of things in Chaos Training:
But the real caveat of this book is the different exercises that run through it. Whether it is with bands, kettlebells, sandbags, sleds, tires, or barbells Smitty runs through so many different variations that your head will spin. He even has a keg/sled clean in this book. I’m not even sure what the hell that is, but it’s there. He also does a great job in detailing exercises and movements that will ensure that your back and shoulders remain healthy. And most of these things are easy to set up and use – no matter if you are training large groups of athletes or just training by yourself. It also comes with 2 audio interviews: one with Alwyn Cosgrove and one with Jason Ferruggia. Zach Even-Esh also adds a chapter on youth strength training. This book does not have a little bit of everything. It has a lot of everything. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that Smitty outdid himself. I know he worked on this book for about 2 years and the amount of information here is a result of decades of training and research. For what it’s worth, Smitty is definitely a guy that I would want to train with. I found this out about a month ago when I returned to Boston for another seminar; almost 5 years after I met him the first time. Smitty was there, doing some more weird stuff and putting his heart and soul into every lift he did. The same way can be said for this book. Jim Wendler is the Senior Editor and Sales Manager of Elite Fitness Systems. His favorite movie is Ronin, and has recently earned the nickname Mahatma by a good friend of his. |
