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Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body [Hardcover]

Lou Schuler (Author), Ian King (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
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Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU! by Adam Campbell MS CSCS Paperback $16.49

Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body + The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU!
Price For Both: $39.59

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You might think that the subtitle, "The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body," is hyperbole, but The Book of Muscle from Men's Health delivers as promised. Australian strength coach and former powerlifting champion Ian King and Men's Health fitness director Lou Schuler cover everything you want to know about your muscles and what makes them grow, complete with dietary recommendations, exercises for every muscle group, and exercise routines. Each muscle group is illustrated and discussed, with 149 pages of clearly described, well-photographed exercises using a variety of equipment. A section on workout routines helps you put together your own program, from beginner to advanced.

Schuler's guy-talk style makes the book enjoyable to read, even on days when you have no intention of going to the gym. The artistic drawings of muscle groups, full-color photographs of beginning and ending positions of every exercise, and stunning close-ups of buffed body parts make The Book of Muscle is as beautiful as it is practical and motivating, an exceptional gift for the fitness guy in your life, and well worth the price. Highly recommended for men wanting to get in shape or stay there. --Joan Price

Product Description

Exercise ain't easy. The body is a complicated machine, with 650 muscles and 250 million individual muscle fibers. Some would say taming those fibers and building strong, healthy muscles is not an act of labor. Some would say it's an art. Here's a book worthy of that art. The Men's Health Book of Muscle is the big, lavishly illustrated, full-color coffee table book that only Men's Health could produce-one that doubles as the ultimate guide to building a better body. The goal of The Book of Muscle is simple: create a beautiful, artistic guide to the body that also helps guys build great physiques by showing in detail how muscles work and how that knowledge can be put to use. Inside, you'll find lush anatomical illustrations and photographs of a quality that no other book on fitness can match. You'll also find complex biological information, boiled down to language any guy can understand, and three 6-month workout programs, one each for beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters. It's big muscles, big benefit, and beautiful all at the same time. It's the book you've always wanted from the guys at Men's Health, the fitness experts you trust.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 364 pages
  • Publisher: Rodale Books (October 17, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1579547699
  • ISBN-13: 978-1579547691
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #6 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Men's Health
    #6 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Weight Training

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Lou Schuler
Lou Schuler
Ian King
Ian King

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
YOUR BODY HAS ABOUT 650 MUSCLES. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
thin tummy, pushup hold, tempo column, barbell squat, seated cable row, lie faceup, beginner program, reverse grip, use more weight, neutral grip, wave set, middle traps, dumbbell fly, intermediate program, rear delts, dumbbell bench press, calf raise machine, seated calf raise, particular workout, recovery set, clean pull, spinal erectors, lat pulldown, warmup sets, standing calf raise
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rest Basketball Rest Workout, Basketball Rest Week, Seated Hammer Curl, Barbell Bench Press, Wide Grip, Bench Dip
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Customer Reviews

114 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (114 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Workouts Make Great Gains, October 12, 2004
This review is from: Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body (Hardcover)
I have had this book for about 9 months now. I recently completed the intermediate program and made great gains. I followed the nutritional advice given in the book and gained 20 pounds. 20 Pounds may not sound like much, but it is a total body transformation when you go from 169 to 190...and it is all muscle.

The workouts are designed in such a way that you stress your muscles very hard and then have ample recovery time to get bigger and stronger.

I ran a marathon and a week after finishing it I started this book. So I basically started from scratch.

Starting I could bench press 40 pound dumbbells for a max 8 reps. After the six month intermediate workout I lifted 80s for 8 reps.
Shoulder press went from 65lbs barbell press for 5 reps to 120lbs for 5 reps.
Squat was the biggest improvement. Started at 65 for 10 reps. Finished at 185 for 10 reps.
The best exercise there is in my opinion I never knew about before this book. It is the DEADLIFT. The deadlift made me bigger and stronger overall than anyother exercise. And it focuses on a common weakness for most people, the LOWER BACK.
Deadlift start was 65 for 5 reps. Finish at 225 for 5 reps.

The key to this book is that it takes you through a cycling approach. By taking you through stages with varying sets, reps, and exercises, you muscles are always in a state of shock and always responsive to the workouts.

I am doing the intermediate workout again. After I complete it a second time I will advance to the advanced workout. You will never need another book for fitness. This is the best book I have EVER read and APPLIED for an extended period of time. The authors have done a wonderful job with writing. Again, the workouts are great and because of the cycling approach the author takes with the workouts, you can continure to do them and never have to switch to another program.

I got very good results from following this book exactly as the authors prescribed. I am continuing to make gains in strength and size by following this book. Ian King and Lou Schuler have put out what I consider the best book ever on the topic of getting strong and gaining size. The bottom line is that you WILL get injury-free results if you follow this book.
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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Too much of a good thing, September 25, 2007
By GymGoddess "teresaalvia" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
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This review is from: Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body (Hardcover)
On the plus side, this is probably the best book I've ever read on the subject of weight training. On the down side, boy, there is so much to each work out that it is overwhelming.

I've been weight training for over 5 years and have used Body for Life and a number of the Men's Health training books. This volume, far and away, has the greatest number of new exercises to be used each week. In the intermediate program, e.g., there are 3 separate workouts to be alternated. Perhaps if someone has a half an hour a day to review the exercises, another 40 minutes to do them (and to tote the handsome volume to the gym), these are reasonable....but for someone who has other responsibilities, kids, job, home, this is a fairly time and concentration intensive program.

That being said, I would certainly endorse this book for anyone who wants a genuinely serious, long term program. Too often, the Men's Health "Bibles" are limited programs, leaving the lifter who is committed with wondering "what next". This book provides enough variety and different routines to make it a great long term investment.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Book of Muscle Rocks, March 31, 2004
By John Gesselberty "Mahler" (Stewartstown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body (Hardcover)
Book of Muscle is one of the best books of it's kind that I have read and I have seen them all. It takes you on a tour of your body and gives you a road map to keeping it in the best shape possible. The text by Lou Schuler is clear and concise with a no nonsense approach that is refreshing in this world of "flavor of the month" workout and fitness books. You learn about muscles and how to maintain them for life.

The workouts, by noneother than Ian King, provide over a year of quality, well planned routines that will keep you challenged and growing. And Ian definitely follows the less is more principle by keeping the workouts under an hour. I have been doing the Intermediate program for 12 weeks now and I am getting stronger and growing in body, mind and spirit. King also manages to keep things lively with changes in routines and innovative exercises and combinations that beat the hell out of those monotonous 3 sets, 10 reps workouts you find in the magazines.

Get Book of Muscle. It's the best bang for the buck for the novice and the seasoned lifter.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars hard to explain why i dont liek this book.
Hmmmm how do i put this into words? I simply just didn't find this book very helpful. All the info it gives is basic basic basic almost everything in it i already knew. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Matt Torres

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better.
There are lots of pictures and detailed information about human anatomy more than needed in the book. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Umit Ihsan Yayla

4.0 out of 5 stars Good
This book shows you what muscle group your alternet excercise work. You find books that tell you about the main muscle groups
Published 28 days ago by Dat

4.0 out of 5 stars the book of muscle
This book is easier to navigat then others that I have checked out. The beginning of the book is a lot of information on the muscles themselves. . .names, types, etc. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Marvin Bennett

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book. I believe you won't get disappointed
I'll try to be as short and direct as possible.

If you are very curious as me and are used to read A LOT about this sport.... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robson L. V. Marini

2.0 out of 5 stars not a good book
This book explain you how muscle work and what kind of muscle we got in the body.
Published 2 months ago by lisouou

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful book for improving your body
If you follow the methods and workout plans as laid out in this book, remain mindful of your nutrition, and stay the course, you will build the best body you have ever had,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Greg Cox

5.0 out of 5 stars Finishing the Beginner program in one week and quite happy.
This review is probably showing under my wife's name. Not that a female can't do these things..just wanted to clear that part up. Read more
Published 4 months ago by James Hsu

5.0 out of 5 stars 18 Months of Quality, Progressive Weight Training
I'm almost done with the Beginner Program from the book and I have probably picked up about 5 pounds of muscle in about 4 months. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Allen

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Why would I waste your time writing a looong review? I'll just say one thing: Buy this book if you want to learn how to listen to your muscles and work them to the extremes with... Read more
Published 6 months ago by David G. Mumladze

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