| Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength | 
 enlarge | Authors: Bill Phillips, Michael D'orso
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Harper
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 28.50
Buy Used: CDN$ 2.69
You Save: CDN$ 25.81 (91%)
New (9) Used (3) from CDN$ 2.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  827 reviews
Sales Rank: 619347
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7 x 4.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0694521485
Dewey Decimal Number: 613.7
EAN: 9780694521487
ASIN: 0694521485
Publication Date: June 10, 1999
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: very little wear around corner and edges ships from USA please allow upto 21 Business Days Thank YOU!!!
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| Customer Reviews:
Thank you Bill March 19, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The approach presented by Bill Phillips in "Body for Life" worked fine for me. However, the problem is that you have to have a real commitment and a really strong will power to follow the regime presented by the author. Also, in my opinion, there is too much focus on the looks and too little on the health. I think the latter is more important than the former. I have recently found a book that shifts the attention more towards health and overall wellbeing and it gives you no trouble whatsoever to follow simple rules for food combinations, body cleansing etc. Although I have a lot of respect for Bill Phillips as my first coach I think that "Can We Live 150 Years" is a superior book to "Body for Life". Sorry Bill.
 Worth the Time and Effort July 19, 2006
21 out of 28 found this review helpful
This book and program are both great. I used it back a few years ago and went from a 42-inch waist to 34 in 13 weeks; from 29% body fat to 13%. It is not easy and requires much discipline. But this book gives you the tools you need to make it happen. It also requires a lifestyle change for you. If you drift off from the program, it is easy to slide backwards from the progress you have made.
This book will help you change your mindset. You will examine patterns, give yourself rewards, and see the changes take place. Phillips states: "It's Very Important to understand the difference between dreams and goals. Dreams are things we wish for--things you enjoy thinking about but don't really know when they'll happen. Goals, on the other hand, are specific things you have decided you need to accomplish within a clearly defined period of time." p.27 This book will help you make that leap from dreams to goals and from goals to results.
One of the greatest strengths of the book is the section that outlines the exercises for each body part. Not only do they include pictures of the different exercises and movements, they also have a tip box of the most common errors, and how to avoid them. The book is also peppered with testimonies of people who have done the program with their before and after pictures.
Phillips states: "Your body is the epicenter of your universe. You go nowhere without it. It is truly the temple of your mind and your soul" p.2 This program will help you find a level of health that you may have given up on. One of the former champions of the challenge says: "Beyond information, I was being taught a frame of mind, which inspired me more than all the preachers, teachers, doctors, and counselors who had tried to get through to me before." p.9 (in reflection on this program and his recovery from a bullet wound from his youth.)
This book will help you change the patterns in your life. "Remember that everything you do in the real world is merely an external manifestation of what has already happened in your mind. " p. 29 This book has a balanced approach- you balance exercise with nutrition, you balance carbs with protein in each meal, and you balance cardio with strength training. Page 83 has an Eating-for-Life Authorized food guide. It lists the Proteins, Carbohydrates and Vegetables that are recommended and lists them in the order if quality for this program.
There is a world of difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. This book will definitely give you the knowledge, and challenge you to put it into practice. "Remember that everything you do in the real world is merely an external manifestation of what has already happened in your mind." p.29
worked for me. February 1, 2006
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've gone from 143 lbs to 178 pounds, with most of the weight gained in the first 4 months using the pyramid routine outlined in this book. Use your common sense. Everyone's body responds differently and this book will work for some but not all...
I worked out with Bill and he deffinitely kicked my Buttttt July 20, 2004
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I got the chance to meet up with Bill Phillips out in Los Angeles. We worked out at the Crunch Gym in Beverly Hills and let me tell you, he deffinitely knows his stuff! I have been working out for about 5 years, but when I did his workout with him pushing me, I was sore for days afterwards. His methods cut your gym time in half and will deffinitely have better results. (quality over quantity is what he says). I've never had a better workout in my life!
thanks :) (...)
 Body for Life: Over the Top, No Depth July 16, 2004
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
BFL contains a lot of motivational speeches, but on the subtantive issues of diet and fitness, it has very little to say. The writing style is very informal and unpolished, even in comparison to other fitness books. Nice before/after pics on the inside front cover, but I doubt they were achieved after a mere 12 weeks on the program.Philips tells you to do 20 mins of cardio 3x a week, but says nothing about what kind of cardio to do or how they differ from each other, e.g. walking vs swimming vs tennis. Which form of cardio you choose affects which weight training exercises you should perform, both to balance out your body and also for specific injury-prevention exercises. For a better discussion of cardio and geneeral fitness I'd recommend Cross Training for Dummies by Tony Ryan and Martica Heaner. The BFL program relies on a vague "intensity index" and is one-size-fits-all. A well designed weight training program takes into account body type (obese vs. slightly overweight), goal (weight loss, muscle growth or strength gain), and experience (beginner, intermediate, advanced). The recommended 5 sets of 12-10-8-6-12 reps are questionable for beginners, who are presumable the target audience for the book. His cheesy cadence for raising the weight (say: Body for Life) and lowering the weight (say: I am building my Body for Life) illustrate the general shallowness of the book. For a serious and comprehensive weight training book try the Men's Health Home Workout Bible, by Lou Schuler and Michael Mejia. On diet, BFL is confusing; I'd skip this section entirely. The chapter consists of a table of permitted foods and a short list of "good carbs", but doesn't explain why certain foods are recommended. He recommends low fat foods, but also denigrates low fat, high carb diets. Then he recommends the potato, which current best practice avoids due to its high glycemic load. Is Phillips low fat or low carb? I can't tell. The only thing he's clear about is that you should buy his protein shakes. Instead of this mishmash I'd recommend Eat, Drink, and be Healthy, by Walter Willett. Overall, reading and following this book may be better than doing nothing for the next 12 weeks, but there are much better beginner diet and workout guides available. If you need motivation, look to other less over-the-top books, or better yet, to friends and family, and inside YOU.
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