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Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength
Price:$5.00
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| Brand |
EAS |
| Manufacturer |
Collins Living |
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Customers Reviews
2008-09-29
Good,basic,introductory, beginner's workout plan...motivating read
The best things about this book are that it is written in a highly motivating way, and it gives a good, basic, introductory overview of standard,conventional, strength-training exercises. And that can certainly be of great value to people who are absolute beginners in weight-lifting and know nothing about the subject.
What this workout plan will not enable you to achieve is "maximum results in minimum time". And since your body, your health and your time are probably your three greatest assets in life, isn't that what most people want in an ideal workout plan? And the reason that this program does not deliver in this regard is simply because the book never defines "intensity" adequately to begin with. Having the "right" definition for intensity (i.e. one that works both in theory and can be readily applied) is vital for obtaining "maximum results in minimum time" for two reasons:
1) The secret to building muscle lies in subjecting your muscles to a higher level of intensity than what they are currently accustomed to; then your muscles grow bigger and stronger to adapt to that higher level of intensity.
2) Intensity is inversely proportional to duration. The higher the intensity of an exercise, the shorter the exercise has to be in terms of time duration, simply becuse you'll tire faster.
Thus it turns out that the "most effective" way to build muscle is actually the "least time-consuming" way, IF you know the secrets to maximizing the intensity of any given exercises that you do. And for that, you need that right definition for intensity (which this book doesn't have), because without that definition for intensity, you won't know which strategies work best to achieve maximum intensity for any exercise that you do. But then no conventional, workout plan has ever defined intensity adequately, which explains why they all fail to deliver when it comes to enabling one to obtain maximum results in minimum time. Thus, it's no surprise that Sylvester Stallone (in his book "Sly Moves")disappointedy states that it took him at least six years before he finally got his "after body", when using a plan like the one in Body For Life.
The best published book that I currently know of for obtaining maximum intensity (and thus "maximum results in minimum time") is John Little's book "Max Contraction Training".
In sum, I gave this book 4 stars, simply because I think it gives a good, basic, introductory, overview of conventional weight-lifting exercises for beginners, and it is highly motivating to read. The dietary advice might be revelatory to junk food addicts who don't even know what healthy food is, but for others, it's nothing enlightening, and even outdated at this point.
I should also mention that you can get good results from this workout plan if you've never lifted a weight in your life, since in that case, almost ANYTHING that you do will be more intense than what you were previously doing, which was nothing. But even if you're a beginner to weight-lifting, you still won't get maximum results in minimum time from this plan, for the reasons explained above. Additionally, this book leaves out a lot of important motions that need to be done to develop the muscle fibers that come into play only for those particular motions. So as a result, you will never fully develop your biceps, or your triceps, or your glutes, or your pectoral muscles, or your hamstrings, or your qudriceps, etc., with a plan like this.
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2008-09-01
This fitness program is the real deal! Great book!
"Body For Life" is the most approachable, motivational, and effective fitness program I have encountered. Several of my male friends were getting in extremely buff while following this program, and their wives were getting into great shape, so I had to toss my skepticism aside and give it a try. Sure enough, even after 6 weeks, people were noticing that I looked "physically fit."
The book explains the workout process and the eating process in a clear, informative, and motivating manner, not only explaining how to work out and eat correctly, but WHY it must be done correctly. The book also contains many photographs demonstrating proper workout techniques, as well as lists of "proper" foods, and even some recipes!
Probably the most effective part of the book is the inclusion of dozens of "before-and-after" shots of "Body For Life" success stories, along with several testimonials of those who followed the program. These success stories really make it seem possible that even you(!) can get into awesome shape, really fueling your motivation.
I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to get into fantastic shape relatively quickly (and who doesn't?). If you're not self-motivated, find a workout partner and follow this program, but by all means take the "Body For Life" challenge and get yourself into great shape!
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2008-08-23
my review
great book slllloooowww on shippin i waited over a month to get and when i got in touch with seller they never emailed me back
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2008-08-19
The only thing better is if you can get Bill as your personal trainer!
Bill has shared his secrets of building beautiful, healthy bodies and a lot of the information just isn't available without hiring a personal trainer. The knowledge in this book, and the way he lays it out is very useful especially if you are just starting out into 'fitness world' and have little knowledge or experience. Having dieted my entire life due to a thyroid disease, I can tell you his eating plan, where you take the 7th day off from dieting, might just be the biggest secret to not hitting a plateau. His food suggestions are right in line with some other 'great' diets, so you won't have any issues with adopting this healthy lifestyle. His page 136, with a list of the exercises targeting the entire body is about the best page of the book, but then he goes on to full explain, with photos, the exact way to perform each exercise to its fullest benefit. The only thing better than this book would be to have Bill as your personal trainer!
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2008-08-05
Good, but one approach of many
I picked up Body for Life (B4L) after reading about the new P90X workout stuff. Some folks suggested following the program in B4L before even trying P90X. So I picked up the book and gave it a read through. I actually skipped a lot of it because a good portion of the book is testimonials and personal stories - stuff you really don't need. The core of the book - the stuff you actually want - is an easy read. Phillips outlines a decent fitness approach. The two key elements, IMO, are good nutrition and putting thought and planning into your workouts. You have to devise a way to monitor your progress and figure out how to increase the intensity through "progressive overload."
Phillips advocates the approach of eating several (in his book specifically six) small meals over the course of the day. Like any approach this is not foolproof. It'll work for some people and won't for others. Since he has his own line of supplements he naturally bases the diet plan around including shakes or bars from those products. This is one part where he's clearly trying to increase his return on the plan, rather than outlining other ideas for healthful snacks. But, you can at least get the idea from the book.
I was disappointed by his general workout plan. It's not that it's not a solid one - he has a good plan for outlining progress and has a fair number of exercises, but he doesn't include bodyweight exercises. He really misses out here because bodyweight exercises are a good way to work multiple muscle groups and increase fat burning. They're also a good way for people who are just starting to develop a fitness routine without investing in a lot of equipment. His exercises are good, but some are the usual fare of kickbacks, curls and such that develop "beach muscles" - that is, muscles that look good but aren't recruited a lot in daily living. For example, working up to chinups is more useful than doing curls for actual fitness versus simple aesthetics.
One pitfall is that he encourages readers to workout first thing in the morning before you eat, or later in the day after a few hours without food. This can really mess with your blood sugar and such and is not advised by most fitness professionals. It may make a difference in the results some experience, but use at your own risk. As always consult a doctor about new fitness programs and especially the idea of working out on an empty stomach.
Overall there isn't a lot in this book that you can't find online with a little research for free. That's not to say it's useless. For many people that don't know where to start in the fitness game this can be a good starting point that consolidates a lot of basic ideas into one place. It should be noted, however, that despite the numerous pictures in the dust jacket the results shown fall under the usual "results not typical" disclaimer. Most people are not going to get a body like that in 12 weeks without serious time investments and strict, strict diet.
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Find Out About The Dangers Associated With Dieting Dieting should have sensible basis otherwise it may do nothing but undermine and ruin your health. There are some dangers associated with dieting.
Danger 1 - on my own
The habit always to rely upon oneself is not the appropriate tactics in dieting. Fattiness like any other diseases should be treated under the strict doctor’s control. Every one is unique and needs certain and specific approach. Someone may be stout but have a good health someone may have few “extra kilos” which will intermix with serious diseases. So you should be completely aware of your current state. Work, life style, surroundings, living conditions and even climate should be taken in account when choosing a diet.
Danger 2 - on the buckwheat
There are several dieting myths: you should eat meat, you should eat once or twice a day, it’s useful to eat only buckwheat or apple pines for example. Each product is wholesome for sure but only in the combination with other useful products. And if you decided to keep to a “one-side” diet you merely deprive yourself of necessary and vital elements.
The greatest problems may cause incredible protein decrease, especially animal protein which can not be substituted by soy or legumes protein. Animal protein is the base for ferments and hormones production. In case you reduce protein consumption the reproductive function gets worse and the blood formula changes.
Another danger is the lack of calcium which we usually get of the diary products. This element is absolutely necessary especially for the young organism which bones are still in the process of formation.
The variety of food is the main point of the right diet. Remember you may eat everything but with the sense of measure. Fish, vegetables and fruits are irreplaceable products and should “find place” in your diet however.
Danger 3 – only diet
If you really want to loose weight and not to regain it you’d better thing about dieting and physical loading as separate things but work out the plan of healthy life style. It may include the food we eat, the way we spend our free time, sleep and whatever. The main tendency today is square meals and minimum of physical exercise. The quantity of energy we receive should not exceed the quantity we consume.
The simplest recommendations are to eat divisionally – every 3 or 4 hours in little quantities, not to eat before going to bed.
Danger 4- food is my best friend
The other stumbling block is to compensate stress depression by eating sweets and chocolates. Some times in such situations a person may eat even when he is not hungry.
Remember everything is in your own hands. |
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