Customer Reviews

Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way

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

 

 

I've read a great deal by John Berardi, one of the authors of this book, and I've feel like his is one of the most trustworthy yet cutting-edge voices in the fitness industry. I don't get the sense that he wants to sell some crackpot system that doesn't work so he can make money - he comes across like a scientist who's really trying to use sound information to design a training program that will work. Yet despite Berardi's academic background, he has a lot of practical experience as a trainer and he has a very readable writing style that isn't dry at all.

I found this book useful even though I am not particularly scrawny. I'm looking forward to a book more directed at those trying to lose a few pounds while keeping muscle. Great work!

This is just the book I needed to finally make the gains I knew must be possible. I had hopped from program to program, never giving nutrition enough consideration and wondered why I struggled to make any headway. This book changed that for me forever. Mr. Berardi lays out a thorough, easy to follow workout and nutrition plan.... and explains the rational behind it in layman's terms. It did not take long for me to realize I was making basic training and diet errors in my attempts to improve my physique.

After reading this book I have been able to break through the barrier that was preventing me from getting any bigger. Anyone who finds themselves working hard with unsatisfactory results would be well advised to read this. Since I bought this book, I have sought out many other articles by this author and eagerly await any further offerings that come along in the future.

Thanks to Mike Mejia and Dr Berardi's book, I've made gains I've been pursuing for years. They showed and explained in details their strategies and workouts, so anybody, from beginner to athletes can understand and benefit from them. Easy, comprehensive and thorough. And did I mentionned the gains?

For anyone who needs a change in their workout, or has has trouble gaining the muscle that they wanted, this is an excellent book. I have read countless books and trained with too many different programs to mention. This was one of the best I have seen and done.

Like anything, to see good results takes effort. If you follow the plan properly and work out the way you should, this program will work for you. Commit to a lifestyle change and see the results. The key is the commitment. The rest is easy.

Even if you are not scrawny, there is a lot that can be learned about how the body turns food into muscle and what you can do to get the most out of your workouts and meals.

I highly recommend this book.

As a trainer, I like reviewing weightlifting books and found this one to be most interesting. First of all, the book is written very well, interjecting humor that makes it hard to put the book down. Having said that, however, I did find it a tad bit disorganized at times- and I say that mainly because I had to flip around a bit here and there.

Anyway, the book is divided into two basic parts. The first is training to gain, which discusses the four part training phases. They're much too detailed to go into but they do give the reader a set path to follow that is well laid out. Part two? That would be "need to feed" which is the diet and eating part. Here again, its very detailed but emphasizes the reader getting enough calories- which the book says is absolutely essential to packing on the muscle.

Other goodies are interspersed throughout the book, such as discussions of determining what body type you are and determining your calorie needs. All in all, the book has a fun writing style and is clearly based on a certain amount of research that is cited here and there to back up its claims. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for weightlifters struggling with a torn cuff or shoulder pain.

Absolutely fantastic! The frustration over being an ectomorph is something that only the truely skinny can understand. I had just healed after two sessions at the gym that took me a week to recover. During that time, I reevaluated my weightlifting; what was I doing wrong? I had eaten good foods and trained at least 3 time a week with only a little definition to show for it. Then, I heard about this book. I ordered it not expecting much but, boy, was I wrong. The information in this book specifically directs its focus towards us skinny guys. The emphasis is on compound lifts in the body of the training program but they also use the first four weeks to level out your muscle groups to prevent injury and so you look more balanced (this cured my weak back muscles!).
A nice thing too is that the book devotes half of itself to nutrition. Other books will only give you exercises and have you go on your way which always leads you to thinking what you're doing wrong. They list out how you should eat and when; let it be known that this portion is a major lifestyle change.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their body. So what are you waiting for "skinny"? Get to work!

This book worked for me. I went from 174 to 204 in just over three months. I am 6'2" and 19 years old.

I didn't really follow the diet regimen that well, only as a guideline. I followed the basic principles of the diet/nutrition timing though. I ate a lot of tuna and chicken breasts, everyday. It is important to eat alot! People have commented on how I have gained rapid weight/mass. That was music to my ears. Also, I skipped the first month of workout routine because I was already a couple months into weight training. In hindsight I should have done it but I just felt like lifting weights instead of doing stretches.

I am going to do this routine again in the fall with PLENTY of food. Some of the lifts are challenging! My bench went from getting stuck under 115lbs to 205 lbs. I can't wait to do this again!

I would recommend this book to anyone, not just ectomorphs, looking to build muscle. [...]

I have read this book over 3 or 4 times and it is good and Im sure anyone who follows it will put on muscle. They even greatly discuss injury prevention and the proper ways to lift for long scrawny guys. The only problem I have is in the nutritional sugestions. Like I said it will work, but the amount of heavy protein foods they want you to eat is very unhealthy and rediculous. Will it work, yes. Is it healthier than a junk food diet, yes. My problem is they pass their diet off as being healthy. It is healthier than some, but I wouldn't consider it healthy.

This book is a must have for anyone looking for some solid information on how to exercise and eat properly for solid muscle gain. I am a personal trainer that has been in the industry for years and I can't think of another book that EVERYONE going to the gym should own. Even advanced lifters could benefit from the no BS approach and methods in this book. I only wish that I had this book back when I was starting out- rather than other less useful titles that shall remain nameless. This isn't your average nutrition and training book written by either A) someone who is not in the best of shape themselves or B) some pharmaceutically assisted bodybuilder who has no clue what the average person should do. These guys walk the talk.

This book is great and it works. I find it at time difficult to get all the messages that are dispersed in different chapters. There is a lot of information but it could have been better organised so that you don't have to flip pages here and there.

I would have liked some hints as far as possible injuries, specially if you are older than 35. The exercices proposed are hard to your body if you don't do them correctly, so I would suggest you get a trainer as well to make sure you are doing it right. I got shoulders injuries and now back injury. I understand my mistake with the shoulder injury (not reading carefully about scrapular retraction...but again until you hurt yourself you won't care about it). But i don't understand my back injury, except for the fact that I am not that young any more.

In summary excellent program, I got excellent results, but slow because this is my second injury.