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

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

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

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