Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book and a few comments., January 9, 2009
I have owned 2 copies of Dr. McGuff's self published books "Ultimate Exercise" since 2002. Basically I have been using this routine or a derivative since then. I have also had a few phone consultations with McGuff during those years. These are basically the "Consolidated" type routines from Mike Mentzer's last two published books performed in a Super Slow type cadence.
I agree with all of the routines on the "Global Conditioning" aspect. I myself find that fixing your mind into a once a week frequency becomes fact for you and you may be delighted if you decide to maybe split up the A/B workouts but perform both in one week. You must be very in tune with overtraining but at the same time, not be paranoid and turn it into a Boogieman. Overtraining is not a disease nor is it irreversible. When you find yourself overtraining, cut back. I realize for the High Volume Trainers this is not even an option.
My absolute best results from these routines were in 2007 when I added the Trap Bar Deadlift (done at 2/2 Cadence). This really triggered growth in my body and transferred to all of the other exercises. I was working with 555 pounds on this for low reps (Started at about 365) and did not experience any injuries. This added exercise had to really be monitored because it definitely would lead to overtraining if done along with the other movements.
Lately, I decided to add more exercises and was doing 8 movements once a week and then split it into the A/B (still done during same week) and then used 7 days in between. I have tried 14 day layoffs and I don't care what any studies show, I got weaker, lost size, muscularity and gained fat. Perhaps it was my diet.
As far as John Little, I have used both Max Contraction Training and Static Contraction Training. Besides being almost impossible to perform in a gym, I did not experience any meaningful gains on these routines and got noticeably weaker and smaller until I ended them. They (Sisco and Little) both adamantly claim that these are NOT isometrics yet the verbatim results of Dr. EA Mueller and Dr. Theodore Hettinger's Classic Isometric studies of the mid 1900s are the basis for both of these books. the machines that Sisco peddles are basically big immovable platforms on machines with a tension meter attached. There is no outside resistance of any kind. For isometrics, I will use my body and doorway. Since John Little is co-author of Body by Science I find it valid to question his theories.
A serious question I have about John Little's writings and research is the thoroughly documented and hyped up "Research Programs" like "Nautlus North" always have the subjects making like 200% strength gains after 1.2 workouts yet the experiments never last more than a few weeks (or workouts). He does say in everyone of the books (even the ones he did for Mentzer) "If these people gained that much muscle in just 2 weeks, just think what you can achieve in 1 or 2 years", The experiments (Nautilus North, etc) will never tell us, they only lasted a few weeks. He did have a special follow up web page for Max Contraction Training but that lasted as long as the experiments. No follow through.
I suspect that John Little is on this book because of name recognition. John puts down the Super Slow protocol in both Static Contraction Training and Max Contraction Training. Also, Quoting from another reviewer "It also strikes me as odd that John Little is giving a strongly implied endorsement to full-range exercise, after all the promotion he's done for limited range work & static weight holding. Where do you stand, John Little?"
If anyone has made sustained gains from either MCT or SCT I never heard of them. I know McGuff says to use them for just for short periods of time. I would discard the MCT training totally. I believe John Little will just squeeze his SCT and the "even more revolutionary" MCT anywhere he can. If you gave SCT and MCT a try, you will have discovered that MCT was a method discovered for Little to distance himself from Sisco rather than a revolutionary form of SCT.
With that being said, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book especially for the insight in Global Conditioning and the Faux Cardio Culture. I would have enjoyed it more without John Little's 2 cents (Revelation that he can apply his son's 3-way Mentzer Routine to his Max Contraction Training and other Anecdotes) but then again, he may have Tony Robbin's endorse it and make an entire science, philosophy and religion out of it complete with 30 minute infomercials a 20 DVD set and the ability to walk over hot coals at completion.
Seriously though, this book is a big notch for H.I.T. and I totally respect the education, research, personal training experience and passion that Dr. McGuff put into it. As I first stated, I have had phone consultations with him and have nothing but praise and respect for him. His insight on the medical aspects of strength training put him in a different class than most writers.
I also recommend Ellington Darden's "The New Bodybuilding for Old School Results" as a companion volume. Darden's book provides inspiration which really makes you want to hit the vintage Nautilus machines. Ellington Darden also recommends more movements per workout (about 8) and higher frequency. I say the reader experiment what works best for them and then adjust volume and frequency accordingly over time.
Both of these books together provide history, nostalgia and research. They do not contradict each other but compliment. A Yang to the other's Yin. Finally, if you can find a copy of Dr. McGuff's self published "Ultimate Exercise", I would snatch this up.
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34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
worthwhile purchase despite lower rating, July 10, 2009
I have mixed feelings about Body by Science. It strives to prescribe a work-out routine that properly takes advantage of physiological knowledge to promote fitness, defined as the ability to take part in non-sedentary activities. The book does derive a work-out routine from a presentation of physiology. The recommendations include one short strength-training work-out per week with no traditional cardiovascular work (e.g., jogging) and a "hunter-gatherer"-type diet.
The physiology presented in this book is more extensive than what I've seen in traditional weight-lifting or diet-exercise books aimed at the public. Compared to two text-books for university courses in nutrition and exercise science, the physiology here is about as broad, presented in a slightly more truncated and easy to read format.
The thing that really distuingishes Body by Science, however, is that the physiology is presented in a manner that deconstructs traditional concepts of exercise. To sum up, the book contends (1) that cardiovascular fitness is something that occurs primarily in a diffuse manner throughout the body at the level of the musculature, not primarily as adaptations in the heart and lungs, and (2) that the musculature does not know if it is getting stressed by resistance training or traditional cardio work. The logical conclusion from these two premises is that the best overall fitness training is pure resistance strength training done in a manner that stresses the muscles without stressing joints, ligaments, etc.
I must confess that although I was aware that cardiovascular adaptations occurred at the muscular level, I was also under the impression that there are adaptations in the heart that occur specific to traditional styles of aerobic work such as jogging. However, I am at a loss to say what those are. I have a vague notion that sustained moderately elevated heart rate is important to the heart, but I couldn't tell you what exactly it achieves.
Of course, my failure to refute the physiological and exercise science presented here does not make it correct. That is the biggest draw-back with this or any exercise book--you are always at the mercy of those with more expertise. The only recourse you have as a reader is to educate yourself with some basic knowledge about research and publishing standards and try to evaluate how honest and accurate a book appears to be.
From this perspective, Body by Science holds up well, but not as well as its hype. Subtitled "A Research-Based Program...," you expect a book swamped by citations like an academic paper. The book does have more citations than a typical exercise book, but it is not near what I expected. For example, it says, "Virtually every study undertaken to assess the cardiovascular effects of proper strength training has concluded that they at least equal the effects of more conventional approaches such as running or other steady-state activities." However, the citations given to support this statement are two studies from 1985 and 1988. This is really not acceptable, even if the statement is accurate. Either many more (recent) studies need to be cited or a review paper that examines this issue in depth. This is one example, but I think it fair to say it characterizes the whole book.
The book's biggest drawback is its failure to present evidence that its specific program has been demonstrated to work. The authors repeatedly mention the years of experience they and other trainers have in using their techniques, but they present no study they've conducted and only one photo of someone they've trained. The use of photos showing muscled young men is dismissed at the beginning of the book by referring to genetic variability in response to weight training. This is true, but in the absence of studies, anecdote shows something. Maybe doing the Bill Phillips Body-for-Life workout won't make you look like his contest winners, but at least we know it can do anything at all. Maybe eveybody's training will stagnate with Body by Science. Who knows?
In addition to its central message, the book touches briefly on a variety of peripheral issues. Some, such as the connection between an attempt to moderate training and a regression in training, confirm my personal experience. Others are silly, like the suggestion to drink cold water all day in order to burn off about 125 Kcal through thermodynamic effects. Any lifestyle cost-benefit analysis of this proposal could not hold up, especially for people living north of Florida.
As other reviewers have mentioned, from what I can tell, the static contraction training discussion in the latter half of the book is hogwash. Although one of the authors is a doctor, the other's major claim to expertise is sycophantic followership of a dead bodybuilder and having "published in every major fitness and martial arts magazine in North America." Well, whoopy-do!
Despite the criticisms, I think this is a useful book for fitness hobbyists to read. I really want its core recommendations to be correct, and even if it is not the best program for otherwise fit and healthy individuals, I can see that it might still have applicability for the elderly, those needing rehab, or those with cardiac or respiratory disorders. It is worth investigation by health professionals.
If I were going to tell these authors how to get more stars out of my rating, I would say they really need to demonstrate more thoroughly how they live up to the claim of being "research-based."
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading for personal trainers and those serious about getting the best possible results, safely and efficiently, December 30, 2008
If you buy only one book on exercise this year, get this one. If you buy only two books, get a second copy of it because you're going to want to share it with friends, and if you're a trainer you're going to want to keep one at work to show clients.
Body by Science explains the how and why of high intensity training, balancing enough scientific background to convey key principles and concepts without overwhelming the lay reader, and practical in-the-gym how-to. It is well organized, well researched, and well written, and an enjoyable and informative read. Every one of its eleven chapters contains a wealth of information, clearly explained with the assistance of numerous graphs and diagrams.
The chapters include:
1. Defining Health, Fitness, and Exercise
2. Global Metabolic Conditioning
3. The Dose-Response Relationship of Exercise
4. The Big-Five Workout
5. The Benefits of the Big-Five Workout
6. Enhancing the Body's Response to Exercise
7. Tweaking the Exercise Stimulus
8. The Genetic Factor
9. The Science of Fat Loss
10. The Ideal Training Programs for Athletes
11. The Ideal Training Program for Seniors
The book thoroughly and conclusively debunks the belief that aerobics or "cardio" is necessary for cardiovascular fitness or fat loss, and provides scientific explanations for why high intensity strength training is the most effective way to accomplish both of these. For those of you still harboring doubts about this, Body by Science will put them to rest. McGuff and Little also explain why high intensity strength training is the safest and most effective exercise protocol for improving:
* resting metabolic rate
* glucose metabolism
* insulin sensitivity
* body composition
* cholesterol levels
* blood pressure
* bone mineral density
* symptoms of arthritis
* lower-back pain
* and enhancing flexibility
All of this is backed up by properly performed studies published in reputable, peer-reviewed scientific journals, comprising nearly 30 pages of references contained at the end of the book.
Body by Science goes into great detail on the dose-response relationship of exercise and proves just how little high intensity exercise is actually required for best results - far less than many people believe - also backed up by scientific research and the results of a combined 30 years of supervising and tracking the progress of thousands of trainees through tens of thousands of workouts.
While the book is not heavy on routines - and once you'll read it you'll understand why it doesn't need to be - it offers a solid starting point along with recommendations for variations using different equipment and for more advanced trainees. It also covers the appropriate use of advanced high intensity training methods such as forced reps, partials, static holds, rest-pause, negative-only, SuperSlow and Max Contraction.
Body by Science also explains the numerous genetic factors determining individual muscular potential and response to exercise, and how this information can be used to fine tune your workouts to get the best results possible. The chapter on genetics also contains an interesting discussion of epigenetics - how high intensity strength training influences the expression of your genes.
Chapter 9, The Science of Fat Loss, destroys numerous myths while explaining how training, diet and other factors combined to produce discriminated fat loss. It further debunks the popular misconception that aerobics or "cardio" are effective or even necessary for fat loss.
Chapters 10 and 11 address the training requirements of athletes and seniors and how the concepts and principles explained in the book should be adapted for those populations, including specific routines for football, hockey, baseball and golf. Chapter 10, The Ideal Training Programs for Athletes, also addresses numerous popular misconceptions about skill training, conditioning, stretching, warming up, and cross-training. Chapter 11, The Ideal Training Programs for Seniors, explains the numerous benefits high intensity strength training has for seniors, including how strength training reverses the effects of aging on the expression of numerous genes.
All in all, Body by Science is one of the best HIT books I've read in a long time, and I highly recommend it.
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by Mike Mentzer
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