Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

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Product Description
By Bill Phillips and Michael D'Orso. 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength. No. 1 New York Times Bestseller. Change your mind - Change you body - Change your life. Imagine, just 12 weeks from now, having the lean, healthy body you've always wanted and not having to turn your life upside down to get it. Imagine having the energy to be at your peak from dawn to dusk, having the confidence to do all the things you've been putting off, having the certainty to make the right decision at the right time, knowing that you really do have the power to change - not just your body but anything in this world you set your mind to. If this sounds unlikely, or even impossible, it's time you were introduced to Bill Phillips and his Body-for Life programs - it's time you join those who have experienced breakthroughs with the help of his expert advice. Legal Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Amazon.com
Bill Phillips had been publishing bodybuilding magazines and marketing nutritional supplements for years when he had a weird revelation at a trade show: many of the most loyal and enthusiastic readers he had were totally out of shape. From that uncomfortable realization came his popular Physique Transformation Contest (top prize that first year: Phillips's own Lamborghini), now world famous, and this book.

The three-times-a-week weightlifting program in Body for Life is deceptively simple. If you've spent any time in the gym, you've already done all the exercises. But Phillips includes a couple of high-intensity sets at the end of each exercise that should compound the training effect on each muscle group. Same goes for the cardiovascular exercise he recommends: just 20 minutes, three times a week. But those 20 minutes are spent jacking the intensity up and down, accomplishing more in less time.

Phillips arranges all this into a 12-week program, along with nutritional and motivational tips. Be warned that the nutritional advice gets a little spacey. For example, he puts "carbohydrates" and "vegetables" into separate categories, and recommends three daily doses of a nutritional supplement called Myoplex, which his company manufactures. (Fortunately, he gives tips on how to make each dose taste different, such as by adding drops of peppermint extract.) Despite this strangeness, Body for Life still motivates because so many others have achieved astounding results in similar 12-week windows, and the pictures and testimonials are here as evidence. --Lou Schuler

Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Bill Phillips is many things to the people who listen to this audiotape: personal trainer, motivational guru, nutrition consultant, personal-success coach. As he reads his bestselling book, he inspires, cajoles, instructs, and sometimes gives listeners a kick in the gluteals. The goal is for the listener to transform his or her body in 12 weeks, and in the process learn that changing one's physique can help one make other changes. The audiobook is spiced up with the comments and testimonials of those who've already done it. The effect is something like an infomercial, except that you've already bought the product, and you don't have to listen to a hired audience clapping. If you follow Phillips' program, you're your own audience. And, if you like your performance, the applause is what you feel inside. (Running time: 2 hours, 2 cassettes) --Lou Schuler

Customer Reviews:   Read 935 more reviews...

my review   August 23, 2008
mary adams (new orleans la)
great book slllloooowww on shippin i waited over a month to get and when i got in touch with seller they never emailed me back


The only thing better is if you can get Bill as your personal trainer!   August 19, 2008
Dianna Sabo (Lexington, Kentucky)
Bill has shared his secrets of building beautiful, healthy bodies and a lot of the information just isn't available without hiring a personal trainer. The knowledge in this book, and the way he lays it out is very useful especially if you are just starting out into 'fitness world' and have little knowledge or experience. Having dieted my entire life due to a thyroid disease, I can tell you his eating plan, where you take the 7th day off from dieting, might just be the biggest secret to not hitting a plateau. His food suggestions are right in line with some other 'great' diets, so you won't have any issues with adopting this healthy lifestyle. His page 136, with a list of the exercises targeting the entire body is about the best page of the book, but then he goes on to full explain, with photos, the exact way to perform each exercise to its fullest benefit. The only thing better than this book would be to have Bill as your personal trainer!


Good, but one approach of many   August 5, 2008
Onikaze (St. Louis, MO)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I picked up Body for Life (B4L) after reading about the new P90X workout stuff. Some folks suggested following the program in B4L before even trying P90X. So I picked up the book and gave it a read through. I actually skipped a lot of it because a good portion of the book is testimonials and personal stories - stuff you really don't need. The core of the book - the stuff you actually want - is an easy read. Phillips outlines a decent fitness approach. The two key elements, IMO, are good nutrition and putting thought and planning into your workouts. You have to devise a way to monitor your progress and figure out how to increase the intensity through "progressive overload."

Phillips advocates the approach of eating several (in his book specifically six) small meals over the course of the day. Like any approach this is not foolproof. It'll work for some people and won't for others. Since he has his own line of supplements he naturally bases the diet plan around including shakes or bars from those products. This is one part where he's clearly trying to increase his return on the plan, rather than outlining other ideas for healthful snacks. But, you can at least get the idea from the book.

I was disappointed by his general workout plan. It's not that it's not a solid one - he has a good plan for outlining progress and has a fair number of exercises, but he doesn't include bodyweight exercises. He really misses out here because bodyweight exercises are a good way to work multiple muscle groups and increase fat burning. They're also a good way for people who are just starting to develop a fitness routine without investing in a lot of equipment. His exercises are good, but some are the usual fare of kickbacks, curls and such that develop "beach muscles" - that is, muscles that look good but aren't recruited a lot in daily living. For example, working up to chinups is more useful than doing curls for actual fitness versus simple aesthetics.

One pitfall is that he encourages readers to workout first thing in the morning before you eat, or later in the day after a few hours without food. This can really mess with your blood sugar and such and is not advised by most fitness professionals. It may make a difference in the results some experience, but use at your own risk. As always consult a doctor about new fitness programs and especially the idea of working out on an empty stomach.

Overall there isn't a lot in this book that you can't find online with a little research for free. That's not to say it's useless. For many people that don't know where to start in the fitness game this can be a good starting point that consolidates a lot of basic ideas into one place. It should be noted, however, that despite the numerous pictures in the dust jacket the results shown fall under the usual "results not typical" disclaimer. Most people are not going to get a body like that in 12 weeks without serious time investments and strict, strict diet.


You can begin to rebuild and rescuplt your body in 12 short weeks.   July 28, 2008
Bernie L. Malonson (Tucson, AZ)
You may have missed the Body For Life fad the first time around, but the book, tapes, supplements, etc. are still with us.

You may not realize that it takes 30 days to make a new habit, but using Mr. Phillips 12 week program, you can put a firm foundational habit in place to change your life.

It does take work and discipline, but then again so do most things worth working for.

I used Body For Life a few months before my wedding to lose the weight, and managed to drop 23 pounds in the 12 weeks. Since then I have gained it back, but the program does work if you stick to it.

You can save money by eating high protein foods such as Cottage Cheeze, Buffalo or Ostrich meats. You can also buy protein powders such as whey or soy in bulk to avoid buying the recommended supplements.

I give the program four stars because if you travel with work alot or are a road warrior eating in restaurants it can be hard to stick with it.

Recommended.

Cheers!


Body For Life is for real   July 25, 2008
Corey T. Howard (Kansas City, MO USA)
Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

I bought the book because I wanted to know what a friend of mine was doing. She bought the book because a friend told her about it. My friend saw her friend's transformation and wanted to share it with me. I've got the book and am now transforming myself! I had to tell my friends. Get in the gym. Eat right. Work hard. You will get results. I lost 12 pounds in a month! I'm keeping this Body For Life.