Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding

Rating:
Summary: This book won't deliver what it promises!
Review: While this book does offer the best exercises to do and how to do them, it won't give you the body it promises. Yes, following the programs in the book will greatly improve your strength and physique, but how can you achieve the body that is featured on the cover, or anywhere inside the book for that matter? Drugs, drugs, and more drugs. If you want a guide on how to shape up, try a more honest book that tells you all you need to know, not just what you want to here

Rating:
Summary: What You Need To Gain Mass And Strength. Period.
Review: Yes, I've read quite a few: Ironman's Encyclopedia, Arnold's Encyclopedia, Power Factor Training, Bodybuilding 101, and while most of these books do provide great advice, the ultimate game plan for mass and strength is printed in this book, waiting to be read by the confused bodybuilder, like I was.

From what I've read in this book, the training principles like the flaming "supersets" and the blood-gushing "giant sets" can be easily found in this book and I have had excellent results with mass/strength gains from other Weider Principles.

What makes this terrific encyclopedia unique is that you aren't reading any other pro bodybuilder's routine that supposedly makes you gain great mass because it did for them. Not like that here. Weider has split the sections of the book into beginner, with appropriate training principles and great advice on how to increase resistance (weight) within a reasonable amount of time; an intermediate bodybuilder section about supersets/confusion/instinctive principles; the advanced bodybuilder with double split programs and the Tri-Set Principle with even more, like the Resto-Pause Principle--extreme way to pump up your biceps, especially in the motivational advice of Weider.

I also love reading the bodypart sections. You'll read Mike Christian's way of training the back and chest, Samir Bonnout's philosophy of building bigger biceps. They tell you like it is.

There's a very fine line between a bodybuilder who loves to change routines often and a bodybuilder who sticks with it like Arnold and Larry Scott have. I chose to go back into the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine, where if a certain exercise works for you at a certain weight/reps, stick with it! If not, follow Lou Ferrigno's intriguing way of varying reps/weight/princples and exercises. You can't decide until you read Weider's principles and advice!

From what I've read, Joe Weider is probably one of the most traditional bodybuilding professionals out there, his advice isn't like the "that's too good to be true". No. His advice has been used by professional bodybuilders from the mid 1960s up to now.

It's working for me, and it should for you too! Really, you will figure out the perfect routine for yourself, all in this book!