Is this book any good? A friend of mine got a copy which he doesnt use anymore, and Im thinking of loading it off him…
The book has much outdated and unscientific information, but purely for the exercises and routines, I would still rate it a good reference.
If nothing, it’s a great little piece of inspiration.
I have it. I bought it on sale at a bookstore when I was in college. It’s a classic and a must-have.
Some of the scientific information may be outdated but it’s a great reference esp. for exercises.
Arnold made an interesting comment about Keto diets. He mentioned to the effect that they are nothing new and have been in use by bodybuilders since the 50’s? (I can’t remember exactly when) and they tend to gain and lose popularity every decade.
It is a good book in terms of pics and diagrams, exercise description, etc. However, I feel that the workouts Arnold gives are geared towards lifters getting a little extra “help”. After all, Arnold himself was known to rely on a bit of vitamin S…
Like the others have said, much of the training info, diet etc. is outdated (and if he wasn’t juiced, he was the most overtrained man in history) but this book is possibly one of the best pieces of inspiration you’ll find. It got me out of a long, long rut and then I found T-mag during this new phase and I haven’t looked back, so I feel I owe much of it to him.
The guy kept a dumbell under his bed and every moring when he woke up, even before getting out of bed he was doing shoulders. Makes you realize every time you’re giving something your all, you can always turn it up a little more- and that goes for everything in your life.
As far as a motivational and inspirational tool, there are very few that can match it. The photos are great–just go to the section on chest and look at the most-musculars and side-chests of Arnie…Quality!
But, like the others have mentioned, taking a training program based on the recommendations or using the nutrition advice would be an injustice to yourself. You would be much better off employing the strategies and principles that we have established today.
I would still suggest the Bodybuilding Encyclopedia and that you look through the pages before your workout for an ECA-like kick.
Great book for basic training and still worth having as a reference.