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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic, December 1, 2000
This review is from: Flawless: The 10-Week Total Image Method for Transforming Your Physique (Paperback)
I bought this book within the first year after it was published. I'd read some other books on lifting weights before, and I'd gone through periods where I'd lifted, but didn't really know what I was doing. While the criticism I've read in other reviews that not all exercises are properly defined, this isn't really a problem. He uses the proper name for the exercises and the owner of the gym or anyone working there who belongs there should be able to tell you how to do it. This should only happen four or five times, and actually once you really understand the terminology a lot of them become obvious without instructions. The thing that makes this book so powerful is the fact that the exercise routines are layed out for you. Bob Paris is an accomplished bodybuilder, and he knows what it takes to get the body you are looking for. This book is not going to pander to the idea that you can have a body like the guy in the Bowflex commercial in six weeks. It's not going to tell you "you can have a fantastic body in 20 minutes a day" because that's simply not true. If you want to be big and defined, you MUST work very hard. If you set up your own routines, if you're like me, you simply don't end up working hard enough to get the results. but if you go through the Apprentice 10 week program, and the two following 10 week programs, at the end of that seven month period (especially if you have been careful with the nutrition) you will look fantastic, and I don't care how old you are. But if you want the results you have to work. Whether or not it's inconvenient to have a 2 hour, 3 day a week commitment followed by a 2-hour, four day a week commitment followed by a 2-hour, five-to-six day a week commitment is irrelevant. You can work less, but below the Master level you are not working hard enough to maximize your potential. However, if you DO get into the master-level workout, and stick with it, you're training hard enough to be a competitive athlete. This isn't some stepped-down program aimed at simple fitness, this is a plan for getting ripped and huge. And if you follow the rules, and stick with it, you are on your way to maximizing your potential. I found the book readable, although it's not put together very professionally. That doesn't bother me any, but it's clear that when the book was originally published they didn't figure on selling a lot of copies. I'm sure it's sold far better than they expected. I have an on-again off-again relationship with weightlifting/bodybuilding. I'm going back to the "on again" phase now. But this book was the tool that made me understand what it really takes to properly exercise. Work with this book for six months and then look around the gym at how stupidly most of the other guys lift. Wailing on their pecs and never working balancing their muscles, guys with chicken legs and giant traps. Stupid. There are so many dumb mistakes people make when they first start lifting, thinking "I want a six pack" or "I wish my biceps were bigger" and having no concept that fixating on one thing is going to make them look pretty bad. Throwing the weights around, bouncing the bar off your chest, and doing the same damn few exercises every single time they work out because they don't know any better. Be one of the smart ones. Learn to do it right and get 10 times more out of your time in the gym. Aside from the book, my one piece of advice is to show up with headphones and don't get to know anybody beyond spotting each other. You'll just waste time. Save the socializing for the pool hall. You're there to lift.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Amended Review from a Convert, September 9, 2000
This review is from: Flawless: The 10-Week Total Image Method for Transforming Your Physique (Paperback)
OK, I wrote an earlier review of this book criticizing Bob Paris' program for being unrealistic in terms of the amount of time it will take. Well, after many months of so-so results on other programs, I re-tried this one, and found I clicked with it. Pluses? Paris changes the routines for you, and that is an invaluable boost. Paris also spells out the daily plans for you, exercise by exercise, another huge benefit. There is a limited amount of guesswork here. Overall, the program are easy to follow, and I was able to satisfactorily complete the journeyman level in a reasonably well equipped home gym. Minuses? Paris frequently refers to exercises that he never shows you how to do - so you will need another exercise book to refer to, or access to a trainer for the occasional question. The time involved is still substantial - up to 2 consecutive hours 4 days per week at the journeyman (intermediate) level. More time is required at the higher level. The danger of over-training exists with this program, and you should not approach it, even at the beginners level, without some prior knowledge as to how your own body reacts to rigorous workout routines. As mentioned in other reviews, finding the time and assuring complete and proper nutrition are probably the greatest challenges of this program. End results? After trying three other programs, I got by far and away the best, most noticeable results out of this book. We're talking deeply satisfying, T-shirt stretching results for a 37 year old guy. This book can easily "hook" you if you give it a few weeks. I still say Paris wrote this out of a real, sincere desire to help you achieve a fantastic build. If you go into this well versed in your own body, you will get fantastic results. Don't be afraid to tailor it to your own needs, but the foundation of what Paris has laid out is as solid as he is on the cover of this book. I have just discovered a medical situation that will stop me from working out for at least 12 weeks due to surgery and recovery. I will likely lose everything I've gained, and be back at ground zero. Starting from the beginning, but this time not as a beginner, knowing all that I now know, I will start with this routine.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book has been my bodybuilding bible for 3 years, April 5, 2000
This review is from: Flawless: The 10-Week Total Image Method for Transforming Your Physique (Paperback)
I bought and read this book over 3 years ago. I began as a novice beginner, so I started from scratch. I have gone thru all 3 of the 10 week programs. I have now done the advanced level, oh probably 8-10 times in that 3 year period. The best asset of this book is two fold. 1) There is no guess work, you just do exactly what he says each workout. 2) He incorporates variety into every repeat bodypart. So, you don't have to worry about changing the routine because it's too repetitive. This is the number one problem most people have. They don't change up their routine. Paris does this for you! The advance level is not for the faint of heart. It requires quite a bit of time commitment in the gym. This book got me into unbelievable shape! Better than I could ever hope for. What I admire most about this book is that fact that Paris stresses form over amount of weight. This is particularly important for beginners. "Leave your ego at the door" is the mantra of this book. I think this is the best bodybuilding book available for beginners and intermediate lifters! There is only one flaw to this "flawless" book. Some of the exercises that are a bit unusual, expecially for the beginning are not pictured or described. This can be frustrating for the beginner. YOu have to look for other sources to find descriptions. Lastly, the advanced 10 weeks can be a bit of overtraining if your not careful with the amount of weight and the time between sets. Highly recommended!
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