Customer Reviews

Bodybuilding 101 : Everything You Need to Know to Get the Body You Want

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I honestly have no idea how this book is getting the glowing 5-star comments of other reviews.

I'm interested in getting started in bodybuilding at home -- I have a set of free weights and was looking for recommended excercises, how to do them, etc. Based on the glowing recommendations of this book, I got it. It's just terrible.

It gives a little bit of weight lifting advice: a list of recommended exercises, with NO DESCRIPTION of what they are. For example, it says to to do a "donkey calf raise" but doesn't describe it.

It does have advice like (literally) "don't spit in the drinking fountain at the gym." I didn't need that particular bit.

It's very repetitive in the little bit of advice it does give -- it says to eat lots of skinless chicken breasts in about 5 different places.

I don't know who would find this book useful. Maybe if you're really into lifting, and want a psych book to help along, you could find it useful. In any case, it is absolutely useless for beginners.

This should be the first book you buy if you are just starting into bodybuilding. It lives up to the title giving broad but shallow coverage of the subject. I read half of the book the day I bought it and finished the rest the next day. I will probably refer to it often. It's easy to read and assimilate the information it presents and I like the writer's style and the overall organization of the book. The information is served up in small, discrete chunks. The value of the book is that it provides a good foundation upon which you can build a solid understanding of the sport. So, why only 4 stars? While I truly believe that this is a good solid foundational text and that you should buy it, I do NOT believe it is "life altering", and I wanted to offer some balance to some of the other gushing reviews. If you buy the book, do it because it sticks to the subject matter, is informative and motivating, and fulfills the promise of its title not because it will change your life. It won't. It's the sport and your own commitment that does that. This book just provides some fuel for the drive. Also, I agree with one of the other reviewers that this book is repetitive, although not always in a bad way. I would have liked more illustrations on how to do specific lifts, more anatomical charts, more nutrition information and recommended workouts based on body-types, schedule limitations and personal goals etc.. These are all the kinds of information I would expect in a beginner book but were lacking. If you are an absolute beginner and you need to start from a good foundation, buy this book. The book does exactly what the title says it does no more and not much less, which in the sometimes overhyped industry of bodybuilding is something of a welcome anomoly. Finally, if you wish to further your search, I recommend Arnold's book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. It covers everything and more than this book covers and in more detail. But, it is harder to read and organized, yes, like an encyclopedia. Buy Bodybuilding 101 for the frame and then buy Arnold's book to add mass to your bodybuilding knowledge base=) JKH

How is it that Wolff's books get such great reviews? I'm not going to rehash the negative points. Search the reviews for the scant few that gave less than 4 or 5 stars. I think there is some kind of "circle of friends" going around giving 5-star reviews and then going back saying that they found each other's reviews to be helpful. The books certainly are not helpful. Reviewer SBJ400, while having some good reviews on other products, has basically cut and pasted reviews from one Wolff book to another and given them all 5 stars. If you want to get started-out in weight training I'd suggest anything from the "Men's Health" line of products or anything that Lou Schuler has been associated with (even though he is no longer with Men's Health). As far as I'm concerned, "The Book of Muscle" has been pretty much the seminal treatise on weight training for the past couple of years. I've read probably 50 other books on the subject, and none of them has any information that one doesn't have in it.

I am currently following the Body for Life Program. The program is great but I needed more information. Body building 101 provided me with so much more information! Not just the "how's" but the "whys". Had it not been for this book I'm sure I would have ultimately given up my program for lack of knowledge and understanding. Anyone who is new to body building, this book is a must have!

I'm not a beginner, but I bought the book just to read. I read many bodybuilding books and I have to say that this book will help people reach their goals. It has good tips. If your an advanced lifter, don't get this book, it contains basic information that you probably already know about.

I don't know what happens, but my body changed when I hit my mid-40's. I've bought the Total Gym, Body By Jake and Larry North products and while they are good at some things, they don't give you all the answers. For me, Bodybuilding 101, by Robert Wolff, Ph.D., does.

I'm very critical about these kinds of books since so many of them proclaim they know all the answers to your problems. Why is it that all these products and people you see late at night keep telling us the abs are the key to a long happy, healthy life? Yeah, right.

Here's what I really enjoy about this book; it doesn't pretend to be something that it's not. Meaning, it's not a fad diet or exercise book. The exercises, workouts and advice are the results of what Robert Wolff says have worked for people all over the world. And by following his tips I couldn't agree more.

My advice is don't buy this book unless you want great results. It'll work for anyone, it really will.

Though I liked Bodybuilding 101, I would like to temper some of the enthusiam of the other reviews. I like Wolff's motivational, no-nonsense, no gimmicks style and I think the book will benefit advanced and beginner body builders alike. However, my two main complaints are that it is repetitive and that I don't think has sufficient information for preventing injury. The book is based on articles from Muscle & Fitness magazine. It reads much like a series of articles and I suspect that is the source of the repetitiveness.

Wolff, the author, does discuss injury prevention but I think he could do more. For example, a common injury is shoulder pain due to weak stabilizer muscles. However, he doesn't discuss the rotator cuff muscles until Chapter 37 titled No More Mr. Stickman. Also, consider the following sentence, "Creating a strong lower back, which can often be the weakest link of the body, should be one of your top training priorities." Great point! But why is it buried on page 176 in the middle of the chapter titled "Forgotten Back Exercises." These muscles won't win you body building competitions, but these points belong in the beginner sections so that a good foundation can be laid to avoid future injury. I suggest reading the "Sports Medicine Bible" to get information on conditioning exercises to prevent injury and incorporate those exercises into the information of Bodybuilding 101.

Another complaint is that Wolff uses popular, sometimes vague, and on occasion improper terms for muscles and muscle groups. I think body building needs to treat anatomy more formally. The book would benefit greatly from anatomical diagrams and diagrams which show which muscles are hit by which exercises.

What I liked most about the book is Wolff's stance on natural body building. His anti-steroid stance is clear, sensible, and non-confrontational. Furthermore, he advises against supplements in general. A brave stance considering his employers, Weider, sell a wide variety of supplements. This book is no-nonsense and steers the reader away from gimmicks.

Most body builders will benefit from Wolff's main message -- variety. The book is thorough in presenting an amazing array of variations on movements and combinations. Though I note there is no mention of neck (sterno-mastoid) muscles, or abdominal obliques, and no leg suppination exercises.

If you are looking for a motivational book with a wide variety of exercises, this book is very good. However, I look forward to a second edition which is better organized and more information on injury prevention for the beginner.

By profession, I'm a college instructor who looks at all things with a critical -- sometimes too critical -- eye.

Upon review, purchase and implementation of Dr. Robert Wolff's Bodybuilding 101 book, I'm very pleased with the results thus far. His methods in this book, while not fadish or ground-breaking (with the exceptions of the exercise nuances and mental training), do work extremely well.

Perhaps a book like this is what the fitness and bodybuilding world needs; a good dose of reality and not hype.

I greatly enjoy his straight-forward style that speaks to me the reader as someone he has known for a long time. He believes in his work and it shows from preface to ending.

If I may, I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for straight-forward answers for those wanting to shape their body and achieve optimal health.

Thank you.

The author has compromised his hard work and insightful views by relishing his machismo. It portrays Bodybuilding as a mindless activity obsessed with sex, muscle mass, and physical appearance at the expense of graceful fitness, as follows.

1-The book cover is repulsive to a great segment of readers (in my opinion). It further conveys a sense of physical emptiness. That obsession of showing sexually attractive, yet mentally shallow, is prevalent in the book photos.

2- The first page of the book shows a person laying his shoe on the barbell. That is both demeaning to the sport and unhygienic. The part of the barbell that touches the lifter skin should not come in contact with the sole of the shoes.

3- The very second page shows a hunk squatting in 135 lb barbell and wearing a belt. Waist belts are the worst advertisement for bodybuilding. The rest of the book will amplify thas philosophy of stiff and inflexible lifters.

4- The most annoying part of the book is the photos of young people drinking, eating, laying on grass, and thinking. I am not kidding! That made me resists spending the $17.95, though I liked many things about the book. I might change my mind though and give it a ride home. The book does have many good ideas.

5- Many photographed people in the book look weird, either drugged or otherwise. Many faces look pathetic, not because of lack of physical attraction but rather of angry facial expressions. It conveys a sense of an endemic psychological disturbance among bodybuilders.

6- The unfortunate trend in the book is the total lack of stretching, flexibility, or sound skeletal fitness. The whole book is about getting big, strong, and cut. Many bodybuilders achieved those goals yet subjected themselves to spinal injuries, life-long joint disease, and unhealthy overweight. There is no single lift in the book that started from the floor and made full travel overhead, which is ironic, unscientific, and unfortunate.

The positive contribution in the book is plenty as well.

1- The author is clearly well organized with high abstract skills. His chapters are beautifully written, concise, rational, and focused. The author is genuine and knowledgeable. He does not sell the moon or the stars, but rather conveys what he has learned and what worked for him. That is where the worth of author's experience counts. I suspect that the author bought into someone's ill advice for the design of his book cover for commercial purpose.

2- The book offers very effective methods of excelling in bodybuilding by its emphasis on intensity. It is realistic in stressing that 90 days would not do the magic that others claim. It is realistic on exercise planning, except its obsession with peripheral muscles. I wish the author revisits Newton's laws of mechanics in order to figure out why huge arms and shoulders, with insecure low back, is not the best way to educate people about building muscles.

3- The invaluable wealth in the book is its emphasis on constant changing of routine, plenty of sleep and rest (that is the best approach), and its simple and clear understanding of the fundamental exercises such Squat and Deadlift. I dreaded the front squat with crossed arms. It is not right to wait until you lose shoulder flexibility and become unable to flex your elbows and shoulders in such improper front squat.

4- Many exercise photos in the book are inspiring to beginners. It demonstrates that physical improvement is feasible with behavior modification.

5- The peak triumph in the book is the discussion of exercising all body parts with different exercises of different ratios of sets and repetitions. Here, where you learn some lasting knowledge from an experienced author.

One might argue that engaging in bodybuilding is more productive than succumbing to sedentary living, drugs, smoking, or alcohol. Yet, the many years bodybuilders devote bulking up should not be wasted in compromising future health with inflexible joints, damaged internal organs, and irreversible side effects of overweight. High mobility and full range of motion of joints should improve the quality of life of bodybuilders. The top bodybuilders I followed in my over 40 years of training either struggled with kidney problems, lower back and knee problems, high blood pressure, or loss of great opportunities of professional and educational gain because of the extreme indulgence of building massive muscles that are hard to keep atop. The sadistic drive for big and strong should be substituted by graceful and strong. And habitual smiling comforts the soul as well.

Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

This is the first book I've read that says if you change arm, hand, elbow and feet positions, it will make a big difference in the results you get. I tried it and it works!

I always thought there was basically a correct and incorrect way to do each exercise, but the author, Dr. Robert Wolff, says that even if you're exercising correctly, you can still get much more from any exercise if you know how to do something he calls "exercise nuances".

I like his approach and like even better his methods because they work excellently. I had to wait for weeks for this book in Denmark and it was worth the wait.