Bullet-Proof Abs: 2nd Edition of Beyond Crunches [Paperback]

Pavel Tsatsouline (Author), Andrea Du Cane (Photographer), Robert Pearl (Photographer), Derek Brigham (Technical Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

Discover How to Gain Maximum Muscle-Strength in Minimum Time, Using Breakthrough Techniques That Blow the Roof Off Traditional Ab Exercises.As a former Soviet Union Special Forces conditioning coach Pavel Tsatsouline already knew a thing or two about how to create bullet-stopping abs. Since then, he has combed the world to pry out this select group of primevally powerful ab exercises-guaranteed to yield the fastest, most effective results known to man. According to Pavel, "Crunches belong on the junk pile of history, next to Communism. 'Feeling the burn' with high reps is a waste of time!" Save yourself countless hours of unrewarding, if not useless-if not damaging-toil. Get with the program. Make fast gains and achieve blistering, rock-hard abs now.Fry your abs without the spine-wrecking, neck-jerking stress of traditional crunches-using this radical situp designed by the world's leading back and muscle function expert, Professor Janda, from Czechoslovakia.No one-but no one-has ever matched Bruce Lee's ripped-beyond-belief abs. What was his favorite exercise? Here it is. Now you can rip your own abs to eye-popping shreds and reclassify yourself as superhuman.When it came to wanting titanium abs yesterday, the Soviet Special Forces didn't believe in delayed gratification. Pavel gave them what they wanted. If you want abs that'll put you in the world's top one percent, this cruel and unusual drill does the trick.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beyond Crunches is THE text and authority on ab/trunk stability." -- —Dr. Fred Clary, National Powerlifting Champion and World Record Holder

"I am writing on behalf of the entire Board of Directors of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association..." -- M.L. "Sandy" Wall, Training Advisor

"Thank you for the great job you did in your presentation (on abdominal training) at the Arnold Fitness EXPO Seminar." -- —James J. Lorimer, Schwarzenegger/Lorimer Productions

About the Author

Pavel Tsatsouline

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dragon Door Publications; 2nd Revised edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938045253
• ISBN-13: 978-0938045250
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Ab Workouts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Innovative But Almost Did Not Buy, March 27, 2005

By 

Thomas M. Seay (Palo Alto, California USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bullet-Proof Abs: 2nd Edition of Beyond Crunches (Paperback)

Before purchasing this book, I carefully considered the negative comments registered about it here on Amazon.com. The negative comments claim that it's an "infomercial marketing the Pavelizer.
Nonetheless, the positive statements finally won me over and I ordered it.

Now let's see how many pages are devoted to marketing. The body of the book (ending with part 5) totals 113 pages. The advertisements for his other books come after that 113 pages. Of that 113 pages, 8 pages are devoted to pictures and text that focus on the pavelizer. That's around seven percent of the book.
Keep in mind that, he does show you how to do the Janda situps without the machine but with assistance from a partner. The pavelizer is for those people who dont have a training partner. Fair enough.

Even if we skipped the Janda situps altogether, we would still be left with 80-85 pages of other exercises which do not rely on the pavelizer. Some of these exercises are very innovative and the ones I have tried so far are winners.

I do not have the background in physiology to argue one way or the other regarding Pavel's low opinions of crunches. But I am sick of crunches and dont want to do them anyway, so it's a moot question for me!

On the other hand, it is fair to say that such a short book should not be so expensive: $34.95 is too much for a book this short. I bought a used copy for about $20 bucks. The information in the book is worth 5 stars, but because of the expense, I lower the rating to 4 stars.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know about effective ab training, December 19, 2000

By 

Steven P. Justus "Steve Justus" (Westminster, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bullet-Proof Abs: 2nd Edition of Beyond Crunches (Paperback)

Like Pavel's other books, this one is short, easy to read, and straight to the point. The value of the information far exceeds the price; I've read many other books on abdominal training, none of which has information of comparable value. The most effective exercises for the abdominals, obliques, and other muscles of the torso have been collected here and explained, along with the principles of effective ab training. He explains why "going for the burn" with endless sets of ineffective crunches is a waste of time, and what works better. I thought my abs were in pretty good shape from doing some other well-regarded programs, such as Health for Life's Legendary Abs, but Pavel's program is more effective.

Many of these exercises are not covered in other sources in much detail; you'll have to dig pretty deep to find much on Full Contact Twists, Janda situps, why squeezing an object between your knees magnifies the effectiveness of abdominal training, and a number of other gems. The breathing exercises are rarely covered in most ab training books, despite their usefulness.

The author does not "make" you buy his device, either; he simply explains why it is an effective way to do Janda situps, an amazingly demanding and effective exercise that truly isolates the abs, which crunches purport to do but can't. Having done Janda situps with a partner and with a Pavelizer, I can say that the Pavelizer is more effective; it doesn't try to help you, as a partner often does.

Elite powerlifters and other strength athletes have high praise for Pavel's program, because it works. Ignore the whiners and buy it if you want to learn real ab training.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new way to look at abdominal training., June 25, 2002

By 

Dan McVicker (Boulder, Co United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bullet-Proof Abs: 2nd Edition of Beyond Crunches (Paperback)

I won't waste your time with bull.

You want abdominals? Those showy, model abdominals?

Well, those are made in the kitchen. Sorry. Buy "The Metabolic Diet" by Mauro Di Pasquale and lose that spare tire. Also, take a look at "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge" (also by Pavel Tsatsouline) to lose fat and put on muscle at the same time.

You're still here? Oh, I see. You want ABDOMINALS. Not JUST showy, model abdominals, but abs that can stabilize your core with no belt when you're deadlifting 500+ pounds, abs that can take that ham-fisted brawler's hand and laugh it off, abs that are good enough to do circus tricks with, abs that you can build in your basement with less than ten bucks worth of equipment? (Or no equipment at all?)

Pavel's the man that you want for that job, and in this book he tells you how to build a world class midsection capable of these feats and more.

He explains where the conventional thinking on abdominal training in the US went wrong, and why training his way is better. He'll teach you how to make your abs and obliques into "team players" so you can throw farther, punch harder, and drive that golf ball like you've never done before. Moreover, he teaches you "forgotten" midsection breathing techniques and high tension techniques from martial arts that will make all the difference in your abdominal training.

The one thing--the ONLY thing--I don't like about this book is the eight pages he spends hawking his "Ab Pavelizer". I wouldn't mind it so much if he showed you how to correctly perform the Janda situp with a partner, as well, but he doesn't.

The upside of this issue is the website featured in the book. Pavel (or one of the other "comrades") will be happy to tell you how to perfrom the Janda situp correctly. The "tech support" for all of his products is awesome.

I give this product five stars because, if you're like me, you know all of the conventional theories on ab training, you've tried them, and you haven't gotten anywhere. (Or at least not as far as you've wanted to go.) Pavel shows you how to break through that barrier, and he turns all of your previous knowledge on the subject into "superknowledge"--because you can combine many of his techniques with other things that you already know.

Pavel's training is on an entirely different level than 90% of the training literature out there. I can't reccomend his books highly enough.