Rating: 
Summary: broad scoped, very informative
Review: This book was surprisingly helpful. I have worked out in the past, but never really seriously. My goal is to get into really good shape and learn how to really do it correctly. This book being written by a 4 time Mr. Universe, I expected it to by geared toward hard core body builders, but it was actually very informative to any lifter. There was info on nutrition, muscles, drugs, total fitness, and general weight training safety and technique. In addition, I found what I expected: several hundred exercises for all the body parts. It also had specific routines for beginners to competitive lifters and for specific sports. This book was much more geared to what I wanted, general fitness, than I expected. It was very useful.
Rating:
Summary: I've used this for twelve years- Outstanding
Review: This excellent book has been around for years and is still one of the greatest resources anyone can use to increase their physical strength or just get in shape. There are really few books out there of this quality that one can really claim are "for everyone". This is one of them.Pearl breaks it down for the reader. You can plan your exercises around which sport you want to improve at or which body parts you want to emphasize. Each exercise or series of exercises is also layered according to fitness level. A great resource for anyone. I've used this book for fourteen years and have gone through a couple of them [one criticism is the paper cover- a hardback version would be excellent]. An excellent exercise and training resource: Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Essential reference for weight training!
Review: This is a comprehensive book which anybody can learn from, whether you're a beginner or a hardcore, experienced bodybuilder. Bill Pearl's qualifications are unquestionable, and he takes the reader through his own training experiences, both good and bad. There are programs for general conditioning, beginning, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilding, and specific sports training, all of which are excellent. In addition, you can also find a chapter on "fine-tuning" specific body parts, as well as 26 pages of various illustrated free-weight exercises, for you to incorporate and mix up in a self-designed program. I enjoy this book as a female, because there is no special section for "weight training for women" - they are treated as equals, and referenced throughout the book. Also, this is a great reference for the home trainer, since it is much cheaper to buy a set of free weights to train with vs. expensive machines which limit your movements. Bill Pearl gives the reader plenty of exercises to choose from using free weights alone. He doesn't neglect machines, although he definitely stresses free weights more, as that is where the bulk of his own experience comes from. One more plus is that there are several pages which seem designed to be photocopied and brought to the gym (something I have done to give me general program guidance, and to help me come up with new ideas). He even has a tracking card in the back of the book to copy and fill out, so you can watch yourself progress. Overall, I give this book my highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: You should really own this book ...
Review: This is a great book. I've owned a bunch of body building books - this is the only one that has been consistently in my library. Bill Pearl has been Mr. Universe a few times, so he knows what he's talking about, ALSO despite that the book is presented in fun, down-to-earth tone it's filled with practical USEFULL information. (which is much more than I can say for the other books I've owned). He's also very carefull about his recommendations which adds credibility. Also Bill Pearl owns the most comprehensive collection of visual workout instructions (patters) - and uses them in this book - the clearest I've found to date. Regardless of whatever books you buy, you should have this on-hand as a reference - it's value to your workout will far surpass the 15 or 16 bucks you'll spend on it.
Rating:
Summary: A POWERFUL new version of a POWER-PACKED classic!
Review: This is an awesome book by an awesome man. Bill Pearl was one of my dad's heroes: he called him "... the classiest bodybuilder of the century." I have used the first version of this book as my training bible for over 10 years, and will continue to use this new edition as my personal trainer until the day I no longer have the strength to turn the pages. This revised edition still features the same huge selection of weight training exercises, along with a ton of different programs that are easy to follow. But it has a bunch of additions and changes that bring it right into the 21st century. The chapter on nutrition has much valuable new information on the latest scientific research coupled with a common sense approach to diet. The new part I like best is the strengthening exercises for rehabilitating three of the most common injuries: lower back, shoulder, and knee. My back has been a problem for some time, and I have noticed an improvement since I started doing the suggested exercises. I also like Bill's advice on supplements like creatine and glucosamine, as well as drugs such as steroids and human growth hormone. Bill Pearl's the man, and his book is a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: the most comprehensive fitness training book available
Review: What makes this book unique is that it is not written solely
for bulky bodybuilders. The information it contains is applicable to anyone who is interested in improving strength
and/or athletic performance. In addition to showing weight training techniques with barbells and machines, this book contains extensive
illustrations of weight training using dumbbells, which enables anyone, anywhere to engage in weight training. An especially interesting twist is that the author, Bill Pearl,
is a former champion bodybuilder, a long time vegetarian (he
doesn't even eat chicken or fish!), and is in fantastic shape (although in his 50's, he looks decades younger).
Rating:
Summary: Life experience
Review: When I decided to start exercising seriously I was 43. I reviewed countless books to see which might help me and more or less serve as a "fitness trainer". Pearl's book was unique. I largely followed his regimen and advice and now I am 57 and still working out four times a week with weights. His advice is right on target, intelligent, rational, honest, effective.
While I do not go for "records" any longer and am more or less on a "maintenance" program, at the age of 49 I bench pressed 405 pounds and undoubtedly could have gone higher in competition at body weight of 190 (and for a time considered competing in "Master`s" competitions). I eventually went lower in body weight, to around 179-180 and didn't worry about pushing myself harder on lifts. (I might add that when I first started lifting I weighed around 250 pounds.) Today, just a couple of months from 58, I still follow Pearl`s guidelines. They work, simply that. And if one wants to be healthy and is not aiming at heavy lifting, great, his advice applies. In fact, Pearl is first and foremost an intelligent guy whose first objective is health.
Rating:
Summary: The book I started with 10 years ago!
Review: When I started lifting weights 10 years ago in highschool, this was the book I read and learned everything from. Soon, I was pretty muscular and cut. I began surpassing my friends that had been lifting longer than me, and some were even more dedicated than me, but they never achieved the results I did because they were doing it all wrong! I could never workout with them because their training philosophy was just whacked and they'd listen to the crazy strange advice from "big guys" they'd run into, rather than the practical advice I'd give them that I learned from this book. Even though they admired my progress, they followed other's advice thinking it sounded more hardcore and would get them better results faster. This book has practical, sensible advice and many good workout routines. Information you won't find in magazines that try to sell you the latest supplement fad. I highly recommend this book to anyone that's beginning to work out and to those that have been working out, but got their education from friends or bodybuilding magazines owned by the supplement companies.
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