Beyond Bodybuilding: Muscle and Strength Training Secrets for The Renaissance Man

by Pavel Tsatsouline

Smash Your Training Plateaus, Overcome Injuries, Make Unprecedented Strength Gains and Grow More Muscle. with a Classical Education in the Wisdom of the Past - and the Scientific Breakthroughs of the Modern Day MastersPavel has spent his life immersed in the study and practice of practical strength training. as it applies in the very hard testing ground of both American and Soviet Spec ops, of the US Marines, SWAT, professional athletes, martial artists, gymnasts, powerlifters, weightlifters, Olympic champions and numerous other tough, tough competitors - where results are everything and failure is simply not on the menu.Pavel has, frankly, done the research for you. plundering both the classic and the little-known strength texts from past and present. networking and comparing notes with many of today's great masters. submitting his own body to the pain of infinite experiment. And Pavel has trained thousands of troops and police whose life might depend on his tips. hundreds of athletes and martial artists with the chance to achieve their dreams thanks to his advice.In Beyond Bodybuilding, you get the essence of most-all of the strategies, tips, routines and fine points Pavel has developed over many, many years for these elite men and women of the strength game. Now, with Beyond Bodybuilding, there are simply no more excuses for not excelling in strength, continuing to gain, continuing to reach new heights in your performance."Beyond Bodybuilding is a treasure chest of strength training secrets."-LARRY SCOTT, Author of Loaded Guns, former Mr. America, Mr. Universe and the first Mr. Olympia"Every aspect of training is covered in Pavel's Beyond Bodybuilding from flexibility to all types of strength development, U.S.M.C. training, tips from many of the greatest strength experts around the world, plus a glossary of exercises to fit everyone's needs. I salute Pavel and Beyond Bodybuilding."-LOUIE SIMMONS, Westside Barbell "I wholeheartedly

Genres: Fitness, Nonfiction, Health

488 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pavel Tsatsouline is one of those guys who produces stuff I like, backed by marketing I usually hate. He is one of the kings of the "OUR SYSTEM IS THE UBER BESTEST" style of marketing, which drives me crazy. On the other hand, I cannot deny that he has put out some good stuff, and Beyond Bodybuilding is no exception.

This is not so much a book as a collection of articles, many of which first appeared in Muscle Media. The book is divided into eight sections, covering power training, training planning, training for various body parts (legs, chest, back, arms), and a section on bodyweight training. Each section includes several articles relevant to the section at hand, as well as a large Q&A section addressing many common concerns from trainees.

The good thing about this book is that it contains a ton of information. The bad thing about this book is that it contains a ton of information. The information is all good, but the book isn't designed as a single, unified, plan. Indeed, there are easily a dozen different training plans in here, and some of them are contradictory. You cannot do everything in this book at once; pick and choose carefully based on your goals.

For that reason, I wouldn't recommend this book to a new lifter. There's just too much info here, and it's too confusing. If you are new to lifting, and want some solid, basic, strength training, check out Pavel's Power to the People, or a similar book (I hear good things about Starting Strength, but haven't read it yet). On the other hand, if you've been lifting for a while, and are looking for a new routine or some ideas to spice things up, this is a great resource to have on hand. I know I'll be using it.

[P. Es · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could do with more images; many moves and exercises are left to the imagination - granted most readers will already have an exercise-oriented mind.

[Lacii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically a collection of articles and Q&As. As usual the whole book has a Pavel essence (the style how it was written, the jokes, everything). Most of the articles and Q&As are very useful, however I would not recommend it to anybody under a couple of years of training experience. This book will not give you fix workout plans but ideas how to come over plateaus or freshen up your existing plans.
If you are into Powerlifting and not a beginner this can be easily a very useful book for you.

[Kadin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book !

This book has a wide variety of applications that can help you eliminate all weak points! Pavel brings us excellent insight as to how the Soviets trained. As a Cold War Vet I can say the Soviets were an adversary to be respected!

[Trey S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pavel is the kettlebell King

Strength techniques and raw muscle building straight from the man who introduced the West to the kettlebells. Non stop knowledge

[Andre Korkush · Rating 1 out of 5]

Russian this, Soviet that... Ronnie Coleman is not Russian, neither is Dorian Yates nor Arnold. Why would I want to read this crap? Stopped at around 1/3rd mark. Shit book.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a danger people face called "immediate success" at the beginning of one's career. Pavel is guilty of this. His books *Enter the Kettlebell* and *Naked Warrior* inspired awe. They taught us folks who have very limited access to fancy gym equipment that we could be insanely strong and do gymnastic-like feats of strength. Pavel had given his famous grease-the-groove philosophy of strength training.

He completely trashes that in this book, or so it seems. This book is not written for functional strength-trainees or body-weighters. It is designed for those with access to a unique type of gymn.

Now, if you do have such access, this might be the book for you.

Cons of the book:

Every chapter has a different method for how often one should lift. Now, on one hand that's fine. People's bodies are different, politically-correct hippies notwithstanding. Still, at the end of the book I felt like I had been overwhelmed with conflicting (and often confusing) information. My thoughts: if you've been training for more than a few years, you probably already have a good idea of what you should be doing each cycle.

Pros of the book:

I did learn some stuff. I am still a religious adherent of the low-tech philosophy of weight lifting. Pavel showed a number of highly useful and clever, yet relatively simple leg exercises that require only a few kettlebells and a barbell.

Conclusion:

As far as bodybuilding books go, there are worse ones. I found the book off-putting because it seemed an implicit rejection of all the strength-training principles that made Pavel great.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un batiburrillo de artículos sobre ejercicio con pesas, y se nota. Aunque está agrupado por partes del cuerpo y está lleno de buenas ideas, un editor habría sido fantástico. Todo ello aderezado con el típico estilo de vendedor de coches usados / mafioski propio del Camarada Pavel. Si te gusta su trabajo, este libro te interesará, si no, lo odiarás. La falta de estructura y la necesidad de un editor es lo que me inclina a darle una puntuación más baja de la que el contenido merece.

Dado que ya no entreno en gimnasio, este libro me ha resultado menos interesante y útil que otros de este autor, pero si vas al gimnasio y trabajas con pesas, casi seguro que te ayudará.

[Mary Ann Merlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

He really is no BS.

It is rare to find anything to truly believe in. These days fads, gimmicks, and straight up falsehoods rule the day.
Well, mon ami, your search is over. This is the absolute real deal. All claim the how but few demonstrate the why. Pavel is a true master trainer. His program does and will work for you. C'mon America lets shape up with a Russian coach. Well, there you go.

[Craig Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danger--this book requires an intelligent trainer and courage. As Pavel would say, "I am looking for a man." Lots of good stuff here--programs, technique, tips, etc.

[Martin Winslow · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really valuable gems in this book and it is worth a read. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the tactical 3x5 workout and the push-up programs.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not Pavel's greatest work either. Power to the People and Simple and Sinister (for the kettlebell enthusiasts) are far better.