Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding [Paperback]

Joe Weider (Author), Bill Reynolds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1989

"This massive and authoritative Master Blaster book is the greatest bodybuilding book ever written, primarily because it is firmly based on the training principles of the Weider System of Bodybuilding, which have been followed by literally every bodybuilder in the modern history of the sport. I began developing my Weider System back in the 1930s and continue to refine and add new Weider Training Principles to it. You can rely on the information I present in this book to improve your physique. Good luck!" -- Joe Weider On Instinctive Training "One of the most fundamental secrets of successful bodybuilding is getting to know your body and how it reacts to various training and nutritional practices. Unless you have finely honed your instinctive training ability, it will take many weeks, even months, to evaluate each experiment. It definitely pays to master the Weider Instinctive Training Principle." -- Franco Columbo, two-time Mr. Olympia On Progression "The key to building massive, powerful muscles is to doggedly increase the training weights you use. But it is only good to increase training poundage if you do so in perfect form. There is a direct correlation between the amount of weight you use with perfect biomechanics in an exercise and the mass of muscles that move that weight." -- Lee Haney, three-time Mr. Olympia On Muscle Confusion "Once I reached the advanced level of bodybuilding and started entering competitions, I discovered that I quickly became bored with a set training program. I began to use the Weider Muscle Confusion Principle, changing to a new and more challenging routine every time I came into the gym to bomb a particular body part." -- Lou Ferrigno On Supersets "Since supersets constitute a big jump in training intensity, I always tell bodybuilders new to the Weider Supersets Training Principles to experiment with supersets, compounding movements for the biceps and triceps, or forearm flexors and forearm extensors." -- Albert Beckles, IFBB World Pro Grand Prix Champion

Editorial Reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809247151
• ISBN-13: 978-0809247158
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Reference Book For Practicing Bodybuilder, January 8, 2004

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding (Paperback)

As someone who has actually been tossing around the iron for longer than I personally like to admit (try 1960 on for size), I have always found this particular book to be a wonderful reference book for the practicing bodybuilder, one he or she can employ to solve persistent problems, answer a technical question, or browse in search of alternative exercises working a particular muscle group from a specific angle. For example, the fact that each exercise emphasizes not only how to correctly perform the exercise, but also stresses which aspects of the muscles are most stressed, hence which are likely to most benefit from regular use of the exercise in a complex routine.

There are many aspects of the book which could use to be revised to improve it, such as its reference to newer machines and new technology in general is a bit lacking, and it also is a bit dated in that it trades heavily on Weider's long association with famous bodybuilders of the classic period of the 1960s and 1970s. For old horses like me, that is neat, but it may not play well to some of the younger enthusiasts. Yet the fundamental facts found in the book are still quite credible, and the fact that it is a paperback issue you can actually drag along to the gym with you is to its credit. I recommend it for the reasons I mentioned, although I would also suggest you purchase a copy of Arnold's own version of a how-to manual, as well as Bill Pearl's superb "Keys To The Kingdom". The more recent Iron Man version is also an excellent resource, especially for the intermediate bodybuilder ready to spread his wings and intensify his workout. Enjoy!

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Get The Book!, December 31, 1999

By 

David Wilkerson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding (Paperback)

As an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist, I have to give this book a high recommendation. The beginner will get a good introduction to physique development. The more experienced will get ideas for adding variety to their programs. The photos are a bit misleading for the beginner - you'll never look like that unless you use drugs. However, all the technical information is good, and I like the presentation. This book is a real bargain!

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy for suckers, April 2, 2010

By 

Joseph P. Nicholson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding (Paperback)

Joe Weider destroyed bodybuilding. Prior the rise of the Weider empire, and the drugs and mis-information that are a huge part of it, bodybuilding was a healthy endeavor. Before the early 1960's bodybuilders actually got big and stayed big for deacdes without drugs. Training programs were sensable and healthy. A guy like Grimek or Clancy Ross could compete at a natural 220 lbs., look great for deacades and live to a ripe old age. Weider and the drug culture that he promoted ruined all that. Weider created a system where the only way to win was to get bigger and bigger year after year. Of course this means taking more and more drugs. All the while Weider is raking in the cash while guys like Andreas Munzer and Mohammed Benaziza (sp?) died horrible deaths chasing down that Sandow trophy. Their blood is on Weiders hands. To all the young guns tempted by Weider and the glossy magazines (muscle comics), realize this.....it's all an illusion. You can't have what you see is those ridiculous magazines. There is nothing in those magazines that is going to help you in any way. They exist solely to sell suppliments that you don't even need. There is a better way. Forget Weider and the fantasy he sells. Study the ways of the old timers who got big before drugs were even available. They got big and stayed big. They were as strong as they looked. They were as mentally healthy as they were physically healthy. They didn't wind up killing themselves like DeMayo, or killing others like Bertil Fox or Craig Titus. There was a Golden Age of bodybuilding that existed before you or I were even born. Ironically, this is the only time that Joe Weider, himself, ever had ANY muscle. Back then men got big by using what worked and scrapping what was nonsense. These days no one is getting big. Forget Weider and the unatainable fantasy he sells. Work towards something that you can actually achieve.