Rating: 
Summary: Created a Metmorphose in my life
Review: After years of going to the gym and seeing no results, I found Bob Paris' "Flawlwess" in the bookstore. I already admired Paris for his positions on coming-out and gay families so I thought I would give his book a try. I promised myself that I would follow his every instruction and practice what he preached, regardless of how much "motivation tracts" turn me off. Six months later my body fat was at 12.3%, I was buying size 31 501s, and my body was attracting attention at the gym, and at the bars, for the first time in my life. And I'm over 40! If the thought of bodybuilding attracts you and you want a completely laid-out program (hello, you type A personalities), this is the book for you! Thank you, Bob Paris! You changed my life.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic, Motivational, among the best fitness investments!
Review: Bob Paris, who dared to be steroid-free natural and later openly gay in the homophobic, juiced-up world of bodybuilding, has my respect. This book slices through the hype, and offers very detailed, honest techniques and programs with step-by-step instructions for total body fitness. Psychological fitness, sports psychology, motivation, training form and technique, and inner wellbeing and health are all key areas that Paris thoroughly delves into. These areas are all too often ignored by mass monsters who are singularly obsessed with muscle size. Paris discusses muscle quality, symmetry, and strength. He also provides easy-to-follow pictures of all the exercises. He gives three ten-week programs geared to different fitness levels, including one for foundational bodybuilding and one for more advanced and pro trainers. One of the advantages of this book is its supreme well-roundedness. Nutrition, sleep, personal hygiene, self-esteem, psychological attitude, and inner wellbeing are all areas that Paris includes in his focus on the "flawless" physique. As a personal trainer, I'd rate Flawless as one of the most honest and accessible fitness books out there. Paris ranks with Dr. Joyce Vedral as one of the highest rate fitness authors out there. Like the title itself, this book is about as flawless as you can get.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK OVER ANY OTHER WEIGHT-TRAINING GUIDE
Review: GO FROM FAT TO PHAT WITH THIS BOOK! It contains a ten-week training program for your fitness level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced). Want to look your absolute best in ten weeks? Follow the program for your level religiously and be amazed! I am 35 yrs. and wish I had this book when I started working out at 18 yrs. Then, I followed Arnold's Encyclopedia. By contrast, Paris' book focuses on putting you in the best shape possible without living in the gym and on steroids. I started several of my friends on these programs and they have had amazing results too. Do yourself a favor: buy this book and get off the net now. P.S. Bob, who did your hair? It's perfectly puffy...even as you get out of the pool on the front cover! WOW!
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, good plan, but.........
Review: Good book, good plan, but if you're not careful you could find yourself suffering from overtraining. Be sure to read carefully the information about diet and nutrition (which for some strange reason is at the end of the book and not the front) so you can take in enough calories to support the program. I did this through at the "journeyman" level until week 5 when I took the test and decided I was now at the "master" level. At that point, I was amazed to see that he's telling you to do 30-35 minutes of cardio after just spending between 90-minutes to two hours lifting weights! Not only is it very hard to find the time to do that, but if you don't take in enough calories (quality, clean calories) you're going to actually do more harm than good. I am pleased with what I've gotten out of the book. My only concern is the casual reader may not realize how important (and how difficult) it is to consume in excess of 3500 calories a day. For the "apprentice" level, I'd say this is a very good starting point. The plans provided change enough at that level and the fact that the routine changes, and the fact that the routine is spelled out for you should make this a must buy for someone starting out. If you're at the intermediate or advanced level, I'd still recommend this book. Just be careful. Also, one other complaint. Some of the excercises in the journeyman and master level aren't really described. You have to look elsewhere or just figure them out.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect training program
Review: I am a 19-year old bodybuilder from South Africa. I bought this book when I was 16 years old.In my enthusiasm I've read tons of other books in search for new information. The more I read the more confused I get. One day I decided that I am tired of searching for routines. From now on I am going to follow Bob Paris's programs. I am really impressed with this book. Bob Paris is the ideal bodybuilder. I don't like the look of today's steroid freaks. I like the natural look of Bob Paris. What really impressed me was the different programlevels. Bob Paris knows what he is talking about.
Rating:
Summary: trust me
Review: i am very sure that this book is the best overall one of its type. this man truly knows his business and is very motivational as well.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, good plan, but.........
Review: I bought and read this book over 3 years ago. I began as a novice beginner, so I started from scratch. I have gone thru all 3 of the 10 week programs. I have now done the advanced level, oh probably 8-10 times in that 3 year period. The best asset of this book is two fold. 1) There is no guess work, you just do exactly what he says each workout. 2) He incorporates variety into every repeat bodypart. So, you don't have to worry about changing the routine because it's too repetitive. This is the number one problem most people have. They don't change up their routine. Paris does this for you! The advance level is not for the faint of heart. It requires quite a bit of time commitment in the gym. This book got me into unbelievable shape! Better than I could ever hope for. What I admire most about this book is that fact that Paris stresses form over amount of weight. This is particularly important for beginners. "Leave your ego at the door" is the mantra of this book. I think this is the best bodybuilding book available for beginners and intermediate lifters! There is only one flaw to this "flawless" book. Some of the exercises that are a bit unusual, expecially for the beginning are not pictured or described. This can be frustrating for the beginner. YOu have to look for other sources to find descriptions. Lastly, the advanced 10 weeks can be a bit of overtraining if your not careful with the amount of weight and the time between sets. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: This book has been my bodybuilding bible for 3 years
Review: I bought and read this book over 3 years ago. I began as a novice beginner, so I started from scratch. I have gone thru all 3 of the 10 week programs. I have now done the advanced level, oh probably 8-10 times in that 3 year period. The best asset of this book is two fold. 1) There is no guess work, you just do exactly what he says each workout. 2) He incorporates variety into every repeat bodypart. So, you don't have to worry about changing the routine because it's too repetitive. This is the number one problem most people have. They don't change up their routine. Paris does this for you! The advance level is not for the faint of heart. It requires quite a bit of time commitment in the gym. This book got me into unbelievable shape! Better than I could ever hope for. What I admire most about this book is that fact that Paris stresses form over amount of weight. This is particularly important for beginners. "Leave your ego at the door" is the mantra of this book. I think this is the best bodybuilding book available for beginners and intermediate lifters! There is only one flaw to this "flawless" book. Some of the exercises that are a bit unusual, expecially for the beginning are not pictured or described. This can be frustrating for the beginner. YOu have to look for other sources to find descriptions. Lastly, the advanced 10 weeks can be a bit of overtraining if your not careful with the amount of weight and the time between sets. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay. But leaves a lot to be desired.
Review: I bought this book based on all the fantastic reviews. (I read them all.) Ones that said: BEST WORK OUT BOOK I'VE EVER OWNED, Very Realistic, and The perfect training program Unfortunately I have to go along with the couple that said: Well intentioned but flawed in terms of real life and, Somewhat Unrealistic. In the two plus years that I have been going to the gym, buying and reading workout books, and gathering all the information I can on bodybuilding, I have learned a couple things. 1) There is no perfect workout. 2) Every person is different and will make better gains on some workouts than other workout routines. So there is a place for Bob Paris's workout routines and I am using one of them now. But as mentioned already, they are very long and will quickly lead to over training, especially for beginners. Also, they do not include much variation, i.e., the set and rep schemes are all pretty similar. The SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) is scientifically established and proves that variation in workout routines are required if you want to continue to make gains. (Unless you are one of the few who are genetically gifted.) The part where he describes feeling the muscles is a good approach but I feel he did not expound on it as well as he could have. Some illustrations would have been nice. The nutrition part is okay but since the book was published much more is known about nutrition and hormones and exercising than was know then, so there is better information for those who are serious. As the one and only workout book, I give it 1 star. As an additional workout book, I give it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I bought this book within the first year after it was published. I'd read some other books on lifting weights before, and I'd gone through periods where I'd lifted, but didn't really know what I was doing. While the criticism I've read in other reviews that not all exercises are properly defined, this isn't really a problem. He uses the proper name for the exercises and the owner of the gym or anyone working there who belongs there should be able to tell you how to do it. This should only happen four or five times, and actually once you really understand the terminology a lot of them become obvious without instructions. The thing that makes this book so powerful is the fact that the exercise routines are layed out for you. Bob Paris is an accomplished bodybuilder, and he knows what it takes to get the body you are looking for. This book is not going to pander to the idea that you can have a body like the guy in the Bowflex commercial in six weeks. It's not going to tell you "you can have a fantastic body in 20 minutes a day" because that's simply not true. If you want to be big and defined, you MUST work very hard. If you set up your own routines, if you're like me, you simply don't end up working hard enough to get the results. but if you go through the Apprentice 10 week program, and the two following 10 week programs, at the end of that seven month period (especially if you have been careful with the nutrition) you will look fantastic, and I don't care how old you are. But if you want the results you have to work. Whether or not it's inconvenient to have a 2 hour, 3 day a week commitment followed by a 2-hour, four day a week commitment followed by a 2-hour, five-to-six day a week commitment is irrelevant. You can work less, but below the Master level you are not working hard enough to maximize your potential. However, if you DO get into the master-level workout, and stick with it, you're training hard enough to be a competitive athlete. This isn't some stepped-down program aimed at simple fitness, this is a plan for getting ripped and huge. And if you follow the rules, and stick with it, you are on your way to maximizing your potential. I found the book readable, although it's not put together very professionally. That doesn't bother me any, but it's clear that when the book was originally published they didn't figure on selling a lot of copies. I'm sure it's sold far better than they expected. I have an on-again off-again relationship with weightlifting/bodybuilding. I'm going back to the "on again" phase now. But this book was the tool that made me understand what it really takes to properly exercise. Work with this book for six months and then look around the gym at how stupidly most of the other guys lift. Wailing on their pecs and never working balancing their muscles, guys with chicken legs and giant traps. Stupid. There are so many dumb mistakes people make when they first start lifting, thinking "I want a six pack" or "I wish my biceps were bigger" and having no concept that fixating on one thing is going to make them look pretty bad. Throwing the weights around, bouncing the bar off your chest, and doing the same damn few exercises every single time they work out because they don't know any better. Be one of the smart ones. Learn to do it right and get 10 times more out of your time in the gym. Aside from the book, my one piece of advice is to show up with headphones and don't get to know anybody beyond spotting each other. You'll just waste time. Save the socializing for the pool hall. You're there to lift.
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