Customer Reviews

Unleashing the Wild Physique

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I purchased this book many years ago and am looking to buy another one. I loaned it out and never got it back. Vince was a real pioneer when it came to natural bodybuilding. Unlike the "health food hucksters" of his era, Vince was one of the first to push the high, high, high protein intake for growth. He was also a proponent of the more asthetic sweeping physique. He hated powerlifting and squatting. If you didn't adhere to his strict style of form, you might find yourself barred from working out in his gym. I loved his attitude and my favorite part of the whole book was the fasting routine. I used it several times and I have never in my life felt as good as I did following that routine. I want another one of those books! If you know where I can find one...e-mail me. Thanks!

Note: there are several versions of this book on amazon at widely varying prices from used book dealers. Buy the cheapest version...they're all the same. if the title says "unavailable", then search amazon for another version by another seller...it's worth the trouble. Now for why i think this book is worth your reading (I only review excellent books...a small percentage of the books i read...why waste more time even talking about something that's not excellent?)...

Mr. Gironda had some ideas that were ahead of his time and a few places where i think he may have been incorrect. Here's the part you should study...

1. Go for symmetry instead of bulk. Unless you're into a professional sport or occupation that requires great stregth (example...have friend who's the first ATF agent through the door when making bust on crack house...he needs to be capable of brutality)..unless you need to be huge...extra weight can require more time in sleep and eating and slow you down. You can look plain fat in your clothes and most women are more attracted to the lean tarzan sort of look.

Don't believe me? Get a copy of Men's health and a copy of muscle and fitness...now ask the women you know which group of men (out of which magazine) would they want to choose their next vacation partner.

So if huge muscles make you more sleepy, less likely to get laid, less healthy, and require more time to maintain...I'd say a more lean tarzan look just works better all around.

Vince teaches this strategy (tarzan over hulk) and gives practical suggestions for pulling it off.

A let down was the fact that most of the photos in his book show people hulked out on steroids (not consistent with his philosophy). But if you look at photos of the author himself...he lived what he preached. In the photos in his clothes, he looks lean and not huge. With his clothes off he looks strong but not too bulky and the symmetry and vascualrity give him the "wild [and healthy] physique" of a Tarzan.

2. A few more extras...he gives a leaning up diet that is basically Atkins made better with it's suggestion of a high carb meal every 3 to 5 days to reload the muscles with glycogen and avoid weakness. When i do this diet, i make friday and monday carb days and stay with raw eggs (mix 6 in blender with scoop of whey and a tablespoon of diet jello and handful of ice), sushi or steak for supper, occasional atkins bar, and a teaspoon of metamucil per day (to avoid the constipation of all meat/egg diet).

I can't officially reocmmend the raw eggs (ask your own doctor...and don't have your lawyer even think of calling me if you get a stomach ache), but the way i do it is buy fresh eggs and just keep them cold until i'm ready to eat them. I've been eating raw eggs almost daily for about 30 years and never got sick from them (and keep a total cholesterol around 160...but i eat very very few sweets, don't drink any alcohol at all, and i exercise once almost every day and most days two times a day).

Then on carb loading days i have a salad, fruit, and even some pizza or something crazy to reload.

Anyway, sorry, don't won't to write a book just telling you a way to apply his all egg and meat diet (which he wrote way before atkins wrote his book).

3. The other ideas about training after 40 are excellent (i'll soon be 47 so i'm relating more to these chapters).

***What to ignore...he's not a fan of aerobic exercise. DEAD WRONG. Weights will not substitute the health benefits of walking. Do both..or do you not think you're worth it?

***Read more on my website and read my reviews and get healthy (guess what the people you're taking care of and using as an exuse for not working out...like your family and friends and customers...remember them? Guess what? you'll take better care of them if you're healthy).

Buy this book, throw away the sugary poison that's in your pantry...the stuff that you wouldn't feed to your dog, and go workout. Vince is right...it's 85% diet but the diet becomes easier if you're doing the workouts...it takes both.

Peace & health to you.

Vince Gironda's training techniques are very effective for women as well.

Doing neck presses and incline db press filled in a hollow area I had around my collarbone also gave my breasts a firmer, tighter look.

Working the side delts improved on a otherwise poor bone structure and made me look better in my upper body.

I was also able to firm and tighten my legs with "Howorth squats" and pulley squeezes.

To bad Vince is gone, I would have enjoyed meeting him.

I'm not sure if this is the best BB book ever, but I would rank it very highly, partly because it contains information you may not find any other place. BTW, I waited to write this review until I had read the entire book.

Gironda makes it clear that his ideas were criticized in his day. Bodybuilders were laughed at when he first started, but he didn't let that stop him. His low carb, high protein diets must have seemed really weird back then. However, not so much in the post-Atkins world.

Then again, his recommendation to consume raw eggs and raw meat sounds like an invitation to food poisoning. Also, I am concerned that if I followed his advice to use dessicated liver tablets, I might be consuming too much iron and increasing my risk of heart disease. In fact, he recommends using a ton of supplements, and I'm not sure that this is necessary or that I could afford it.

Although he gives several different diet plans, they are actually for people who are already in good shape. He says he has no patience for fat. To lose fat, he says "eat less". He expected people coming to his gym to already be in good condition before they came asking for his advice. Of course, if you are out of shape, that doesn't mean you can't get something from this book. Just don't expect it to give you a lot of guidance on weight loss.

Also, don't expect it to be a book about getting huge. Gironda's idea of bodybuilding was not about that. He was really into the V shape.

He discourages heavy back squats, becuase he says it can make the gluts and waist too big, thereby detracting from the V shape. He also mentions that a guy with a short neck should not work the traps specifically. He even mentions that some bodybuilders look fat when they have their clothes on, because they have gotten big in the wrong places.

One interesting idea I picked up from this book is the use of hyperventilation. The idea is to take several deep breaths before beginning an exercise to get oxygen circulating so the muscles don't give out too soon. I found this very useful when doing high rep sets. I was able to get through the set more easily.

I think it is definitely worth following his advice on back development, given that he had one of the widest backs of his day.

Finally, he includes a chapter for bodybuilders over 40, which I particularly appreciated since I just turned 40.

I'm not sure what Kennedy's contribution was to this book. Probably some editing and choice of pictures. It was originally published under a slightly different title with only Gironda's name on it.

In Kennedy's book, Beef It!, he promotes the use of heavy, high rep squats, especially for those with a slow metabolism. Also, he argues against the idea that bodybuilders need a lot more protein than the average person. Instead, he recommends a high carb diet low in sugar, salt, and processed foods. He does not seem to think that a lot of supplements are necessary except maybe just before a contest.

Anyway, I don't know why Kennedy would want his name to be used on a book which clearly disagrees with his own ideas, so I suppose it had to be more of a business deal rather than a true collaboration. Of course, Kennedy is a self-described hardgainer, so I don't think he ever had the kind of personal bodybuilding success that Gironda did. He is, however, a very successful publisher and author.

I'm generally not all that impressed by pictures. There are books out there with great pictures and little information. However, for such a slim book, the author has included a wealth of information. And since the book is not so huge, there is no excuse not to read it all.

This is definitely a classic, and I'm surprised that it went out of print. I think it is one of the few bodybuilding books written about this time which has appreciated in value. I think that it will continue to do so as it becomes more rare, so get your copy sooner than later.

This book goes beyond bodybuilding as a sport or hobby. It makes you realise that bodybuilding is a way of life that can be enjoyable and rewarding. The knowledge contained within its various chapters has taken years of hard work to accumulate, making it an excellent source of expert information. This is a true body builders bible.

This book was as expected although a little expenseive at the price ($30.00?). I, like one or two other reviewers, was puzzled by the number of pictures of quite obviously steroidal athletes, considering how anti-drug Vince was in his views. That said, he tells it to you straight, and years before anyone subscribed to higher fat, and high protein diets, Vince was out there advocating the consumption of whole eggs, cream and other saturated fats to gain lean muscle mass. He also leaves nothing to chance on the range and number of exercises listed, most of which I wouldn't use, but that's just a personal preference. Not quite worth the money, but Vince had interesting views and was years ahead of his time.

I think this is a great book for bodybuilding enthusiasts who have never heard of Vince Gironda and his methods. Of course if you are a bodybuilding enthusiast, then you should already be familiar with Vince and his methods. A lot of his stuff is out there on the net in bits and pieces, so what I expected from this book was a complete compilation of all of his training techniques, exercises and dietary strategies.

It is NOT a complete compilation of his life's work. The only training program discussed is his famous 8x8. Vince developed a multitude of training programs, and most them are not mentioned in this book.

I will say that the book does show other aspects of Vince's dietary philosophy. Most people are familiar with his dietary recommendations (high fat, low carb), but I was surprised to find other diet plans (such as fasting and vegetarian) in this book.

The greatest strength of this book are the exercises shown for each body part. Vince knew the art of the physique, and he provides a variety of unconventional exercises designed for muscle symmetry and balance.

Overall, an excellent book for the bodybuilder looking to refine his physique.

Great photos and stories of legends in the sport. Insight into the Gironda methods and programs. This guy was a genius and way ahead of his time. Unfortunately the sport has been taken over by a bunch of chemically induced freaks. If you are looking for different and long forgotten secrets to bodybuilding success, this is a great read.

This book is great for you if you are the sort of person who is motivated by seeing what your body might achieve in the gym. Full of beautiful pics of perfect bodies from Vince's Hollywood Gym,and a thorough examination of multiple different excercises for each body area. Also good tips on aspects of weight training and nutrition ideas.

i had this book back in the 80s , i lended it out to someone and never got it back .hope the dude used the tips in it .
vince would have been the best personal trainer