Customer Reviews

Men's Health The Book of Muscle

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 that it makes the book a viable one stop shop for beginners.

Before you rush out and buy this, though, there are few caveats.

One, the book does not cater to the home exerciser. Depending on how well stocked your home gym is and how creative you are with coming up with replacement exercises this might not be a big deal, but the exercises DO assume access to barbells, dumbbells, and a machine.

Two, some of the exercise descriptions are lacking detail or, in a few cases, plain wrong. The upright row, for instance, shows a form -- bringing your elbows way above parallel -- that most trainers and researchers caution against because it causes shoulder injury in many people. I would expect the world's most authoritative guide to at least mention this.

Three, the routines provided sometimes leave me scratching my head. They give a cadence for things like the push up hold. The description of this exercise says to "hold the position for the specified period of time" yet the actual routines don't specify a period of time. Am I supposed to hold for 3 seconds or 30 or 90? Who knows?

Four, the routines -- at least early on -- take far too long and seem more like overtraining than training. In "Phase One" King prescribes circuit training and by week three you're supposed to be doing this circuit 2-3 times per day, three days a week. I found that doing the circuit twice took me over an hour. Doing it a third time would have pushed me well over 90 minutes of exercise. Throw in warm up and post-work out stretching and you're looking at a solid two hours. This is for "beginners" and they're supposed to do it three times a week.

Later on in "Phase One" King piles even more work on that. Not only are you supposed to do each circuit 2-3 times, you're supposed to do 2-3 reps of each exercise. In week 6, if you do the minimum number of reps, the minimum number of sets, the minimum number of circuits, all with the minimum recommended resting the whole thing will take you 93 minutes. Do that three times a week. This is for "beginners".

While I like the workouts I think this kind of time commitment is more likely to lead to overtraining rather than useful gains. Admittedly later on it looks like King scales back the time requirements but you have to persevere through 8 weeks of workouts that are easily 90 minutes in length.

The book starts out with basic muscle physiology which is always good to know. Then it moves on to five chapters of exercises. They are divided up into muscles that move the shoulder, muscles that move the elbow and wrist, muscles that move the spine, muscles that move the hip, and finally, muscles that move the knee and ankle. With that knowledge in hand, the book then describes the workout programs. Included are routines for beginner, intermmediate, and advanced lifters.

A pretty good guide to weight lifting, I think it will benefit lifters of all experience levels. And I have to say, of all the weight lifting books on the market, this one definitely has the best pictures of all time. In fact they should enter some of them in photography contests. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if a shoulder or rotator cuff problem is keeping you from lifting weights. Happy training.

I am quite impress by the scope of this book. It starts off with basic physiology and anatomy. The level of detail is impressive. Most will likely skip these sections though. There are sections on diet, stretching, warmup etc. There are numerous detailed exercises with pictures. The end includes a detailed workout schedule that I'm currently using. Almost all exercises can be done with dumbells and workbench. Highly recommended.

Anyone reading my reviews will know that I am very critical of books which make false claims. I only wish others would do the same. That said, I am equally full of praise for any book which proves to be exactly as described by the publishers. This book falls into the latter category.

When it comes to looking after your own body there is much more to the subject than just going for a jog or lifting weights which get progressively heavier as your biceps improve. Bodybuilding and exercise is a science which the seriously minded need to understand in order to be successful.

I joined the British army at the age of 15 years and completed several tours of duty with airborne forces. I therefore learned about serious fitness at a young age since when it became a way of life. I am now 60 years old and have come to recognise how keeping in shape gets harder every day. In recent years I have turned to various books and magazines for advice and, if I had to choose one book - and only one book, which offers a full understanding of keeping the body in shape, it would have to be this one.

Commencing with a most informative section on Physiology, the authors begin this quite exhaustive work with chapters on Muscles, how to use them, allowing them to grow, feeding them (YES!, the correct diet is also vitally important) and other peripheral information. Having provided an excellent grounding in the subject - where almost everyone will learn some important lessons, the next section covers the subject of Exercises. This is broken down into the various muscles which act on; The shoulder, the elbow and wrist, the spine, the hip and the knee and ankle. Part three is then devoted to preparatory work prior to the workout itself. Here we find an explanation of the workout, the truth about flexibility and a chapter on "Getting warm and staying warm."

So having explained the physiology, diet, different muscles and getting the body ready for exercise, the final section is devoted to "The Workouts." Divided into chapters for; Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced, the reader may go straight to the chapter that suits them best - or start at the beginning and progress all the way.

With other books normally devoted to only one aspect of fitness or diet, this book appears to be as complete a work on the subject of exercise as one might hope to find. The main word in the title is "Muscle" and it is the body's muscles which we put to work whenever we exercise and any person reading this book will provide themselves with a comprehensive understanding of that subject. When it comes to the eventual workouts - well, that part is up to you.

Having followed the information found within the pages of this book, I receive many compliments on my physique with most people refusing to believe my true age. Now that really is worth a full 5 stars!

NM

As the Fitness Editor for Men's Fitness magazine, I've read more fitness books than I care to remember. It's how I make my living. And I can honestly say that The Book of Muscle is one of the best fitness books ever written. Let me just say that I have no personal investment in this book. In fact, you'll notice that it's published by my competition. But I believe in directing the public to quality material--and this book fits the bill and then some. I have known Schuler and King personally for years, and can attest that they're tops in the fitness biz.

Because of my job, I think I can say with some authority that the writing is superb. Schuler makes complicated physiology seem simple. But let me put it in perspective: I have a master's degree in exercise science, and I wish that this book would have been available when I was in graduate school. It would have saved me hours of boring textbook reading--and I would have learned MORE!

Just as important, Schuler's co-author, Ian King, is known in my circles as one of the best strength coaches in the world. And he backs that reputation up with the highly effective, cutting-edge training programs that are presented in this book.

I highly recommend The Book of Muscle to anyone who wants to:

*Understand the science of building muscle--from the basic functions of each of your major muscles to the secrets of increasing their rate of growth.
*Learn how to do over 100 exercises with perfect form.
*Have at your fingertips months' worth of expertly designed workouts from one the world's leading fitness authorities, Ian King.

So for what it's worth, consider this my professional opinion. I hope it's useful to you.

Adam Campbell
Fitness Editor
Men's Fitness

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 full definition of the particular muscle, and also give great explanation and illustration for the exercise, allowing the reader the chance to really learn more about proper form. It's great to read a book like that that uses pictures to explain and educate, rather than to have an excuse to photograph chiseled bodies in sweaty conditions.

This book has everything - whether you are a newcomer, or have been in the weightroom for years, you are bound to learn some new exercises, or some outstanding twists on some old favorites. And the sample programs written by King are well reasoned, and offer a creative mix of hypertrophic and endurance building routines. And they allow for customization to meet specific body part needs.

Great book guys - this has me thinking about subscribing to Men's Health again (if only they would stop running the cheesy "pump up your sex life" articles).

I think that anyone who like bodybuilding should buy this book. Just only for advice and tips that no-one should expect before read it! The program inside are maybe written for beginner but I dont suggest beginner to do it. They are littlely too difficult. This is why this book lose a star. Also, the book don't talk as much as i would for cardio-exercice. They dont suggest cardio into their program. In sum, this is a REALLY GOOD BOOK with a work-out programs section for 1 to 2 year experienced bodybuilder.

I have been a personal trainer for over 17 years, and have read volumes Ian King's and Lou Schuler's books over the years to advance my own knowledge as a fitness professional. The very fact that the two of them have teamed up to give us the BOOK OF MUSCLE is enough reason to pick this book up immediately. The illustrations are excellent, but more than anything, the book contains real substance. If you can only afford one book to teach you everything you need to know about building a muscular body, this is absolutely IT. It doesn't talk down to the reader, but it doesn't go over their heads either. It will certainly expand the reader's knowledge and understanding of how the body works.

I have a collection of more than 200 fitness related books, mostly dealing with weightlifting. This one goes to the front of the pack. It is well written, full of detailed descriptions of a multitude of exercises, and designed for all levels of ability. The book could easily be adopted as a college text for exercise physiology classes as it goes into clear and concise descriptions of muscle function, nutrition, and physiology. Most lifters will greatly benefit from the variations that are also provided allowing them to take advantage of muscular adaptation. The photos are tremendous when I first got it (from Amazon) I thought it was too pretty to be a fitness book- it isn't! Lastly anyone wanting to learn more and gain muscle will benefit from these two authors- Ian King and Lous Schuler are recognized experts- not some juiced up gym monkeys with ghost writers.

From my personal perspective, as a BEGINNER, it is an essential book to have in my collection.
The reason is the info it provides on not only nutrition but on almost every exercise that could be done. It gives clear instructions with excellent photos to go along with the exercises. Now, that would describe most other books, however this goes above and beyond by giving a VERY complete (IMO) anatomy lesson on the muscles, tendons and so forth. What they do and why they do it and how you can hurt them if you are stupid.
I can say with out a doubt this book needs to be in any serious gym rat or health conscious persons library. You will refer back to it often even if you never do a single routine that it has set up, which, by the way are very well designed and NOT a two hour ordeal as some have described.
Thanks Lou!