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Triple H Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body
Love him or hate him, Triple H does what he wants, when he wants to do it. And now, for the first time anywhere, he tells you how he does it -- and how you can, too.
Making The Game -- Triple H's Approach to a Better Body is Triple H's verbal and visual blueprint for building your body. He discusses how "a Jones for bodybuilding and a love for wrestling" morphed a skinny, 135-pound fourteen-year-old into one of the biggest Superstars in World Wrestling Entertainment. But be warned -- the "Cerebral Assassin" has two words for anyone who's not serious about the craft: "Complacency sucks!" He's spent the past twenty years living by the philosophy that training results in improved strength and conditioning, self-discipline, and an ability to focus on setting goals. This book isn't for pantywaists who'd rather exercise their egos.
Triple H had help along the way. He didn't get to be "that damn good" without the support of a loving family. And over the years several bodybuilders (including world-renowned trainer Charles Glass) worked with him to develop the best training regimens. Their advice, plus hardcore commitment, helped Paul Levesque survive "The Hard Way In" through Walter "Killer" Kowalski's wrestling school and become "Terra Rising" in Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation; enabled him to adjust to a difficult life on the road as "the French guy" in World Championship Wrestling; and gave "Hunter Hearst-Helmsley" the self-assurance he needed to succeed.
Making The Game breaks down and demonstrates the split-training workout program Triple H has embraced to achieve new levels of success in sculpting his body. Between drilling you with reps and sets, he relates how training gave him the inner strength to shoulder the brunt of a controversial "Curtain Call" in the ring and, later, to elevate his position with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock as one of the "Big Three" in WWE. Relive the fateful Raw events of May 2001 that left Triple H with a torn quadriceps muscle. Then you too can feel "The Triple H Burn," the series of exercises he endured through nine months of physical therapy so he could resume his wrestling career.
Besides offering the lowdown with step-by-step exercises for both novice bodybuilders and those looking to radically advance their workout, Making The Game weighs in on the science behind progressive-training resistance and rest-pause techniques; the significance of exercise form over volume; the truth behind achieving "six-pack abs"; the dangers of overtraining and "skullcrushing" exercises that risk injury; and how creativity can go a long way in your workout. Triple H sees it as his mission to provide the guidelines for you to follow in the months and years ahead. And if there's one thing he knows how to do, it's succeed.
It's time to stop playing The Game...and time to start Making The Game.
Making The Game -- Triple H's Approach to a Better Body is Triple H's verbal and visual blueprint for building your body. He discusses how "a Jones for bodybuilding and a love for wrestling" morphed a skinny, 135-pound fourteen-year-old into one of the biggest Superstars in World Wrestling Entertainment. But be warned -- the "Cerebral Assassin" has two words for anyone who's not serious about the craft: "Complacency sucks!" He's spent the past twenty years living by the philosophy that training results in improved strength and conditioning, self-discipline, and an ability to focus on setting goals. This book isn't for pantywaists who'd rather exercise their egos.
Triple H had help along the way. He didn't get to be "that damn good" without the support of a loving family. And over the years several bodybuilders (including world-renowned trainer Charles Glass) worked with him to develop the best training regimens. Their advice, plus hardcore commitment, helped Paul Levesque survive "The Hard Way In" through Walter "Killer" Kowalski's wrestling school and become "Terra Rising" in Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation; enabled him to adjust to a difficult life on the road as "the French guy" in World Championship Wrestling; and gave "Hunter Hearst-Helmsley" the self-assurance he needed to succeed.
Making The Game breaks down and demonstrates the split-training workout program Triple H has embraced to achieve new levels of success in sculpting his body. Between drilling you with reps and sets, he relates how training gave him the inner strength to shoulder the brunt of a controversial "Curtain Call" in the ring and, later, to elevate his position with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock as one of the "Big Three" in WWE. Relive the fateful Raw events of May 2001 that left Triple H with a torn quadriceps muscle. Then you too can feel "The Triple H Burn," the series of exercises he endured through nine months of physical therapy so he could resume his wrestling career.
Besides offering the lowdown with step-by-step exercises for both novice bodybuilders and those looking to radically advance their workout, Making The Game weighs in on the science behind progressive-training resistance and rest-pause techniques; the significance of exercise form over volume; the truth behind achieving "six-pack abs"; the dangers of overtraining and "skullcrushing" exercises that risk injury; and how creativity can go a long way in your workout. Triple H sees it as his mission to provide the guidelines for you to follow in the months and years ahead. And if there's one thing he knows how to do, it's succeed.
It's time to stop playing The Game...and time to start Making The Game.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
23 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 15, 2024
“Whether you’re trying to become the best player on your high school football team, live a healthier lifestyle, look good at the beach, or just want to give yourself a better shot with the babe down the block, I believe a dedication to weight training will provide the structure to help you achieve your goals.”
I am as shocked by the rating I gave this book as you are. When I saw it sitting on my husband’s side table I thought it was a joke. When I gave him a world-class WTF look, he just shrugged and handed me the book. When I flipped through it and saw all the pics of Triple H working out, I died laughing. I then said, “Okay, challenge accepted. Let me read this turd so I can tell you all about how cheesy and dumb it is.”
It is not cheesy, and it is not dumb. It is also not a turd. This is me eating crow. I absolutely enjoyed the read. I was glued to it. Paul Levesque mixes an autobio of his wrestling life (up to the point the book was written) with step-by-step exercises and other working out/healthy living/self-help advice. The exercises I am still considering trying but the info on his life…A++.
“No matter what you go after in life, if you’re gonna do it, do it all the way, but at the same time, prepare yourself for the reality.”
Four stars to a book that surprised the hell out of me.
I am as shocked by the rating I gave this book as you are. When I saw it sitting on my husband’s side table I thought it was a joke. When I gave him a world-class WTF look, he just shrugged and handed me the book. When I flipped through it and saw all the pics of Triple H working out, I died laughing. I then said, “Okay, challenge accepted. Let me read this turd so I can tell you all about how cheesy and dumb it is.”
It is not cheesy, and it is not dumb. It is also not a turd. This is me eating crow. I absolutely enjoyed the read. I was glued to it. Paul Levesque mixes an autobio of his wrestling life (up to the point the book was written) with step-by-step exercises and other working out/healthy living/self-help advice. The exercises I am still considering trying but the info on his life…A++.
“No matter what you go after in life, if you’re gonna do it, do it all the way, but at the same time, prepare yourself for the reality.”
Four stars to a book that surprised the hell out of me.
January 31, 2016
I had read this book before, back in like 2007 or so, so revisiting it was fun. My formidable years were the 90s and I remember the Attitude Era of professional wrestling well; if this review was on that I could type seemingly forever. Making the Game is a half biography half bodybuilding book. Common themes throughout the book, or the most productive advice, is goal-setting, self-confidence, and self-discipline, all of which bodybuilding teaches. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, and also a road map for success. If you apply the principles of bodybuilding to other aspects of life, you will have a solid foundation of success. HHH uses those principles and describes how he applied them to becoming one of the top professional wrestling entertainers in the world, and encourages his readers that whatever your goals are, utilize these principles to help you reach those goals. The workout programs and nutritional information are also about as clear and achievable as any advice or program you will ever find (I knew that, and I wanted the program, that's why I read the book again). I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is a quick read and very well written, and if you apply what you learn then even better.
November 21, 2022
This was a fast read that I devoured over a few days, but that I had initially started a few months ago. I was a huge fan of his era of wrestling in the 1990's and early 2000's and he certainly is aesthetically (minus the insane muscles) my type of guy: long hair, blue eyes, largish nose. I read his ex-girlfriend's Chyna book in the early 2000's and was interested to hear his autobiography. However, this fell flat for a variety of reasons.
One thing was the layout itself was wonky. Interspersed in between his autobiography chapters were workout and nutrition tip chapters and then referring to color pictures of how to do said workouts 3/4 of the way into the book. I feel the autobiography should have been in the beginning and the workout/nutrition areas should have been at the end as almost an appendix to make it more linear. The back and forth just felt disjointed. I enjoyed both segments to be clear, but I felt they needed to be separated by not just chapters.
Another thing is that he did not mention his 4 year relationship with Chyna at all. Now, I get it, he was dating at the time of writing the book his boss's daughter (his now wife Stephanie McMahon) and it seems implied he did indeed cheat or at the very least have an emotional affair on Chyna with Stephanie and I am okay with all of that, I just wanted him to be honest. The best autobiographies involve the nitty gritty, the good with the bad, the frank honesty. This, I felt him holding back, something that I strongly dislike.
He acknowledges the fact how many questioned his relationship with Stephanie in order to get ahead in the business and I will say this. Do I think he is an opportunist? Absolutely. But we all are in a capitalist society to a certain degree. That doesn't make him a jerk, but I am pretty sure he wouldn't have gone for just a mediocre female wrestler. This is his life. Nothing wrong with bettering himself, getting a permanent job in the WWE for life, and falling in love all at the same time. However, I can see where some people are like ehh...
Overall, reading this book brought back so much nostalgia: my first boyfriend and first friends in college going to watch pay per views at the local bar every month or so, watching wrestling with my dad in high school etc. But the dishonesty and the disjointed elements within the book left me wanting a lot more. He should write a new book now that he isn't wrestling anymore and that Chyna is dead and be upfront about a lot more. It would be a lot more refreshing.
One thing was the layout itself was wonky. Interspersed in between his autobiography chapters were workout and nutrition tip chapters and then referring to color pictures of how to do said workouts 3/4 of the way into the book. I feel the autobiography should have been in the beginning and the workout/nutrition areas should have been at the end as almost an appendix to make it more linear. The back and forth just felt disjointed. I enjoyed both segments to be clear, but I felt they needed to be separated by not just chapters.
Another thing is that he did not mention his 4 year relationship with Chyna at all. Now, I get it, he was dating at the time of writing the book his boss's daughter (his now wife Stephanie McMahon) and it seems implied he did indeed cheat or at the very least have an emotional affair on Chyna with Stephanie and I am okay with all of that, I just wanted him to be honest. The best autobiographies involve the nitty gritty, the good with the bad, the frank honesty. This, I felt him holding back, something that I strongly dislike.
He acknowledges the fact how many questioned his relationship with Stephanie in order to get ahead in the business and I will say this. Do I think he is an opportunist? Absolutely. But we all are in a capitalist society to a certain degree. That doesn't make him a jerk, but I am pretty sure he wouldn't have gone for just a mediocre female wrestler. This is his life. Nothing wrong with bettering himself, getting a permanent job in the WWE for life, and falling in love all at the same time. However, I can see where some people are like ehh...
Overall, reading this book brought back so much nostalgia: my first boyfriend and first friends in college going to watch pay per views at the local bar every month or so, watching wrestling with my dad in high school etc. But the dishonesty and the disjointed elements within the book left me wanting a lot more. He should write a new book now that he isn't wrestling anymore and that Chyna is dead and be upfront about a lot more. It would be a lot more refreshing.
November 29, 2023
I am very biased in this review because watching WWE has been one of my few sources of comfort while growing up as a child in England and a teenager in Canada. Born in Tokyo, I had no knowledge of English when I moved to London at the age of nine, and WWE in its athleticism-driven form of drama broke the language barrier in capturing my imagination.
Reading this book is like reading the memoir of an older brother I have never had and always wanted. The author’s remarks on food and nutrition are especially helpful as I have grown up an overweight child and developed an uncomfortable relationship with foods persisting even after losing the excess weight.
This book bring me happiness because I get to read about someone who is dedicated to his craft and driven to succeed. I am the same way, and the words in his book encourages me to stay strong, to never give up on my dreams, and to continue pushing the boulder up the hill no matter how many times it may slide back down.
Reading this book is like reading the memoir of an older brother I have never had and always wanted. The author’s remarks on food and nutrition are especially helpful as I have grown up an overweight child and developed an uncomfortable relationship with foods persisting even after losing the excess weight.
This book bring me happiness because I get to read about someone who is dedicated to his craft and driven to succeed. I am the same way, and the words in his book encourages me to stay strong, to never give up on my dreams, and to continue pushing the boulder up the hill no matter how many times it may slide back down.
November 18, 2017
I grew up wanting to be Triple H and I enjoyed this book as a fan of fitness and wrestling! It didn't teach me anything new but it's motivating and makes me feel nostalgic!
March 13, 2020
Great intro to fitness and nutrition, I've kept this book for almost a decade and still go back to it from time to time.
August 10, 2021
This book is funny. Very, very funny.
March 17, 2022
I haven’t been pumped to hit the gym like this in a LONG TIME. Awesome insight into HHH’s career and personal life. Paul truly is an inspiration and this book is totally worth checking out!
April 17, 2022
A fun read including insights of Paul's personal/professional life and training regimen to become THE GAME.
May 11, 2025
Triple H has a life and a career that is very inspirational!
August 13, 2007
The stories of Triple H and his rise to dominance in the WWE are interesting, but nothing new is really uncovered in the book. However, the thing that I found interesting about it was the body-building exercises that Triple H employs. The techniques actually counter a lot of advice he gives in several magazine articles, but they are good tips nonetheless. Just try them...I have...they do actually work!
September 8, 2015
Good simple read. Just finished this book, thank you for letting me borrow it. I loved hearing Triple H's personal story. I now have an appreciation for the business and what all goes into it. I learned that you should train your body in alignment with your personal goals. Also got some inspiration for different exercises and eating habits from him. Thanks again, would love to read more books on people's approach to a better body!
February 22, 2015
Nice memoir and exercise fitness tips, however why'd you leave out the part with the steroids. Most of all you talk about your relationship with Stephanie McMahon but mention nothing about your relationship with Chyna. She spoke very highly of you in her book and in the end maybe you must've felt guilty that you screwed up her life and her career!!!
Read
April 4, 2008he is me idol.
Read
October 9, 2008how to body build. HHH tells his staritgy and gives his work out retuine.
December 8, 2009
Very cool. Interesting and execellent training guide.
December 15, 2009
this is a great book.i really enjoyed it because im in too wrestling and i'm learning a fews ways to work out.
July 22, 2014
Nice tips and an interesting Pro Wrestling history!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews