Weight-Training Books

Read my other reviews of Dr. Wolff's books because I have read several of his books and I am proud to have them in my collection. Truthfully, they are all I need since they cover everything you need to know!

Bodybuilding 201 is meant to build on your current experience and results to take it further or get past your sticking points.

My advice for the new or experienced - start with BodyBuilding 101, then read his Book of Great Workouts, to get your base of knowledge. Then read this book while you are hitting the gym and getting amazing results.
Remeber, amazing results come slowly, over time. You cannot see that 1/4 inch of growth but it is there. Little by little it all adds up and before you know it, your a completely changed person!
Dr. Wolff teaches you how.

All of Dr. Wolff's books teach you technique, proper diet, and truly give you a solid education in all areas of working out - supplements, exercises, routines, fact and fiction.

My game plan for you- buy the 3 books I mentioned(and any others Dr. Wolff has written!!), read them in the order I described and start working out once your done. While your building your body over the next 6 months to a year, spend the time wisely by reading his other books and crafting your gameplan further. Don't rush into it. Just build your base slowly and after the proper amount of time has passed, try the next level of techniques.

Robert Wolff gives you proven and time tested material, coupled with his own personal experience. He goes over proper diet, proper technique and methodology to get you started off on the right foot. All of us are different and what works in the magazine interviews of the Pro bodybuilders probably will not work for you.

Did I mention that the author really will answer your e-mail questions!! Yes, I have had actually direct communication with him. He answered my questions and was more than happy to help!!!

Forget Atkins, South Beach, and all the other hype out there. Read and learn from Dr. Wolff.

This is only an okay book. Certainly not one that I refer to as I work on my training. The information is kind of basic, and there is an overtone of mass marketing to it. Hard to put your finger on exactly, but it's kind of fluffy. Some of the exercises are bizarre, like doing squats with no weight and holding onto a post (not to be confused with a sissy squat), calf raises with no weight, etc. Remember, this is supposed to be for intermediate lifters. People reading this book could end up wasting a lot of time in trial and error. The point of buying books is to avoid that. I would recommend Natural Bodybuilding by John Hansen for an experienced beginner instead of this book. He is a lot more to the point, and he has real advice to offer.

There is one element that really just makes me want to laugh...the female model they use to show about half the exercises. Imagine, if you will, a very tall, very, very skinny woman with HUGE fake breasts barely contained in a tiny, string sport bra trying to demonstrate weightlifting. She is also grinning and wide-eyed throughout, and has long hair that is not tied up. This looks so ridiculous...how can anyone take this seriously?? Were all the fitness and figure girls tied up that day, and they just could not find a single one for the photo shoot???

Newsflash-- If you work out half naked, with your hair all over the place, and lift weights that are so light that you never lose the smile from your face, you aren't going to accomplish anything. Women have to work very hard just like men to make gains.

Excellent practical information. Not the normal 'cookie-cutter' info on training. Cutting edge info. Would recommend for advanced and beginners alike. Workable for the natural athlete.

Robert Wolff has done it again!!! This time, his new book teaches advanced and experienced bodybuilders how to get the winning edge without drugs, this is the most complete bodybuilding book I've ever read!!! My advise to every1 lookin 2 build a better body is to get Bodybuilding 101 and for those looking to build a championship physique to get both bodybuilding 101 and bodybuilding 201!!! This is a book that I'm sure will eventually be passed on from generation to generation...

BOTTOM LINE: BUY THIS BOOK!!!

This book is a must have! I am a personal trainer and fitness director and I found this to be one of the best books that I have read. If you want a book that covers a little of everthing, then this book is well worth the money. Robert Wolff is one of the best authors that I have found. This book has helped me with my fitness, so let this book help you reach your fitness goals!

I've read... more books on strength training than I want to admit. Read research abstracts, the the studies to support them... its a hobby. Some are good. Most are bad...

And I'm really REALLY critical. Read my other reviews to see what a hateful, mean, unforgiving critic I can be.

This is the best.

I have NOTHING BAD TO SAY about this book, and thats about as good as it gets... except my copy isn't bound very well, as it hasn't held up to being thrown in a gym bag, carried everywhere, thumbed through, etc.. for two years now.

I followed her advice. I got the results I wanted. I made an awesome program for myself. Early on I did decide she was too concerned with safety and letting your tendons adjust. My strength gains did indeed exceed my connective tissues ability to adapt, and I got tendonitis... She knows what she is talking about.

This book is all you need to make and succeed with a strength training program.. well, reading this and actually doing it. doing it is required as well.

When I become dictator of the planet... in addition to making everyone call me pharoah on weekdays, and caeser on weekends, I will make all my citizens read this book, and her book on sports nutrition, and follow their advice. The new life expectanacy will be 110, and everyone will be healthy, happy and good looking.

Until I make you read it, I humbly suggest you do.

Very good overview on the scientific principles behind srength training. No fancy pictures like the muscle mags, but no [...] either. Goes into detail on training principles, nutrition, stretching, supplements, and exercises. Everything is based around scientific research, such as the scientific basis for periodization and the recommended protein intake of 1.8g/kg protein for srength athletes. Pulls no punches on supplements either. Recommended without reservation.

As a student and trainer, I read a lot of books on the subject of strength training. Anita Bean has done a very excellent job of breaking down knowledge need for all training level from beginniner to advanced weight trainers. If you really want a complete guide that will assist you in maping out specific training goals, this book is really for you.

Bean has really gone out of her way to explain principles of exercise physiology in layman terms. She addresses all principles of exercise using the methods of selection of exercises, order of exercises, how many sets, recovery and training intensity to help the reader design a program based on his or her specific goals and periodization for acheiving long term goals.

For example, a skinny person wishing to gain weight should train specifically for this goal. If the skinny person is eating a low calorie diet, doing more isolation exercises, and engaging in high-intensity cardio, he or she is not acheiving their goals, because they are following a program that is not meeting their specific goals.

This book, like many strength training guides, has listing of exercise, programs and diet, etc. What makes this book very different is that it inpowers the reader to realize the importance of exercise and nutrition must be specific to what he or she wants to achieve.

In other words, instead of mimicing the latest fad diet, or Arnold's arm rountine, you the reader must ultimately look at yourself (genetics, physical limitations, etc.) and do what will help to achieve your lifetime fitness goals. Also, this book is excellent for the athletes and coach, who are looking for specifics of in and out season training, etc. Bean has a great list of references in journals, books, etc. Very important book to have.

Good accounts of exercises for each body group. Emphasises use of correct technique, appropriate diet and specific training procedures for each body type.

This book describes the training principles and nutrition indetails. All information is up to date and based on scientific researchinstead of out dated info. like arnold and joe weider bodybuilding books. It describe individual bpdyparts training in details. It is very good for beginners because it is complete strength traning books. But this book is not suitable for advanced bodybuilders and only for general fitness.

Found a very resourceful book. I am a woman and thought the exercises very do able for women also.

I like to exercise at least five times a week. I do weightlifting and cardio on alternate days. I'm always looking for new exercises to keep variety in my workout routine.

One of the new exercises was the use of fitness / stability / exercise / Swiss balls. The gym that I workout at has a wall chart with about 15 fitness ball exercises. I wasn't too impressed with the wall chart and I became skeptical about the ball. I thought it would be another exercise fad that would soon fade until I met an incredible kayak paddler who told me that he's a faithful fitness ball user and he credits its use to his current success as a paddler.

I looked through Amazon and I found this book. There's one marketed for women and one for men. I purchased the one for men. After getting the book and reviewing it, I'm not exactly sure why it's only marketed to men. It looks like it would be suitable for most women. I would consider this book suitable for men and women who are already in or serious about getting into good physical condition. If you're a couch potato or out-of-shape, I would recommend you NOT get this book. I'd recommend you get a more basic book.

The exercises in the book are different than those on the chart that hangs in the gym. I had concerns about safety in using dumbbells with the fitness balls. For this reason, I don't use heavy weights. Instead, I use lighter weights but trying to maintain stability while using the weights really gives a good core body workout. I still primarily use heavier weights on a bench, but for variety, I will switch to the lighter weights and the ball. I truly enjoy the change of routine and I look forward to those days when I use the ball especially when I get into a "rut" or "bored."

The daily exercises that I really like to use with the ball are those for the ABS. The reverse crunch and pike crunch are my favorites. I also daily use the stretch exercises with the ball.

There are several "advance" exercises in the book. I haven't been able to do the "advance" exercises just yet, but it's a goal of mine.

There is a DVD that comes with this book. It contains a few exercises. I wasn't too impress with it. The book (and a fitness ball) is all that you'll need.

The book has some really good information, great ideas for firming up and strengthening through the utilization of the excercise ball. The DVD on the otherhand (the fact that it had a DVD was partly why I purchased this book) was absolutely worthless. Paul has no personality. He looks lost throughout the video. A couple times I noticed the two people behind him almost look embarrassed. The DVD shows you how to do a few of the exercises from the book, but ONLY the basic ones. Blah blah blah. If I had known the DVD was such a joke, I most likely would not have bought this product.

This book is absolutely amazing . It is a work of master done by a person who understand the way bodies should be and look. This book tokes fitness in depht by incorporating one of the most vital componenet of training: CORE. Unlike others books that focus on some category of people, this book is written for everyone, regardless of one's fitness level. As an Elite Plus Trainer at Equinox wit over six years of experience in fitness, i recommend this book to anyone who needs to develop and sculpt a dream body.

I was looking for a exercise book that would combine my requirements for balance, flexibility and strength.Powersculpt for men fits the bill! As a rear leg above amputee I needed the challenge that a program like powersculpt provides. I have started with the simplest exercises and they provide penty of challenge for me but I am seeing improvements daily. The structure of the exercises are from beginner to advanced so it meets the needs of everyone. You can follow their structured dvd program or create your own. Some of the exercises actually involve messaging your body with the ball which provides the benefits of that type of therapy.Get on the ball and have some fun!

Dave

It is with much anticipation that I wait for the release of this book. As a child in the 50s and 60s,visiting from my home in Canada, I spent many Sunday afternoons with the folks at Muscle Beach. My uncles Russ and Ray Saunders and good family friend Paula Boelsems were some of the original muslcle beach folks and they are on the cover of this book. The acrobatics that were taught to us kids was great fun. They always put on a wonderful show. Some of these folks (including my uncles) were stunt people in the movies and went on to become world class gymnastic judges. They contributed a great deal to the Pier and it became a way of life for a lot of us. As a kid I remember eating too many corn dogs and drinking too much lemonaide, from the stand beside the grass in front of the lifeguard building, before being tossed in the air from the teetor board by Uncle Russ. You can guess what happened. Buy the book and bring back some memories of a simpler time in Santa Monica.

`Memories" will provide the reader with some great historical photos and interesting tib-bits about some of the original muscle beach participants. Like the author says, it was a sub culture at a specific local during a specific period. Therefore, if you're looking for a general documentary on the more recent origins of acrobatics and bodybuilding, this book might not be for you.

However, if you just happen to be somewhat familiar with Santa Monica's `muscle beach' (other reviewers) then you can probably gleam quite a bit of information and enjoyment from the presentation. Personally, I spent the better part of my weekends, especially Sundays during 1962 and 1963 at Santa Monia famous beach area, honing my gymnastics skills, the fun ones, not necessarily the competitive ones and it definitely was a cultural thing as described by Zenkin. Where I enjoy the reading and photos was finding out about the period before I had ever heard of muscle beach. Ironically, I discovered MB by reading `Modern Gymnast' by Glenn Sunby who was one of the originals mentioned throughout Zenkin's book

I guess what it really comes down to, if you have a desire to know more about the history of an interest like acrobatics, gymnastics or bodybuilding. Zenkins book will fill in some of the blanks, especially if you're an early `baby boomer' like myself. Old enough to remember when the circus came to town, when great performers were watched in ah like people today observe the current generation of extreme athletics. The only difference was in those days; acrobatic tricks were performed with a different set of props. Today, Cirque de Soleil, is a testament that acrobatics is still an endearing form of family entertainment and not dead by any means, but IM afraid that for the good old USA, its not the same either.

My dear father is now 86-years-old and his memory has grown weaker with age. I try to visit him frequently as I know his time on this earth is drawing to a close. One night, he started talking about his memories of his family home at 213 14th Street in Santa Monica. He told me that he and his twin brother Ed Fuller would go down to the Santa Monica Beach and hang out.

My father was a very handsome man in his youth and very strong. He and Ed began working out on the beach and one day, the Lifeguard down at the beach referred to them as "The Muscle Twins."

Before long, more men and women started joining their little mini-fitness craze and lifting weights on the beach. Sometimes, their antics would draw quite a crowd. My father and his brother would get very competitive and see who could lift the most weight.

As my father told this story, I grabbed a pen and started making notes. He mentioned several names, including "Pudge Stockton" and more. I scribbled away as he talked. I had my doubts. After all, my 86-year-old father was telling me that he and his brother Ed started the phenomenon known as "Muscle Beach"?

As a surprise, I ordered THIS book for my father and when it arrived, I read the first few pages and found the same names my father had mentioned. My father's joy at receiving this tome was beyond words. He read it over and over and over again, saying, "Yep, there's Pudge and there's Bruce..."

So what do I think of this book? I loved it. Loved the vintage photos and the concise information and the easy-breezy layout.

Most of all, I rejoiced at my father's delight as he fondly turned the pages, rekindling old memories of a happy time long ago on a beach at the end of Santa Monica Blvd.

Rose Fuller Thornton
daughter of one of the original "Muscle Twins"
gentlebeam@hotmail.com

While enjoying the great photos and reading about the amazing characters and individuals who pioneered physical culture in the 1930's and 1940's at muscle beach, I found the book to be a little unstructured and would have preferred to read more about how muscle beach developed, the impact it had, and the local politics and changes from the 1950's to today.

The book tended to be just a series of character portraits (wonderful as they were) but is obviously a valuable historical artifact as these pioneers of fitness are now fading from our 21st century view.

I may be wrong, but from a European perspective muscle beach has always meant bodybuilders and the focus in the book was more on acrobats/gymnasts. My own recollection of first hearing of muscle beach was as a teenager seeing Arnold in the weights compound area in 'Pumping Iron' - a period that post dates all of this book.

What I learned reading this book is that muscle beach now only exists as a concept being, as it was, close to where Golds and World gym are now.

I got my copy of the book, went home and read it cover to cover that night. It brought lots of memories of Muscle Beach. I put faces to the names that I have heard since I was a kid visiting my Uncles Russ and Ray Saunders and family friend Paula Boelsems. They used to toss us around in the 50's and 60's at Muscle Beach. For all these years I have heard the names mentioned in "Remembering Muscle Beach" and now I can put faces to the names. Even now visiting with Russ Saunders I hear the names repeated over and over. Muscle Beach was such a huge part of all these people's lives. It moulded their careers and their leisure time for their whole life. It will give you a good picture of what life was like in Santa Monica. The early years of Hollywood stunts and the movie industry came directly from the regulars at Muscle Beach. Even if you don't personally know the people in this book, you will recognize at least some of the names. What a great documentation of this era of Muscle Beach. PS I somehow think I might be related to the other reviewer!

JERRY RICE IS PROBABLY THE BEST WIDE RECEIVER OF ALL TIME. BUT THIS BOOK IS NOT. IT HAS SOME GREAT COLOR PHOTOS OF GAME ACTION AND OF JERRY AND HAS FAMILY. BUT THE REST OF IT LACKS ALOT. IF YOU LIKE VERY PLAIN AND UNDETAILED FACTS ABOUT JERRY THEN THIS IS FOR YOU. MOST OF THE BOOK IS PHOTOS, SOME STATS AND SOME VERY GENERIC FACTS ABOUT RICE AND HIS CAREER. TO ME IT IS NOT BAD BUT SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTING.

This is a great Auto-Biography of Jerry Rice. The pictures are excellent, and the writing is also great.

I read the book and now i know more about how he plays the game of football.

RICE IS INDEPTH BUT NOT ENOUGH. RIGHT WHEN YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE REALLY GETTING TO KNOW THIS AMAZING ATHLETE, IT STOPS AND COMES UP SHORT. THE BOOK DOESN'T GO INDEPTH ENOUGH. BUT IT DOES GIVE A GLIMPSE OF A GREAT ATHLETE WITH A DRIVE NO ONE COULD EVER DOUBT. OVERALL, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT "FLASH 80", READ THIS BOOK

This is a great book about one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NFL. You really get to know Jerry and how he approaches the game that he loves. A must read for any die-hard Jerry Rice fans. I recently met Jerry in person and had him autograph his book for me. He's a great person and a tremendous athlete.

This book was my first introduction to Bodybuilding. Franco explains everything in this book from body types to diet and training routines. A helpful book for anyone just starting out or for the advancedlifters out there.

This book has the best foundation building routines in the sport. Franco's arm routine in this book is excellent, completely balanced. Great advice from one of the strongest bodybuilders in the business.

This little old book, published over 25 years ago, is still one of the best books out there for getting into bodybuilding. What it lacks in specifics for nutrition can be made up elsewhere, but what it contains for no-nonsense lifting advice is stellar. Anyone who wants excellent information related to lifting, without a huge and expensive tome to tote around should buy this old standard.

The author begins with an explanation of what makes a muscle grow. He explains body types, the bone structure and basic
principles. The work is segmented into beginning, intermediate
and advanced body-building. The author depicts various exercises
and explains the nutritional dimension to weight-lifting.
Overall, this is an excellent book for beginning, intermediate
and advanced lifters.

this is the best book for getting from novice to intermediate that i know of when it comes to bodybuilding without all the smoke and mirrors.

Easy to read, provides good direction for how to make your arm muscles significantly bigger and stronger.

The reason I did not like this book: No photos of how to perform each exercise in various stages. It presented older techniques and older famous bodybuilders. It was only 79 pages and the was not well written at all. It did not go in depth on each exercise. This was one of the worst books on bodybuilding I have ever read.

If you want to build more muscular arms this book will really help. The section on brachialis training alone is worth the price. The book also has a good discussion of the importance of the triceps.

If you want to build your arms up bigger this is a very helpful book on how to do so. It does not focus on all the body but only the arms.

After all these years, and a million other books on the subject published in its wake, Fred Hatfield's seminal tome remains one of the best sources of information for anyone interested in serious weight training. The junk science, fad workouts and dubious nutrition suggestions which are commonplace in most other bodybuilding books (lets face it, most muscleheads aren't geniuses) are delightfully absent here, and virtually all the information is stuff you can rely on. If the language is too "difficult" for you, find somebody literate to read it to you! But by all means, get it.

This book is full of good information, and I am a big fan of Dr Hatfield. But at times this can be a difficult read. It is like reading a text book and some of the workout applications are difficult to follow.

Being an engineer, I like numbers and Dr. Harfield's book lays out a beginner's course by the numbers; what to do, how much, and how to recognize when you're overtrained. It was great for me.

I have purchased many books on bodybuilding and some are better than others when it comes to the training. However, I have found none that compared to this intelligently written book that discussed the importance of strength training in one's OVERALL health, nor has any book given such a clear example of WHY bodybuilding can be such an important path to a person's MENTAL, health and outlook. This book has been a goldmine of motivation for me....and has given me the REASONS why bodybuilding can be such a wonderful sport to be involved in.....far beyond the aesthetics.

The chapter "American Girls, Raised on Promises" is fantastic. It's a critical look at the differences between the way culture and gender have been viewed through the lens of rock music lyrics in the 80s compared to the 90s, then extended to views of women and bodybuilding. In particular Ms. Haywood focuses on the poignant and ironic song "American Girls" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and how Petty manages to describe to perfection the way young women in America, esp. the 30-somethings, feel about the gap between what we were raised to believe we could do and the hard realities of the world. I keep coming back to this essay again and again because it says so much about me, like a little wound that needs licking.

Leslie Heywood examines the forces which shape the aesthetics of womens' bodybuilding. Her vision goes deep; she lives what she writes about, and her criticism of the movers and shakers of the bodybuilding scene is right on. Especially interesting is her comparison of photographers Bill Dobbins and Bill Lowenburg. Dobbins' work stereotypes and fetishizes; Lowenburg's questions. The truth, according to Heywood, lies somewhere in between.

I looked forward to reading this book, but have been disappointed. I expected an objective look at the history of the sport through a cultural perspective. While there are good parts to the book, I constantly put it down because I got tired of all the feminist drivel. Even though she touts herself a new breed of feminist, I got the same old angry vibes. Where's the joy of the sport? The love of the iron? The love of the women, even? Why all this talk of gender and roles? Honestly? Why is there such a need for it? I expected a book about female bodybuilding, and that means there needn't be a mention of male bodybuilding at all. She's a terrific researcher, but what she did with her materials mostly just turned me off. I don't expect many people would read this book at all unless they were prepared to embrace it 100 percent. This book seems to me to be an indulgent soapbox marketed under the guise of an academic text. Interesting in parts, I found it mostly just tiresome.

A superb analysis of the cultural impact of the muscular female body. Heywood helps us understand that when a woman lifts weights, she does far more than strengthen herself physically and psychologically. She strengthens women's place in society and weakens the old patriarchal notions of female frailty and passivity. Heywood also helps us realize that the common practice of oversexualizing female athletes -- which is practically the norm in the bodybuilding industry -- diminishes the woman's power and serves to bring the potentially revolutionary female athlete back into hegemonic standards of feminity. Being a female powerlifter myself, I appreciate the fact that, unlike so many feminist theorists, Leslie Heywood derives many of her arguments from personal experience. Bodymakers is a must-read for any female athlete, or for anyone interested in women's studies or the sociology of sports.

this is good to any one who likes to get in shape
lots how to do and great work out tips too

The pictures and descriptions of the exercises are great, as are the exercise plans provided. The only negative I could find is that the posters seem to have random exercises on them. I was expecting a poster for triceps, a page for quads, a page for shoulders, etc... The book seems to be aimed more at short, effective, total-body workouts. This is cool, but if you are looking for posters to lead you through intensely precise exercises for particular body parts, there are a limited number of posters to that effect.

This book delivers what it promises: A Collection of total Body Workouts.

The fact that every workout is in Poster format is great and practical, you just select the workout you want to try, take the specific poster out with you, and you are done to begin training. I really love the functionality of having the whole workout in just one page.

Its a fantastic idea for a training book, well executed, and with the total body workouts included I believe its a great deal.

I like this book. It gives you two dozen posters for working out that vary from fat burning to building power . Another reviewer thought that they should have workouts for specific body parts ( ie, triceps , biceps , etc .) . I felt the opposite - they should have focused more on total body workouts only . Maybe a compromise, maybe they should make two books - one for power or serious bodybuilders and one for people who want a trim and lean physique - including circuit training , for traveling , the ball , body weight and medicine ball workouts .
But back to the book at hand , if you are looking for a easy to follow , easy to use workout plan that offers a variety of sensible workouts plans look no further .