Body for Life–12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips and Michael D’Orse

I doubt that I’ve ever read a book that was more a complete advertisement than this one, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. I believe that this book represents one of the simplest and most complete programs for physical development on the market. Bill Phillips is the onetime owner of EAS Supplements. In addition to this book, for years he has published popular workout magazines touting his EAS program and “Body for Life Challenge.”

The challenge is simple–12 weeks to follow the Body for Life program and turn your body into a magnificent specimen of physical beauty. The photos accompanying the book indicate that the program works. Not only do people as old as 60 develop washboard abs, but women turn into models and even the wheelchair bound shed pounds of fat and gain muscle.

Body for Life details specific workout routines and specific eating plans that are actually very reasonable. One of the greatest benefits is the 1 day a week “cheat” day–where you get to break from the diet and eat whatever you want in order to keep your body from going into “fast” mode. Phillips/D’Orso cover all the latest fads, supplements and vitamins, too.  The workout program consists of alternate days of aerobic and weight training. One wonderful aspect is that the aerobic plan is only 20 minutes and the weight training plan is only 45 minutes. Phillips argues against spending all day in a gym–his point being that doing such would doom most people to failure. So armed with a paper and pen to track your progress, you hit the gym with a goal and purpose and 20-45 minutes later, you’re done.Twelve weeks later, you’re magnificent.

Along the way you’ll be encouraged to purchase tons of EAS products. The products work, but it makes the program more expensive than using alternative whole foods. However, the convenience offered by the supplments often make it easier to stay on track–for instance, eating a shake three times a day is a lot simpler than figuring out three meals to prepare. And using appetite suppressants helps keep you on track as well. It is strongly recommended that you check with your doctor before starting on Body for Life.

What are the drawbacks?  Well, Phillips does recommend waking by 6am and exercising first thing in the morning. He also suggest you eat every 3 hours–roughly six times a day. Finally, in order to do the exercises Body for Life suggests, you will need either a full weight gym membership, or a full weight set at your home or office. This is not a program that works with body weight or floor exercises alone. This book is written for the thousands of people who have gym memberships but can’t afford a personal trainer or have no idea what to do in a gym besides the tredmill. If you have access to a gym or weight set, give the Body for Life program a try. If not, you may want to steer clear as there will be little of the program you could follow without weights. *****(Five Stars)

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