Product Description

Bodybuilding A Realistic Approach, shows you how to realistically tone, shape, and build your body. It helps you set and reach realistic goals by first identifying your body type and showing how to properly perform basic exercises for the entire body. It includes easy-to-follow workouts and nutritional programs for losing and gaining weight.

The first few chapters are for people who are just getting started with weights and progresses to those who want to compete in a bodybuilding contest. It has over 250 phototgraphs and illustrations of amateur bodybuilders with realistic physiques.

Also included: Dormroom and Home training, Sex & Bodybuilding, Women & Bodybuilding, How to prepare for a bodybuilding contest & MUCH MUCH MORE!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #424043 in Books
• Published on: 1998-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 437 pages

From the Author
Challenge me with fitness questions or if you have any questions, email me: FMELFA@AOL.COM

About the Author
Frank A. Melfa competed in and won several bodybuilding contests including the Mr. Rutgers Title. He managed the Personal Training Program at Johnson & Johnson World Head Quarters. There he and a team of trainers trained over 150 employees with various fitness goals. At Johnson & Johnson, Frank wrote articles for the Company Health Newsletter, titled, For The Health Of It. This inspired him to write and publish his own book which has sold extremely well, over 10,000 copies. It currently ranks about 30,000 in Amazon.com sales ranking ( first edition ranking).

Frank has a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Faileigh Dickinson University. In addition to managing Power Writings, he continues to build his career selling pharmaceutical products for Lederle Laboratories.

Customer Reviews

This Book Will Help You Look Good Naked!!
The best book on bodybuilding if you're a beginner! I bought the book and it's got more info jammed in fewer pages than anything you'll ever read. The different methods of training, technique, and the importance of rest and recovery. The specifics on nutrition alone is worth the price. The author shows examples of diet planning and how to manipulate your metabolism for maximum muscle. The author does not focus on worthless supplements, he simply pushes good nutrition and pumping iron. I am constantly referring to this book after three months of reading and re-reading. There are plenty of pictures and advice regarding how to avoid injury.
The only negative about this book is several errors in grammar.
But the stuff is so practical and easy to read who cares! A great compact easy to carry book that I still keep on my nightstand.
This author is showing what one bodybuilder did to build real muscle and compete to win the big prize. Whether you're just looking to tone or build muscle, this book will help you look good naked!

The title sums it up
A very good book that delivers what it promises. The book is intelligently broken into topics that cover the exercises, the grouping of exercises into workouts, how often to exercise, how many reps to perform and nutrician. Each section is written to cover people who what only to tone up, people who want to loose weight and those who want to gain weight/bulk up.

His advise on all this really is 'realistic'. He stresses the basic exercises (bench presses, squats, pull ups, etc) to build a good foundation before progressing onto the more specialized exercises like cable crossovers. He points out that suppliments are not only expensive but aren't necessary if you simply eat the right foods at the right times.

Although the end of the book covers various aspects of competing, I think the book is best used by beginners to intermediates. It is the only bodybuilding book that I will need buy.

This book changed everything for me
I have lifted weights on and off for 25, sometimes pretty seriously, occasionally achieving quite a lot of bulk and definition, but this book finally gave me a real plan suited for guys like me - athletic nerds who want to be in shape.

It really is realistic; it is complete (diet, "dungeon" (basement) workouts, and - importantly - safety, are covered thoroughly), easy to follow, and the pictures are great. Many times, the author says "Look, I've done this excercise tens of thousands of times, and this is how you really have to do it. Watch out for X, Y, and Z, and don't fall into the various traps of bad form that can result in injuries, slow development, or uneven development).

The writing is friendly yet never verbose. The reader is encouraged at every step of the way, and the sample workouts and diets make things concrete.