Comments on: Men’s Health: The Book of Muscle : The World’s Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body

By: Franklin Joyner

Franklin Joyner — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 08:30:59 +0000

Great Workouts Make Great Gains I have had this book for about 9 months now. I recently completed the intermediate program and made great gains. I followed the nutritional advice given in the book and gained 20 pounds. 20 Pounds may not sound like much, but it is a total body transformation when you go from 169 to 190…and it is all muscle.The workouts are designed in such a way that you stress your muscles very hard and then have ample recovery time to get bigger and stronger.I ran a marathon and a week after finishing it I started this book. So I basically started from scratch.Starting I could bench press 40 pound dumbbells for a max 8 reps. After the six month intermediate workout I lifted 80s for 8 reps.Shoulder press went from 65lbs barbell press for 5 reps to 120lbs for 5 reps.Squat was the biggest improvement. Started at 65 for 10 reps. Finished at 185 for 10 reps.The best exercise there is in my opinion I never knew about before…

By: Karl Miller "kemspeaks"

Karl Miller "kemspeaks" — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 08:22:49 +0000

Excellent for any Level Ironhead Finally, Men’s Fitness has gotten it right – a book that does not promise immediate results…but instead one that helps you formulate a plan, that is equal part guide to the weightroom, solid nutritional advice, and key principals for involving the mind in your workout. This is without a doubt their best book yet on the value (and IMPORTANCE) of personal fitness.Ian King may not be the best known name in the world of fitness, but among weightlifters, he is known for hard core, no-nonsense weight training, with functionality stressed over mere muscle mass. Along with Men’s Health regular Lou Schuler, they have compiled the best muscle guide to come out of Rodale Press – and one of the best guides I have ever read.Along with showcasing the various muscle groups, and giving well explained details of their importance, the book goes on to spotlight various exercises for each group. What is nice about the exercise pages is that they show great variation in order to allow for…

By: Justus Pendleton

Justus Pendleton — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 07:59:13 +0000

Excellent first book In many respects this is the perfect first book for someone looking to get into regular exercise. More than most other books in the genre, this one seems to have more than a modicum of scientific understanding backing it. The first sections set the tone, going over the actual science of muscles, why they get bigger, and how. The authors know their audience, though, and don’t overdo the science. However, if you are going to lift weights then you need some level of understanding of what things work and why. This first section gives you that. I personally would have liked to see more scientific detail and references but understand that that probably would alienate large chunks of their target audience.After that primer you get introduced to the major muscles and the exercises that target them. There are also sections on diet, warming up, and stretching. While none of these sections are comprehensive, and many have been done better elsewhere, they are done well enough here…