Customer Reviews

The Men's Health Hard Body Plan: The Ultimate 12-Week Program for Burning Fat and Building Muscle

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a great book for guys who want to get in shape. It doesn't matter if you want to lose or gain weight this book tells you how to get results. There is a huge variety of exercises with pictures and descriptions to make sure you are doing them correctly. I am experienced at the gym but this book helped me make dramatic improvements in my progress. This may be a 12 week plan but it is usefull far beyond that period of time.

Author of

The Truth About

Caffeine

I would give this pile of garbage 0 stars if I could. The diet is especially horrendous. Loads of carbs, little protein, and fat-phobic, this diet extols the virtue of bagels, pasta and orange juice as a musclehead's best friend...Find me someone with less than 10% bodyfat who eats the way this book recommends...I bet you won't find one. Save your money and get something by John Berardi, Chad Waterbury or Alwyn Cosgrove.

This book essentially tells you how to work out and eat healthy. Proper technique is illustrated for a wide variety of exercises, along with simple advice about how not to injure yourself, how much weight you should lift, how often you should workout, and some recommendations about which parts of your body you should focus on (for instance if you want to be more intimidating, shoulders and chest; if you want to have better sex, thighs and abs).

The information on stretching and cardio routines is simple and straightforward.

As far as I can tell, the diet information presented here is controversial only because there are so many diet fads and supplements and so on. People make a lot of money pushing this and that, but I don't think any of them have Men's Health in their pockets. It seems reliable, and I followed it for about three weeks, and it worked quite well.

Hey, after two months I can see a difference, and I think the ladies can too. Money well spent.

I have been lifting weights for years and was always looking for a book with pictures and descriptions of exercises for individual muscle groups. Out of all the books I have seen this book is the best. It has helped me to improve my workout routines by lifting more effectively and getting faster results. I would suggest it to any weight lifter!

I JUST bought this book this weekend - however, the info is very well written and laid out. MH did a great job of presenting not only an easy to follow program, but also of laying out the science behind what they preach.

I am just starting to work out after years of being a couch potato. I felt like an idiot in the gym next to all those muscle bound guys, and didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars to have a trainer sit there and hold my hand. This book presents a great workout, that is easily modified for any fitness level, and can take you into advanced training as well.

The diet plan is also easy and makes sense, and should not leave anyone hungry at all. Adding muscle will help you lose weight, look and feel better, and succeed in life. You can't ask for much more for your $...

If you are new to body building, I would highly reccomend this book.

I recently bought this book in hopes of supplementing it with another Mens Health book, 'The Testosterone Advantage'. First off, the book is nicely written and laid out. I agree ,though, with other reviewers who thought the book was nothing new and right from the pages of Mens Health. There are a lot of different exercises and a diet plan. The workout choices are great but I have yet to try the diet.
One reason I have not completely bought into the book is because many factors in this book completely contradict the previous book I have been using (The Testosterone Advantage). For instance this book advocates aerobic activity for fat loss. It also has a high carb to protein diet. The Previous book condemns aerobic work all through it and has a high protein, low carb diet. This and many other factors have left me in a world of confusion. You would think that two books endorsed by the same company with the same affiliations ( Lou Schuler) would have some sort of continuity. Wrong!!!Come on Lou, men wanting to get in shape need references they can count on.
This book will work and so will the other for the beginner or someone who is out of shape.
I have found both from personal experience and from friends that almost any diet and exercise routine will work in the early stages if they are adhered to. It is when you get past the the beginner stage that a regimine proves itself. Until Mens Health writers get on the same page, they will never truly advance past entry levels.
I have used the previous book and have lost a lot of weight. Twenty five plus pounds to date. If I had bought this book first I would say the results would have been similar. As I said almost anything will work in the early stages.
If you are a beginner buy it. Intermediate or advanced, forget it.

workout book I have ever purchased. This book is basically a collection of articles from a men's health-type magazine. When I purchase a book, I expect more than "cut-and-paste" magazine articles binded together in one book. Don't waste your money on this one...

Men's Health regularly puts out fitnees books aimed at men and this one is no different. It's a straight, clear program that focuses on getting in shape, primarily to attract women.It has different levels of intensity for the various exercises and sections for every body part. It reviews nutrition and other aspects of fitness, with plenty of recipes and humor.
It offers a 12 week program of exercise and diet designed to get a man in shape. If you follow it, it will be in better shape than when you started. It's that simple.
On the negative side, the program focuses on looking in shape. I believe in functional fitness, defined as being able to do what is necessary in different situations. I had a friend follow this program and while he looked in shape, he couldn't run 3 miles in less than 25 mins. nor swim, nor do 15 pullups or various other tests that I devised.
This book is good if you want to be "eye candy," but if you want to be physically ready for anything, there are better books.

This book changed my life. Having started as a complete novice, Iam now 4 months into the training program and have never felt or looked better. This book is complete in itself - no other reference is necessary. And this is not only about putting on bulk - it's about mental well being as well. However, let me warn other readers not to expect huge changes in 12 weeks. Body building is a long process that requires patience and tons of dedication. However, once you're into this program it's difficult to quit. It's like drug addiction!!

First of all, a word for beginners - this book, NOR any other book, is going to give you a "Hard Body" in 12 weeks. It will give you the foundation.
The Hard Body Plan comes straight from the pages of Men's Health, so if you are a subcriber/regular reader, you're not going to find a whole lot new (in terms of programs) by purchasing this book. Likewise, if you have experience in the gym (lifting for an extended period), the programs set forth in this book won't be particularly challenging (I was a little disappointed that all of the Hard Body Plan programs were 3 day/week, since I work out 4 days - I had to do some rearranging and adding in order to create a 12 week program out of this book).
Having said all that, I keep this book near the top of my weightlifting reference pile. I have found it very valuable for studying proper form and technique, and for learning some variations on lifts that I regularly perform. The written description of exercises contained in this book were very well thought out, and provide an excellent means to review proper form. And the more time I spend working out, and the more I see examples of horrible form by others in the gym, I am very glad that I have a trainer, and resources such as this book, to remind me the value of "perfect form/perfect execution" with each and every lift. That is the single most important step to significant strength and mass gain, and it is point emphasized over and over again in the "Hard Body Plan".

There is diet information in this book as well. It is a nice, though rather general introduction to proper nutrition, but shouldn't be relied on as your only source.
If you buy this book for guidance, you may find that you outgrow it rather quickly. If you buy it as a reference, you will appreciate the investment.