What is the BEST training BOOK for building bigger muscles?

[Arnold Palmer]

"CHEWING TOBACCO, WHISKEY, BIG MUSCLES, AND WOMEN - THE ARNOLD PALMER METHOD" by me. Book is still in the process of being published. PM me and we can arrange a payment method and I will send anyone an advanced copy.

[Zach Trowbridge]

All these answers are WRONG. 

Bodybuilding is an individual pursuit and you write your own book over the years through trial and error. if you are smart enough to think for yourself


Nutrition is a different matter altogether. evryone should read a couple of books on sports specific nutrition,just to get the basics. but even then you gotta figure out what works best for you.

Cop out answer.  That's like saying that you don't need books to learn math, just sit down and figure it out by yourself.

[Palpatine Q]

Cop out answer.  That's like saying that you don't need books to learn math, just sit down and figure it out by yourself.

You couldn't have picked a worse example to try and prove me wrong

2+2=4......here and in china and on fucking mars.

 One of the number 2s isn't a diabetic and the other number 2  can't maintain 10% bf without trying  and yet another number 2 is an endomorph.

Now I'll let you figure out the rest.

[Zach Trowbridge]

You couldn't have picked a worse example to try and prove me wrong

2+2=4......here and in china and on fucking mars.

I'm sure when you were in 2nd grade and you were learning division you just stood up, told your teacher to "fuck off bitch, I can learn this on my own," and then tore your math book up because books are an unneccessary tool for learning.

[Palpatine Q]

I'm sure when you were in 2nd grade and you were learning division you just stood up, told your teacher to "fuck off bitch, I can learn this on my own," and then tore your math book up because books are an unneccessary tool for learning.

You couldn't have missed my point any more if i had written it in chinese

[Zach Trowbridge]

You couldn't have missed my point any more if i had written it in chinese

Your point was something about math being the same everywhere and training needs not being constant from person to person.  My point was that you are an idiot if you think that people don't have a need for books about training, the same as you'd be an idiot to presume that someone could learn math without material to learn from.

[Palpatine Q]

Your point was something about math being the same everywhere and training needs not being constant from person to person.  My point was that you are an idiot if you think that people don't have a need for books about training, the same as you'd be an idiot to presume that someone could learn math without material to learn from.

Training is elementary zach.

 you can learn the basic movements and routines in one month at any gym. learning what works for you is the tricky part you have to figure out for yourself.

I am curious if you have ever posted a pic here, so we can see what someone that has read tomes of bbing material has managed to do with all that info.  No slam, just curious.

[Zach Trowbridge]

My pics have been posted several times on the training log board, but here's a rundown of what's happened since the day I picked up a weight:

Went from 108lbs at 5'7" to 181lbs at 5'8"
Have at varying points had bodyfat percentages of as low as 5.5% at 168lbs and as high as 13% at 181lbs
Went from not being able to bench an empty Olympic bar to a max bench of 235lbs
Max deadlift of 405 lbs at a bw of approx. 170lbs
Gained almost 4" on thigh circumference in 6 months after altering leg training to "Westside Barbell Method" training - from July 2008 to December 2008

I'm by no means a "beast", but a giant portion of what I have achieved I can attribute to reading.  In fact, anybody on this board should take offense to your insinuation that you can learn everything you need in a month, and then just spend the rest of your life throwing shit at a wall to see what sticks.  You could do it that way, but I would rather cut out the crap and learn from the mistakes of others.

If you can learn everything you need in a month, why is it that world-class lifters still seek out others to help them with their training?  Guys like Louie Simmons, Joe DeFranco, Charles Poliquin, Dave Tate, and Ed Coan have all taken guys with ridiculous amounts of experience and helped them improve well beyond what they could do on their own. 

[Soundness]

My pics have been posted several times on the training log board, but here's a rundown of what's happened since the day I picked up a weight:

Went from 108lbs at 5'7" to 181lbs at 5'8"
Have at varying points had bodyfat percentages of as low as 5.5% at 168lbs and as high as 13% at 181lbs
Went from not being able to bench an empty Olympic bar to a max bench of 235lbs
Max deadlift of 405 lbs at a bw of approx. 170lbs
Gained almost 4" on thigh circumference in 6 months after altering leg training to "Westside Barbell Method" training - from July 2008 to December 2008

I'm by no means a "beast", but a giant portion of what I have achieved I can attribute to reading.  In fact, anybody on this board should take offense to your insinuation that you can learn everything you need in a month, and then just spend the rest of your life throwing shit at a wall to see what sticks.  You could do it that way, but I would rather cut out the crap and learn from the mistakes of others.

If you can learn everything you need in a month, why is it that world-class lifters still seek out others to help them with their training?  Guys like Louie Simmons, Joe DeFranco, Charles Poliquin, Dave Tate, and Ed Coan have all taken guys with ridiculous amounts of experience and helped them improve well beyond what they could do on their own. 

Impressive gains, Zach. You've come a long, long way.

I agree with your point as well.

[oldtimer1]

Ripped II by Clarence Bass.  Actually his whole series of books is an education of first rate knowledge.  Many judge a man's knowledge according to his physique but this wrong. Many look like garbage without the chemical assist.  Bass realized this and tells of how he lost his gains once off the juice.  The only way to gain lean body mass over the long haul and retain it is without drugs. 

Another great book for learning training variety is Bill Pearl's "Keys to the Inner Universe."  It has so many exercises per body part that it will inspire you out of using the same exercises over and over again. 

http://www.rosstraining.com/products.html  Lastly any of these books is gold.  Conditioning is a lost cause among guys training.  It's just as important as strength.  Strength without conditioning is useless in most athletic endeavors. 

[ozman]

My pics have been posted several times on the training log board, but here's a rundown of what's happened since the day I picked up a weight:

Went from 108lbs at 5'7" to 181lbs at 5'8"
Have at varying points had bodyfat percentages of as low as 5.5% at 168lbs and as high as 13% at 181lbs
Went from not being able to bench an empty Olympic bar to a max bench of 235lbs
Max deadlift of 405 lbs at a bw of approx. 170lbs
Gained almost 4" on thigh circumference in 6 months after altering leg training to "Westside Barbell Method" training - from July 2008 to December 2008

I'm by no means a "beast", but a giant portion of what I have achieved I can attribute to reading.  In fact, anybody on this board should take offense to your insinuation that you can learn everything you need in a month, and then just spend the rest of your life throwing shit at a wall to see what sticks.  You could do it that way, but I would rather cut out the crap and learn from the mistakes of others.


If you can learn everything you need in a month, why is it that world-class lifters still seek out others to help them with their training?  Guys like Louie Simmons, Joe DeFranco, Charles Poliquin, Dave Tate, and Ed Coan have all taken guys with ridiculous amounts of experience and helped them improve well beyond what they could do on their own. 

how old are you ?

those are great gains

[nodeal]

All these answers are WRONG. 

Bodybuilding is an individual pursuit and you write your own book over the years through trial and error. if you are smart enough to think for yourself


Nutrition is a different matter altogether. evryone should read a couple of books on sports specific nutrition,just to get the basics. but even then you gotta figure out what works best for you.

reading books on bodybuilding and learning about other people's trial and errors is a great way to build a strong foundation to propell your own positive experiences in the gym. while i agree with you that you cannot learn to swim without jumping into water, i do believe that books have their own seperate benefits. im sure even an experienced bodybuilder can pick up any of the books mentioned in this thread and learn something new or at least find something that captivates them and inspires them in some sort of way. books and other reading materials have their purpose in learning, just as personal experience does. which one is more important is debatable, but neither method should be ignored.

[Palpatine Q]

reading books on bodybuilding and learning about other people's trial and errors is a great way to build a strong foundation to propell your own positive experiences in the gym. while i agree with you that you cannot learn to swim without jumping into water, i do believe that books have their own seperate benefits. im sure even an experienced bodybuilder can pick up any of the books mentioned in this thread and learn something new or at least find something that captivates them and inspires them in some sort of way. books and other reading materials have their purpose in learning, just as personal experience does. which one is more important is debatable, but neither method should be ignored.

It's funny but in this month's FLEX magazine Jay Cutler says, and I quote...."You're going to do this, you're going to do that. bodybuilding has become too complex. These guys are trying all these new things, but it's all just trial and error anyway

So it seems a 2 time Mr.O agrees with me

[Zach Trowbridge]

It's funny but in this month's FLEX magazine Jay Cutler says, and I quote...."You're going to do this, you're going to do that. bodybuilding has become too complex. These guys are trying all these new things, but it's all just trial and error anyway

So it seems a 2 time Mr.O agrees with me

As I recall, he also has a training book and a half dozen training dvd's for sale.

[tbombz]

As I recall, he also has a training book and a half dozen training dvd's for sale.

the dvd's arent to learn how to train they are for motivation

[Zach Trowbridge]

It's funny but in this month's FLEX magazine Jay Cutler says, and I quote...."You're going to do this, you're going to do that. bodybuilding has become too complex. These guys are trying all these new things, but it's all just trial and error anyway

So it seems a 2 time Mr.O agrees with me

Also strikes me as interesting that a guy who is opposed to using books to improve your training would be quoting Flex Magazine.

[Zach Trowbridge]

the dvd's arent to learn how to train they are for motivation

He talks enough about his training in them to classify them as "training dvds" in some capacity.

[Palpatine Q]

Also strikes me as interesting that a guy who is opposed to using books to improve your training would be quoting Flex Magazine.

Actually, I'm staying at my brothers for the weekend and he reads it, which I bust his balls for, but I had to take a shit so i grabbed it for my bathroom reading material.

[tbombz]

whats with bashing flex ? i mean, yeah, MD is way better...but its still a bodybuilding magazine with coool pics and some good info on the sport...

this is like a nascarfan telling another nascar fan "why you drinking budweiser and eating kfc while makin fun of mexicans and nigrs ?"

[nodeal]

It's funny but in this month's FLEX magazine Jay Cutler says, and I quote...."You're going to do this, you're going to do that. bodybuilding has become too complex. These guys are trying all these new things, but it's all just trial and error anyway

So it seems a 2 time Mr.O agrees with me

yeah i do totally agree with you, and jay cutler apparently, people have made this bodybuilding shit a complex science. and YES i have developed my own unique training method based on what's best for me. BUT i do not think books should be tossed aside all together, they have their place.

[Palpatine Q]

the dvd's arent to learn how to train they are for motivation

The DVD's and the book have one purpose........to fatten Mr. Cutler's bank account.

[Zach Trowbridge]

The DVD's and the book have one purpose........to fatten Mr. Cutler's bank account.

Isn't that the point behind selling anything?

I still don't buy that you've never found one valuable piece of information from somewhere other than yourself.  Videos, magazines, website articles, forum posts, etc. are no different than books.  In fact, I think it's interesting that you claim that you should and can learn everything on your own but are hanging out on the training Q&A board.

[Palpatine Q]

Isn't that the point behind selling anything?

I still don't buy that you've never found one valuable piece of information from somewhere other than yourself.  Videos, magazines, website articles, forum posts, etc. are no different than books.  In fact, I think it's interesting that you claim that you should and can learn everything on your own but are hanging out on the training Q&A board.

Dude, relax.

I'm actually hanging here lately because i'm trying to be more positive, I'm sick to death of the rest of the boards. We can agree to disagree, it's cool.

IMO all BBing books are just the same ol shit in a different package. I have read exactly ONE BBing book  "Arnold...The education of a bodybuilder"

And I gained the most useful knowledge from that book ever about training........it's all about focus and mentality.

[Zach Trowbridge]

Dude, relax.

I'm actually hanging here lately because i'm trying to be more positive, I'm sick to death of the rest of the boards. We can agree to disagree, it's cool.

IMO all BBing books are just the same ol shit in a different package. I have read exactly ONE BBing book  "Arnold...The education of a bodybuilder"

And I gained the most useful knowledge from that book ever about training........it's all about focus and mentality.

Agreed.

[Option D]

bump arnold book is the best i've read the entire thing like 11 times.

i'd also recommend:

Extreme Muscle Enhancement by Carlon Colker MD

Training for Mass by Gordon Lavelle

Brother Iron Sister Steel by Dave Draper

All of those were worth checking out for a different perspective on muscle building but overall the Arnold book is the greatest.

those work outs were pure shit...train entire upper body one day...and then entire lower body the next
6 days a week..get the fuck out of here...you would be tired as shit if you tried that work out for a week...ahnold owned me with that crock