[.ca] The Testosterone Advantage Plan: Lose Weight, Gain ... (ISBN 0743237919)

From Amazon.com:
Wide shoulders, narrow waist, thick chest, muscular arms and legs: today's male ideal physique is the same as that of ancient Greece. Aerobics and the Food Pyramid just won't yield that shape, argues Lou Schuler, certified strength-and-conditioning specialist and fitness director of Men's Health magazine. For weight loss and the Greek physique, he proposes the "T" (testosterone) plan: weightlifting and a diet of 33 percent each carbs (mostly low-glycemic-index), fat (the "good" kind), and protein; no alcohol; and minimal sweets and processed food. The book includes a meal planner, grocery list, and recipes. A 100-page, clearly illustrated weightlifting program progresses from circuit training to bodybuilding to power lifting, with both home and gym exercises. This research-based program was tested on 16 willing, hefty guys. After nine weeks, they lost an average of 18 pounds, dropped waist inches, gained strength and energy, and improved their sex lives. The book includes before-and-after photos and quotes from the happy campers. Schuler's man-to-man style is clear, direct, and witty ("one gorilla wearing a stringy tank in July is all it takes to leave a bench soaked in ectoplasm"). The Testosterone Advantage Plan is recommended for men willing to commit to a rigorous lifting program to achieve their ideal physique. --Joan Price

SO FAR SO GOOD:
I couldnt wait to finish the program to write this because I might forget to. I am going on week 3 of the program and I can say when you first look at the nutritional guide as I did I was a bit overwhelmed with how much less I might be eating. I weighed 185 at the start and growing because I like to eat, but after reading and understanding what the purpose was I found it very easy to follow because as long as you read the labels on food containers you can substitute certain foods to your liking as long as you remain within the guidelines. The foods I eat now are better for me and I feel a lot better and they surprisingly taste good. The only real hard part was giving up some of my favorite snacks. I have also been substituting a meal for a protein shake made from milk, yogurt, and whey protein. Along with the workouts which you will feel the first week I started running which for the most part the book tends to frown upon sticking to strength training to burn body fat and build muscle but I figured a mile every other day wont hurt. The workouts in the book are great because they describe ways to do them if you have gym equipment available to you or ways of doing exercises with just your own body weight. All in all the book is a great starting point and should just be used as a guideline to get you started and see what works for you. I am 30 years old and I now weigh 175 going into week three.(give or take a pound)

This Book Has It All:
Not many books cover all that a man needs to know for fitness and health. I got this book as a gift from someone who shops here at Amazon.com. I've saved myself a lot of time and frustration by reading it. It gives me everything I need to know, straight to the point, to greatly improve my body. I must admit I am taking thor-plex to boost my testosterone - but this book gave me a real boost. Get the book.

Great Workout Plan, not just for weight loss:
I used this plan for 9 weeks and got great results (then I got a girlfriend and no longer had time to workout, had other activities on my mind). About 1 year later, I got on the workout portion of the plan again for 13 weeks and again I got great results (stopped again when I got a girlfriend, different one; but I guess it was working because the point is to look good and feel good about yourself). I am now 27, first used the plan when 25. I was about 151 lbs and got up to 159 at then end of the first 9 weeks (I'm 5'10"). I was going for weight gain so this was exactly what I was looking for. The second time I did the plan I only added about 5 lbs to get up to 160. Workout plan is great. I've been reading magazines and books for years, but this is the best workout plan in my mind. The book contains proper techniqe which is vital to remaining injury free. It is also phased, so you start out with a full body workout that gets you ready for more intensive stuff. I'd never specifically worked my rotator cuff before, but the book showed me how and I never got a nagging shoulder problem as I have occasionally had in the past. The book also does a good job of discussing symetry - so if you're like me and you like to bench, the book really does convince you to at least work the back a bit (which, along with the shoulder work, explains why I didn't fell pain as I have in the past). I also got much stronger at lower body exercises that I have neglected in the past. I also added in cardio/fat burning once or twice per week. The book discourages, but I'm an endurance person and I enjoy a good sweat and wanted to work my lungs and heart as only cardio can. I really just followed the workout plan and didn't really do much in the way of following the diet. I did try to eat immediately after the workout, but rarely snacked during the day and ate whatever I wanted. It does contain a good deal of information about diet and food content if thats what you are into. Three things I will always take away: 1 Have a plan, write it down, follow it 2 Work the entire body, leaving some muscles out is just settin you up for injury or chronic pain 3 Mental focus - don't just go through the exercises, do them with a goal in mind

A true ADVANTAGE!:
I ordered The Testosterone Advantage Plan way back in spring of 2005. It was so well written that I finished read the book in a weekend. After that, I used the diet and exercises in the book up until our wedding day in September. My wife (then girlfriend) noticed a difference in my body. The book is great. Easy to understand and follow. It even provides diet plans for the light weight, middle weight and heavy weight body type.

A new workout bible!:
A very good book for the beginner and the advanced alike. The book dispells many of the myths about exercise and weight training. It also sheds some excellent light on sports nutrition such as when to eat and what to eat. Sections about cholestrol were very informative and benefitted me personally. The workout plans are superb and really demand a lot out of you. The only drawback, I thought, the book had was the over-emphasys the authors placed on testosterone as if it were the main objective of the book. Otherwise, this book is a must read for every man who wants to get in shape.