Customer Reviews

Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Many of the reviews on here seem to be from people who are just starting or who gave up on Scrawny to Brawny. I went in determined to do the whole four month program and am proud that I finished it up through the last day.

MONTH ONE
Phase I is the Corrective Phase and, I feel, the best part of the whole book. A series of precise tests show you your weak points and then you spend 2 to 6 weeks correcting them. This is especially important for skinny guys who can seriously hurt themselves if they start squatting loaded barbells without the underlying tissue support. The stretches and small lifts are HARD work and I really felt my ligaments and support muscles getting stronger. I had a "bum knee" which tended to feel weak or have pangs before I started this program and since I finished it, that never happens. Great workouts.
The food portion was far less successful. Similar to others who have mentioned this, I could not humanly consume the amount of calories they wanted each day. On the very first day, I found myself laying on the sofa groaning in gut pain at 9pm because I was so engorged. And I was still supposed to eat another meal before bed. I cut back just enough to make my consumption actually possible without vomiting from then on, but my body fat still soared in this first month. I continued to monitor food amounts each month as directed by their Decision Making Matrix, but it was shocking to start off the program with the first serious paunch I'd ever carried.

MONTH TWO AND A HALF
It was in this month that I strained my back doing one of the lifts and had to take a couple weeks off and start using a lifting belt to continue. Keep in mind that most lifts are illustrated with a single photo and the description of how to execute them assumes some familiarity with the equipment and proper form. I'd taken a weight training class in college and used dumbbells a lot before but strained my lower back lifting a barbell above my head and arching too much. If you're going to sink the significant amount of money that's called for (see below) into this program, you might also plan on a once-a-month meeting with a personal trainer just to assure you're doing everything properly, unless you're versed on full body barbell lifts.
Also, they wanted me to do several chin-ups at a time during my workouts and I could barely do one. There was no guidance on what to do if you're not ready for an exercise yet. Do fewer? Do them halfway? Who knows?
On the plus side, people started making comments about how much bigger I was this month. One co-worker even flattered me that I was getting "huge".

MONTH THREE
This month focuses on building strength for the last big push of muscle enlargement. Good workouts with noticeable growth on my legs and butt.

MONTH FOUR
This was the weakest part of the program. Workouts moved up to four a week to increase growth and left me feeling tired most of the time, even on days off. I'd start workouts not feeling 100% because I was still tired from my last workout. Muscle growth kind of stalled as a consequence, even though I really put everything I had into it and was still eating enough to keep my body fat higher than average.

PLUSES
The general info presented here (less the excess calories) is solid. i learned a lot and appreciated the mix of technical info with practical tips. Although not a lot larger, my legs and butt are more shapely than ever before- I don't have chicken legs for the first time. And the corrective phase was very effective in building a strong core.

MINUSES
I have a partner who is pretty independent, no pets nor kids, and I work half-time. Still, the shopping, preparation, storage, packing, unpacking, cooking, and washing up after the meals took almost all of my free time. Commute and changing time at a public gym would be added to that for those who don't work out at home. If you have a full-time job, a spouse who wants date nights, kids and a pet, you will find it very, very difficult to complete this program.
Between equipment and extra groceries, I probably spent a couple grand on this program, and that was getting super, lucky deals on used equipment via craigslist. At the end of the program, you're just left with the suggestion to sign up for their expensive online extension rather than any practical plan on how to convert what you've learned into a normal lifestyle.
The diet of almost all lean proteins got very monotonous after a while, even for someone who has spent much of his life in the food business and knows how to make simple food tasty. Before you even think of ordering this book, prepare and eat six meals tomorrow, all of them primarily consisting of lean protein (fat free yogurt, chicken breast, fish, turkey burger, 95% or more lean beef, egg whites...). Protein shakes do not count- those would be on top of your six meals if you had them. Then imagine doing that for four months straight, seven days a week.
Finally, the low amount of carbs in the diet really affected my energy level and mental quickness by month four. I just hadn't had the easily convertible energy of carbs for so long that I felt generally hazy and tired. After one day of going back to my normal eating patterns, I was surprised by a noticeable jump in my alertness, interest in intellectual pursuits, and energy for everyday activities.

RESULTS
My neck, thighs and calves are the same at the end of the program as they were at the beginning (although all did peak larger at different points along the way). My shoulders gained four inches, my chest gained two inches, my waist gained three inches, and my butt and arms both gained an inch. My body fat ended one percentage point higher than when I started.

This is my first review on Amazon, and the only reason I decided to write one on this product was because of how excellent it turned out to be, and because some of the negative reviews that I read might scare some people away from a geniunely useful book.

I've owned it for about two years now, but I've been working out for a lot longer than that for my high school and college athletic careers, with very little to show for it. S2B has dramatically changed the way that I work out-the frequency, the types of exercises, and the volume I incorporate in my workouts. On this program, I went from 6'2 170 pounds to 6'2 195 pounds in about a year on this program, and got vastly more strong. I now do reps with weight that I used to be unable to lift once.

I've seen a few reviews that claim that they have gotten very fat etc. from employing the nutritional advice advocated in the book. There are a number of reasons why this might have happened, but the authors explicitly say that it is an outcome-based nutritional process that you update every two weeks. If you are gaining too much fat--then stop and adjust the diet! Perhaps some of the authors of these comments are not lifters in the true ectomorphic, high-metabolism "hard-gainer" mold or they did not perform the workouts with the proper intensity. I know that if you use the nutrient partitioning/timing that Dr. Berardi recommends, and you eat a lot of nutritious food (aka load up on salads, very lean beef, chicken, fruit) and perform the workouts just as they appear on a consistent basis with hard effort, you will put on muscle and while it is impossible not to put on a little fat with it, in most cases it is barely noticable.

Even if you are not a prototypical ectomorphic hard-gainer, the advice offered in this book is great for building strength and size. The authors advocate a focus on compound lifts using free weights, without a lot of machines or smith machine work that might be good for the ego but aren't good for working the joints or the multiple stabilizing muscles throughout the body. All in all, a solid, informative, entertaining and easy to read book. I would highly recommend it, although the information can be slightly disorganized and the many interesting research references contained in the book are not cited. (There is a book called Njtrient Timing that describes the principles Dr. Berardi employs for sale on Amazon that is also a great book and sheds a little more light on this very interesting and useful subject). Hope this helps!

Absolutely fantastic! The frustration over being an ectomorph is something that only the truely skinny can understand. I had just healed after two sessions at the gym that took me a week to recover. During that time, I reevaluated my weightlifting; what was I doing wrong? I had eaten good foods and trained at least 3 time a week with only a little definition to show for it. Then, I heard about this book. I ordered it not expecting much but, boy, was I wrong. The information in this book specifically directs its focus towards us skinny guys. The emphasis is on compound lifts in the body of the training program but they also use the first four weeks to level out your muscle groups to prevent injury and so you look more balanced (this cured my weak back muscles!).
A nice thing too is that the book devotes half of itself to nutrition. Other books will only give you exercises and have you go on your way which always leads you to thinking what you're doing wrong. They list out how you should eat and when; let it be known that this portion is a major lifestyle change.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their body. So what are you waiting for "skinny"? Get to work!

Oh, this email the author sent out.. offering to send something in exchange for a good review. Shady.


=====================


I want to start this email off by posting something marginally disturbing. Below
is a recent review of our Scrawny to Brawny at Amazon.com.

"I regret buying this book. It is mainly for someone who can survive on
supplements or soup. Most of the routines and guidelines are very hard to do and
you would look silly doing them anywhere people are present! I do no recomend
this book!"

Now, for any of you who actually read the book, you'd know that this reviewer is
likely on crack! Soup? Squats and bench presses are silly to do? Uhm, ok.
Heck, I wonder if this reviewer even read the book or has ever exercised in his
life.

But, I guess everyone is titled to his or her own opinion.

So what's the point of me sending this ONE review to you?

Well, the point is that ignorance, unfortunately, speaks its opinion loud and
often while reason often keeps quite and shakes its head. And not only do
ignorant opinions like this lower the collective intelligence quotient of
mankind, they prevent others from getting any better.

Think about it - I've received thousands of emails from S2B readers telling me
how the S2B program changed their life. In fact, right now Im doing an interview
series with our S2B stars, individuals who put in the time, comittment, and
dedication necessary to reap outstanding results. So I know the program is one
of a kind. And I know that most of you reading this think so too.

But, when someone like you looks for info about the S2B book, the get to read our
friend's review above and may not pick up the book, even though they despirately
need it.

Sad.

So here's how I'd like to combat this, with your help, of course:

I'd like you to get on the web and make your rational opinion heard. Post
something positive about the book at amazon.com, amazon.ca, one of the many
message boards online, etc.

And when you do, send me the link to your post. For doing me this favor, I'd
like to send you something. I'm working on a new book called Precision Nutrition
and although it's not yet finished, I'd like to send you a chapter from the book.
The chapter is all about individualizing your nutritional plan based on your body
and your goals. I know you'll love it!

So, make your voice heard - post something positive on the web, send the link to
me, and I'll send you that chapter.

And let me leave you with the words of Plato:
The price good men pay for indifference is to be ruled by evil men.

JB

I am of the body type targeted by this program, and I did my best to follow it. I felt their argument for why you must eat so much wasn't terribly compelling unless you are under 25, and my initial doubts were confirmed when my body fat skyrocketed from 15% to 20% in the first three weeks! Making adjustments, my body fat rise leveled off but I wasn't gaining any muscle mass at any high rate either. I kept with the full four months and came out a little stronger, but I didn't look very fit (when I did before), or even like I was someone who actually worked out at all, and I didn't feel very good either. I felt bloated a lot. After giving it a chance my waist was getting wider than my shoulders, no joke, so I immediately had to go to a cutting phase on another program (something of this nature should be included in a book that shows you how to get so fat so fast). I would not recommend this program. There are better ways to gaining weight without having to get so fat doing it. This book is so full of confusing and contradictory statements that it would be difficult for anybody to be successful without their vaunted personal training program (which is ridiculously expensive). The anwers lie elsewhere my friend. Not in this book.

In that it's got all the fundamentals that you need to know hidden away in there, but like the real bible you have to flip back and forth all over the place and have a couple of study aids at hand to make it workable. If you're already au-fait with gym terminology and how to make a variety of meals from specified quantities of lean meats and vegs, then honestly this book is all you need.

As it is pitched at people who've been battling with their frame for a while, I guess this is understandable. But if you're new to this business and are looking for a walk-you-through-it guide then, although this is a good start, keep looking, (unless you want to get the coaching programme* too).

Verdict: Great content, hobbled by the editing. If this book was reworked, it'd be worth a 5.


*$100 to you, sir

I've been trying to gain weight for 15+ years but with little real success. I've read alot and I'm constantly in the gym. Most of the information in the book is not new; eat alot and lift heavy during short intense workouts. What I did find new was the biometrics and assessments portion of the book. It gave new insight into proper body mechanics for the ectomorph. There was a few pearls of wisdom in the nutrition section. I've put on 10lbs after 6 weeks even without following the nutrition plan exactly. I would definitely reccommend the book to a novice to intermediate level hardgainer, it will save them from wasting alot of time listening to mesomorph advice on how to train.

The information in the book is excellent. However, it's scattered around and difficult to sort out into an easy-to-follow plan. It's almost like a bunch of newspaper articles thrown together under general topic headings. That said, the information is really quite good, although eating the food in the plan is difficult without a cookbook to match it. I think everyone can agree that if you eat massive amounts of beef, chicken, eggs, veggies, fruits etc... then you can get big, but I don't know many guys (myself included) that can prepare these things to make them edible 365 days a year. Lifting is easy, following diet guidelines is harder, and preparing 3,000 calories worth of "clean" food that is edible is the hardest part by far, and that's where this book fell short for me.

For information: 4/5 stars.
For organization: 2/5 stars. (Fire the editor)

About a year ago I was preparing for a two week, trip to Hong Kong, which meant over 20 hours spent on a plane, among other free time. I was unhappy with where I was in my workouts, and since I was all of 5'10" and 140lbs, it seemed like a perfect fit for the kind of book I needed. Let me backtrack: Up until this book, I had worked out regularly for 7 years using various books and even two personal trainers, but I never got the results I was looking for. When I finally opened this book on the plane, it seemed to all fit together as to why I hadn't put on the muscle I had always hoped to. More importantly, I realized that I had basically wasted most of my time in the gym on isolation excersizes that were doing me little good. As good as the workout advice was, the nutrition section provided even more insight. I always reasoned that I ate healthy, and felt like I was eating a lot of food, so I figured I was doing everything right. After doing the calculations, I found out I needed to be eating a lot more calories. After two weeks and two long plane rides, with my feet back on the ground in the US, I was ready to put the program to the test.

Usually I would pick and choose the elements of a program that appealed to me, but better sense took over, and I followed this program to a T. Did I have to spend a lot more on groceries? Yes. Did I get some funny looks from extremely attractive girls in the gym while doing some of the warm-ups and corrective excersizes? Unfortunately, yes again. Thankfully though, I have gotten the last laugh, as I have put on over 30 lbs in the last year. I look and feel better than I ever have, and I would have never gotten there without the knowlege from this book. Just be prepared to buy some new clothes, your old ones will not fit for long...

This was my first exercise/nutrition book I purchased. While I had been working out regularly for 2 and half years, I wasn't seeing the gains I had hoped for. I haven't followed this book right down to every last detail, but I do refer to it a lot for work out routines and new exercises. It also helped me realize I just wasn't taking in enough calories to put on mass and become stronger. I think most people would find it difficult to consume 4-5000 calories a day, but unfortunately it's necessary for the severe ectomorph. If you follow this book strictly I have no doubt you would get significant results in a reasonable amount of time. I went from 135lbs to 170lbs (6'2") on my own. I'm hoping with the work out routines and eating habits I picked up from this book I can get to 190+ in a much shorter amount of time.