Serious Strength Training

Tudor O. Bompa, PhD, revolutionized Western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodization in Romania in 1963. After adopting his training system, the Eastern Bloc countries dominated international sports through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Dr. Bompa applied his principle of periodization to the sport of bodybuilding. He has personally trained 11 Olympic Games medalists (including four gold medalists) and has served as a consultant to coaches and athletes worldwide.

Dr. Bompa’s books on training methods, including Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance and Periodization of Training for Sports, have been translated into 17 languages and used in more than 130 countries for training athletes and educating and certifying coaches. Bompa has been invited to speak about training in more than 30 countries and has been awarded certificates of honor and appreciation from such prestigious organizations as the Argentinean Ministry of Culture, the Australian Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and the International Olympic Committee.

A member of the Canadian Olympic Association and the Romanian National Council of Sports, Dr. Bompa is professor emeritus at York University, where he has taught training theories since 1987. He and his wife, Tamara, live in Sharon, Ontario.

Mauro Di Pasquale, MD, a physician specializing in nutrition and sports medicine, spent 10 years at the University of Toronto teaching and researching nutritional supplements and drug use in sports. He wrote both Bodybuilding Supplement Review and Amino Acids and Proteins for the Athlete and has written hundreds of articles for Muscle and Fitness, Flex, Men’s Fitness, Shape, Muscle Media, and Ironman, among many others. Di Pasquale was a powerlifter for over 20 years, winning the powerlifting world championships in 1976 and the World Games in 1981.

Di Pasquale received his medical degree from the University of Toronto and is a certified medical review officer. Currently the president of the International United Powerlifting Federation and the Pan American Powerlifting Federation, he lives in Ontario.

As a former professional wrestler for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), bodybuilder, and kinesiologist, Lorenzo J. Cornacchia has directed extensive electrical myographical (EMG) research to identity which exercises produce the greatest amount of muscular electrical stimulation. In 1992, he conducted a research study with Dr. Bompa and various colleagues to scientifically determine the results of bodybuilders’ use of periodization training methods, bodybuilders’ use of performance-enhancing agents and the typical bodybuilding training method, and bodybuilders’ use of the periodization method coupled with performance-enhancing agents. Ironman magazine published the results in their May 1994 issue, “Periodization vs. Steroids.” Cornacchia also published the results in Dr. Di Pasquale’s international newsletters, Drugs in Sports and Anabolic Research Review. Cornacchia coauthored Periodization of Strength. His EMG research was published in Ironman’s Ultimate Guide to Arm Training (2001), Ironman’s Ultimate Bodybuilding Encyclopedia (2002), and Ironman’s Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle Mass (2003).

Cornacchia became an editor and author for Ironman magazine, writing a monthly column called “EMG Analysis,” and directed extensive research studies in electromyography to determine which exercises produced the greatest amount of muscular electrical activation. Currently he is working with Dr. Di Pasquale on research dealing with supplementation and the metabolic diet.

Cornacchia received his BA in physical education from York University. Currently he is co-owner of a fitness establishment called FFX and is the president and shareholder of Pyrotek Special Effects, Inc., where he spends most of his time designing special effects for shows such as the Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, and BET Awards and for artists such as Iron Maiden, Lady Gaga, Van Halen, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lil Wayne. Cornacchia resides in Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. His favorite pastime is watching the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.