Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: As a big fan of Brawn I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately Beyond Brawn has big drawbacks. Repetition is taken to the nth degree, it has a style which is difficult to read and it lacks any motivational qualities. Brawn and early issues of Hardgainer the magazine were very different.I would still reccomend buying Brawn and all Hardgainer issues up to around 1998 when the tone seemed to change with kids like Dahlin and Finander writing articles rather than experienced people like Tony Rose. If you have Mcroberts first book Brawn you have little need for Beyond Brawn.
Rating: 
Summary: An important book
Review: Been churning away in the Gym for years without making any serious progress? Maybe you feel a little trimmer and stronger than you would if you didn't work out, but haven't ever hoisted any serious poundages? Then you need to read this book. The answer isn't to work out more days per week or to try to squeeze more sets and reps into your workouts. You need more rest, fewer sets and a dogged determination to keep putting more weight on the bar (even if it's half a pound, the author will explain how) for big multi joint exercises. I've been following his advice, and my various aches and pains have melted away as I'm getting noticeably stronger. This book is a must read for iron heads.
Rating:
Summary: Even better than Gunnar
Review: I have followed Gunners advice now for 4 years. I currently weigh 320 and squat 125 in a rest-pause style, returning the bar to the racks between each rep. I was happy with my progress but found Beyond Brawn the book to really boost my gains. I would recomend it to all trainees.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: This is the best book out there on the subject, especially for the beginner or the person for whom weight training is a way to better general health and fitness. Space is not wasted on steroid bodybuilders or freaks. Excellent sane advice. I have a friendly disagreement with a previous reviewer-this book surpasses Brawn in the level of general instruction it gives to the average weight trainer. But both are excellent. Start here.
Rating:
Summary: Verbose redo of the best lifting book ever written.
Review: I've reviewed this book before, but since then, I've purchased its predocessor, Brawn. It has 95% of the information this book does (along with a few unique tidbits) but it's easier to read and less negative. That's been the main complaint about this book--great information, but poor presentation. If you want the same info in a less cluttered format, get Brawn 1 instead.
Rating:
Summary: Fast and cheap way to a body
Review: My training philosophy was flipped upsidedown with Brawn and now Beyond Brawn. This is the only way wihtout drugs and exceptional genes. Someone earlier said that there's no research behind this. Well, perhaps it is all practical instead of academic, but for about 50 years bodies were built this way! This was the common way until drugs came to the scene. And the author has run his own public gym for years and has seen all walks of life and the effects of different training schemes. Some clients believe him, others try different routes and the end results speak for themselves: the common route of todays Muscle mags rarely do it for the average Joe (with average genetics, no drugs, average money, time to invest, no pro meaning that has other life too with work/school/family etc). This book is great!
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Chaos
Review: Buy this book if you lift weights or as a gift for anyone you know who lifts. McRobert's editorial organization is nonexistent; the topic sequencing is chaos theory in action. But the concepts are golden, and they are clearly detailed. The hours spent reading Beyond Brawn will save the reader years of wasted time and prevent many hardships. Now, if he would just get organized ;-) Marty Bacon
Rating:
Summary: All that you need to know
Review: This book is not a lone voice in the wilderness of body-building, nor is its advice "new." It is one author's practical guide to the principles of effective body building for people without genetic advantages. Numerous experts and professional trainers in the field who have been buried under the avalanche of muscle magazine hype, supplements, and steroid abuse -- the best-kept non-secret of the bodybuilding world -- share this philosophy. These people are finding a voice on web sites..., but this is one of a precious few books that puts a great deal of that knowledge at your fingertips for easy reference. If you are someone who doesn't want to do illegal drugs, your genetics DO matter. So does your capacity to recover between intense workouts. Most people can't go to the gym 4-6 days a week and expect muscle-building results that will continue to pile on over months or years. I'm living testament to that, having done typical training methods for three years and getting nowhere after my initial beginner's gains. Tweaking my workouts and nutrition in various ways had little effect if any at all. Then I followed the principles laid out in this book and (so far) have gained 7 pounds in seven weeks that wasn't fat. Sound like a gimmick? It isn't. The gimmicks are in the hyped-up marketing campaigns of the bodybuilding industry. BEYOND BRAWN is about safety, sanity, hard work, getting the most out of the hand you've been dealt, and the fine art of knowing when you are doing too much and thus hindering your progress. I will agree with the previous reviewers that there is a lot of repetition. It's a small inconvenience to pay for all the valuable information you get, but probably a necessary thing to a reader who has done high-volume training for years and may be tempted to hold on to counter-productive elements of their ingrained training style. Another earlier review made the bizarre claim that you will get fat using this approach. You do not get fat from adopting an abbreviated, high-intensity weight-training program - you get fat from EATING TOO MUCH. Nutrition and aerobics are covered in the book and specific strategies are discussed for figuring out what your optimal caloric intake should be for adding muscle. If you get fat, you weren't following the directions. Since everyone's body is different, the author presents a loose enough framework for the reader to figure out what works best for him or her, but if you fail the basics (proper training, nutrition and rest) then you won't see gains and you run a higher risk of injuring yourself. If you are serious about training, get this book.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Arnold's Book Altogether...
Review: Unfortunately, the most popular books available on weightlifting are the ones with the LEAST usable advice and content, for example Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. While this is an interesting document of Arnold's history and personal weightlifting methods, his long-winded routines and high-volume approach will overtrain almost anybody without his predetermined genetic gifts. The result is and unfortunately will be people who pour excessive time into the gym, doing their body damage but never giving it the proper care for significant growth. Beyond Brawn is not the only book that speaks to ALL weightlifters, but it is probably the best. It gives any man or woman interested in weightlifting all the ammunition they need to create their own training program, and self-adapt it for years to come. It's not a gimmick. It doesn't pretend to be easy. But it's the most honest book on the subject you will find.
Rating:
Summary: If your intrested in muscle mass you need this Book.
Review: Are you in good shape but not as muscular as you would like? Been lifting for a while and progress has fallen off? Finally realizing that the training that Mr. Olympia does has less to do with how big he is then The outrageous amount of steriods he is injecting in to his system. No offence mister Coleman. This book is for you. Intensity cycling is effetive for the intermedate weight lifter that i can attest to from personal experince, and if stuart McRobert says it works for the advanced man as well then i have no cuase to disbelieve him. A MUST HAVE.
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