Body Rx: Dr. Scott Connelly's 6-Pack Prescription (Hardcover)

by A. Scott Connelly (Author), Carol Coleman (Author) "If you shudder at just the thought of being seen in public in a bathing suit-if you can't stand looking at yourself naked in the..." (more)
Key Phrases: getting sculpted, yellow carbohydrates, usable grams, Prescription Meal Plan, Get the Body You Want, Throw Out Your Scale (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"You can have the body you want," promises A. Scott Connelly, M.D., a physician, personal trainer, sports nutrition specialist, and sports-supplement designer. His "6-Pack Prescription" is a program of four six-week cycles (strength training, sculpting, fat burning, and maintenance/endurance), each with its own eating plan, exercise program, and optional supplementation. Six months, promises Connelly, will give you the body you want.

"To change how you look on the outside, you need to reverse what's happening on the inside" by reprogramming your body to manufacture muscle, says Connelly. He emphasizes "nutrient partitioning," the principle that "a metabolic traffic cop" directs nutrients into fat-burning muscles or parks them as stored fat. Ingredients and additives in the foods we eat cause nutrients to move into the fat-storage parking lot instead of the fat-burning expressway. He recommends eating plenty of high-fiber complex carbohydrates and low-fat protein, and eliminating processed foods containing fructose ("the Stealth bomber of sweeteners"). Although Connelly designed a line of supplements marketed by Met-Rx, he restricts his supplementation recommendations to one short chapter and does not push his own line. Connelly's exercise program focuses on weight training, with 20 exercises divided into four different weekly workout sessions. Illustrations of the exercises, which work all the major muscle groups, include both machine and free-weight options. Charts--both filled in with his prescription and blank for you to log your actual program--are provided for meal planning and exercise. --Joan Price

From Booklist
Gym owners and franchisees will flock to Connelly's side, as will manufacturers of strange supplemental substances such as HMB, DIM, and creatine monohydrate. With all the credentials in the world (and a body to boot), this physician-researcher underscores the truths of the most recent diet findings: that protein-fiber is the food key and weight training is the workout key. He calls his regimen a six-pack--four cycles of six weeks each, starting with strengthening, sculpting, then burning fat, and maintaining. There are series of power exercises, with explicit directions about sets and repetitions, and there are answers to obvious and complicated questions, such as the benefits of aerobics (not much, he says) and the need for stretching (ditto). Whatever works--and, with diligence and practice, this plan just might. REVWR
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (September 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399147829
• ISBN-13: 978-0399147821
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #369,803 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS PROGRAM WORKS!, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

I've been following the Body Rx program for 6 weeks now, and I've already lost over 2 inches from my waistline and added almost 1/2 inch of solid muscle to my upper arm measurement. I consider these results to be absolutely outstanding for a 43 year old male! When I first glanced through Boby Rx at the bookstore, it looked like a copycat of Body for Life by Bill Phillips. Although Body Rx is similar in styling and concept to Body for Life, I believe that Dr. Connelly's program is superior. I previously followed the Body for Life program (to the letter) and while I managed to lose 14 pounds in 12 weeks, 3 of those lost pounds were valuable muscle mass! With the Body Rx program I am now GAINING muscle mass while losing bodyfat. And I'm not spending a fortune on supplements either - a good protein powder is all you need. I highly recommed Dr. Connelly's program for anyone who's been disappointed with the results they've been getting on other programs. Just be sure to read it thoroughly and follow the program as outlined.

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The scientific approach to rid your body of its fat., September 16, 2001

By A Customer

Dr. A. Scott Connelly is a tremendously respected medical doctor, metabolic specialist, personal trainer, and nutritional engineer. He was the first person to develop the now famous Meal Replacement Powder; it was, of course, Met-Rx. Met-Rx revolutionized human nutrition, especially for those involved in athletic endeavors. Its a potent high protein, moderate carb, and low fat super food. Its design was based on research Dr. Connelly did with 'wasting' patients. It was designed to give a person a flow of protiens and amino acids for a sustained period of time to prevent catabolism. It has done its job well, and I've used the product with tremendous success.
I was surprised that he did not push the product at all and only mentioned it by name a couple of times in the book, as opposed to another famous supplement "guru" who suggests three servings of his product everyday. Dr.Connelly knows what he's talking about. He's helped star athletes and average Joes get the body they've always wanted. Body Rx offers new insights into human nutrition and how the body handles nutrients. Dr. Connelly shows why the so called 'fat gene' is not the reason America is getting fatter; it's the processing of foods and the removal of vital fiber. He shows the relation between fructose intake and increasing belt sizes. He puts nutrition back where it should be; that is, as the main determinant as to how your body will look--significantly more important than exercise. This has been known for a long time but other diet experts have pushed aerobics and high-carb diets as the way to lose fat. Dr. Connelly explains lucidly why they are full of hot air, and why most of these so called experts would never want to be seen by others in a bathing suit.
The exercise aspect of the program is reasonable but still rigorous. You work out 4 times a week --the right way!--for about an hour each time. The workouts are intense, but not to the point where you'll burn out. It is the type of program I used to lose over 50 lbs(my program was actually from the Owner's Manual out of a package of Met-Rx). The essence of the program is based on Dr. Connelly's extensive knowledge of the human body and nutrition. It's based on one simple premise: build muscle and give the bill to fat. If you follow this program to its end, you will succeed!!! By the way, you will never, ever, ever, be hungry on this program. He gives a list of certain foods that you can eat until you are full and satisfied, and he never wants you to eat dull, tasteless meals. His suggestions are fantastic. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

102 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars BodyRx vice Body For Life (BFL), November 4, 2001

By	"jlarsenayh" (Williamsburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Body RX
Program is divided into 4 6-week cycles. 1 (get strong), 2 (get cut), 3 (lose fat), and 4 (maintenance).

Nutrition

Proteins and carbs are divided into GREEN (okay), YELLOW (controlled), and RED (no-no). GREEN carbs are veggies; YELLOW carbs are starchy veggies (beans), bread, pasta, etc.

6 small "meals"/day. 8 glasses water. 1 free day.

Shaping strategy to increase protein, decrease YELLOW carbs, and increase fiber. Goals are provided.

Weight training. Aerobics is optional. Author doesn't think aerobics do much.

4 days lifting. One area per day. 5 exercises per area. No rules on rest days.

Day 1: Chest & biceps
Day 2: Back & triceps
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulders & abs.

Shaping strategy increases sets, increases reps, and decreases rest times.

Bottomline: Both BodyRx and BFL are very similar with by-the-numbers programs for nutrition and exercise. BFL emphasizes motivation more while BodyRX emphasizes ramping up to protein and fiber goals. Both recommend supplements.

Neither offer highly detailed weightlifting 'how to,' sets training goals, women's specific concerns re pregnancy/menses, common medical conditions, common medical tests, shopping/cooking skills, or lots of recipes. I think medical testing is important because even lean marathon runners get heart attacks.

Both programs work. Both programs will have similar high failure rates because many folks are unwilling to save their lives at the cost of not having a double bacon cheeseburger.

If I had to pick one, I'd pick BFL since it is simpler. I learned from both.