The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Training Paperback – March 24, 2019

I am reall glad to have purchased this book. I have just started to do bodybuilding to get myself fit and I wished to gain sufficient knowledge to ensure that I do not make mistakes nor injure myself. Thie book is just the book for such knowledge. The book lays diwn the basic foundation and there was no bs by some pretentious author. A good buy.

I have had the pleasure of following Eric and Andy's online content for years now. I have a stupid number of bookmarks linking to articles and/or Saved Facebook posts for podcasts. I've experienced Andrea's content far less, but have enjoyed the few podcasts I've caught where she has been the guest. I passed up the first editions of The Muscle and Strength Pyramid e-books because I'm an old-fashioned fuddy duddy who prefers having something physical in his hands. Now, with this release of print format, I've had a chance to course-correct. Given the content here, I might even go so far as to say I've had the chance to rectify a previous mistake.I'm not a strength or physique athlete. I'm not even a particularly gifted recreational lifter. But lifting was a correctional life change that has become a thus-far decade-long habit, that also contributed to shifting the focus of my academic career toward a master's degree in nutrition. There have been setbacks along the way, but this habit continues to be ammunition for both physical and mental health.Despite not seeking a degree credential on the training side of fitness, I still want to know everything about it. To me, it's a puzzle - I want to know how all the pieces fit, even if I may not be concerned with a particular piece of the puzzle. This text is fantastic for that, beginning with the basic building blocks that concern everyone and moving toward the minor blocks which may not concern everyone. There are sample programs in the text, but the evidence-based understanding the text provides is far more interesting to me.But how might this text measure up for someone who doesn't care to know everything there is to know about training, but doesn't want to fall prey to the weekly "your mileage may vary but here's the super best super cool super butt-fabulous workout to follow but next week's will be even better (TM)" popular <insert website here> workout? As stated above, the text spends far more time explaining the basics than focusing on the minutiae: for instance, the importance of adherence (and, even, how to adhere), how to progress, how to go about exercise selection, and that one shoe does not fit all (among others).On a closing note, Eric gets bonus points for being a Baldur's Gate fan. Pretend this is six stars, not the paltry five stars I must settle for.

The book covers all major aspects of strength and hypertrophy training with detailed explanation and examples for iron enthusiasts. However, Amazon uses shady pricing strategies. The price reduced a third 2 weeks after I purchased it. I recommend buying from the authors' website instead of paying amazon their comission or waiting for price drops.

So helpful for treating patients and getting stronger myself. I’ve bought this book for friends who are PTs and personal trainers.

Just finished reading this (and the Muscle & Strength - Nutrition) books and can say they are absolutely excellent!! You see, I'm in a little different position than many people - I'm mid-50s, coming from 16 years of sitting on my ass in front of a computer (engineering position) that I allowed to wreck my posture and conditioning, and am working to reverse the damage I allowed. In short, if I was going to reverse all this crap I let happen I was going to need help in 2 areas, Strength and Nutrition.Let's talk about the Strength first (you can read my Nutrition review under that product).I started with Strong Lifts 5x5 which got me going well but advanced so fast and pushed right up at failure too often that I was just asking for an injury. Yep, sure enough, I tweaked my lower spine letting down a deadlift. Can't be doing that crap at my age and regardless of age it's not conducive to training having to take time off...but I didn't want to stop advancing either!So by stroke of luck, I stumbled upon Andy's site (RippedBody.com) and got a much needed changed perspective on how I, as a novice, could advance logically, consistently, and most importantly safely. His explanations for training approaches on his site was just the understanding I needed but I knew the books had the additional detail I needed to make decisions specific to my age group.Look, my age and starting condition just isn't going to catch back up as fast as you youngsters, just not going to happen. That's OK, I now have a plan and am moving forward with a realistic expectation I can surpass my late 20s-early 40s conditioning. This isn't the same ole "Do this" book, this one explains things, backs it up with documented studies, and guides to think for myself since I'm not like everyone else. I got another clue for you guys and gals...you likely aren't either!Bottom line in my opinion: If you want and need the kind of detail to help wipe away all those doubts dancing in your heads regarding your training approach ...this book will not disappoint!!!

This book takes the guess work out of training for all levels of athlete with a focus on powerlifting and bodybuilding. While the book does include sample training programs/training splits, this is not merely a "follow this routine" book. It teaches the reader the science and rationale behind building a training program and presents the concepts in order of importance in a very understandable fashion. When you've completed reading the text, you'll be able to design your own program tailored to your specific goals and adjust the program as needed. I truly wish I had known about this book when I first started training, but I am very thankful that I have it now. Cannot recommend this book highly enough!