Rating: 
Summary: I really liked this book
Review: Aceto has written one of the most straightforward, simple books on bodybuilding I've read. His approach is a basic, nongimicky, traditional and common sense. I've been lifting now for about 3 years and still learned quite a bit from his advice.What I would recommend adding that would make this a 5-star book is a section on actual exercises and routines. With that missing, this book does not stand on its own for the beginner although is very useful for the more advanced bodybuilder. Also, I'm not crazy about the question and answer format used in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Chris Aceto is obviously a smart guy. It shows in his writing. You'll never find a bodybuilding book that is "art", but as a reference source this book is pretty good. I do have a few "cons" about this book, though: It's somewhat abivalent about the steroid issue. Some of the information in this book (though not the majority) seems to be geared toward the steroid-using bodybuilder without acknowledging it, which may be confusing to "naturals". There is almost a wink-and-a-nod about steroid use in a few of the glossary entries. However, this is not uncommon in bodybuilding books, so you'll have to judge for yourself if the information in these few entries is right for you. The other gripe I have is that this book is in need of a professional copy editor. There are numerous typos and grammatical inconsistencies. Overall, you may think I'm slamming this book, but I'm not. Dive into it with your eyes open and you can come away with some good stuff, especially about non- or low-controversial supplements like vitamins, minerals, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Chris Aceto is obviously a smart guy. It shows in his writing. You'll never find a bodybuilding book that is "art", but as a reference source this book is pretty good. I do have a few "cons" about this book, though: It's somewhat abivalent about the steroid issue. Some of the information in this book (though not the majority) seems to be geared toward the steroid-using bodybuilder without acknowledging it, which may be confusing to "naturals". There is almost a wink-and-a-nod about steroid use in a few of the glossary entries. However, this is not uncommon in bodybuilding books, so you'll have to judge for yourself if the information in these few entries is right for you. The other gripe I have is that this book is in need of a professional copy editor. There are numerous typos and grammatical inconsistencies. Overall, you may think I'm slamming this book, but I'm not. Dive into it with your eyes open and you can come away with some good stuff, especially about non- or low-controversial supplements like vitamins, minerals, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Ironmans ultimate mass
Review: I received the book,read it from cover to cover and found it to be very informative.I have been training for a while and have learned most of what was covered in this book.however,I did not have any good routines and as I learned in this book.I did not have the proper knowledge,until now.The book gives several routines from beginer to advanced.I also purchased the Ironmans guide to nutrition.These two books are great,these two really compliment each other. I am now looking forward to some great gains.
Rating:
Summary: Ironmans ultimate mass
Review: I received the book,read it from cover to cover and found it to be very informative.I have been training for a while and have learned most of what was covered in this book.however,I did not have any good routines and as I learned in this book.I did not have the proper knowledge,until now.The book gives several routines from beginer to advanced.I also purchased the Ironmans guide to nutrition.These two books are great,these two really compliment each other. I am now looking forward to some great gains.
Rating: 
Summary: of questionable accuracy...
Review: I received this book yesterday, and read it in about an hour. Needless to say, it lacked the substance I was looking for. Additionally, there were a number of things that made me question the credibility of the information in this book, among them: 1) The author doesn't recognize the validity of a simple "control group" study. He discounts the findings by saying that the study design is "flawed," and suggests a method that itself has a number of issues associated with it. This makes me wonder if any of his conclusions are derived from an understanding of scientific evidence on exercise and nutrition. 2) When discussing the likelihood of gaining fat as well as muscle on a "mass building" program, he says if you gain more muscle than fat, you are moving in "the right direction." However, consider the following example: Say you are a 120 pound woman with body fat of 20%. That means your body consists of 24 pounds of fat, and 96 pounds of lean tissue (muscle, bones, etc.) During your program, you gain 10 pounds total: 6 pounds of muscle (good job!) and 4 pounds of fat. Your body now consists of 102 lean pounds and 28 pounds of fat. Body fat percentage? 28/130 = 21.5%. Not the right direction, if you ask me. 3) Although I am no expert on the subject (that's why I bought this book!), some of the information in the nutrition section is at odds with other (in my mind, more credible) sources of the same information. Finally, (and this is a minor point, to be sure) the author's inability to distinguish between "your" and "you're" and "affect" and "effect" also hurt his credibility with me. There must be something better out there than this!
Rating:
Summary: of questionable accuracy...
Review: I received this book yesterday, and read it in about an hour. Needless to say, it lacked the substance I was looking for. Additionally, there were a number of things that made me question the credibility of the information in this book, among them: 1) The author doesn't recognize the validity of a simple "control group" study. He discounts the findings by saying that the study design is "flawed," and suggests a method that itself has a number of issues associated with it. This makes me wonder if any of his conclusions are derived from an understanding of scientific evidence on exercise and nutrition. 2) When discussing the likelihood of gaining fat as well as muscle on a "mass building" program, he says if you gain more muscle than fat, you are moving in "the right direction." However, consider the following example: Say you are a 120 pound woman with body fat of 20%. That means your body consists of 24 pounds of fat, and 96 pounds of lean tissue (muscle, bones, etc.) During your program, you gain 10 pounds total: 6 pounds of muscle (good job!) and 4 pounds of fat. Your body now consists of 102 lean pounds and 28 pounds of fat. Body fat percentage? 28/130 = 21.5%. Not the right direction, if you ask me. 3) Although I am no expert on the subject (that's why I bought this book!), some of the information in the nutrition section is at odds with other (in my mind, more credible) sources of the same information. Finally, (and this is a minor point, to be sure) the author's inability to distinguish between "your" and "you're" and "affect" and "effect" also hurt his credibility with me. There must be something better out there than this!
Rating: 
Summary: informative and clear
Review: Sort of an interview, the book delves into traing protocol such as sets, reps, bodypart groupings and routines. All of which is good and informative, yet the strength falls in the nutrition portion where the puzzle is put together. The auhor clearly lays down a nice formula and plan on how to either build mass without turning into the pillsbury doughboy, or to strip away fat without obliterating your muscle mass. I also liked the back of the book which is similar to a dictionary, but the words all pertain to training and nutrients.
Rating:
Summary: A Different View of How to Lift
Review: This book is not a long one, but the first 80 plus pages are not nutritional advice, and the final pages (past 100) are definitions of terms used in bodybuilding. The approximately 20 pages in between are the ones with nutritional information. If you want a book focused on bodybuilding nutrition please look elsewhere. IF you want a book that tells you about bodybuilding and has some nutritional information as an aside this may be for you. Many other books are much better; however, they take a different approach to the bodybuilding subject. Bodybuilding 101 by Wolff is excellent as an introduction to bodybuilding; however Bodybuilding 101 endorses the Weider methods which Mr. Aceto does not. This book will give you a different view of the endevor and might serve to round out a beginner's education on the subject. At least it will let a person know that there are different approaches to the sport. I would not recommend this book to a first time bodybuilder or someone who has not read extensively on the subject. Anyone purchasing the book should know a lot of the information will be contradicted in other publications.
Rating:
Summary: A Different View of How to Lift
Review: This book is not a long one, but the first 80 plus pages are not nutritional advice, and the final pages (past 100) are definitions of terms used in bodybuilding. The approximately 20 pages in between are the ones with nutritional information. If you want a book focused on bodybuilding nutrition please look elsewhere. IF you want a book that tells you about bodybuilding and has some nutritional information as an aside this may be for you. Many other books are much better; however, they take a different approach to the bodybuilding subject. Bodybuilding 101 by Wolff is excellent as an introduction to bodybuilding; however Bodybuilding 101 endorses the Weider methods which Mr. Aceto does not. This book will give you a different view of the endevor and might serve to round out a beginner's education on the subject. At least it will let a person know that there are different approaches to the sport. I would not recommend this book to a first time bodybuilder or someone who has not read extensively on the subject. Anyone purchasing the book should know a lot of the information will be contradicted in other publications.
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