Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way

By Michael Mejia and John Berardi

Book Overview

A state-of-the-art weight-lifting and nutritional blueprint for "skinny" guys who want to pack on muscle

Let's face it, naturally skinny guys are at a distinct genetic disadvantage when it comes to building muscle mass. But with the proper advice, these "hardgainers" definitely can realize their fitness goals. In Scrawny to Brawny, the authors draw on their years of practical experience as private strength and nutrition coaches to provide hardgainers with:

- A progressive, state-of-the-art program that optimizes results with shorter, less frequent workouts that maximize compound exercises
- A unique, action-based perspective on nutrition that shows how to prepare quick muscle-building meals and snacks-and how to take advantage of several critical times in the day when muscle growth can be stimulated by food intake
- Vital information on how to identify and fix any weak links in their physiques that may be precursors to injury

Designed not only for frustrated adult hardgainers but also--with its strong anti-steroid message--a terrific book for the large teen market, Scrawny to Brawny fills a significant gap in the weight-lifting arsenal.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594860882
• ISBN13: 9781594860881
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.3" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Book

This book contains a wealth of useful information for people struggling to build muscle. The focus on compound lifting and the nutritional advice helped me realize gains I never thought possible. While the nutritional advice may seem extreme to some, it's unbelievably effective. After reading this book, I built a program incorporating all of Dr. Berardi's nutritional principles and strategies. I started off at 5'7" 115lbs (about 6% bf), and a year or so later I've gotten up to 146lbs at about the same bf%. It required a massive change in lifestyle, as well as more discipline than I thought I had, to accomodate the diet plan, but it was well worth it. I look and feel like a completely different person. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the desire and will power to change their body.

Great Book

I never recieved any email from the author. This is a real, genuine mini-review. The material found in this book is great and the advice is sound. I've learnt a lot from it and it has helped me organize my schedule to find time for creating my meals and having them. It has also successfully motivated me to start working out again. If you want a body like the one you see on the cover of this book then you have to work hard. This book shows you exactly what you need to do to achieve that. The people complaining about difficult meal plans and funny looking exercises probably don't have what it takes to gain that body (and it's not really all that difficult..). Nine medium sized meals, when three of them are just small protein shakes, is not difficult at all. And this book doesn't tell you to get on a 4500 calorie diet... it shows you how to calculate exactly how many calories your body needs. This isn't a quick fix book (like those electric shock ab machines you see on TV). Once you have decided that you will work hard for the body you want then this book will tell you what you need to do so you don't end up wasting your time in the gym. The only problem that I saw with this book was that the nutrition section is waaay at the end. I think it should be placed before all the exercises because a proper meal plan is needed before you even look at weights.

Excellent book for the "hard gainer"

This was my first exercise/nutrition book I purchased. While I had been working out regularly for 2 and half years, I wasn't seeing the gains I had hoped for. I haven't followed this book right down to every last detail, but I do refer to it a lot for work out routines and new exercises. It also helped me realize I just wasn't taking in enough calories to put on mass and become stronger. I think most people would find it difficult to consume 4-5000 calories a day, but unfortunately it's necessary for the severe ectomorph. If you follow this book strictly I have no doubt you would get significant results in a reasonable amount of time. I went from 135lbs to 170lbs (6'2") on my own. I'm hoping with the work out routines and eating habits I picked up from this book I can get to 190+ in a much shorter amount of time.

Skinny bodies are a thing of the past!

Absolutely fantastic! The frustration over being an ectomorph is something that only the truely skinny can understand. I had just healed after two sessions at the gym that took me a week to recover. During that time, I reevaluated my weightlifting; what was I doing wrong? I had eaten good foods and trained at least 3 time a week with only a little definition to show for it. Then, I heard about this book. I ordered it not expecting much but, boy, was I wrong. The information in this book specifically directs its focus towards us skinny guys. The emphasis is on compound lifts in the body of the training program but they also use the first four weeks to level out your muscle groups to prevent injury and so you look more balanced (this cured my weak back muscles!). A nice thing too is that the book devotes half of itself to nutrition. Other books will only give you exercises and have you go on your way which always leads you to thinking what you're doing wrong. They list out how you should eat and when; let it be known that this portion is a major lifestyle change. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their body. So what are you waiting for "skinny"? Get to work!