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Summary: Fabulous book for a newbie
Review: As a 37yr old fattie, I have been trying to get myself into shape. I started aerobic exercise 6 months ago and took off some weight, but lost muscle also. This book took care of that problem. I bought the book 45 days ago and have used the exercises in the book religiously and have actually added muscle mass and definition...I have been told that I look buff...for the first time in my life. I really appreciated his views on the abs, and on a work ethic that gets the point across that nothing good comes easy. I would buy another book by Mr. Melfa when and if he publishes another.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I bought the book from ... about four months ago and it was money WELL spent. The reason I got it from ... was because I was embarrassed to buy it in a store. Pudgy 43-year-old guys worry about getting funny looks from cashiers, (well, at least this one does!). Anyway, with the help of the book, I have lost about 15 pounds, but more importantly, for the first time in my life I have muscles! I had never used free weights before and the improvement has amazed me. When we go to the beach this summer, it will be the first time in my adult life that I ever took off my shirt without feeling self conscious and that is going to be a great feeling. My wife really loves the new muscles, and she has even started lifting with me. Two VERY happy customers here!!!
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Summary: Easy for Novices
Review: This book was a very "easy read". I am someone who is a novice at weight training. I found the book very easy to understand. It enabled me to develop a comprehensive yet reasonable training program.
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Summary: A realistic portrayal of the hard work involved.
Review: I bought the book, "Bodybuilding a Realistic Approach : How You Can Have a Great Body!" a few months ago. I now know that I'll never regret it. Frank Melfa comes through as a genuine and earthy person, who doesn't mince words about what it takes to achieve a top class physique, or for that matter, what it takes to achieve anything in this world. That's the message that I got out of this book.It's funny. Because hardwork is one of the most simplest and straightforward ways to success. But, in this day and age of "instant" solutions to everything - from cooking recipes to financial problems -, we forget what it really takes to succeed. The book pretty much talks about all the topics of keeping fit, such as heart rates, aerobics, etc. I found this especially helpful, since I am not trying to build a championship physique. I bought the book more to help me maintain muscle strength, to train for my first marathon. From an objective point of view, I would say that the narrative of Mr.Melfa's book is a little amateurish. But then again, he isn't a professional writer. He is a body builder who's trying to get a message across. Good Luck!!
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Summary: The foundation of my workouts
Review: I started looking around at different books when I started working out, and I found this to be the most down-to-earth information. I began my fitness changes by doing the body for life program, but I got really frustrated with the supplements and the somewhat artificial approach. This is an amazing book. I've used it for the past month, and I've found it incredible useful to my bodybuilding goals.
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Summary: Down to earth Body Building
Review: If youre sick of reading magazines with those over proportioned guys with unachievable physiques. Then this is the perfect book. Frank has done a superb job on making this book readable and easy to digest. Ive been using it as my workout and weight training bible for the past few months and have made huge results. Ive lost at one stage 13KG of weight and am now putting the weight back on as muscle. This is all thanks to the routines and approach he has used in this book. Its not just a book of exercises but it also goes through recommended diets and what you should look at eating. Also for the person who is looking at getting to the competitive stage, there is a section there. Worth its weight in gold.
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Summary: training with weights
Review: If you used weights in high school or monkeyied around with weights on a part time basis and really never had anyone to answer your questions on training, this is the book for you. It has everything from training methods to nutrition. Check his web page before you buy. bodybuildingbyfrank.com ... Good investment if you are looking to get back to weights...........
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Summary: Five Stars is not enough
Review: With so many scams on bodybuilding books out there it's very difficult to find a book that is a bible for modern bodybuilders. Most of them are full of dudes on steroids who would never perform the amount of exercises that they claim without use of control substances. But look no further! "Bodybuilding a realistic approach" is truly a masterpiece. From the type of exercises with illustrations to the chapter on nutrition Mr. Melfa takes you step by step helping you to develop a great body that you always wanted. I was really amazed as to how quickly author responded to my email regarding my questions. I have been using this book for 3 months and I have gained 6 lbs of muscles and my body fat is at 8%. Remember folks- you owe it to yourself to get this book! You won't be disappointed!
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Summary: The Best Book I've Ever Read on Bodybuilding...
Review: This book takes bodybuilding out of the realm of magazines that depict genetically gifted stars of the sport whose California lifestyles are so radically different than the average person's, and puts it into a very realistic and logical step-by-step progression for the most novice of bodybuilders. Truthfully, Mr. Melfa isn't the most gifted writer on the planet. In the edition I read, there were some awkward uses of language, punctuation, and a couple of spelling errors here and there. Look beyond these! These miscues take nothing away from his expertise and knowledge of the body and how to build it. I've itemized the points of the book that made it something I consult every day. 1) The book draws largely from a period of time when Melfa was training for Rutgers' University amateur bodybuilding competition. During his training, he was a full time student with a job also. He wasn't some fitness star with endorsements and sponsors for whom working out and looking great was his career. He had real commitments, time pressures and other responsibilities, yet he still found time to build a championship quality physique. Also, he has won several bodybuilding titles that only further validates the information contained in his book. 2) Melfa isn't a HUGE, musclebound freak. Yes he's extremely defined (shredded) and he has developed great musculature, but he isn't so large that he needs to special order clothing or anything like that. He's developed the classic physique without going overboard or looking like a misfit. 3) He has prepared several workout regiments. Each is quite detailed and spells out what bodyparts to work each day, how many exercises per bodypart, what exercises to perform, the number of reps and the number of sets. Also included are picture demonstrations and descriptions of how to perform all of the exercises mentioned in the book. I've performed these programs and they never take me longer than 45 mins to an hour by myself and 70 minutes with my training partner. He also speaks extensively on cardiovascular exercise programs. 4) His nutrition section is well presented. The book spells out the foods that one can eat and how much. He doesn't present any recipes or anything like that, but that isn't within the scope of the book. He also speaks on supplements. He doesn't necessarily advocate them or advise against them. But, through his writings, he appears unconvinced of the claims of most supplement companies and believes that a proper training and diet regimend can accomplish what the most expensive and well-marketed supplement can. 5) Finally, he takes the reader through an entire pre-contest training and diet schedule from about 5 or 6 months out. This includes tips on tanning, posing, diet at different phases of the pre-season and training. This book is simple to read, absolutely full of essential information and perfect for the beginning and advanced bodybuilder. It takes all the guesswork out of effectively working out and lets you get right down to business.
Rating:
Summary: Book for bodybuilders of all levels
Review: This book is for everyone, from beginner to pro. It is very easy to read and filled with details. It covers all topics of bodybuilding, from exercise form to diet to stretching to contest prep. The author's back-to-basics approach helped me simplify many topics that muscle mag's and trainers had greatly clouded for me. The only thing about the book that confused me was the price. How is a book this good selling for under $20 ?
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