It has been roughly three weeks since I first announced the Power Tower Book Project, and the writing has been progressing smoothly since then, though I would not consider it coming along quickly by any means. Writing a book as a full-time job is quite the demanding undertaking; writing a book as a side hobby, while coaching a Division I program, and raising an eight month old son is something completely different altogether, and this project is obviously not something I can nor would want to throw together in a week or two. As such it will be a slow but steady pace, and I am still shooting for an August/September of 2016 release, just in time for the SCY season and a coaching community interested in fresh ideas and training philosophies. I plan on providing updates every four weeks or so, and you can stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Some key updates and unique features: 

• Sam VanCura, President and co-founder of Total Performance, Inc., manufacturer of the Power Tower and Power Rack, among other swim training devices, has been kind enough to write a foreword for the book, and I do believe the reader will find it quite interesting. Sam recounts the founding of Total Performance and the history of both the Power Tower and Power Rack, and it is fascinating to hear the story and see the amount of people involved in the evolution of the two products over the years. 
• The book outline is nearly complete, and already it encompasses over 2000 words and more than 7 pages. 
• The foreword, author's preface, introduction, and the chapter on Pure Power are complete. 
• The chapter on Power Endurance is nearly complete.
• As of the time of this writing, I am planning on 10 total chapters and 100 pages of text.
• The foreword, preface, introduction, and the chapters on Pure Power and Power Endurance already total some 40 pages, and with 8 chapters to go, 100 pages might end up being on the lower end. 
• I am in the process of hiring a research assistant, as the sheer amount of swimming and strength training literature related to power training is staggering, and I will appreciate the help organizing it all! 

As always, thank you for reading and be sure to spread the word; I believe this book is an idea whose time has come, and I believe the swimming community will find great value in this work! 

Jake Shellenberger