Product Description

For athletes who want to develop strength for a specific sport, and for beginning bodybuilders, this new edition is really three books in one, covering weight training for general conditioning, bodybuilding, and specific weight training for 21 different sports. While reinforcing the principles of the first book, the revised edition taps into the flood of new information on scientific sports training, nutrition for bodybuilders, and workout equipment. Special attention is given to women and those recovering from injuries. Completely revised and updated, this edition contains over 2,000 illustrations covering 350 lifts and over 100 illustrated one-page fitness programs targeted to specific needs. “A must for anyone serious about fitness.” — Newsday

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52784 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Pearl, a four-time Mr. Universe, and runner/triathlete/weightlifter Moran here adapt Pearl's self-published Keys to the Inner Universe for a wider audience. What results is a crisp, well-organized manual for men and women that incorporates reliable guidance for bodybuilders at all levels, programs for general fitness training in the gym and at home, and routines by top athletes and coaches to fit the requirements of 21 sports, ranging from football to cycling. Accompanying each section are illustrated workout charts cross-referenced to freeweight, Nautilus and Universal exercise instructions. Other parts of this large-format work discuss drugs, injuries, nutrition, how themuscles work, training concepts and the history of resistance exercise.This book has few peers in the field.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This manual from a former Mr. Universe (Pearl) outlines over 70 programs to help the novice as well as the athlete in body building. There are programs for men and women for use with free weights or with machines. The book's organization is inconvenient, with warm-up and stretching treated last, but the exercise programs themselves are sound and easy to follow. Recommended for the larger health and fitness collection. Robert Schmid, Univ. of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical Sch. LRC, North Chicago
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA Pearl offers a comprehensive introduction to weight training. He cautions readers on ways to avoid injury, but the supervision of a coach is still advisable in high-school weight rooms. Beginning with beginners, Pearl provides guidance on how to structure a fitness program and how to increase the level of fitness attained; he also offers discussion on choosing equipment, human musculature, nutrition, and steroids, as well as ``A Brief History of Resistance Exercise'' by Terry Todd. Exercise programs that are appropriate for general bodybuilding are outlined, as well as those for specific sports (aerobic dance, running, basketball, and triathlon), for fine tuning specific parts of the body, and for exercises with free weights and various name brand machines. The carefully drawn illustrations show men and women demonstrating the exercises; students can easily see how to proceed. Given the current enthusiasm for weight training by athletic departments and physical education programs, no high-school library can afford to pass this title by.Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Great collection of exercises, narrow focus
This book contains very extensive collection of exercises depicted in simple, hand-drawn diagrammatic format. The author's experience is well portrayed in the form of consistent reasoning of building physical strength, avoiding injuries, and coping with adaptation to training.

The so many exercises listed in this book are described in very simple manner without detailed explanation of their anatomical or functional benefits. Thus, you have groups of exercises for the back, thighs, triceps, etc without any distinguishing criteria on which exercise should be chosen for a specific goal. The author only describes few levels of fitness (beginner, medium, and advanced) and assigns certain exercises to certain levels without explaining his disposition.

The author randomly assigns exercise routines to blue-color workers, white-color workers, swimmers, boxers, wrestlers, ...etc without any compelling reasoning other than his unquestionable self-confidence. When you see an author with huge arms and shoulders that exceed the size of his thighs (see the front cover photo) you wonder if Mr. Pearl realizes the danger of developing unbalanced musculoskeletal frame. How would his knees fare in lifting such disproportionately heavy upper body with disproportionately weak thighs? I would not trust Mr. Pearl to plan long-term training strategy other than merely "getting stronger" which might mean becoming unbalanced, stiff-jointed, and chair-bound.

All exercises in this book will help building muscular strength. However, they devoid of any full range floor-to-overhead lifting. The only floor-to-upright lifting is the deadlift and shoulder shrugs. The front squat exercises are faulty in the way the arms cross the chest to lie on opposite shoulders. The proper technique is to enhance wrist and shoulder range-of-motion without crisscrossing the forearms during front squat.

I've used this for twelve years- Outstanding
This excellent book has been around for years and is still one of the greatest resources anyone can use to increase their physical strength or just get in shape. There are really few books out there of this quality that one can really claim are "for everyone". This is one of them.

Pearl breaks it down for the reader. You can plan your exercises around which sport you want to improve at or which body parts you want to emphasize. Each exercise or series of exercises is also layered according to fitness level. A great resource for anyone.

I've used this book for fourteen years and have gone through a couple of them [one criticism is the paper cover- a hardback version would be excellent].

An excellent exercise and training resource: Highly recommended.

The Pocket Encyclopedia of Resistance Training
As a personal trainer I use this book as my bible. It includes nearly every imaginable way to work every major muscle group. It is well organized and easy to understand. Exercises are grouped by body part and cross indexed for specific sports and recreational activities. The proper form and breathing are described for each exercise. The only exercises that not are not included are functional training exercises such as Pilates and stability balls.