Customer Reviews

Bill Pearls Keys to the Inner Universe : Worlds Best Built Man

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great bodybuilding book. Bill Pearl created the "bible" of bodybuilding excercises. No one will admit it of course, but it seems nearly all other bodybuilding "how-to" books have borrowed from the master. Here's what he created: Over 640 pages of bodybuilding knowledge; mostly on excercise mechanics, with free-weights predominant (although machines WELL represented). Being a professional illustrator myself (bodybuilding is only my avocation), I can only praise the illustrator, Joan C. Pledger, for her OUTSTANDING line art illustrations of the incredibly numerous excercises. That job must have taken her forever. But it was worth it! Pearl has broken the book down into body-part sections (e.g., Shoulders, Back, Triceps, etc.) and given us every conceivable excercise possible. There are all the variations (i.e., similar excercise with barbell and then dumbbell). Excercises you never even knew existed. Trust me. If you had, YOU would have written this book. I've heard all the arguments ("Pearl was just bulking up the book with every excercise he could think of..."), but brother, that just misses the point. Here you have the one, the only source you'll ever need if you plan to bodybuild for any length of time at all. It's up to YOU to figure out which excercises to use. Don't have dumbbells? Not to worry...Pearl has a barbell excercise that will do just fine. Tired of the old Triceps Pushdown? No problem. Pick one of the MANY other triceps excercises, and get back to work. Pearl has succinct, cogent textual explanations of all the excercises, and he's even rated them by degree of difficulty. What more could anyone want? How can anyone complain about this masterpiece? I don't know...it's beyond me. I've owned it twice. Once in paperback when I was young (sniff), and now, again, in hardcover because I love it so much. Don't listen to the uninformed nincompoops who only recommend "their" excercises as being the "only" ones that produce results. Liberate yourself; listen to your own body; USE THE BOOK, and get results. If you're a bodybuilder and you haven't at least borrowed this book, you're really missing out.

This is quite likely the single best compendium of bodybuilding information ever released, written by a man who single-handedly conquered all the worlds of bodybuilding, and did so repeatedly over a thirty year period. From the early 1950s until the mid-1970s, Bill Pearl was never defeated in bodybuilding competition, and although he and Arnold Schwarzenegger never met in competition, Arnold considered Pearl (along with Reg Park of South Africa) one of the best bodybuilders of all time. For some of the younger bodybuilding enthusiasts, this book may seem a bit dated, but when one recognizes that Pearl built mass and incredible definition primarily through hard exercise and natural nutrition, without ever resorting to steroid use, one can appreciate what a giant he has been in the field. To date, no one else has even come close to his natural achievement.

Everything one needs to know to get huge and cut is here, from the basics to the nitty-gritty about what kind of gym atmosphere to be in search of, from the most sage advice going regarding the role of nutrition and vitamins in building a muscular and powerful physique. Since nothing is so important to the aspiring bodybuilder than information, it is important to know that everyone from the neophyte to more experienced muscle bomber will find everything he or she needs to cultivate the kind of body they dream of in this superb compendium and life story wrapped into a single volume.

Culled from a life time of experience and filled with personal anecdotes, this treasure trove of relevant information and wise advice will serve up all you need to know, from the best way to flare your quadriceps to the best way to widen your shoulders by bombing the lateral heads of the deltoids. Given all this, the book is both highly informative and quite inspirational, showcasing a number of favorite Pearl routines and using both photographs and drawings to illustrate correct exercise performance, useful training techniques, and the best way to both trim down or bulk up en route to the body of your dreams. Take a trip with Bill Pearl, one of the all time great of the game; you won't regret it! Enjoy!

I have to take issue with the first reviewer, who apparently knows about as much about the book business as he does bodybuilding. Pearl set out to draft the definitive text on bodybuilding exercises, hence the remarkable depth and breadth and volume of illustrations. The comprehensive scope of the book is in no sense aimed at selling more books. (The absurdity of the previous reviewer's comment should be obvious -- since when does sheer size and a high price improve sales?) In fact, demand for this type of book was virtually nonexistent at the time Pearl wrote it, and as such he was obliged to finance the book (including the extensive and expensive illustrations) and publish it himself (which also accounts in part for the cost).

The informed reader who makes an investment in this book gets a text that is far and away the most comprehensive in the field. It is rare for top physique men to publish books that depart from the traditional "here's how I did it" approach, but Pearl succeeds admirably in presenting a book that is of value to weight trainers of all levels.

Admittedly, this is not the first book I'd recommend to a beginner -- Pearl's "Getting Stronger" is a much more manageable (and less expensive) book. But for anyone with more than a passing interest in strength training, especially those who appreciate the history of bodybuilding and/or books of exemplary quality regardless of the subject matter, it's a winner.

I did not buy this book online but have owned it for approx. 2 yrs and find that it has become my most used resource. Whether your a trainer or just training I can recommend this book with enthusiasm. With Bill Pearl's book "Getting Stronger" you have a perfectly matched set of texts that will get almost anyone out of a rut. It is easy reading,easily understood, and offers a simple and easy to understand drawing to accompany each exercise. This book is as close to a 'HOW TO' book as your likely to find on the core of the weight training subject. Well worth the money!!

This is a tremendous book on weightlifting. If after reading his "junior" edition, Getting Stronger, the reader requires an in-depth encyclopedia to design his/her own weight lifting program, this tome is defintely it. It's well worth the price. The only drawback is that it is replete with grammatical and spelling errors, and it appears that Mr. Pearl didn't take the time to hire an editor prior to publication...but to be fair, I suppose that a fine literary read is not really the object here.

I'm not a body builder unless you call that spare tire "body" so I was looking for a book with loads of exercises so I wouldn't get bored. This is that book. There are hundreds of well drawn excerises, orderd by muscle groups. Bill lists suggested routines for lightweights, advanced and pro programs. Each with a suggested number of reps and a reference to the page which describes the drill. What's great is that if he recommeds working out on a lat pull down, and if you don't have a Lat machine, just keep thumbing you'll see exercises with barbells, dumbbells etc. all of which work that set of muscles.

My only complaint is that I'm worried that advances in back medicine have made changes to workout routines so that injuries would be reduced since this book was published. So care should be taken in selecting the amount of weight one should lift for any given exercise. And perhaps a recent exercise book should be consulted in addition to this book. But on the other hand I've been doing the routines for a while and haven't felt this good in a long while.

The other bit that I like about this book is the attitude. Body building is also part attitude and you need a good one to go with those new muscles. Being kind to those you work out with is as important as doing the reps. The basics you know, treat the gym equipment well, don't show off at the gym. Do that at home (no worries with me!) So I recommend this book.

THis book is great for someone who may not have a wide variety of apparatus. This will help no matter what tools you have. The wide variety of perspectives helps no matter what level you are at.

This book is more than a Bible of Bodybuilding. Its is a complete reference book in 1 well presented volume. I have gained strength not only in my muscels, but also in my mind and personality. I owe Bill Pearl a huge debt of gratitude.

While many people classify themselves as trainers and experts, who better to get advice from than a man wo won Mr. America, Mr. USA, tied Arnolds record of four NABBA Mr. Universe wins, beat every great champion from the 50's to the 70's including Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane and Reg Park and has been training everyone from Joe Average wanting to get in shape to Mr. Olympia winners like Chris Dickerson.

Pearl has been training himself and training others for over 50 years! And now he is a best selling author as well. But more importantly, he is a expert in bringing out your maximum potential.

I highly recommend this book by the great Bill Pearl. You won't be dissappointed.

Bill Pearl is one of the all-time greats of the Bodybuilding world. Whilst a few of his titles are sill easily available, I had to purchase this title - his greatest work - from Amazon USA, that is, after losing last minute to another bidder on E-bay!

This book is in essence, the Bible of bodybuilding. It is literally 600 plus pages of every single excercise there can possibley be. It is the scientific method of producing art: it is old school in the true sense of the word.

Pearl spent many years after winning the Mr Olympia title to write this tome. The title itself indicating that bodybuilding is much more to do with the human spirit than it is with drugs.

If you are serious aobut this sport, then this book is an absolute must. Forget the rubbish that is printed in glossy magazines. Train safe, naturally and let Bill Pearl be your guide!