Customer Reviews

Men's Body Sculpting

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are a lot of books on this topic, more than there should be, hence, finding the right one can be challenging.

This book is not for novice, this is for people, who have been in the gym and they feel that the gains they expect to see are not happening (people like me).

The author has written the book very scientifically and he being a doctor, this is very reliable information. That is the best part of the book.

The author sticks to the topic, all he talks about his how to sculpt your body and he does not waste any text on any other thing, he is very focused.

This book also makes a very interesting, slightly funny read, he is very humble at least in the book.

Bad things:
1. Too many repeatations (drink water: I saw this at least 10 times).

2. He contradicts himself at times (cardio or no cardio).

3. At times, he is selling a certain company's products, which I do not like, when he recommends Nitro Tech whey protein.

4. I expect the author to highly recommend against any sort of growth harmones, and he did not, in fact, he kind of recommends these.

5. Some chapters are boring, while some are extremely interesting, chapter 1 is the best and that is the strength of the author (scientific insight).

All in all, a good book, but this entire book can be much better, and I know the author has the information and the knowledge (both medical and from his own experiences) to improve upon the book.

This book is a great addition to any exercise library. It wouldn't be what I can a stand-alone book, and it doesn't try to be one. The book lists and describes about 3-4 workout plans with everything you would need to follow, including nutrition and supplementation. The workouts are well documented and based on solid science, instead of fad ideas. The writing is personable in explaining technical ideas that would normally be a bit boring. Overall, a great book. As for the guy who complained about the "race" issue (no people of color photographed in the book), the book only has 2 people photographed in it. One is DR. EVANS.

"Men's Body Scultping" isn't a bad book. But it's a mediocre one, and without other sources of information, parts of it will leave you confused or worse, misinformed.

The author is a doctor, but that doesn't make everything he says correct. The problem is that in bodybuilding, there are a great many controversies, as well as "urban legends," regarding what works and what doesn't. How much protein do you need? What is the ideal balance of carbs/protein/fat? How much water should you drink? How much cardio should you do, if any? Should you work out in the morning or the evening? To say nothing of the controversies over supplements and the like. Unfortunately, there is no PROVEN correct answer to many of these questions, so most bodybuilders go on personal experience or anecdotal evidence, even when writing books. Dr. Evans makes a lot of assertions that are not proven, yet because he's a doctor, many people might assume he's stating scientific facts, when he's really only giving his opinion.

That said, he does go into precise, scientific detail on the process of muscle growth, nutrition, and hormones. He lays out some good workout plans, and if you follow his program to the letter, no doubt you will achieve results. So, his advice will work for you.

THAT said... first of all, this isn't a book for beginners. He's writing for hardcore bodybuilders who are really on a mission to pump some iron, the "intermediate" bodybuilder who's had some experience lifting weights but looking for ways to break a plateau. If you're just an average guy looking to get into shape, maybe lose some weight, Evans' program is probably too intense to start with.

Second, while he gives good descriptions of the exercises, he doesn't provide a lot of variety. After you have been working out for a while, you'll want to vary your routine a bit, and then you'll need another book with more exercises for all the different muscle groups.

Third, his diet advice is questionable. The meal plans he suggests are extremely high-protein and rather plain, and supplemented with a lot of protein shakes and other artificial meal replacement products. The "body fat blitz" diet he recommends, for those who want to "burn fat with extreme prejudice," is 60% protein, 10% fat. More significantly, it's only 1500 calories per day. Of course an adult man will lose weight eating so few calories, at least until you get sick of tuna, egg whites, and protein shakes!

Finally, there's a chapter on steroids I found rather odd. He doesn't recommend steroids -- in fact, he goes into detail about how harmful they are and why you shouldn't use them. But he also provides a dosage chart and instructions on how to do injections. Maybe as a doctor, he figures he wants to make sure that if people are going to use them, they'll use them correctly, but it's still rather odd to see this mixed message: "Steroids are bad and I don't recommend them, but here's a step-by-step guide."

This book really explains how to lift weights effectively and achieve the best results. I liked the information on how and when to lift, how many rest days are necessary, and nutritional information. The pictures are clear and useful. Overall, I like this book a lot.

One result for me of reading this book is that I don't have to spend so long on working out. I used to lift and run for a combined 2 hours, but I now see that this is pointless, and you start to get into diminishing returns after 1 hour of hard exercise. This for me personally was a major benefit of reading this book. I now either do cardio for 35 minutes, or I lift. But I don't spend (read: waste) so much time anymore. I also used to lift three times a week, but I now see that that is not necessary for my personal goals. All told, I probably save a couple of hours a week just by reading his book.

I am glad that doctor mentioned all the negative things that can be caused by steroids. He seems to be mildly against steroid use, and lists all the negatives. He is not prohibitionistic toward "juicing". I personally am 100 % against steroid use, because I think that people who do it are using themselves like a guinea pig, and the long-term damage has never been studied. I personally would not be willing to get, say 30 % more muscle mass and strength, in exchange for: infertility, baldness, shrunken testicles, "enlarged breasts", liver tumors, acne, etc. Would you ?!

I also have my doubts about creatin, the use of which is extoled in the book. I have done a lot of reading on it in the medical press. The result is the following: the only known positive from creatin seems to be "weight gain", but it is mostly water retention. The potential downside to creatin use is: kidney problems, dehydration. The author does mention that these tend to happen at "high dose", but the problem is, what is a "high dose". Given that the medical community disdains the use of creatin, I doubt that there is a scientifically proven "safe dose". Also, our bodies produce their own creatin, and when I eat meat, I am eating creatin. The idea that we "need more" creatin seems a bit spurious to me, and the effect in the body of "more" seems to be these issues like dehydration and water retention (as well as overtaxing the kidneys). I talked to one doctor who had a young patient who was a football player, and he almost died after taking creatin and then working out (his body basically was "exploding" [expanding], from within).

The problem, in my view is that our society always wants "instant results". We would rather take a "magic pill" and "get big", than do the hard work of getting big the old fashioned way. But there is no real substitute for hard work. I know guys who used steroids when they were 22 and their upper bodies are now soft, like a sponge (did anyone ever study what happens to these "roid monsters" 20 years down the road ?). The long-term effects seem to be really bad. They were big without having real power. Then there are guys who don't use steroids, like UFC fighter Bas Rutten, who are very, very strong, but not really all that big (they are VERY in shape, though). I saw Brian Urlacher recently in a muscle magazine (a guy who I am pretty sure does not use steroids). The thing that really got me was how "small" Urlacher's upper body was compared to the "roid monsters" in the magazine, who had freakish, "ripped" muscles. But who do you think the better athlete is, that guy with the "massive guns", or Ulracher, middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, and Pro Bowler ?? What I am trying to say is, big is not always good. Big isn't even stronger. Big is often weaker in the long run, especially if you factor things in like acne, "enlarged breasts", shrunken testicles, liver tumors, etc, etc.

Other than that, this book is excellent, and I use it to lift.

overall I really liked this book. The workouts provided are short and intense, lasting less than one hour. I don't like spending too much time in the gym, it takes away from my intensity. This book helped me shorten my workouts considerably, while not taking anything away from their quality. I have more energy by not draining myself too long in the gym-I hit it hard and quick, and then get out and recover and grow.
While the training emphasis of the book is well done and thought out, I think the author blew it with his calorie recommendations. He calls for way too few calories in all three of his training programs. Calling for only 10% more calories than your basal metabolic rate (which he does in the book)is not anywhere near a recipe for growth. You need substantially more calories than the author claims for muscular growth to occur.
I recommend the book for its' weight training advice, but think it may be best to skip the nutritional advice (namely the small amount of calories recommended).

I agree with many of the reviews posted that there are a few contradictions or odd suggestions he makes. A lot of the diet information, for example, I found unuseful, unreasonable, and too restrictive. However, the book is excellent, especially for beginners. It was one of many books that I read 4 years ago when I started lifting. However, it wasn't until I picked it up recently that I realized how excellent the material in it was. Many books on the topic are far more scientific than most readers would like them to be. Moreover, the more you read of the scientific stuff, the more you see how little has actually been proven. There is so much contradictory science out there and so many different theories. What I like about Evans is that he keeps it simple and doesn't overcomplicate things. He gives a program for mass gain, fat loss, and simultaneous mass gain/fat loss (the third of which many argue isn't possible). They still seem reasonable, especially for beginners. He elaborates on over 25 basic exercises with diagrams and descriptions. One of my favorite things he does Everything You Need To Know About Fat Lossis describe techniques such as partial reps, drop sets, supersets and the like. Lastly, while remaining very general, he gives enough information to provide specific regimens to follow. One note: he reads more like a bodybuilder than a doctor. For those looking for a doctor "scientific" approach, I'm not sure if this would fit the bill. In any case, I've read many bodybuilding/fitness books and was a certified personal trainer. Along with Chris Aceto's books, I found this to be one of my favorites. Good buy!


P.S. These are the Aceto books I recommend. He has articles in many of the top magazines such as Muscle and Fitness and Flex.
Everything You Need To Know About Fat Loss
Championship Bodybuilding: Chris Aceto's Instruction Book For Bodybuilding

This is a simple and effective guide for making gains in and out of the gym.

The book is comprised of describing 3 different workout styles for 3 different intended goals. The book gives you everything you need to structure a workout and a diet to accomplish your goals.

There are chapters on diets, exercise programs, supplements, steroids (purely informational), and misc. things about working out and making extra gains.

For someone starting to get serious working out, this is a good book for you. If you are extremely advanced, this might not be enough. If you are totally beginner, you should probably start with a personal trainer or much more detailed book.

The book itself is short enough to navigate through if you need to find info fast. The words on the page are big and going through each chapter is not a challenge. The book is balanced in the exercises it offers.

I continue to use it for reference frequently even after about 4 years.

I'm a recreational lifter that trains every single day religiously. When I started getting into fitness and health in 2005, this is the first program I picked up and used. I lost 75 pounds with the Body Fat Blitz program and got into training with very heavy weights. Now that I have bulked up successfully, I'm going back to the Body Fat Blitz program and melting the fat off to see that hard-earned muscle. If you are looking to melt fat, the BFB program is the way to go. It has the right amount of training and cardio to do the job in the most efficient manner possible. I've tried to drop weight training extremely heavy, but it doesn't work for me. If I stick to his program, it works like a charm.

This body sculpting manual dives deep into detail regarding the physics inside your muscles and body. But he also shows you the most efficient way to get the results you desire. It is not a add bulk or lose fat FAST book - any that do have SERIOUS health risks. Dr. Evans offers suggestions for food and supplement along with highly optimized workout routines that will make the most of your work out sessions. It's a very "no nonsense" guide to helping you reach your goals... and it works.

I have read many books on weight lifting and nutrition, so i think i have a good understanding of what else is out there. This book is average because it lacks specificity. The best part of this book is that Dr. Evans talks about certain techniques to really work out your muscles as hard as possible, such as prefatiguing a muscle, super sets, changing of repetition tempo, etc. But even those techniques aren't covered in great detail and he doesn't give too many examples of how to apply them to your routine.
This books is divided in 3 parts: one to gain mass, one to lose fat, and one to gain mass and lose fat at the same time. Each part of the book includes one 6-week program which includes both diet and gym workouts. I have to disagree with his calorie recommendations. I weigh 155 pounds. According to this book, in order for me to lose fat, i should eat 1400 calories/day. To maintain my weight, i should eat 1600 calories/day, and to gain mass, i should eat 1800 calories/day. All other books i have read on nutrition say that anything below 2,000 calories/day for a male is risking a loss of muscle. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, 1,800 calories should be the bare minimum for an adult male, and that's only if he is trying to lose fat. So for this book to recommend 1,800 calories/day to GAIN mass is unrealistic. I have done 1,800 calories/day before, and i lost fat. At 1,400 calories/day, i would be hungry and would undoubtedly lose muscle. And he provides only 1 example of a daily menu. What about the other 6 days of the week?
His workouts seem good. He seems to suggest doing the routine for 6 weeks. What do we do after the 6-week period? Again, short on detail. The book provides pictures of the exercises and there seems to be good variety, but i am displeased with each routine covering only a 6-week period. And he provides no variety within each 6-week routine. In other words, week 1 is exactly as week 2. Week 2 is exactly as week 3, and so on.
This is how i will use this book: i will perform the weight lifting routines he recommends. I will do all 3 of the 6-week programs he includes in the book. I will start with the weightlifting exercises he recommends for fat loss(4 days/week) because they are lighter in weight and it'll help prepare me for the heavier stuff. Twice a week we'll be lifting weights, and on the other 2 days we'll be doing abs and cardio. Then i will move on to the exercises in the mass gainer chapter(3 days/week, no cardio). And finally i will do the exercises he recommends in the body sculpting chapter(split routine, 4days/week and a couple of days of cardio).
I don't think any other information is useful, unless you're a true beginner--use creatine, protein shakes, etc. If your goal is to put on a lot of muscle, perhaps the techniques and exercises in this book will help you, but not if you follow his nutritional advice.