Customer Reviews

Manly Weight Loss: For Men Who Hate Aerobics and Carrot-Stick Diets, Finally, a Weight-Loss Program That Melts the Fat and Spares the Muscle

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book seems to have some pretty good information in it, so I'm not completley disappointed. BUT, I am so sick of having fitness experts try to cram supplements down my throat! I thought I was buying a no nonsense book from a world renowned strength coach, and what I ended up with was a sales catalogue for a nutritional supplement company. It even has pictures of several different products posted in the diet section of the book, with a 1-800 number at the bottom of each page so you can call and spend all your money on a bunch of candy bars and other junk that won't help you one iota with your training objectives. My advice: spend your money on something written by Stuart McRobert. The only thing he sells is good advice for the average weight lifter.

I've admired Coach Poliquin and his principles for years. He has an incredible amount of knowledge and his advice is backed by experience and science. That's why I'm shocked that he has let his name be associated with this "book". It's over priced, and the typographical errors are to numerous to mention. Parts of the workout section contradict themselves. Had I not already been familiar with the program presented, I would have been completely lost. The menu examples are so skimpy they shouldn't even be included. Save your money. Visit the Testosterone website instead.

The first few chapters are poorly written and endlessly bash aerobics. I got the point after the first few paragraphs. The workout routines and lifting technique illustrations are very useful. The rest of this paperback "booklet" is hype for a sports supplement company (veiled behind some suggested diet plans). I have a great deal of respect and confidence in coach Poliquin's knowledge and experience with muscle development. I'd buy it again for his workout routines alone.

This book may get you results as charles is at the top of his field, however this book is a typical recipe plan weight loss book. It is also obviously biased towards certain supplement companies products. If you are totally in the dark on exercise and weight loss maybe this is the book for you, but anybody with a knowledge of exercise and diet should skip this one. I cant speak highly enough about charles, but this book is not on par with his other publications.

Some of the other reviews seem to focus on the nature of the book and not the workouts, which is why I bought the book and why Poliquin wrote it. I have used the plan for nine weeks and lost 18 lbs, while also changing my diet. I find that the work outs are well thought out and for the most part well-explained. The science of the plan is aimed at high-reps on different muscle groups to achieve weight loss and conditioning vice bulking up. The criticism of Poliquin for endorsing supplements is well-founded and inexcusable. I almost threw the book away. How can we take his advice seriously when he endorses a particular supplement supplier? Some of the supplements are now much more controversial than when he wrote the book a few years ago--which shows why we should hesitate to pop pills--even if they are not steriods. In sum, I think he knows what he's doing but I'm not sure he has our best interest at heart.

The idea of weight training for weight loss is still counterintuitive for some people and the author does get credit for attacking this head on. He has convinced me.

Couple of other points. Don't even think about buying this book unless you are a member of a very well equiped club, or have access to the Nebraska Cornhusker weight training facility. Many of his exercises call for exoctic equipment and no substitute is suggested-you're not doing this in your basement.

Is there anything this guy produces that is not helpful??
Practical, masculine, humorous, and to the point. Coach Poliquin trains the best and is excellent in communications. My only complaint? The book is too short, and I really wanted more...Also: Write more books!! 5 stars to this, Poliquin Principles, Arms Race, and Trends!!

I also believe that you do not need aerobics to be fit. I am old enough to remember weight lifters and body builders who did not use steroids or growth hormone, and these men, at least the ones who had to meet weight limits for their sport, were extremely fit with no sign of fat on them. I never met one who did aerobic exercise of any sort. They had built huge, strong muscles and the calorie requirements of those muscles chased the fat off their bodies.

Unfortunately, this book does not provide us with examples of men (or women, for that matter) who have low blood pressure readings, low fat levels, resting pulse rates that make doctors pound on their testing devices, and other signs of health. We are simply expected to take the author at his word.

The jokes and cartoons are misogynestic to the nth degree and remind me of an episode of "The Man Show" on The Comedy Network. Reading the book, one would think that any man who rides an exercise bike once in a while might as well wear a sign saying "testosterone challenged."

The routines themselves are presented without any preamble as to why they are supposed to work. After all, we are men and we ask what, not why. I must have been eating quiche the day they taught boys that lesson.

The most glaring problem with the book is the absence of examples of people who have followed the routine and benefitted. Without which it is simply "do it cause I say so."

Also, this is a very short book and 14 of its 88 pages are basically advertisements for a supplement company. I believe that even some readers who do not dislike the problems I saw with the text will feel that they didn't get their money's worth with this brochure sized/book priced item.

Anyone who has had multiple overuse injuries from aerobics can certainly appreciate this book--and the message that it is possible to be healthy and in shape through proper weight training techniques. The training routines and background in this book are very good. The overall nutritional message (low-glycemic carbohydrates and ample protein) is also right on, since most weight-loss diets are woefully protein deficient and emphasize refined carbohydrates.

On the down side, the majority of the menu plans are nothing more than an advertisement for a supplement company. Most nutritional meal replacements and supplements are so laden with artificial sweeteners and chemicals to make them palatable that their health benefits are suspect at best. Also, the workout routines in the book are good, but it would have been better for the author to provide information for the reader to custom-design their own routines--in this respect you're left to your own wares. He doesn't explain the method behind his madness...

The machismo in the book is WAY over the top--but if you can overlook it (and the rather high price for such a thin book), I think the exercise routines are worth checking out. I was looking for something to change my exercise routine around, and especially get out of doing endless amounts of cardio which was aggravating my lower back and plantar fascia and generally not doing anything for my weight loss. I've only been doing the routines for a week and I can already feel a difference.

The only downside with the routines is that they require you to superset two or more exercises--which can be impossible in a crowded gym. My recommendation is to do the best you can--if you absolutely can't superset a block of exercises then just do straight sets (all sets of the first exercise, then all sets of the 2nd, and so on) in the order presented and don't take long rests; you'll still get most of the benefits from the program. But if you can do the supersets you're in for one heck of a workout.

finally the truth about aerobics vs. weight training for fat loss. Poliquin explains all the science behind his programs.

After maxing out at 400lbs of lard, I decided to try a new approach in my lifestyle. I had a friend suggest a few articles about fat burning on t-nation, looked up the author, and found he made this book. After buying it and finding the weight range I wanted to be, I applied the methods in the book. A year later I had lost 80lbs and gained a lot muscle wise. I sleep better, have more energy, and yes even the sex life has improved. Going to supplement this with Yoga to get more flexible. I still have a ways to go before I hit my ideal but his methods DO work.

To all the supplement haters, the reason trainers "push" supplements is because it cuts out all the unnecessary crap you seem to like to eat. You get what your body needs to lose the weight. That's the reason you should be buying the book, weight loss. There are many meals listed in there that are dang tasty so you don't have to worry about the micro meals you have to eat on other dieting plans. You have a regular meal, have some whey protein and boom, weight loss with muscle. Best whey protein is Muscle Milk, just fyi.