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49 of 55 humans found the following review helpful.
Big Book is Big Disappointment
By A. Admiraal
The conception of Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises is great: gather hundreds of exercises, group them by muscle group and add numerous background selective information and nutritional advice. There you go: the workout manual to make all others obsolete. But in spite of the lyrical reviews posted here, I found this book disappointing. In short: the collection of exercises is great, but the way they are staged is not optimal. A severe framework to fabricate your own training plan is absent and the nutritional data is downright silly.
EXERCISES
What I liked in regards to this book is the sheer number of exercises; they are the reason I proceed to use this book each now and then. Each exercise comes with at least one clear picture and has galore handy little performance tips scattered around. However, this being the main event of the book, there are a number of omissions that I would consider flaws.
First, there is no connection among the discussion of the anatomy in the beginning of each section and the exercises. It’s outstanding that you are shown the dissimilar muscles that make up the back, but in the 60 or so exercises that follow, there is no way of finding out which muscle or part thereof is aimed by which exercise. Also, if you give 15 variations of one queer exercise, it would have been logical to mark the variations in terms of level of difficulty. No such luck.
Basically, the book primary gives a heap of somewhat elaborate data on an entire muscle group (albeit with numerous less than outstanding illustrations), but then merely dumps a long list of exercises on you. Though the number of exercises provided is much smaller, the book Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier is infinitely better. It tells you not just how to carry out an exercise but also how an person exercise targets each specific muscle. I sincerely hope Men’s Health takes a lot of cues from Delavier for their next edition of the Big Book.
TRAINING PLANS
The ‘exercise plans’ in the Big Book are alright, but if you are looking for a good, consistent framework to get maximal results (as opposed to just “doing something in the gym”), I feel the The Body Sculpting Bible for Men is way better. It may not have the same number of exercises, nor nice color photos like the Big Book, but I feel the overall framework of training is much more solid and consistent than the more or less hap hazardous and mixing up approach in Men’s Healh Big Book.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Now, if it were for the exercises and plans alone, I would still have given the book three stars, perchance even four; the sheer number of exercises makes it rather unique. Five stars would be out of the question, because the divergence in content quality is too far off from a lot of of the other books available. Still, I decisive to lower the rating by one more star, because of the nutritional segmentations which are ludicrous at best.
First let me say that from a magazine (such as Men’s Health) I to the full or entire extent receive a somewhat eclectic approach. A new study comes out one month that says coffee is bad for you and the next month another says it’s good – all fine. A book, however, I suppose to be a bit more authoritative. This book is not.
The Big Book opts for the “high protein, medium fat, low carbs” approach. I think Susan Kleiner in her book Power Eating without doubt or question demonstrated why a high carb, medium protein approach is far superior for building muscle and losing fat. Other than the Big Book, Kleiner backs up her story with sound scientific references. Where the Big Book settles for “A study in Denmark found…”, Kleiner takes a veritably scientific approach. Her determinations are very dissimilar but much more logical and actionable for any individual who may think beyond the simplistic adage “muscle is built by protein, so the more protein I eat the more muscle I get”.
Perhaps for humans living in the US the nutritional counsel in Men’s Health Big Book makes a lot of sense. Unspoken assumptions in the book seem to be a consequence of it is orientation on the mainstream US audience. First and foremost, you are assumed to be too fat, or at least engaged in a struggle with overweight. You likewise actually like to eat a lot of fat and most surely eat a large total of animals. Also, you are not more than willing or capable to change any of these habits.
Even within that context, the counsel that comes out is occasionally downright puzzling:
- Beans, peas and corn must be obviated as they incorporate a lot of starch (p. 442)
- However, whole milk is fine (it’s not all that much extra fat anyway), source cream is closely pure fat but hey, serving size is in general small, so go ahead! Other “healthiest” or at least “guilt free” foods: butter, pork chops, full-fat cheese, chicken thighs, coconut (p. 444 – 447). This one I found a particularly amusive health advice: vinegar is good for you, so sprinkle a lot of on your caramelized onions (!) or in your mayonnaise (!) before you disseminate it on your sandwich. Now, perhaps I have been gone from the US for too long, but I don’t think that I ever saw any individual health conscious eat mayonnaise sandwiches. But according to the Big Book, it’s apparently great for your workout diet as long as you add a good deal of vinegar to it and stay clear of beans and potatoes. Yeah, right!
If you insist of eating a lot of fat, I may imagine the counsel in this book to then at least cut back on carbs makes a lot of sense. But it’s apparent that this is no optimal diet counsel for any individual severe regarding exercising. Again, Susan’s Kleiner approach (high carb, medium protein and low fat) is far more sensible and much better researched. Sure, if you live in an area where KFC is considered lunch and a white sub sandwich is considered your healthful option, any veritably sensible exercise diet may be out of reach. But of course, your results will never be the same as when you opt for a veritably effective exercise diet.
In summary:
- Great book if you are a strength trainer and are merely looking to find a great deal of more exercise variations. The selection of exercises is unparalleled. Major flaw: the book doesn’t tell you why and when you must choose one exercise over another, or which muscles each exercise targets specifically. For more elaborate selective information on anatomy, how to precisely carry out exercises and how these exercises relate to your muscles and objectives, a much better option is the classic but lately altered Strength Training Anatomy-3rd Edition (Sports Anatomy)
- If you need a great deal of guidance in setting up an exercise plan, opt for The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, Revised Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection instead. While Men’s Health Big Book holds lot and a large total of information, it gives you little guidance to make sense of it all. The little snips of info basically have the same value as reading a couple of magazines. If you thought this book tied all the more or less utile snips of data from Men’s Health archives together in a more consistent framework, you’re out of luck.
- If you struggle with overweight and you are utterly sure you cannot stray too far from the mainstream American diet or let go of eating lots of animals and fatty foods daily, then the nutritional counsel in this book may be the best you may achieve. But if you are severe regarding your body and health and are more than willing to modify to an optimal, goal-oriented diet (i.e. eat like an athlete), make sure to ignore all nutritional segmentations in this book completely. They are mixing up at best, and if you follow a mainstream European or Asian diet, they will genuinely lead you in the WRONG direction. Instead, order a copy of the very dry, scarcely illustrated but content wise very solid Power Eating, Third Edition by Susan Kleiner.
21 of 23 persons found the following review helpful.
Big Book Equals Complete Book
By Tom “gym rat”
If I had to pick one word to describe this book, it wouldn’t be “big”, it would be “complete”. It’s not just a big book of exercises- it is that plus a whole lot of other data as well. Here’s galore of what I liked the best in regards to it…
-it devotes a chapter to answering questions we all have regarding lifting, questions such as “how fast ought to I lift?” or “how some repetitions will have to I do?”
-the exercises are coordinated by body part, so you get a bunch of ex’s for the chest in Chapter 4, a bunch of exercises for the back in Chapter 5, and so on. Easy to navigate around in this book.
-included is a division on warm-up exercies- which a lot of persons forget when it comes to doing. Here you’ll find a lot of stretches.
-there’s a workout plan towards the end of the book for just with regards to each need you might have. For example, you’ll find a workout plan for the crowded gym, for fat loss- even for vertical jumping. Neat!
The book ends with a division on cardio, and a section on nutrition. As you may see, while it is a “big” book of exercises (and kinda heavy too), it is also a very “complete’ book as well. Those who are fascinated in getting big arms might also be mesmerized in Smokin’ Hot Guns!!: How an Average Guy Can Get Big, Muscular Arms In One Workout A Week.
46 of 61 humans found the following review helpful.
Lot’s of good info
By DF
There are an unbelievable number of exercises in the book. The quality of the photography is outstanding and represents how to do the dissimilar exercises. The exercises are staged with multiple variations and easy suggestions such as altering the type of grip to vary the exercises. The only thing I would have bettered on would have been to add a brief comprehensible statement of what effect on the muscles being exercised the variations provide. However, that is only a minor flaw in my sentiment giving careful consideration to the immense amount of utile selective information the book provides. The book is an magnificent buy.
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Janell
@DeV0Ti0N Inertia: “the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.”
Look back at Newton’s first law which states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. If you have paused at the bottom of the squat, your body wants to stay paused. You must overcome the static inertia to begin the concentric contraction. As I’ve said, this will stress the knee
Delmar
@Avidgaimer99 you should definitely spend a little more time reading the comments before replying. I have clearly stated…on several occasions in this thread…that ATG is ONLY beneficial if you have the posterior chain flexibility for it. If you do not, it’s a quick way to destroy your knees and lower back.
Personally, I don’t have the flexibility, so I do NOT go ATG.
Dawn
@JSDavis82 your comment makes no scientific sense. To go back up is to go against the inertia anyway. If you mess up your knees on this exercise its not because of inertia, its because your knees went past your toes.
Tonya
@JSDavis82 Agreeing with DrGonzo39, dumb *****. You knees must sound like a cement mixer if you do ATG.
Jewel
@JSDavis82 Dumb *****.
Marcella
@SFO14 exactly theyre all different. the ones around here lock you into a 1 year commitment. i rather pay for equipment and have it forever.
Beatrice
@SFO14 gotcha. ATG (ass to grass) squats are great if you have the glute ham flexibility for it. I see so many ppl try to go atg by rounding their lower back. This happens b/c their glutes and/or hams are to tight (like me) and the only way they can continue the motion is to round the lower back. As you hopefully know, that’s a BIG no-no.
I agree that balance is important. And yes, there are other moves that emphasize posterior chain, but squats and deadlifts are the best…hands down.
Elvira
@DrGonzo39 ha ha. better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, my friend.
Cedrick
@JSDavis82 Dumb *****.
Claud
@JSDavis82 I thought you were talking about ass-to-grass, which I have done in the past (I’m about 7 feet). In the end I’d have to say to each their own, as long as you have good balance between glutes, hams, and quads your knees should be fine, I find a lot of knee problems happen b/c of imbalances, and there are other exercises you can do besides squats that can recruit glutes/hams, although squats are prolly the best way to do it.
Janelle
@wookieeassassin exactly. studies show that holding the breath through the negative phase increases abdominal pressure which drastically aids in supporting the spinal chord. Inhaling/exhaling during the lift is definitely a quick way to injury.
Everett
@sentenced10 couldn’t agree more. dropping the extra 8 inches or so from a 1/2 squat to a parallel squat is what separates the men from the boys…and by my observation, there are a lot of boys in most gyms.
Cleveland
@SFO14 I see your point SFO, and though it may be semantics, I would say that an athletic stance would be more of a 1/4 squat, not a 1/2. Regarding the full squat (knee and hip joint parallel, not *** to grass) — this type of squat recruits the entirety of the hamstrings and glutes. Half squats only nominally recruit the glutes and barely the hamstrings. If you can train to explosive from a full squat, i guarantee you’ll be explosive from an athletic stance.
Margery
@DrGonzo39 apologies mate, but I have correctly stated Newton’s 1st law. Your addendum is merely such…an addendum.
Nathan
@phoLegit I agree completely…but they’re proven to strengthen your knees when done properly. Pausing at the bottom of the squat, or any exercise, is not proper technique.
Noel
@JSDavis82 as long as the knees track the toes and don’t go too far beyond the toes you won’t be risking serious injury. A half squat gets you into an “athletic” stance, which is often sport specific but you see it in football, basketball, baseball. So why would you train doing a full squat when it’s not sport specific?
Alice
@soundman420 every gym is different, you can get one month, 2 month, 3 month memberships
Kenny
guys
will squat affect growth of height?
im 15 and i want to grow leg muscle
but im scared if squat affects growth of my height badly
Katelyn
@JSDavis82 Wrong. Newton’s first law states that when the sum of the forces on an object is equal to zero, the objects velocity cannot be changing.
Antoinette
Does it matter how you hold the dumbbells? And how much weight is ok hold? Doing it the way that is shown in this video just tires my arms and does nothing for my legs…
Miles
@doctaword Nah i got a rack instead, its silly to squat without a rack and i dont want to pay for memberships when they force you into a year commitment and expire etc.
Daphne
@soundman420 Get a Gym membership
Vicki
@HungAzn I always that the barbell works the entire thigh, with dumbbell, it only works the quads. It’s like the front squats, with the barbell.
Bertram
What should be the weight of dumbbells when my own weight is 70kg?
is 4×12 with 25kg on both hands good enough?
Ramon
@JSDavis82
but if you do them as a every other day routine, it can actually
strengthen your knees, it’s proven. Squats are known to
make your knees stronger WHEN doing them properly.