I will open with something I have felt strongly about for a while, I think Powerlifting as a methodology to be used with athletes is overrated. HOWEVER, this is why you read. It forces you to expose yourself to ideas and concepts that challenge your opinions and biases. I am thankful for that, so in that regard, this is a great resource. This is a good system that both Kreutz and Quint obviously have spent some time working out and applying. The things I say when I write are from my experience and my research, that does not mean I have all the answers. This book is clearly a resource centered on my approach to training is not universal. 

Why I dislike powerlifting is that it prioritizes output over input. Powerlifting, more specifically the pundits, prioritize outcomes from training as the only thing that matters. It’s the same reason why I dislike Crossfit. When you see a method or idealogy compromise technique in exchange for how much weight was lifted, I struggle to accept that as a absolute benefit to developing athletes. The easiest way to have a higher squat, bench, and deadlift is to reduce the range of motion and alter the center of mass to lift more weight. Crossfit uses momentum with exercises to handle more density of volume at a certain intensity. Whenever there is a prioritization of the means, we lose correspondence on the low end. On the high end, we increase risk unnecessarily.

The other issue is that powerlifting myopically looks at absolute strength as the only thing that matters. For the sport of powerlifting, it does. This makes it incredibly difficult to detach success in the sport itself from it being a valuable training method with athletes. It is not valuable because athletes are not competing in powerlifting. But the same could be said with track being a sport where success is based on linear sprinting ability. The correspondence between linear sprint and multi-variate, open environments is limited. Increasing linear speed and absolute strength are important. Increasing those two without consideration of how and when it will correspond is a mistake. Classifying conditionally dependent qualities as universally beneficial is a short sided approach to developing athletes. 

But then you read, and you see the value of smart and attentive coaches understanding the value of absolute strength and the potential benefit from having standards with it. At the same time understanding the limitations of that and coming up with solutions to accommodate transfer to sport. Not only that, it is noble to create a specific focus on developing offensive linemen in football which is where I have to eat crow. What my programs may lack is clear level of objectives from not prioritizing certain movement ability enough. 

To make blanket statements that powerlifting is a bad training method is probably worse than the downsides I have outlined. What this book brought to my attention there is universality to training methods, there are only models. Saying absolute strength or linear speed is dangerous in excess is an opinion and I need to express that. If you have an athlete that you use a specific methodology like powerlifting from a more extensive inventory of needs is vastly superior to casting it away entirely. 

What this book really examined was how to integrate increasing Force Reserve between Maximal and Absolute Strength Ratio (NOT Strength Deficit) combined with specific biomechanics and bioenergetics. It’s a great model because it understands the assignment of developing linemen in football. Having a higher absolute strength, with adequate movement potential of the ankle/hip/shoulder, and fitness to maintain high anaerobic power is laid out clearly.

One knock I do have is the insistence of team sector coaches being inept or unaware of modern training methods. It is silly and shows either a lack of understanding of the position itself or envy. I understand that some college and pro-strength coaches are not great, but that comes out in the competition. My perspective is that there are competent coaches in the team sector who are choosing other means of training due to them being either better or better for them. There is no need to classify them as antiquated or misguided, it will present itself clear enough in one aspect or another. 

Think this is a resource you should dive into. When you read it, you should be aware this is for training football offensive linemen. That is the goal and it is clear. Making assumptions about how this would be applied to another sport or position is a misunderstanding the goal of the book. Your goal should be to think actively how you would training your sport or the positions within that sport based on their unique characteristics, which you get a clear break down of that from this book with offensive lineman.