I picked this one up after a recommendation from Zach Even-esh.

Kurt Hester doesn’t pull punches—and he doesn’t pretend to. Rants of a Strength & Conditioning Madman is exactly what it sounds like: a no-holds-barred takedown of what Hester sees as the soft underbelly of the S&C world. He rips into egos, bad programming, and what he views as the watered-down, politically correct state of modern coaching. If you’re easily offended, this one isn’t for you.

Some of the writing hits solid ground with blunt truths and experience-backed insight. There are real nuggets of training wisdom tucked between the profanity-laced jabs—on programming, athlete development, and how to think critically about periodization and culture. But at times, the rants lean too far into bitterness, bordering on overcompensation. In other words, it lives up to the “madman” part of the title—for better or worse.

Still, I found myself dog-earing pages and laughing out loud at the liberal (and frankly brilliant) use of “douche donkey.” I am adding that to my lexicon. It’s one of those books you don’t revisit for the prose or polish, but for the attitude—and maybe for the handful of moments where the noise clears and Hester drops a bomb of hard-earned wisdom.

It’s a quick read, worth passing on to your fellow iron junkies, even if it’s not one you’ll keep on the nightstand.

On a more personal note, I saw recently that Kurt is battling cancer. As fierce as his writing is, I can only imagine how fierce his fight will be. Wishing him strength and health—something tells me cancer picked the wrong guy.

⭐️⭐️½ (2.5/5)