For example, most people believe that you can fully develop your biceps simply by doing the biceps curl, or by using another exercise that uses the same motion as that used in the biceps curl. And although the biceps curl(or a similar exercise) is necessary for full development of the biceps, it will never fully develop your biceps, because bending the arm (as done in the biceps curl) doesn’t recruit all of the muscle fibers in the biceps. It recruits only those muscle fibers that come into play for that particular motion. To fully develop the biceps, there’s another type of motion that must be done, because it recruits different muscle fibers in the biceps from those that come into play when bending the arm. And it you don’t perform that exercise with weights, you will never fully develop your biceps. Yet McRoberts makes no mention of that motion in his book, in addition to others that he ignores. In fact, out of all of the books I’ve read on this subject, only one includes this motion, and it’s a book by Schwarzenegger. Yet Schwarzenegger’s method for performing this motion is virtually useless, since it doesn’t create any resistance for the biceps to work against. But at least he deserves credit for including the motion in his book, which I believe no other author has done.

To be fair to Mr. McRoberts though, the shortcomings listed above are also shortcomings of every other published strength-training book out there. No published book has yet defined intensity correctly (as it relates to strength-training), and no published book has yet included all of the basic motions that the human body can perform with weights. There is a book that includes both of those, but it has not been published yet.

My main reasons for giving this book only two stars are because I find the information in the book to be unorganized, and I believe that the author would do better to explicitly explain how to perform each exercise correctly, step-by-step (like most other books do), and accompany each exercise with photos as a guide. Plus, he should inform the reader about what muscles come into play any given exercise. But McRoberts doesn’t take that approach with any of his books.

Finally, some of the information in this book is misleading. For example, McRoberts recommends that you do stretching exercises before your workout. Well you can do that as a warmup, as long as you don’t stretch any muscles that you’re about to contract during you workout. But immediately before your weight-lifting exercises, you should never stretch the muscles that you’re about to contract to lift the weights, because stretching a muscle “relaxes” the muscle; and that’s the exact opposite of what you want when you plan to immediately contract those muscles to lift weights. Stretching the muscles that you are planning to contract for any given exercise (or workout session)should be done immeditately after the workout session, not before.

In sum, you’ll probably find some useful information in this book; but the book is lacking in many areas, and misleading in some others. And all of the exercises are the same ones that have been around for many, many years…just viewed from the author’s unique perspective.
Rating: 2 / 5

I found the author to not only be unmotivational, but also downright cynical. How many times throughtout this book, do we hear about how he ‘had to give up his dream of professional bodybuilding because of his genetic limitations’? How many times does he say that less than 1% of the population can become bodybuilders and the rest should accept hereditary misfortunes?

We’re talking about a person who says that vitamins aren’t that important and almost all supplements are worthless. It’s obvious that he’s trapped in the past and doesn’t keep up with modern advances. Sure some of the stuff on the market is hype, but many of it is tried and true- read user reviews not the marketing material. Back in the 70′s, people didn’t understand cortisol or understand how certain chemicals aid in fat burning, or how supplementing amino acids or adding whey or casein protein can assist in building muscle. It’s also obvious from his lack of information regarding the use of fat burning cardio programs, resistance pulley equipment, or swiss ball routines… that his information is outdated.

For years I’ve heard from several people that the fat around my midsection was ‘genetic’ and that I would *never* be able to get rid of it. It certainly made me discouraged- because if it’s genetic- then obviously I couldn’t change it right?!? WRONG!

I started working with a personal trainer less than a month ago, and have already lost 1.5″ around my waist. My trainer’s story inspired me, because like me, he was always a skinny kid that couldn’t add weight or muscle. But after many years of dedication, and receiving a degree in Exercise Science- he went on to win a few local bodybuilding competitions. So unlike the author, my trainer didn’t give up or accept that he had limitations or that somehow genetics controlled him.

I realize that I can’t afford to work with a trainer forever, which was why I ordered a few books, to help me prepare for reaching my goals beyond the time with my trainer. Unfortunately, this book was a major let-down. There are several other books out there that are much more impressive and up-to-date with current technological and medical break-throughs. Sure you may have to buy three or four books- but each one will be geared towards what you are interested in. I bought several books on nutrition, bodybuilding supplements, and exercise techniques. But based upon the reviews on this book, I had expected it to be a “one-stop shopping” book, but this one was the biggest disappointment of them all.

What worked in the 70′s, does not necessarily translate to what works in the new millenium. Many of the exercise routines are still the same (barbell and bench), but many new advances have been made with the addition of new technology. To say all supplements are worthless truly shows how out-of-touch this author is. Then to say that increased vitamins are not necessary, also shows he doesn’t understand how the body works. The FDA’s daily recommendation on vitamin intake is based upon an ‘average’- but average of who and what lifestyle? It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that the more you work your body, the more nutrients and minerals it’s going to use. That was one thing my trainer told me after a week- “you need to replace your regular multivitamin with something more substantial.”

Anyway, this is just my opinion on the book. I expected to hear positive information, I want to be motivated, I want to believe that I can accomplish the goals I want… I didn’t want to hear cynicism from someone who gave up on his dream, and now wants everyone else to settle for less or give up their dreams too.
Rating: 1 / 5

It’s every thought the author ever had that loosely relates to training in what appears to be the same order he had them in.

Some of it sounds strange or dangerous like “normalize your chi” or “near-miraculous intervention”. Parts are outright advertising, among other crap for “active release techniques”..

..plus never ending wining about “genetic reality check”!

Rating: 1 / 5