The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You!

Great book! If you are looking to vary your workouts and exercises or hit a plateau, this is definitely the workout book for you! When you get this in the mail, yo will also be surprised how thick this book is--the spine is two fingers thick and it is 551 pages of color photos.PHOTOS AND EXPLANATIONS OF EXERCISESLots of workouts with easy to understand photos AND explanations. Relies on both photos and description to explain what you need to feel as you do the movement/exercise. This is very helpful because it explains where you need to squeeze or pull to help exercise the muscle properly. There is an index in the back to help fine the exercise or muscles you are looking for too!HELPFUL INFORMATION AND VARIATIONSThe book also provides tidbits on the side which are helpful, such as building muscle by doing certain variations. For example, there are 25 variations and combinations for biceps which you can do for a simple dumbbell curl to work different portions of your biceps! You can use them all to get a fuller shape, which is great to work into a rotation.MUSCLE DIAGRAMSAdditionally, there are muscle diagrams which help you both learn about the muscles you are work. But it also helps you identify what you want to build. If you do not know what muscle it is that you want to grow bigger or stronger, you can go to the muscle diagrams at the front of the chapter to get the name (which is clearly pointed out and explains what it does and what movements target it). Then you can go into the chapter and look for the exercise which works that muscle. For example, ever wonder what that muscle is at the bottom of your biceps that connects to your forearm area? How to work that? It is called the brachioradialis, and you can now go into the chapter and look for exercises that target it!THOROUGH BODYWEIGHT EXERCISESIf you are in an apartment or don't have time to get to a gym some days, there are great bodyweight exercises. This section is thorough and can be done at home, in the office at lunch, or while away on vacation. Most use minimal furniture too, so you can really do most of the exercises with nothing but you and a floor.WORKOUT ROUTINESNot only does this book have just workouts, but it also has some great workout routines for different goals. There are routines are generally broken down for strength building, endurance, and fat-burning. There are also routines to do at home with minimal equipment, such as just dumbbells, which will really challenge you and make a difference such as spartacus or the wheel. Many of the workouts also explain how you can vary them too to make them easier or harder.NUTRITION AND MEALSThere is also a section about nutrition and healthier eating for your hard workouts. This is also helpful and gives meal plans, but I wouldn't say it is anything you could not find online. If you are an absolutely beginner and don't know where to look, this will certainly help!

I love this book - it's a gem in my opinion; for anyone who is already working out or is looking to get fit or add variety in their workouts, this is an excellent book; it is very complete with dozens of different variations on standard exercises that will build your strength and health. This book explains each main exercise and its variations thoroughly with beautiful color photographs to help illustrate and explain.One of the highlights of this book for me was how it was organized and laid out; as described, it is partitioned into different sections of the body you are working out (e.g., back, chest, abs, etc.) which I really like. It also has a nice (albeit short, unfortunately)section in the back on basic nutrition/diet, as well as some very handy charts on different workout routines that you can do: e.g. short workouts for a crowded gym, routines to lose weight, to build a beach body (or, to gain muscle mass for fairly lean guys. Yeah, that's me; i'm working on adding muscle mass :)) etc.For the "intermediate or advanced athlete," or the people that have worked out for some time already, some of the exercises may seem basic or common sense, but there should be plenty of variety in each section and some challenging variations to the main workouts you already do and that are listed in the book. This is a great book to go through and add workouts to your already existing routine, if you'd like.***In Summation: Excellent Book! 5/5: Pros: Detailed explanations, plenty of exercises and variations, color photos, basic nutrition info, workout plans/charts.Cons: Not much at all; my only wish is that the nutrition info would be a little more detailed and tailored to any specific workout plan included in the book.***Well worth the price; i would consider it an essential workout book, especially for those new to working out, trying to get back in shape, or looking to vary up their exercise routines? Worried it won't be challenging enough? Don't be: like with any aspect of work, what you give is what you get, to a large extent. You can always try harder variations, add more weight/resistance, or do more reps.