Customer Reviews

Built for Show: Four Body-Changing Workouts for Building Muscle, Losing Fat, andLooking Good Enough to Hook Up

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bought this book based on Nate Green's reputation, and was a bit skeptical due to the title...particularly the "hooking up" part. I understand the marketing angle though, so I went ahead and bought it for the training program alone. What I got was a lot more...

Training - The Cake
As expected, this book lays down "the fundamentals" that the athletes follow, but most common gym-goers ignore. The program is not anything groundbreaking, but that's the point -- simple therefore effective. More important than the "what" is the "how" and "why" which Nate explains thoroughly without getting too scientific. It's enough for you to explain to a buddy without a) looking like a dork and b) seem condescending. The most unique thing about the program for me was breaking it into Fall/Winter/Summer/Spring and programming accordingly. So your Fall/Winter are more hypertrophy/strength based -- while your spring/summer are more fat-loss based. Makes complete sense! Another unique find was the "garage variation" of each exercise in case you don't have access to a gym. Small but very practical detail that will help many.

Nutrition - Icing
Again Nate appeals to the target audience of single-guys well. The tips and info are all from the perspective of someone who may be budget-crunched but still health conscious. I wouldn't purchase this book for the nutrition tips alone, but it supplements the rest of the book well and Nate even recommends the Precision Nutrition system later in the book. Definitely worth reading the nutrition section for its unique perspective.

"Lifestyle" Tips - More GQ than Maxim.
Gotta admit, this was the biggest surprise to me of the entire book. This was the section I was very hesitant to read as I thought it'd be filled with "Maxim" type articles and tips. I was DEFINITELY surprised to find that it was much more GQ than Maxim. A thoughtful and interesting read regarding everything from dress (are your socks supposed to match your shoes or pants?) to self-confidence and approaching strangers (who happen to be attractive females?)

I'm beginning this program tomorrow and will update my review with some results as that is how this book will really be evaluated and measured. If you're aware of Nate Green already, this book is what you expected -- entertaining and informative. If you're unaware, I'd describe this book as a "GQ" type of twist on a great fitness book -- except you can actually afford everything.

While shopping for the Holidays I picked up Built for Show for my boyfriend, an avid gym go-er. It's something I know he'll enjoy, but I also wanted to read it myself because I found the author's approach to fitness unique. While I realize that by being a woman I'm not in the targeted audience, I wanted to know a man's perspective of what sets a guy apart. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

The book is formatted in a helpful and easy to read manner and the interjected humor makes it a good read for any audience, even female. Nate gives priceless advice all the way from nutrition and exercise to confidence building, and gives an especially unique perspective on the role of women.

I was a bit disheartened to see the only other woman's perspective on Built for Show provided a complete misrepresentation of the author's message. In no way does the author suggest that women are objects or that they should be used for sex. Throughout the entire book he makes an argument that women are ultimately the ones who decide whether or not a man will be successful at pursuing a relationship of any type. This is a rather empowering argument that contradicts any suggestion of women being sex objects and is quite the opposite of the orthodox portrayal of men being the initiators of sex and women simply being conveniences to satisfy them.

I hope that more women and men will invest their time and money into reading this book as it provides great fitness advice and an uncommonly seen inside to the benefits of being healthy that applies to audiences from every demographic. I'm excited for my boyfriend to read this book and I have a feeling we'll both be able to enjoy the benefits.

I've read this book twice now as I really wanted to follow the workout and nutrition program to the letter. After two weeks on the fall program I have really noticed a difference in my body. I was in pretty good shape before but now my body looks more defined and bigger (well my abs aren't bigger thank God). Which makes sense as the exercises Nate recommends cater specifically to working your biggest body parts (chest, shoulders, upper back, and legs) intensely with predominantly multi-joint exercises. You won't be doing chest fly's, lateral raises, leg curls, leg extensions, or calf raises. And here's where he'll lose a few people (and he nearly lost me when I read it) but you'll pretty much only be doing biceps curls and triceps extensions for six weeks out of the year long program. I nearly sent the book back when I read that.

However whatever concerns that I had initially have vanished, as my arms looks as muscular as before but bigger which hasn't happened for a while. The workout programs that Nate provides almost ensures that your body won't adapt. You'll be going back and forth from an upper / lower body split to whole body training. And if that weren't enough his set and rep variables (undulated periodization, super sets, giant sets, back-off sets, and everything in between) will shock your muscles to new growth during every phase of the program.

If there was one aspect of the book that I wish Nate would have provided more insight on was nutrition. He pretty much breaks down what foods to avoid and what types of foods to eat but had this book had a meal plan and recipes to follow I would have rated it five stars. Nate doesn't come across as the type of guy who gets all bent out of shape about the small stuff so I assume most of the meals he eats would be more practical and useful than what you usually see with these kind of books.

Unlike other fitness books though Nate's advice goes outside the gym and kitchen to such diverse topics as clothing, style, and presentation which surprisingly he succeeds at. As stated by other reviewers his tips and recommendations in these regards are spot on and not as crude or overly macho as you would expect with the title of the book. What really stands out in this book though is Nate's sense of humor which really made the book better than your average fitness text and made it more personable and easier to relate to.

All in all this is a good book that I would highly recommend. It doesn't cover quite all the topics in as specific detail as I would of liked (nutition mostly) but his reading recommendations have pointed me in the right directions to have whatever remaining questions I have answered.

I bought this book two weeks ago, read through it, and have started on the first workout program Nate's recommended. I have to say it's well-written and organized in a very easy-to-read manner. It should not take you more than 2-3 days to finish it. The hard part is understanding the breakdown of the workouts themselves. It gets complicated trying to figure out which set-rep combination you need to use on a particular day. I e-mailed him about this but he has not gotten back to yet. Once you start on his program you will understand what I am talking about, because he employs a method called "undulating periodization".

Nate's information is general enough for us to understand why we wants us doing something a certain way. His explanation on exercise form is good and tells us what NOT to do, which is key. I was somewhat disappointed for a couple of reasons though: first, he doesn't really get into one of the key tenets of muscle-building - which is the principle of progressive overload. Other literature will say that there always needs to be that one set in an exercise which you go all out and push the muscle past its previous threshold. Some people will even venture to say that any sets past this "all-out" set is useless and a waste of energy. I would have liked some more explanation on this theory. Secondly, I would have wanted some information on stretching and preventing injury. Nate does show use mobility exercises, but I would have liked some info on post-workout stretching and such.

Overall, this is a very good book. Nate may be young, about the same age as me, but he seems to know his stuff. I suggest getting this and reading other stuff out there as well, such as Vince Delmonte's "No Nonsense Muscle Building".

EDIT -- 06/20/09

It's been a full two weeks since I have gone on Nate's program and there are some caveats you should be aware of:
1. If you are in the least bit top heavy, the T push-ups he recommends you doing for joint mobility may do more harm than good. I've done them for every workout as a warmup and both my shoulders feel like they are about to fall off - elbows and shoulders are cracking/popping now. Shoulders especially feel very weak. Read below for more..
2. The neutral grip shoulder press may also do more harm than good. I find it puts a lot of strain on your anterior shoulder area. Everyone's body is different so if this feels like it's hurting you, then go back to your regular overhand grip.
3. The front squats he recommends you doing will put a lot of strain on your wrist area. Again, if you find your body is not tolerant of that type of exercises's range of motion or flexibility, stop it.

There is a common pattern here: Nate recommends a lot of lesser-known exercises (e.g., Bulgarian split squat, goblet squat, dumbbell hang snatch, etc.) - maybe he wanted his program to stick out from the rest of the books out there, or maybe he truly believes they will work. All I can say is that you need to listen to your body anytime you go through someone's program. If your body is telling you to stop, then stop doing that exercise, evaluate why, revise the form, and if it still hurts then don't do it anymore. The last thing you want is an injury. I will definitely take some of Nate's principles and apply them to my workout, but I think I will go back to my original routine and make some modifications. I've found it has worked for me in the past, the only reason why I never got real results was due to my nutrition.

My weekly routine goes something like this:
Monday - Chest (three exercises), triceps (1-2 exercises), abs (2-3 exercises)
Tuesday - 30-60 minutes of high intensity interval training
Wednesday - Back, biceps, abs
Thursday - 30-60 minutes of high intensity interval training
Friday - Shoulders, legs, abs
Saturday - 30-60 minutes of high intensity interval training
Sunday - off

p.s. - I am no fitness expert but no slouch either - 6'3", 200 lbs, played football in high school and college.

Imagine all the time you've spent in the gym in your life. Consider all the hours of mind numbing, repetitive exercises. How about the time spent on half-assed diets that brought more misery than results. All that time sacrificed in hopes of achieving that end goal of simply looking good naked. If you're like the vast majority of people, you never got the results you wanted.

It's not because you didn't put in the effort. It's not because you're not capable. It's not because you've been genetically doomed to be the skinny-fat guy. It's because no one has ever stepped up and told you how it can be done. That is, until Nate Green came along.

Built For Show will soon be considered the new bible for every guy that has ever wasted precious time doing curls in the gym and wondering why he never got the results he wanted. This book shows you the workouts that will help you change your body by dropping fat and adding muscle. Despite what late-night television has led you to believe, it doesn't involve expensive machines; just the standard equipment that anyone can get their hands on.

Built For Show also outlines what kind of a diet you should be on to get you to your goals. No impossibly strict guidelines, just the simple everyday food that can be the difference between between that gut that you pretend isn't getting worse by the day and finally seeing those abs you thought you were born without.

On top of it all, you get lifestyle advice on everything from prioritizing your day to day life to how to pick up girls you once thought were completely out of your league.

All of this from a guy who learned from the best in the business and refined it for the average guy that just wants to look good enough to hook up. Finally, somebody said it.

I've been training for years, and got very serious about it last year. I never miss a workout and eat the best diet I can. I needed something to send my muscle growth, strength, and fat loss through the roof. Nate's book is the answer. I've been on a ton of strength, I'm getting compliments from girls (and more ;)...) and most importantly, I feel great. And this is from someone who's been training hard for a long time already. The book is easy to follow, but the workouts are very challenging. After each one, you'll feel good. But remember, don't go criticizing the book if you don't see gains. As with any workout plan, it requires dedication to achieve your goals.

The only criticism I have is that Nate often tries to be funny, and the jokes fall flat. But I will say this: I commend him for attempting it, and making a usually flat, humorless topic enjoyable. It takes nothing away from the workouts, it's just sort of annoying sometimes. I like it much better when he writes from the heart. Nate explains his early days working out, and how weak and tiny he was. It's very inspiring.

Get this book. It will change your workouts.

I'm only through the first of four phases right now, so I'll give four stars out of five, because I can't say yet how effective the year long program is overall.

I'm giving this book four stars though for the excellent workouts provided. My own workout routine had long since become stale and not very challenging. I was extremely happy to find myself challenged by the workouts in this book. More importantly, I find myself really looking forward to going to the gym and looking ahead to the workouts in the next phases. That was huuuuuge. Thanks!

Some of this book is fluff and just not very interesting to me. Not really interested in the whole pickup or womanizing aspect. I really liked Nate's tips on eating better though. I'm not going to eat a plain chicken breast and a protein shake every day. Nate's chapter on nutrition provides some really good advice on how to eat like a normal human being in a healthier manner and not overdo it. I really appreciated those tips.

I purchased this book last December and all I'm able to say is wow after reading it! Nate is able to break down the basics to a level that is straightforward and easy to understand. He doesn't get all technical on you with terms and exercises that you need to learn and complete to get in shape. He developed a routine that includes basic exercises and explains why they work better for developing biceps than regular curls do!

Also nice is the addition that he has for each exercise he tells you to do. Nate gives you an alternate "garage" style way of completing the exercises. His nutrition section is excellent and fairly simple to grasp. If you're new to weight training purchase this book!

Nate Green, a very good up & coming writer. The number one thing I like about Nate is he walks the talk! He & John Roman do this FOR SURE. I've checked this book out at my local book store, looks pretty good. Was thinking about picking it up for my Kindle pc. But it's overpriced, should be 10-12 bucks. Nate, lower your price, you'll sell that many more, MAN. I suggest everyone to check out Nate's & Roman's Blogs. They're are most excellent.

I read a few recomendations of this books at online forums and decided to try it. I'm very pleased with my decision.

In only 1 month it has given me amazing results. I was exercising (weights) before the book, but hadn't gotten the results that I wanted.

I'm now about 6 weeks into the book and a few girls have already told me "have you been going to the gym? you look amazing".

In my opinion, if you follow the program ( I added a few exercises of my own) you will get amazing results. Of course, you won't get six pack abs if you don't start to control your diet. But you will look good, defined and more muscular.