Table of Contents
Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Mathews was rated one of the top books in the fitness genre, so I decided to give it a go. There are some faults with the book, especially with organization, but overall, the author was knowledgeable about nutrition and training, and cites enough research to back his claims.
I think the weak points in the book are the final sections on supplementation, in which scientific scrutiny is substituted for personal preference.
Here are summaries of the first four chapters. If you are a gym newbie, or you’ve been doing it for a while, but feel that you have reached a plateau, this book is at the very least a good starting point to learn about how proper form, so that you avoid injuries, and at the same time, gives you a time tested philosophy to build muscle. You will also learn how to match your training with proper nutrition.
Section 1: Fundamentals
Michael Mathews starts the book by outlining all the key definitions you need to know. One of the reasons why it’s so easy to be misled by bad information about nutrition and fitness online is not knowing the definitions.
Section 2: Inner Game
A real willpower challenge isn’t a fleeting, “wouldn’t that be nice” thought that disappears as quickly as it came. It’s more like an all-consuming battle raging inside of you between good and evil, virtue and sin, and yin and yang, and you feel it physically.
Section 3: Nutrition and Diet
People often overestimate how many calories they burn each day, so they over-eat
Section 4: Training
The best ways to train are using dumbbell and barbell exercises, if you want to build bigger, stronger muscles. There are some machines that are good, such as the leg press or cable setup, but most are inferior to dumbbells and barbells.