Strength Training Anatomy - 2nd Edition
by Frederic Delavier
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Book Reviews of Strength Training Anatomy - 2nd Edition
Book Review: A Great Reference Book for Workouts
Summary: 4 Stars
I'd say a good portion of my adult life I've been rather thin. Not crazy skinny, but thin. When the New Years came around I made a conscious decision to try and add a little bulk to my frame. Since I don't really have much body fat, it's always been painfully easy for me to just hit the ground running. Laziness was always stopping it seemed.
Anyway, this book like others have said, is not a "how-to" book. It's just mainly divided into body part sections with specific exercises that target certain muscles. So far I've picked and chosen different exercises and made my own little regiment. You could take a couple exercises from this, mix and match, and hit the gym each time targeting different muscle systems.
So far it's been about a month and a half since I started with this little book, and the results have been good. My brother before would only do bench presses, and a handful of others, but he's never targeted anything else. This little book shows you all the different muscles you can target, and how to do them and variations on them.
While my results aren't earth shattering, after a month I've got some relativly decent form and moderate bulk. I stick to about 30 mins to an an hour a day doing various exercises from here and another book (From Scrawny To Brawny) and have seen noticeable changes and have gotten comments from friends who havent seen me in a few months.
A few negatives are the illustrations are sometimes a little off. There are only 1 or 2 large pictures per exercise and it can sometimes be hard to tell exactly what is going on with the people in it. The book itself also seems to be a little on the flimsy side, it seems the pages are almost coming loose.
With that being said If you're a little on the scrawny side, or thin side, and looking to add some weight, this is a good place to start. I had a little home bench set I bought from academy and at [...] and this book you can acheive pretty decent results if you stick to a regiment. Sometimes it's hard from me to roll out there and do a bunch of sets, but I try to do atleast SOME sort of reps and the results have been good.
Book Review: Anatomy - organized by exercise
Summary: 5 Stars
I went through a pile of exercise, weightlifting, and fitness anatomy books before buying this one. Strength Training Anatomy not only illustrates and describes - in detail - the anatomy involved in each exercise, but does so for more exercises than comparable books. It also doesn't shy away from using the proper terms. I particularly like that the exercise coverage hits a number of variations. You'll find a number of curls, press, and fly variations, for example, with comments on their differences as it relates to anatomy. There are also sidebars throughout the book on common injuries.
The anatomy is more than just muscles, too. Bones, tendons and ligaments, and gender differences are covered in detail. Variations among individuals are touched on where they are important to training (e.g., elbow structures, hip mobility). There is a 3-page detailed muscular system illustration at the front of the book, and a 2-page detailed skeleton illustration in the back of the book, along with a handy illustration of major muscle groups.
Execution details are given for each exercise, along with comments on training effect and purpose. Again, these comments are in considerable detail, making this volume a superb source of material for anyone involved in corrective training.
The only thing missing, in my view, is a good index. A cross-reference of muscle by exercise would also be a nice thing to have.
My favorite single illustration has to be the muscles involved in the deadlift. If ever a picture made Pavel Tsatsouline's case for his Power to the People book (focused on deadlift and press) - Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American, this would be it.
This is a terrific book - 144 pages that can be used superficially as a quick training aid or for detailed study. It manages to serve both purposes well without one getting in the way of the other.
Book Review: An Invaluable Book
Summary: 5 Stars
The human body is a system. In bodybuilding, if you treat your body systematically -- proper technique of movement, breathing, nutrition, hydration, rest, state of mind, and even clothing, etc. -- you will get good results. If you do not, you won't. It's that simple. Mr. Frederic Delavier's "Strength Training Anatomy" is an important component to help you to achieve good technique.
Nowhere is the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words", more appropriate than with this book, which is a collection of anatomical pictures showing you exactly which muscle, or group of muscles, is used in each movement. In addition, a detailed description of each movement with recommendations is provided below each picture. The book is divided into seven chapters: (1) "Arms", (2) "Shoulders", (3) "Chest", (4) "Back", (5) "Legs", (6) "Buttocks" and (7) "Abdomen". Each chapter contains many movements/exercises for each muscle group.
In a gym, you will encounter at least 80% of people who absolutely have no clue what they are doing. (You can usually tell them apart by their loud screams, grunts and moans to get attention.) Correct technique is vital to achieve bodybuilding success! If you are a beginning bodybuilder, I highly recommend that this book be your first book to buy, or at the very least one of your first books. This seemingly innocent-looking book is an absolutely invaluable book for any bodybuilder of any caliber!
Book Review: A beautiful book to be used with caution
Summary: 4 Stars
There are two main benefits to be derived from
this book. First, it is a beautiful anatomy of
exercise-the drawings have a combination of
fidelity and grace that makes you want to cultivate
the very muscles that are being drawn. It is,
by virtue of its beauty, a first-class motivational
tool.
Second, it is a reminder of the value of
constantly changing your exercise routine. The
book is organized in section about each body part.
So the serious lifter/strength trainer can consult
the list of exercises described to vary his or
her routine.
There is a great deal that's not included in this book
and you should definitely not consider it your
only training resource. There is no information
about cardio training, warming up or stretching.
You'll find nothing about nutrition, hydration or the
problem of overtraining.
Most importantly, some of the exercises, like the
behind the neck pulldowns are now considered dangerous
and potentially damaging. Others, like the flies have to
be considered in the context of rotator cuff injuries.
So make this your second book, or one that you use
in conjunction with a certified personal trainer.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005
Book Review: do it yourself body sculpting
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever tried feeling your muscles while working out to see what is getting worked?
If you are into 0% body fat and just want to be fit overall, then this book is probably not for you.
This book is GREAT for people that want to target muscle groups in their workouts. It shows exactly what exercises work exactly which muscles. Want bigger pecs? bigger arms? bigger legs? a flat stomach? Then this book can tell what exercises you should be doing.
An example: 'Push ups' taget your pecs and arms, what you might not know is that 'pec-flys' target only your pecs and concentrate the entire workout on your pecs, building that paticular muscle faster giving your pecs a more defined look... faster.
My goal is to become ripped all in the right spots. Not too big.. but not too small. Whatever that means. And after years of exercise and using different methods, I have finally fouund out that nothing beats working out every other day by maxing your muscles out in 6 reps about 10 times and changing your target muscle the next time you work out. This book tells you what exercies you need to be performing to target the muscles you want to 'bulk' up.
Sidenote: I am 200lbs and consume about 150 grams of protein per day through the use whey powder and food. After 1 month I started recovering faster