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

Comments

1. Anonymous says:

   November 25, 2009 at 12:26 pm

   I was unimpressed by every aspect of this book.

   The writing’s sloppy, the information is basic and (where it stretches) suspect, the photography is so so ’70s, the design non-existent.

   Buy a set of dumbbells instead of this book. It’s an infinitely better investment.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. Miss Mermaid says:

   November 25, 2009 at 2:32 pm

   I began weight lifting 6 months ago. In the midst I read this book and found many facts I didn’t know. It is very thorough and has excellent photography which is highly motivating!

   The routines look great and it gets the job done. My hope is for more and more people in America to body build and stay in great shape! There is nothing more reachably amazing than watching your human body become sculpted. So go start lifting and make it last a lifetime.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. Anonymous says:

   November 25, 2009 at 3:34 pm

   This book has lots of pretty pictures and info, but if you are looking for a workout plan, look somewhere else. The “beginner” workouts take at least 2 hours to complete. This is not realistic for most people.
   Rating: 2 / 5
4. Vegetarian Pacifist says:

   November 25, 2009 at 6:29 pm

   ONE title.
   
   TWO editions.
   
   ONE binding.
   
   Title:
   
   “Book of Muscle:
   
   the world’s most authoritative guide to building your body”,
   
   a.k.a.
   
   “Men’s health the book of muscle:
   
   the world’s most authoritative guide to building your body”.
   
   Binding:
   
   “trade cloth” (hardcover/hardbound).
   
   There is none (to date) in “trade paper” (softcover/paperback).
   
   Two editions:
   
   ISBN: 1579547680 (1-57954-768-0) “direct marketing hardcover”;
   
   ISBN: 1579547699 (1-57954-769-9) “hardcover” (trade cloth).
   
   Looks to be the Same Difference.
   
   The 768 version MIGHT be issued by MensHealth.com;
   
   the 769 version MIGHT be issued by Rodale.com.
   
   Go for whichever one is
   
   - available
   
   - affordable
   
   - presentable

   The 768 descriptive page doesn’t let you Search Inside;
   
   the 769 descriptive page allows you to “Search Inside”.
   
   Even should you opt to order the 1579547680 one (used),
   
   you can get a crack at the CONTENTS over at 1579547699.

   No, I didn’t give you a clue about whether the book is
   
   any good or what you should be studying/doing additionally;
   
   nevertheless, since these two editions aren’t cross-refrenced,
   
   you’re “hearing” about the existence of BOTH versions here.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. Mohamed F. El-Hewie says:

   November 25, 2009 at 7:02 pm

   Like the dreams of adolescence, the book is jammed with photographs of men’s muscles, taken from various angles, with no reasonable goal in mind other than filling the pages. The authors undertook the daunting task of redrawing anatomical diagrams of muscles also for the sake of decorating the pages of the book. Many of the diagrams contain errors such as placing the transversus abdominis muscle in the wrong location, or showing the gluteus medius muscle in a front view of the body.

   Viewing muscle diagrams and poses of the various phases of an exercise does not serve the reader in performing efficient function. Enhancing functional anatomy during performance requires understanding of which group of muscles should be tightened most, which group should be kept loose until its time comes to kick into action, and which skeletal curve should be exaggerated in order to maintain balance.

   The author painstakingly labored to dissect the mechanics of various exercises such as the deadlift, shoulder press, dumbbell flyes, etc, in many photographic views yet without any sound understanding of the laws of mechanics. The hard labor of the authors is greatly undermined with their lack of experience in performing the exercises. There is no single logical plan that takes you along a safe path to do any of their exercises. Their obsession with graphics and display could not remedy their lack of substance and poor exercise strategy.

   Graphics alone would not accomplish that internal mental recognition. The seated shoulder press, for example, requires above all well erected low back, spread out shoulder plates, and upright chest cage, even before any pressing takes place. The deadlift is another vivid example of such mental recognition of spreading the shoulder plates, tightening the low back, and thrusting the chest prior to initiation of lifting.

   The list of bad foods is ridiculous. Each one bad type of food is opposed by tens of good ones. That adds more confusion and lacks any focus to the basics of nutrition. It suggests to the reader that the name, not the content of the food item, that renders it bad or good. One type of nuts is condemned as bad, while others as good. Yet, all nuts are rich in oil, whether unsaturated or not, which hinders weight loss for people with chronic obesity. Then, there are plenty of colored tables of exercises that lack any logical theme.

   Among all the photos of men’s muscles, skeletal deformities are random. The authors are oblivious to the need for sound bone formation and posture and more distracted with the bulky and defined flesh. The cover photo depicts the C-shaped, kyphotic torso with poorly defined six-packed rectus, concealing the lower body and the face. The latter two are crucial in understanding the mechanical balance of the whole body, in the form of proportionate leg musculature to upper body musculature, in addition to the state of mind of the athlete expressed through his general outlook.

   Mohamed F. El-Hewie
   
   Author of
   
   Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training
   
   Rating: 4 / 5