Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great: Everything You Need to Know to Transform Your Body

This book is a great asset because it is the first one I found that actually explains in detail the proper technique for performing the main exercises: squats, deadlifts, presses etc. It also provides arguments for why some exercises are dangerous and should not be used, such as the behind the neck pulldown and others I was only guessing before that they might be harmful or inefficient (such as the hack squat). I speak from the perspective of someone without much experience in strength training and who does not even aspire to become a "big" bodybuilder, but merely wishes to be in good shape and be decently good looking. This book reveals how one can do that without training as an olympic sportsman and without risking hernia, shoulder pains and other injuries. As mentioned, the description of the strength training exercises is really helpful, compared to most books or articles that summarizes everything in 2-3 obscure lines, leaving couches and trainees to fill in the gaps using their imagination (and risking their health, just to re-discover the wheel). I will also follow the training program recommended in the book, at least for a while, to see if it works for me. But the book is also valuable as it gives ideas for creating one's own program, which is always useful, even if some of the details the author gathered from his own experience may prove at some point not to fit the reader's body and temperament.

Stuart's latest book includes his recurring theme to lift safely and with proper form - both of which are communicated with detailed instruction and overall guidance. It's one thing to lose fat and look great (no one would object I expect) but working through your current condition safely and with an eye to many years of fitness is not always in one's mind. Stuart shares his experience and helps to ensure that you'll be in the gym and conscious of how to work out effectively AND safely so that you'll be there for years to come. Completing each chapter, I was always left feeling that I had concluded a classroom or training session with Stuart. The information here is presented in a way that you can apply it immediately and with knowledge of the expected outcomes. There are no outrageous claims - quite the opposite. The core essentials (nutrition, sleep, rest, focus, form and commitment, amongst others) are emphasized. Start here if you're new to fitness training. If you need to move off a plateau, you'll benefit from Stuart's book, too. Cheers, Greg

I have followed the program as written and am now in Month 10 of 'The Program'. I am enjoying it thoroughly. Working long hours and weekends, I sometimes train every four or five days instead of twice a week recommended in the book but that is the only change I have made. I took it extremely easy to begin with starting with a 40kg Squat and Deadlift, 30 kg Bench Press, 10 kg Dumbell Press, etc. It got toughish around the middle of month 7 so I changed to the optional split routine. In Month 10 I am following the full body workout training three times every two weeks and am now upto a 100kg squat for 15 reps, 81kg for 2 sets of six on the bench, 125 kg Deadlift and am using 24 kg dumbells in the Overhead Press. I can hold a 100kg barbell for 60 seconds and do 37 dips. I weighed 78 kg when I started and now weigh 82.5 kg at 180 cm tall. One excellent part of the program is that it uses enough exercises to prevent any muscle imbalance so my shoulders, knees, back and everything else feels fine. People I meet sometime comment on my physique which surprises me because I haven't noticed any change but do feel alot sharper and stronger. If you are able to do a desk job and eat lots, you will do progress alot further than me. I would recommend this book over all the books you can find if you want to get big and strong injury free and don't want to spend all you life in the gym simply getting more and more tired. Of course Stuart's other books are good too but, as this book has a year program from start to finish, it encourages you to stick with it and not switch and mess around with programs too often. Good Stuff!

Formerly, I was a physiology teaching fellow, a biochemist and have also pursued graduate studies in psychology. I was an all state runner and later developed an interest in weight training. After graduate school, I was a fitness trainer and worked with one athlete who made it to the Olympics along with an exercise physiologist. That establishes the context for my review. I was extremely impressed with this book. In one 625 page volume, you get an excellent summary about all aspects of weight training including how to train, basic anatomy, detailed explanations of exercises, how to build a training routine, periodization, etc. It really is one stop shopping and the information on proper form and bulking up is accurate and invaluable. This book also contains many excellent references and backs up what it says. Although this book is targeted to people who want to lose weight and build muscle, it is entirely appropriate for any bodybuilder, strength trainee, etc. It covers a lot of ground very thoroughly. Overall, this volume is encouraging in tone, easy to understand and gives you the "why" behind the author's suggestions. Although it is long, it is well-organized with useful diagrams, charts, summaries, photos and descriptions of important exercises. I also have a listmania list on my profile with other suggestions, but this is the one volume I would be certain to own if I could only buy ONE book.

Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great is the modern update of "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique" by Stuart McRobert. It is actually a whole new book, completely revised with so many additional sections that it is like the new Brawn + technical descriptions. Get this book if you can find it. It may be his best book to date and certainly one of the best muscle books around. There are trainees out there who are bench pressing 90lbs of iron for twenty reps who praise themselves after doing it, but know in the back of their mind that their right wrist is starting to get a little sore from their workout. When moving onto the barbell curl that wrist just hurts too much to complete a full set. Well "pain is gain" so they drop the set and go back to the dressing room knowing that it will be two weeks before they recover. Try giving the same trainee "Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great" and watch them reduce the bench press from 90lbs to 45lbs for eight reps maximum. "What has gone wrong?" they might ask. "Why have I suddenly gone from brawn to frailty?" The truth is that nothing is wrong. They are just learning to do it right this time... and they will gain more because of it. While motivation bodybuilding books like "Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" by Arnold Schwarzenegger, will certainly show you the vast majority of exercises that are required for a great high volume training (HVT) program, it does not go to great length to show you everything that you need to know about doing the exercises correctly and the pitfalls of doing them incorrectly. Danger workouts include the Vertical Machine Press, Straight-Arm Pullover, Bent-Over Barbell Rows, Bent-Over dumbbell Rows, T-bar rows and the One-Arm Dumbbell Row to name but a few. Although nearly everyone can get away with doing these exercises in small amounts without injury, they are considered high risk exercises and long term applications can prove absolutely disastrous. If the basic low-risk workouts can cause injury when executed without perfect form do you really want to increase the odds of getting an injury by doing high-risk exercises with bad form? While "Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great" does not promise an injury free bodybuilding career it will firmly establish conditions that will prevent injury. If you can workout as much as you like as often as you like and do not need to nurse an injury then naturally the result is a gain rather than a loss that could have been avoided. Every exercise you learn from a book or a magazine should be cross-referenced with "Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great" to see what it has to say. Even bench pressing professionals who have been at this for years will find that their form is not as good as what this book can prescribe. The fact that it covers the big three - Bench Press, Deadlift and Squat is enough to substantiate the price tag. It also includes Back Extension, Calf Raise, Close-Grip Bench Press, Crunch Abdominal Work, C