Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength Paperback – 5 Nov. 2001

I am in the final week of the 12 week challenge and it's made a great difference to my health and physique.When I started I was fairly thin (11.5st and 6"2) but extremely unfit (rest heart rate of 108 bpm). I also had a nice beer belly coming along although funnily enough most people assumed I was fit as I have always been thin.The intense cardio workouts shifted my beer belly within 6 weeks and I now have a rest heart rate of 66bpm which is a hell of lot more healthy for a 30yr old! Despite losing the belly I have put on nearly half a stone in muscle so am now knocking on the door of 12stone. The weights methodology is easy to follow and for the first half of the programme I documented every last rep. After I while I got into the swing of the programme and could rattle through the workout in my head and knew when loads needed increasing etc.Diet accounts for 70% of this programme and while I followed the recipes to the letter for a few weeks, I soon realised that I needed more carbs to keep the bulk on and to keep my appetite satisfied. Instead of using EAS shakes I used a 'Total Gain' mix from Myprotein which was much better value and pretty tasty (around 20quid for 2.7kg tub). Also, as I was primarily after muscle gain I ignored the book's advice to workout on an empty stomach. Instead I add a scoop of protein to porridge and milk and down that for a filling carb & protein packed shake.As per the rules of the book you can have a food/drink blowout 1 day a week, and believe me I make the most of this! Full cooked breakfast, takeaways, guiness, you name it! I suppose that is a good motivational tool for starting the next week. One final benefit I should mention is that by cutting out fatty foods 6 days a week I hardly ever suffer from heart burn any more. The odd twinge on a Saturday I can deal with...After the 12 weeks I fully intend to continue the lifestyle as I have never had a better balance of good diet and good fitness. If you have read this far then get off your sofa and buy this book!

This book is very inspiring for those wanting to improve their physical appearance. Bill takes a holistic approach to the readers quest to transform not only their bodies but their LIVES! The book claims that a dramatic change can be achieve within 3 months through proper diet and exercise. The program is realistic and if you are determined and consistent results are guaranteed. What I especially like is the scientific approach it takes. Bill explains how the body processes food allowing the reader to understand why it is necessary to eat six meals a day (small ones). The reader also is made aware that the best time to train is in the morning before eating as the body burns fat more effectively. The exercise regime alternates 20 minute high intensity cardio sessions, with 50 minutes resistance training! Oh yeah with one day off per week where you can rest and eat those "unauthorised meals" (See told you it was a realistic program). How could I forget there is also a Body For Life competition which can be entered upon completion of your 12 week program, the top prize being $100,000, a dream vacation for 2, a Team EAS leather jacket, 14 karat gold EAS Champion Ring and One years supple of EAS supplements (which are recommended but not necessary for success). This is the first fitness book I have bought so I have a limited frame of reference but all I know is I have no need to shop around for any others!!!!!!!!!

I don't write many reviews. I read ten thousand for every one I write ! This book has shortcomings as has been pointed out, but the best feature of it is that it's structured. Many fitness books are very poorly structured. You can try and follow this one.I say "try" and follow because at the age of 51 and a continuing attempt to optimise type of exercise, frequency, rest, length, time to exercise - factor in affordability of protein products, I believe that in fitness as in religion, the devotee has to find their own way - use their own experience and learn from others.Sustainability is another thing. I recommend if you can and have the space to get your own free weights. ...I followed the Body For Life programme about 10 years ago - got into good shape - and I think the hassle of going to the gym was what may have derailed me.Phillips recommends machines (as well as free weights) in his routines - along with a few isolation exercise (eg biceps) . This is the main thing I disagree with after reading elsewhere and considering the logic of compound exercises - exercises that involves moving several muscles, including the big ones.So get some free weights, a pull up bar and a few other bits and pieces. It won't do you any harm to follow this program and then adjust the structure according to your own experience.

Finished this years ago, got the tee shirt,never felt better. Now at 77 years bought the book again, go to gym, feel great for it.already more conscious of my eating, although never really stopped taking Bills advice on meals. Just let the exercise fall off.Looking forward to the rest of the twelve weeks, cannot thank Bill enough for making such an impression on me both physicallyand mentally. Bless you Bill. There's a lot of advice about and all sorts of gadgets, but for sheer honest to goodness tell it as it is,in such a friendly and professional helpful way you take the biscuit. Always used your earlier products Myoplex shakes and bars,now awaiting delivery of your new products.

Very well written book, one of the most straight forward jargon free guides. Still hold alot of details to help with diet and advice on how to adjust your training for your needs. Would and have recommend this book to many of my friends. I have had great results!

Used Book

it is a must have book for anyone who wants to get physically fit in the gym.similar and a better book is a book by guide to bodybuilding by kris gethin particularly with respect to format table of exercises to be performed each day.also buy healthy for life by marika johansson by om books gives tasty healthy indian recipes.

I have tried every type of training regime and diet over 40 years and without a doubt this is the clearest and simplest training regime you could ever follow. It works, pure and simple.

This book is for real if you are ready to turn your life around!!From fat to fit in no time. Follow it and watch the results start the first week, no gimmicks, no empty promises just FAST results.Join a gym or invest in a bench and set of dumbbells if you'd rather stay home or even better if you can afford it and have the room for it at home, buy a Treadmill and a Bowflex so you have cardio and all muscle work out at home.The book shows you exactly what to do and what to eat day by day for six days. The seventh day is free. You alternate between lower body work out one day, cardio next, upper body work out on the third and cardio again the forth and on and on with every seventh day free. Watch your fat and blood pressure drop, muscles develop, blood sugar normalize, mojo return literally in the first couple of weeks as if by magic! Hey, if I could do it, you guys and ladies can too. Remember: "Every journey begins with the first step", so take the step and spread the word to others when you see how far you came.Thanks Bill for sharing.

I found this book a few years ago, and thought what the heck I will give it a shot, and literally 10 weeks later I was standing in a store and one of my buddies I hadn't seen in a while came in with his wife and they almost didn't recognize me? I went back to put on the pants that I was wearing when I started the program......They were too baggy to wear.If you read the negative reviews here it is usually from people that tried the program for a week and didn't follow thru. It really isn't a difficult program, actually it is quite easy to follow. You get to eat six times a day, and on Sundays, anything you want....Actually after a while you forget about the Sunday thing. The only reason I stopped the program was that I had hurt my back years before, and I finally went in to see a therapist, they tell me to stop working out, with out even asking me what kind of work out I was doing, (For the record the one I was doing was easier on my back then what they were having me do!) and they put me on their w/o, sure enough my back got worse and I gained 20 lbs. (For the record the therapist and their "Chain" are noted in the area that I live as the worst place anyone can go to for back issues, and this is coming from the local people at the local Hospital. Every time I mention the particular therapists name, I see Dr.'s faces cringe!)I have tried w/o with personal trainers, I have tried with PT's & I have tried Gym Memberships, but all I am going to say is this, this book and this program worked better then anything I have ever tried, it is a very easy program, you learn to go at your own pace, (With a Personal Trainer all they wanted was $400 and they pushed me like I was training for the Olympics?) This book is one of the few books on working out, eating a more healthy diet and staying fit that I have ever seen that is reasonable, and works.If you are trying to look like Arnold, this may not be the book for you, this is a book about overall fitness, not overall "Steroid" look. I have read thru most of the posts here, and I noted that the people that wanted an overall healthy life, and who were just trying to stay healthy gave this book a good review, the ones who wanted overnight results and wanted to look like Arnold were the ones that didn't like the book. If you buy this book, and use it for 12 weeks in the way they suggest's, one thing I can speak from personal experience is this, you will lose weight, and you will be more fit and look better then you have in quite a while. No Fluff, no external pills to buy, no special exercise machine, just buy the book, and have some basic work out equipment and you are ready to go. For the record, I used and still use an old Soloflex Machine that I bought off of ebay years ago. If you want, you can just use a basic set of weights. (This time because I am living in a different place and my Soloflex is in Storage, I will be using the "TRX Suspension Trainer". I am sure I will get the same results. BTW the TRX is a pretty neat tool as well, it lets you work out anywhere.)