Men's Health Huge in a Hurry: Get Bigger, Stronger, and Leaner in Record Time with the New Science of Strength Training (Men's Health (Rodale)) [Paperback]

Chad Waterbury (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 9, 2008 | Series: Men's Health (Rodale)

Men's Health Huge in a Hurry will add inches to your muscles and increase your strength, with noticeable results quickly, no matter how long you've been lifting. Author Chad Waterbury offers the most current neuromuscular science to debunk the fitness myths and conventional wisdom that may be wreaking havoc on your workouts and inhibiting your gains. Forget lifting moderate weights slowly for lots and lots of sets and reps. The best way to get huge in a hurry is to use heavy weights and lift them quickly for fewer repetitions. Waterbury's groundbreaking programs will enable you to:

-Add Mass and size. Gain as much as 16 pounds of muscle in 16 weeks--and add 1 full inch of upper arm circumference in half that time!

-Get stronger...fast! Even seasoned lifters can realize a 5 percent increase in strength in the first few weeks. And in 12 weeks, you can boost your overall strength by up to 38 percent.

-Build power and stamina. Increase your one-rep max in your core lifts by as much as 30 percent.

-Shed fat fast. Burn off up to 10 pounds of body fat, losing up to 2 pounds of fat per week.

With Men's Health Huge in a Hurry, you'll not only get bigger faster, you'll do it with less time wasted in the gym and with less post workout pain and a much lower injury risk.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CHAD WATERBURY’s novel training methods are used by athletes, bodybuilders, corporate executives, and fitness enthusiasts. Since 2000 he’s been writing for the online bodybuilding magazine T-Nation. He has a master’s degree in neurophysiology from the University of Arizona and lives in Santa Monica, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605299340
• ISBN-13: 978-1605299341
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.9 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 111 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but incomplete July 16, 2009

By J. Evans

Format:Paperback

Chad Waterbury is a respected name in the fitness coaching business, largely as a result of his regular contributions to sites like T-Nation and [...]. In fact, Huge in a Hurry is largely a crystallization of the training philosophy that he has elucidated in his articles for those sites. And what Waterbury presents is a logical, practical, empirical guide to strength training, though one that I feel is ultimately incomplete.

The author spends the first several chapters laying the intellectual foundation of his training philosophy. Much of this is information that experienced lifters will already know, but it bears repeating nonetheless, if only to aid the logical flow of the book. The second half of the book consists of various training programs/protocols aimed at different ends. Essentially, the book follows the pattern of many others written on strength training.

The author has been training people for quite a while, and he presents many of his ideas in the context of his own experiences. This is always a positive thing for any kind of practical guide. And it's apparent that Waterbury knows of which he speaks. He quotes peer-reviewed studies to back up most of his larger points, and he holds an advanced degree in the field. I do not take any issue with the author's knowledge; rather I do question some of his conclusions.

Essentially, the author is a proponent of the three-times-per-week, total-body weight training protocol. This is actually a very old-school program that has made a strong comeback in recent years. And it's easy to understand why. The body-part training specialization ad infinitum espoused in the Weider magazines has really veered too far off the track of sanity.... Most people don't need twice-per-day workout protocols that drug-enhanced bodybuilders use to prep for the Mr. Olympia. What most people need is basic, sound training ideas that will help them reach their somewhat less lofty fitness goals.

Three-times/total body is one way for people to reach those goals, but it isn't necessarily the route for everyone. The author firmly believes that lifters should train every muscle group in each workout. He bases this idea on his belief that the old notion of the 48-72 hour muscular recovery is incorrect, and on the idea that more volume will lead directly to greater results. The problem with this idea is that recovery time and volume tolerance are two of the most person-specific variables in weight training. No two people respond to a given protocol in the same way. Some need more volume while others do well hitting each muscle group once a week. Some people make tremendous gains on total body workouts, while others run headlong into overtraining and the wall of diminishing returns.

The author claims that he's verified that total-body training is the superior protocol through his own experience, but my experience shows that this is a matter of individual response. Certainly many people will do very well on his program, but just as many will struggle, wondering all the while what they're doing wrong. For these people, some sort of body-part training split may be in order, and I believe that the author should be more careful to note this. Many trainers like the author and Alwyn Cosgrove have made great efforts of vilify body part splits. This seems to me a silly endeavor. Beginning lifters should try all types of programs to see what works best for them. The best program is not what trainer X or Mr. Olympia or Arnold says is the best, it's the one that works for that person.

That said, the information here is solid, and the book is certainly attractive and well written. I will say that if you're interested in getting into total-body-training splits, this is definitely the place to start. I wouldn't, however, go so far as to say that Huge in a Hurry is the definitive word on weight training. Too much is omitted for this book to be considered as such. Read more ›

38 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Will Change The Way You Workout December 10, 2008

By Jon

Format:Paperback

If you want a change of pace from your traditional workouts, you have come to the right place. If you are tired of the same routine you have been doing for years on end, Huge In A Hurry will provide something you probably haven't done before.

I bought this book because I am a fan of Waterbury's writing and methods. I think he is truly on to something about lifting with heavy weights and doing so in a heavy fashion. If you aren't really set on this technique, try this: Go to your gym and begin another one of your boring workouts. But do something different this time. Increase the weight by 10% or so, and lower your reps to around 4-6. Also, when your lifting the weight, try to move it as fast as possible. Don't think about the lowering phase, just do so in control.

That, in a nutshell, is what this book is about. It has 6 total phases (Get ready, Get big, get bigger, get strong, get stronger, and Get Lean). Many of them last around 16 weeks. It has details on what he recommends to eat after you lift (raisins and whey protein) and how much. I am currently in the Get Ready phase, and i have never felt my heart race so much. The workouts don't take long to do, but they are intense. I think on every workout so far (at least in the Get Ready phase), the workouts only take around 25 minutes or so.

I really don't have any gripes about the book. It is very well put together with photos detailing every exercise. There are also many variations of each workout. And, what I still find mind boggling is that this guy doesn't believe in the bench press! You will still do incline and decline bench, but he doesn't believe the flat bench is good for you.

If you don't believe this book is really as good as it sounds, head on over to T-nation.com to check him out.... He writes many articles and puts together some fitness regimens. I can't say enough about how excited I am. You won't be dissapointed! Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Book on Bodybuilding December 23, 2008

By Robert Lutz

Format:Paperback

Chad Waterbury has written the only book you need on improving your body or athletic performance. If you are getting your workouts from magazines, or from the big guys in the gym, you have it all wrong. Things have changed so much in this industry, thanks to good studies, good science and good trainers/authors, like Waterbury and very few others.
The premise of this book is lift heavy and lift fast. I had been getting nowhere in by bodybuilding and strength pursuits, changing routines from Body for Life, to HIT, to anything I read in the magazines. Each time, I would think I had found the answer. I would get excited, workout like a madman, and see some minor results. But, usually after about three weeks, I would be so discouraged, I would be out looking for the next "fool-proof" method.
About 5 years ago, I came across Chad Waterbury, Pavel Tsatsouline, and Charles Staley. All of these guys encourage you to Lift Heavy! Instead of 3 sets of 10, do 10 sets of 3. It made sense! Instead of doing 3 sets of 10 with only 185, now you can do the same 30 reps with 215. I used some of Chad's routines to pack on about 20 pounds. Now, with Huge in a Hurry, he has added to his science of sports performance. Train whole body, use heavy weights, and the biggest improvement - lift fast! He explains this very well in the book, not only how to do it, but why you are doing it. I have been on this program now for several weeks, and I can tell you first hand, it really is an eye opener. Everything I have ever read says, lower the weight slowly, feel the burn, etc...What I didn't know, is that Olympic Trainers have been having their athletes train fast for years! Chad caught on to this, and the resutls you will get, will be better than anything you have ever tried!...
I could go on and on....but the bottom line is, whether you play a sport, want to get strong, or just look better, not only is this book more than worth the price, it is the only book you need! Read more ›