Body for Life by Bill Phillips, Michael D'Orso (1999, Hardcover)

Body for Life is an excellent written book which teaches the basics and fundamentals of nutrition and exercise. This book is for anyone just getting into or considering proper exercise and nutrition themselves. One of the most inspirational books in its class yet one of the most basic books for its kind.

This is not a book for a veteran body builder but simply for someone out of shape, looking for motivation and inspiration while taking control of their unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.

I like to refer to this book as more of a break-in to exercise and nutrition. The food choices are optimal for packing on muscle and the work outs are great for beginners.

This book teaches the importance of frequent meals throughout the day, Body for Life sticks with six meals, three real and three in supplement form. Because Bill Phillips has been linked with EAS throughout his entire career he likes to recommend only EAS products. EAS products are normally fine selections but are also often on the pricey side. You can add more versatility to your exercise program if you add several different products, versus sticking only to EAS Myoplex shakes.

The weight lifting routines consist of only one exercise per week, for each muscle group in your body. This is not a perfect technique for anyone looking to put on some serious gains, I can guarantee Bill Phillips himself didn't acquire such a great phsysique from this routine. For example, if you're looking to stack on some serious poundage to your pectoral area, only 4 sets of the regular barbell bench press per week aren't going to be adequate. Your body building repertoire will be lacking as this book teaches the most basic and simple exercises, which is another reason why I put this in the beginner category.

I rate this book as excellent assuming the people buying are beginners.