Reviews (136)

An excellent strength training reference manual
I work out regularly, and when doing strength training, I frequently have questions about which muscles I am working, whether I am performing the moves with correct form, etc.I decided to read this book after reading the author's companion work, Women's Strength Training Anatomy, which focuses on lower body only, whereas this volume offers a full-body review.
Strength Training Anatomy
Excellent strength training manual. I actually own the original version, but just had to buy the revised one as well. Do not regret the decision. This a clear, concise, well-laid out guide to weight training. I've been lifting for 9 years so I'm pretty advanced. Since I need to change my routines every 4-6 weeks, I always look to this handy book to put together new ones.

AWESOME!!
I use this book when I strength train and absolutely love it!! Recommend it to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Muscle strength    4. Muscles    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Weight training    8. Fitness training   

Editorial Review

You might think that the subtitle, "The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body," is hyperbole, but Read more

Reviews (58)

Good job
The authors do a very good job of explaining how your body, and more importantly, your muscles work, all with their "Men's Health" flare. The beginning of the book goes over a foundation of your muscles and the different types, which really set the tone for the rest of the book. Later in the book, they do go into specific detail on exercises and do's & dont's for beginners, intermediates, and advanced situations, so all of their bases are covered. They have seperate chapters for all muscles groups and great pictures to help visualize.
You've got to read this book!
I received this book as a gift. There are quite a few books on this subject on the market and this one is the best. I too could not put it down and finished it in 3 days. It's a huge book, a great resource that is well researched and written.. I have a few friends who've purchased this book and really loved it too. I can highly recommend this book
Are you kidding?
I purchased this book based upon the 50+ positive reviews and must say, I am disppointed. I will get right down to it. When referencing select muscle groups like shoulders, this book lists EVERY exercise that effects the muscle group and not the exercises that have a direct impact. For example, for shoulder exercises it lists Bench Press. The primary muscle group for Bench Press is the CHEST with the Shoulders being indirectly affected. The Bench Press should not even be in this category. This happens over and over whne discussing various muscle groups and it can lead a beginning weight lifter to have a strong misunderstaing of strength training.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Consumer Health    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Exercise    6. Men's Health    7. Physical fitness    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (28)

Great Book for motivation but actually learned something
I bought a copy of Beyond Brawn from McRoberts and was hesitant to buy this book because of the writing style and extreme abbreviated routines promoted. This book recommends excercises I can accomplish and get results.
Logical Extension of T-A-P
I've read and enjoyed several of Lou's other books, I like his style of writing and find his work entertaining and informative.This book, to me, is the logical successor to his popular Testosterone Advantage plan.The diet advice and planing is similar but updated, and the exercise plans follow a similar periodization scheme.Fat loss circuit, Hypertrophy, and low reps for strength.While there is a break in routine, I would not recommend this book to some one who has not worked out regularly for at least six months. But for some one looking to move from beginner to intermediate, or an intermediate looking for a change of pace, this would be an outstanding resource.

Women please read as well!
I know this book doesn't really address women too much, but it is highly reccomended that we read it.If you are tired of reading books to gain muscle and strength that show the fitness models with 1 and 3lb weights, this is the book to get.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Consumer Health    4. Exercise    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Human Exercise Physiology    8. Muscle strength    9. Weight Training    10. Weight lifting    11. Health & Fitness / Exercise    12. Weightlifting   

Reviews (9)

Fantastic !
This book allowed me to see sport differently than "suffer and pain" ! Thanks to Amazin Lethi, it is easy to feel joy and satisfaction about it ! Buy it ASAP !!!

Relief for an older, tired body - Thank YOU!!!
The exercises in Amazin's Total Strength Training for Women has allowed me to rejuvenate my body strength, tone weakened muscles in my arms and legs, and rebuild muscle loss due to my age (64). She has shown me that age is not really a factor when attempting to strengthen muscles - something I had resigned myself to upon reaching seniority. Her anatomical reproductions are excellent and they allowed me to target areas of my body that were weak or painful with equally excellent results. I look forward to her next book on Home Training. Her techniques have inspired me to set up a gym at home and continue to excercise. Thank you, Amazin ... there is an entire world of senior age women who can benefit from your book.

Men do it too
Thank you Amazin Lethi for this fantastic oeuvre. Despite being of the opposite gender from the focus of the book I found it wonderfully useful for my own workout.
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Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Exercise    3. Exercise For Women    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health/Fitness    6. Muscle strength    7. Physical fitness for women    8. Weight Training    9. Weight training for women    10. Women's Health - General    11. Sale Books   

Reviews (8)

Nice book
I bought this book and it was not a bad decision.Most of the reviews here are pretty accurate.He does cover unique ground in pointing out exercises that are not common in the more mainstream books like Body for Life and Lean Body Promise.The first edition has its fair share of editorial bugs but I think that you could piece together the general meaning given the context.I would point out that most books do not go into lifts such as the clean and snatch due to injury possibility.This is something that needs to be covered because some of these exercises can really put a person into jeopardy if they did not slowly build up to these type of movements.The more mainstream books tend to stick with bodyshaping movements and do not really go into more "athletic" moves.This is a good resource to consult for those type of movements but most people that I see working out at the gym are not into that type of lifting.In that way, the book is a bit overkill.The author has taken unnecessary pot-shots at the Body for Life and Lean Body books for being to simplistic or "looks based", but that is what a lot of people go for these days.They just want to know how to get from A to B as fast as possible.You look at Body for Life (even with its flaws) and the program is fairly simple and will give results as long as you are consistent.The downside with this book is that in being as comprehensive as it is, it misses the typical American way of life.I am not saying that this is the right way of thinking but it is out there.I would say that this is really geared towards those that are more advanced and not intimidated about more advanced lifting techniques.

Best Technique Book
This is the most detailed and complete book that I've ever read on weightlifting form.It's written in an outline-bullet format so that it's easy to understand, but it's still dense with information.
Good book
I purchased this book with the intent to learn more about the sport I participate in, which is Olympic Weightlifting. I found the book to very informative on each aspect of lifting. I also liked the detailed explanations throughout the book.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Consumer Health    4. Exercise    5. Muscle strength    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Weight lifting   

Reviews (116)

Am I reading the same book?
I thought that this book was very short on actual, useful data. It seems that it could be boiled down to about 20 good pages to get the pertinent information across to the reader and dispense with the "this is the best book in the world" hard sell. The physiology was only mildly interesting as I just wanted the "program"-give me the workout and let me decide if it works or not and spare me the anatomy and physiology lessons.

It worked for me
I followed Phase II of the book, as it was detailed in an a May/June 2005 Special Edition of Rodale Press entitled "Muscle."I jumped from 138 to 150 pounds in four weeks.I performed NO cardio and ate like a horse, but probably could have gotten adequate results by eating 3000 calories instead of the 4200.About half the gain was fat, with a very impressive 6 pound gain of lean muscle.Forget isolation exercises.Get the mass you need, then go for the beach muscles if that's what you want... or get shredded and start over.I'm 46 and I'm finally getting the mass I've worked all my life for.

Solid and clear advice, except for meal plan
I learned a lot from this book. It is quite scientific, but rather disorganized. The meal plan is very vague, however. Don't get me wrong, the book tells you exactly how to calculate energy/nutrition/timing requirements, but to apply the calculations to months-worth of meals -- finding real recipes to meet those requirements -- is a huge amount of work. The book does not help at all with this significant task.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilders    2. Bodybuilding    3. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Exercise    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health/Fitness    9. Muscle strength    10. Nutrition    11. Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weight Training   

Reviews (19)

Thorough and Insiprational
This is a very thorough and very inspirational book. It details all the possible types of exercises with all the possible types of equipment (and without any equipment as well) that one could do. Just by looking at the clearly drawn pictures, even before reading the explanatory notes accompanying each exercise, you get the idea of how to do it. I enjoyed very much reading about Bill Pearl's career and his overall philosophy about weight-training - his understanding of and approach to weight-training is just as impressive as his physique. Bill calls for natural, drug-free and healthy workouts and lifestyle, not the eat-all-food-you-can-handle-and-more and gain-fast advice that one gets nowadays.

Great Book. Thanks Bill, We needed this!
While many people classify themselves as trainers and experts, who better to get advice from than a man wo won Mr. America, Mr. USA, tied Arnolds record of four NABBA Mr. Universe wins, beat every great champion from the 50's to the 70's including Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane and Reg Park and has been training everyone from Joe Average wanting to get in shape to Mr. Olympia winners like Chris Dickerson.
Love this book!
This book is a great reference for all types of exercises. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in setting up resistance training programs, especially those working in the fitness industry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Reference    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Mind, body, spirit: thought & practice   

Reviews (29)

A Great Training Reference to Workout at Home
You will find a good collection of exercises (over 400), photographed and fully described to put together a flexible workout program.
Exactly What I Was Looking For
I can't add much to the other positive reviews here, but I liked this book so much that I thought I needed to add a few more stars to it's rating.
Great book when starting to workout
This book is great for someone that has never worked out or is just getting ready to start working out again. It is especially helpful if you haven't purchased any equipment yet. It will show you how to get the most out of different types of equipment and how to do most exercises no matter what type you have (dumbbells, barbell, machine, a chair, etc.) Having said that, if you do have a particular type of equipment this book will show you how to get more exercises out of it than you ever thought possible. It also tells you the benefits of different exercise and gives you sample workout routines. Finally, it differentiates between beginner, intermediate, and advanced form for almost every exercise. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Consumer Health    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Exercise    6. Exercise for men    7. Health and hygiene    8. Men    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (64)

Not worth the money
Anything you read in here has already been written in much better detail. although the pictures of the exercises are good with explaination, you can get this from the internet for free with a little looking.

This is overkill
This is overkill in my opinion. Focus on a program like his brother's 'body for life' and with consistent training you will see more defined abs in 12 weeks. ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN.

Too many unnecessary photos, poor on substance
In this 130-page book, there are 23 full-page photographs of the author, posing on mountains, streets, in front of his home front door, on lakes, under the shower, with and without glasses, you name it. Before you get to chapter 6, which contains 10 pages, the first 5 chapters range in length from 2 to 5 pages. Whether it is relevant or not, the author scatters his personal photos everywhere in the book.
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Subjects:  1. Abdominal exercises    2. Consumer Health    3. Exercise    4. General    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health & Fitness / Exercise    7. Health/Fitness    8. Physical fitness    9. Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weight Training    10. Abdomen    11. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    12. Diet / Health / Fitness    13. Muscles    14. Weight training   

Reviews (25)

great program with proven results
Lisa in CT has totally missed the boat on her review....If you do those exercises to COMPLETE momentary muscular failure (which will be outright hard work) you will pack on muscle as quickly as possible. There is no faster way to pack on muscle than brief, high-intensity workouts..I'm not talking about just doing 12 reps and then dropping the weight....you need to work to TOTAL failure and use a weight that will BARELY let you get between 8-12 reps. Then you will know the difference between grocery shopping and working out the Ellington Darden way (the right way).....The reason why some of the sections are brief is becasue that's all that is needed...it's not complicated....but you have to read it carefully and understand exactly what is being described when it comes to the intensity required....all-out effort....never had a grocery trip like that....
Not impressed. Very disappointing....
I purchased this book in hopes of getting the most out of my Bowflex Extreme 2. Other reviewers seemed to really like this book, so maybe I'm way off in my expectations. I've been working out for quite a while and recently purchased a Bowflex in hopes of saving time & money by working out at home instead of the gym. I'm not so sure about that decision now...
Great book for anyone looking to get in shape - not just bowflex users
This is not a bowflex manual.This is a manual on how to change your body.All of the pictures and illustrations are with the Bowflex.But, the exercise plan can be performed on any home gym - the only requirement is that you can quickly switch between exercises.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Consumer Health    4. Exercise    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Physical fitness    8. Training    9. Exercise & workout books   

Reviews (23)

Great book to keep your workout goal oriented and interesting
This book is great!I have always had a problem falling into a workout rut, and this book has designed a fun golf workout that changes every two weeks. I would recommend this book or any book in this series to someone who is training for a specific sport.The book is simple to read and you can download blank workout sheets from their website so you can track your progress.The book also has pictures explaining each exercise that is well organized by muscle group.Golf season has not started yet but I am looking forward to getting out there and crushing some great shots.

New Edition is Way Better
I'm a multi sport athlete who trains all year round regardless of what sport I play. I bought a few of these Ultimate Guide to Weight Training books, and they definitely helped me train specifically for the different sports that I play. Then about a year later I received an email from amazon that there was a new edition out.These upgraded editions are even better than the originals, with more articles and a lot more sport-specific information. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who plays a lot of sports or wants to specifically focus on training for one sport in particular.

Ultimate
This was a quick, easy and informative read for the novice weight trainer/improving golfer.Very nice! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Golf - General    3. Health/Fitness    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weight Training    6. Sports & Recreation / Golf    7. Sports & Recreation / Training    8. Training    9. Athletic Training And Conditioning   

Editorial Review

Fitness trainer Jorge Cruise has helped 3 million cyberspace clients lose weight, and now he's headed for your bookshelf with the same goal in mind. In just eight minutes a day, says Cruise, you can drop two pounds of fat per week, change your shape, and gain muscle and energy. His secret formula: an inspirational "wake-up talk," followed by strength training two muscle groups per day, eating according to his "eating card" program, and keeping a journal. For exercise, Cruise presents a varied, 28-day program of illustrated exercises using dumbbells. Why the emphasis on strength training? While aerobics burns calories while you're exercising, adding muscle revs up fat burning at rest by increasing your metabolic rate. Every pound of muscle you gain burns an extra 50 calories per day. You'll look better and feel younger and more energetic, resulting in more activity, burning more calories, he says. Cruise's eating plan emphasizes "good" (omega) fats, complex carbohydrates, high-quality protein (low in saturated fat), and vegetables, with dairy, fruits, and "treats and cravings" in moderation. His "Eating Card System" gives you an allotment of portions from each of the food groups. If you're the kind who likes the regimentation of following a specific program every day, Cruise will get you moving, eating better, and losing weight. Read more

Reviews (215)

8 minutes in the morning
My husband and I just Love this book,and all the excellent information,we ordered it and recieved it in no time,I would recomend this book to anyone. Trish Boone

I LOVE THIS BOOK AND CONCEPT!
8 Minutes in the morning is a staple book in my house. I can talk myself into doing 8 minutes when I can barely talk my sorry backside off the couch! And it really helps. My waist trims down, my arms gain strength, and best of all, I don't feel guilty! Sure, I fall off of my good intentions bandwagon, but time and again, I pull the book back off the shelf...This book is particularly helpful for new mothers, when you're traveling, the homebound, the writer (me) who wrinkles my nose at most exercise routines, and those who find themselves short on time. If don't get that run in later in the day, you've still stretched, lifted weights and did your body some good.
More than 8 minutes . . .
Just a warning - 8 minutes doesn't count warm up, stretching, or the time it takes you to get up from the floor and situated to the next exercise (something that I find really annoying and ineffecient!).
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Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diet/Nutrition    3. Exercise    4. Health    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Physical fitness    8. Reducing exercises    9. Weight Loss    10. Weight Training    11. Health & Fitness / Diets   

Reviews (59)

the best intrduction to kettlebells
this is and will be the best beginner book for kettlebells.
KettleBell- Fun Training alternative
The "Evil Russians" first book on Kettlebell training opens up whole new horizons to fitness.
great intro to kb training
This is a terrific book for anyone interested in beginning kettlebell training. The history of the sport and basic exercises are covered in detail. I would recommend this book highly to anyone looking to try kettlebells for the first time. After working out for years I have finally found a method that fits into my fitness goals, with the added benefit of convenience and a fast learning curve. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Exercise    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health & Fitness / Exercise    6. Health/Fitness    7. Exercise & workout books    8. Muscle strength    9. Physical education and training    10. Physical fitness   

Editorial Review

Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't competed as a bodybuilder since he won the Mr. Olympia title in 1980, but he remains the sport's No. 1 icon. He hosts an annual bodybuilding contest in Columbus, Ohio, and allows a column to be ghost-written under his name in a muscle magazine. Today's bodybuilders may have bigger muscles than Arnold ever did, but everyone inside and outside the iron game gives him credit for exponentially broadening the popularity of physique training.Read more

Reviews (229)

Wonderful, Comprehensive, User-Friendly... But Where Are the Women?!
With all of the other verbose reviews posted here extolling the various perks of this massive encyclopedia, I will merely say succinctly that "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" nearly covers the sport from A to Z without missing a beat.It is a great reference book and I have been finding it very inspirational whenever I set out to develop a new routine for myself.The many personal stories told in Arnold's friendly voice are also generally interesting, and the chapters dealing more specifically with competitions and nutrition are noteworthy.
The Most Comprehensive Book Of It's Kind!
I originally bought this book around 20 years ago. I read it from cover to cover many times andlearned a tremendous amount! Years ago, I regrettably lent it out without ever getting it back so I recently bought another copy for my son when he started weight training.
arnold schwarzenegger bible
this is a must own for all lifters, beginers or vetrens of the sport. great pictures and info. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding    2. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    3. Exercise    4. Massage & Reflexotherapy    5. Reference    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Weight training    8. Reference works    9. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (108)

Ouch
Guys, I respect Pavel, and he has a tremendous reputation in the power-training world.I was really excited to begin the routine in P2P, but it only took me three weeks to WRECK my lower back from the deadlifts and my right shoulder from the side presses.I'm a strong, healthy, 26-year old guy with about a year of freeweight experience.I paid very close attention to Pavel's directions, and still got injured.There are safer routines out there.

Excellent start
I liked this book and have been following the cycles in my strength training for quite some time. The principle of irradiation is interesting and I've since eliminated the idea of isolation and replaced it with emphasis. I like how this book teaches a practitioner to become strong without adding any mass. I would only give the book 4 stars because it is a start and not a one stop source for developing strength. For the price of the book, it should be. I have made significant gains on this program but have reached plateaus and I also find that when I abandon this training, my progress is quickly lost. I think the author purposely holds back information in his books so that he can later publish new books containing the missing information and make more money. This is no way to do business. All this aside, this is a great start to strength training but the book does have its limitations.

Strength, Strength, and little but Strength
Some people will try to sell this as Pavel's Book of Muscle.I disagree.This is a book on strength training, period.If you're looking for an overall fitness book, look elsewhere.If you want to know how to get strong, using just a barbell, this is your ticket.
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Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Exercise    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health & Fitness / Exercise    6. Health/Fitness    7. Bodybuilding    8. Exercise & workout books    9. Muscle strength    10. Physical education and trainin    11. Physical fitness    12. Russia   

Reviews (5)

GREAT SWIMMING BOOK
This book is an excellent training guide for the swimmer at any level.I have been swimming for many years and after reading this book I have taken my skills to a higher level.I feel much stronger in the pool and my endurance has really increased.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone who loves to swim.

unbeatable
Of all the training books out there today, this is the only one i have seen that really speaks to the swimmer specifically!This is an invaluable resource for any swimmer or coach.I would recommend this to the novice swimmer or a pro. Two thumbs up!

A Real Splash!!
I found that this book increased my speed, strength, and endurance.Often times, by increasing strenght, swimmers lose efficiency in their strokes.I found that this book did a great job increasing stroke power, while reiterating the need to maintain stroke efficiency.A GREAT BUY! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Sports    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weight Training    5. Sports & Recreation / Swimming    6. Sports & Recreation / Training    7. Swimming    8. Training    9. Athletic Training And Conditioning    10. Exercise    11. Health & Fitness    12. Physical education and training   

Reviews (65)

The Art of Expressing the Human Body
There was a time that I was skeptical that a 145 lb., 5'7", individual could have anything to offer as far as offering instruction on building tremendous physical strength and acheiving combat skills that are rivaled by few. This book deals with the first point...that of building tremendous physical strength which would be utilized for acheiving excelling combat skills. Great insight into the mind of a man who I once doubted could acheive such greatness.

Technique is wisdom.To train is power.
What an outlandishly brilliant collection of Bruce Lee's personal training regimine.This is utterly priceless for its detail and stark showing of Bruce's true grit.It was a fight at a local dojo instigated by a rival martial arts group in China Town, San Francisco (actually they disapproved, as many did, Bruce's teaching such high quality lessons to Americans - really can't blame them) that spurred Bruce on to investigate and finally put to practice the lessons of bodybuilding and strength training.Extreme conditoning also - i.e. lots of cardio (2-6 mile jogs; 45 minute stationary biking; interval training, where you sprint several hundred yards then jog, then sprint, then jog and so on).
Dont' bother
I was very disappointed in this book. It's not quite sure what it's supposed to be, and so, ends up being nothing. There are endless lists of workout routines that Bruce Lee supposedly used. But, they usually have little or no explanation, so are useless. There is no, repeat no, nutritional info that you can't find in a free booklet in any supermarket. There are weight training guidelines for rank beginners, but nothing that hasn't been done better by weight training or martial arts magazines.
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Subjects:  1. 1940-1973    2. Bodybuilding    3. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    4. Consumer Health    5. Exercise    6. General    7. Health/Fitness    8. Lee, Bruce,    9. Physical fitness    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Training    12. Biography: general    13. Exercise & workout books    14. Lee, Bruce    15. Oriental martial arts   

Reviews (3)

thanks
I never thought I could or would run a triathlon, but this book really helped me train.It was a great guide and plan for the winter, and hopefully I'll be able to compete in the spring.Without this I'd be lost.

Helpful workout program
The triathlon program was thorough and easy to follow.I started the program less than 2 weeks ago and I can already see results.Highly recommended.

looks good
This book looks very good.Other books concentrate on total fitness for triathlon with only limited emphasis on weight training, while this book puts all of its emphasis on weight training and is the perfect supplement to any other triathlon book.The programs appear to be very easy to follow. I look forward to putting it to good use. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Sports    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weight Training    5. Sports & Recreation / Training    6. Sports & Recreation / Triathlon    7. Training    8. Triathlon    9. Athletic Training And Conditioning    10. Exercise    11. Health & Fitness    12. Physical education and training