Customer Reviews

The Hardgainer's Body Building Handbook: Workouts, Nutrition, and Results

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book consists of:

71 pages of large print, illustrated, generic information. 15 of those pages cover the basic information about hardgainers, but probably nothing you didn't already know. The remaining 56 pages contain the same basic information you'd read in any Muscle and Fitness magazine or the like. Eat a lot, take these supplements, rest, work out.

The remaining 200 pages are photos (with one page explanations) of the same basic exercises anyone who has every strength trained or bought a bodybuilding magazine has seen before: pure recycled material.

The workouts included are almost ridiculous, and even though I've been weight training for several years, I found most of them impractical. For example, 10 sets of 10 pull-ups with 1 minute rest in between (after 100 reps of inclined barbell presses with no rest). It's sort of like someone saying, "Oh, you want to build up your endurance--why don't you run 20km everyday then?" While the book explicitly states it is aimed for folks who have already been doing weight training for 6 months, I found that most of its workouts are simply impossible for even the above-average fitness buff.

Basically, this book is a waste of your money and time if you are really looking for information and a fitness program to put that 10 pounds on your frame that you've been hoping for. It's just another generic bodybuilding book like a dozen others on my shelf, although it is a little less informative than most of those others.

A much BETTER selection, both in terms of content and realism, is Mejia's and Berardi's "Scrawny to Brawny." Here's why:

1) They actually provide real information about what makes a hardgainer a hardgainer rather than the same old, "Oh, it's the fast twitch/slow twitch difference." Not only that, they do a good job telling you what you can do about it.

2) The information they provide is not generic but is aimed at "scrawny guys" rather than rehashing the same old stuff and putting it under a new label.

3) They don't just show you a bunch of dumb pictures of guys doing an exercise with a kindergarten-level explanation, but instead show you how to do them in a way that maximizes their effects for YOU as a hardgainer (someone who probably has shorter muscles, longer tendons, longer limbs, and predominantly slow-twitch muscle fiber composition).

4) The exercise routines are tough, but they are at least realistic.

Do they work? I'll let you know in six months.

This book has great illustrations of exercises, nutrition plans, and workout plans but only for those who are exceptionally motivated. The nutrition plan is particularly hard to follow but I think if you use it only as a supplement to an already good eating plan it is workable. The workout plans are also very difficult to keep up with and to do in a traditional health club. I have to go as late as possible to my club because the supersets in the plan require alternating between equipment which stays very busy duing peak hours. I only rated this book three stars because of its difficulty for the busy adult to keep up with. However, if you are the self motivating type then you will benefit greatly from this book.

Pros:
-Exercises are well described and illustrated with caveats to avoid and variations.
-A well organized plan for exercising.

Cons:
-Lots of editing mistakes
-Using almost the same exercises over and over seems boring and counter productive
-The book recommends you to limit your exercies to one hour yet the workout routines at a minimum contains 14 exercises of 2 sets each even for the beginner. With one minute rest between each exercise and one minute for performing the exercise and moving/changing plates/waiting for the rack to empty/etc at the very minimum that's already an hour (especially that exercises are superset so you will be doing a lot of moving around). Add warmup set to that and you've got a lot more than you anticipated.
-Selection of exercises do not mention which exercises targets which muscles (i.e. only chest/back/shoulders). I would prefer mentioning what parts of the delts or which part of the chest.
-Follows from the previous point also the author says "You can replace with another exercise .." but doesn't tell you which exercise can be replaced with which. We know that not all chest exercise are created equal. Not enough information on that.
-No mention of warmup. For example in the breakin routine which is supposedly for beginners, the book specifies 2 sets of 10 for most exercises. Now I can't imagine going straight ahead to the gym doing 2 sets of each exercise with a heavy weight that only allows 10 reps. Definitely that's the shortest way to injury and soreness. Also as you do the first set of 10 without prior warmup , the second set will be easier and you can increase the weight. So is that the goal? just doing 10 reps of whatever you can? not enough on that.
-No mention of stretches prior or after workout. And given that warmup is not mentioned either, it seems it was just neglected rather than being intentionally designed out of the program.
-The book website forums are almost ignored, no questions answered any recently, and sending email to the author doesn't seem to make any replies back.

I read through this book in a few hours. I was thinking it was an "okay" book untill I got to the supplement section. I felt like it was a commercial. The author kept mentioning his favorite brands, which was usually one brand in particular. I wasn't surprised to see a magazine-style add in the back of the book for that brand. I have a hard time considering the recommendations credible when they are advertizing a body-building product. I also bought "Scrawny to Brawny" It took me over a week to read and the info is waayyyy better in my opinion!

There was a good section that explained how to properly to the exercises which is the best part of the book

The Hardgainers' Bodybuilding Handbook is a fantastic guide for hardgainers like myself. For the first time I read a book on the subject that has all of the information that I needed to accomplish my goals.

This book covers everything, from setting goals, to providing an exact workout routine that one can follow and that changes every so often in order to maximize results. The author calls this method periodization and he explains why this works better than just trying to constantly add weight to ones' exercises. Also, the best exercises for mass building are provided and Mr. Rivera even gives a solid explanation of why some exercises like the squat are better than others, like the leg press for instance. Rivera says that everytime you move your torso through space (as in the squat) more fibers are needed to move the weight so therefore the exercise is more effective and you build more mass.

In addition, nutrition is really explained in detail with sample diets, nutritional information for foods and even shows you how to design and personalize your own diet. The supplement chapter I found to be extremely valuable as I used to go to the nutrition stores and buy everything and anything spending a fortune every time. Now by using Rivera's Essential list of supplements and some creatine and glutamine I have cut down on my supplements bill dramatically. I did not realize how much garbage I was getting that was really doing nothing.

In addition to this, the book also has fantastic illustrations with realistic looking models and detailed exercise descriptions. While I did find a mistake on page 154 since it had the wrong illustration for the exercise I went ahead and sent an e-mail to the author (his website is listed on the book) and though it took him 7 days he did got back to me personally and set me straight. I was surprised that I got a personal reply from him as I am sure he is pretty busy. That alone made the purchase of the book worth it as I have bought many other bodybuilding books and #1 they do not cater to hardgainers and #2 the authors can never be reached.

Another thing I liked about the book is how nicely organized the information is. If I need to refresh my memory on nutrition I just go to that chapter. For training I visit the training chapter and so on. Also the appendices on the back help with easy access of info too.

I'll conclude this review by sharing that since I started the program in 10 weeks I have put on 15 lbs of solid muscle by following the advise from the book. My wife cannot believe the changes and neither do my co-workers. While the book advises to only work out 4 times a week, it is really hard work and the book indicates so from the get go; Rivera does not sugar coat things. Also while at first I was a bit scared as the volume of the training is higher than what I have seen in other hardgainer books, as long as you eat as advertised and rest you do grow. So if you are a hardgainer and really need a guide to set you straight on gaining muscle this guide may be as helpful to you as it has been to me.

This is a review of the The Hardgainer's Body Building Handbook by Hugo Rivera. I was never sure if I fell into the "hardgainer" category, but with a short build and medium frame I figured this book might be one to try. I should note that I am 36, and I have been weight training on and off for 12 years. I have pretty much stayed in shape my whole life, but never focused on body building or serious weight training.

I found the book easy to follow, and although there were some obvious errors and generalizations with this book, I felt the book was focused enough for me. The strength of the book was its focus on the workout routines and individual exercises. It provided an explanation of the different program "phases" the reader is supposed to go through. The program includes a volume training phase, muscle-growth phase, strength training phase, and an active recovery phase (not in that sequence). Each phase is preceded by an explanation of what the goal is. In most if not all cases, the program involves workouts that use forms of superset exercises. The rest durations are clearly defined for each superset interval. I made my own spreadsheet of each workout in the book (used the same table format) and brought it with me to the gym.

The nutritional and supplement sections were interesting to read, but I felt that given my own dietary restrictions (type 1 diabetes), I would have to derive my own nutritional and supplement plans. Basically, I had to find a way to hit my calorie mark, but I could not consume all the carbohydrates that were prescribed.

So the workout began, and I gave this book my best effort. The book pushes you to never miss a workout, and it supported its recovery considerations by scheduling no more than two consecutive days of workouts... with each workout lasting no more than an hour. My consulting profession currently enables me to work at home a few days each week, and that gave me the ability to use the gym often at non-peak hours. I realize most people won't have this advantage, but it became essential, as the superset workout plans required that you have (basically reserved) two to three pieces of gym equipment. Try that during the busy periods at your gym. With the somewhat shorter rest periods (30-90 seconds in most cases), it was difficult to follow the superset schedule as written if someone needed to use equipment I had in my set. In any case, I went through all phases of the program, and with much effort, I never missed a workout. I even made it to an out of town gym while on vacation.

My results: I found that following this program did more for me than my previous "programs" or years of "winging it" in the gym. I definitely was more defined and built - but I did not put on the weight and mass that I thought I would. This may be because I had to eat fewer carbohydrates than the book prescribes, but I did manage to still get close to the calorie intake. I also used fish oil (omega 3) and protein supplements as the book prescribed. I believe that my results might have been better if the program I followed focused more on the heavier lifting with fewer reps, as I've done this since my program ended with good results. This is further proof to me that what works best for someone else may not be the best for me. Still, I found this program and its explanation of exercises very helpful, and it gave me the most success I have had in the gym.

I will also note that I contacted the author (Rivera) by his noted email address in early 2006. I asked him a question about my nutritional options, and he responded the next day. I was very impressed by this - especially since he was able to comment on my dietary limitations.

Overall, I believe this program (and book) would be a good one for a moderately experienced gymmer who has not found success with the standard 3 sets of 10 reps. The lighter weight, volume training phase did not work for me, but it might for you. I also believe that this program might be frustrating to those who work out at a busy gym. The program's supersets might be too difficult to pull off in a crowded gym with limited equipment. Still, I dedicated six or seven months to following this program, and I don't regret it.

The success I'm having with this book amazes me. I'm on week 12 of the 21-week training program and my thigh measurement has increased one inch (2.54 centimeters). My lats have grown incredibly too - thicker.

As background: I'm 49 years old. I've been skinny. I've seriously followed several bodybuilding routines, with varying degress of success. I know success when I see it. The exercise plan in this book (chapter 3) is the most successful I've ever followed.

Other reviews of this book have mentioned frustration with access to equipment during busy times at their gym. Yes, it's true the exercise plan uses supersets. (Rant) But frustration with your overcrowded gym is NOT a limitation of this book. (End Rant) I'll admit to swearing under my breath when some pretty young thing sets up housekeeping on equipment I want to use. I've gotten pretty good at flaring my lats a little, smiling, and asking to jump-in for just one more set. These supersets work for me and I'm sticking with 'em.

The chapter for 'Mass Building Nutrition' was somewhat interesting. It caused me to make minor adjustments. As opinion, I believe it might be a bad choice for me (at age 49) to begin eating +4,000 calories daily. I've begun gaining about 1 pound (0.453592 kg) each week. As opinion, I believe this gain comes from (A) doing less cardio and (B) allowing more recovery time between days when I lift. That being said - I admire the way the nutrition chapter is laid out. I wish the information for developing a meal plan had been available to me 25 years ago - back when 4,000 calories would've been a good choice for growing.

BOTTOM LINE: This book delivered what it promised. This book genuinely is for the guy who has tried everything to bulk up, but nothing has worked.

I'm not a hard gainer (a skinny guy having difficulty putting on muscle) but I bought this book to look over the methodology and exercises.

When the book came, I was very impressed with the size. I opened it and started anxiously going threw the pages. Thats when it kicked in, the Deja Vu. The feeling that I've seen this before....

.... This is almost an exact copy of "Body Sculpting Bible for Men." Same exercises, same people, same author, I even think it has the same pictures!

Im sure the workout plans is a little different, if you wanna buy the book for the 13 pages of workout plans, go for it.

If you dont, I strongly recommend "Body Sculpting Bible for Men: Revised Edition." I have almost (if not) all the body sculpting bibles and the mens revised edition is will get the job done.

As for me, I'm in shock how many books this guy publishes with the same exercises and same material.

This book is reasonably comprehensive in that it goes into detail in relation to diet, touches on nutritional balances and supplements, sleep etc. It covers a lot of ground. About 2 thirds of the book detail exercises, a good number and variety and at the end there is a section of meal and weight programmes. It has the main content being exercies/descriptions/photo's but also in the remainder covers a lot of other related topics involved in safely and effectively increasing muscle mass so it is a very well rounded publication. Definately worth considering. GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY.

this book is just the book for people who cannot seem to build muscle, this book gives you all the tools to reach your goal to build muscle and have an amazing looking body. it gives you tips from dieting, to weight training and more ! highly recommended book !