The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs: Men's Edition [Paperback]

I've been an avid fan of the Body Sculpting series of books for over a year now, and recently picked up this book -- The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs." Villepigue does a fantastic job of levelling with the reader and giving you the necessary information to really sculpt your abs. There are no gimmicks in this book, just pure, sensible advice on what needs to be done to get a six-pack.

That being said, the book is a little shorter than I would have liked. Since I follow the workout routines in the original Bodysculpting Bible, I would have liked to see the Abs book tie in more with those routines. Instead, it offers you completely independent 14-day workouts. It's up to the reader to tie those in with any other workout program they are already on.

I would have also liked to see a larger section on diet. In my experience, sculpting the perfect abs is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Instead, the majority of this book is dedicated to illustrating new and interesting ab workout techniques using the floor, Swiss ball, and medicine ball. All interesting stuff, but only a few pages are dedicated to diet advice and recommendations.

This is still a wonderful reference to have around, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to seriously chisel out those abs!

I would definitely recommend this book. It presents a solid plan of action for building great abs. Since I have been using it, my midsection is already tighter and my six pack is starting to peek through.

Dozens of exercises for home and gym. Great photos so its easy to follow. Detailed workouts for a routine that doesn't get boring. Very up to date. Even includes nutrition guidance.

It's a great deal and belongs on any guy's shelf who wants to look his best. Recommended to all.

I purchased about 10 books from Amazon on abs in order to compare them. This one has fairly large print and large photos, although it does come with a DVD. For how it compares with the other books, here are my conclusions...

If You Want to Trim Your Waistline: You can't trim your waistline without losing fat, and you can't lose fat around your waist without losing it everywhere (focusing on a muscle group like the abdominal muscles doesn't burn fat in that location, just a little bit of fat from everywhere on the body). So, if you want to trim your waistline, skip the ab workout books and go with a good, proven overall weight loss and fitness book like Bill Phillips' Body for Life. The Abs Diet is a similar program, but like all the Men's Health publications, it advertises a 6-week transformation, which is just a little unrealistic. Plan on more like 12-24 weeks to see really noticeable changes if you are fat.

If You Want Sculpted Six-Pack Abs: If you are overweight at all, see above--you can't get a six pack while you're overweight, and you can't lose abdominal fat by doing an ab workout, so go for overall fitness. However, if you are already lean, see below.

If You Want to Strengthen or Build Your Ab Muscles: If you're trying to improve for work, play, or rehab, you might consider the following books: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs Deluxe DVD Edition contains decently up-to-date information and tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, based on a six-week fitness course. If you're looking for a similar book with more information, you can choose from The Complete Book of Abs or The Complete Book of Core Training. The Complete Book of Abs (1998) is a little out of date in terms of its dietary/nutritional recommendations, but it focuses more on exercises that develop the external abdominal muscles (the ones you see in a six-pack), including lots of variations on leg lifts, bicycle motion, and sit-ups. It will also give you more resources for creating your own program, and, if that's what you want to do, go with this one instead of The Body Sculpting Bible. The Complete Book of Core Training (2006) focuses more on the functional body core, including internal abdominal muscles, legs, etc., and includes more trendy exercises using medicine balls, exercise balls, yoga, etc. A different sort of book is Stronger Abs and Back (1997), which was written before the current fad of selling "core training," but contains the elements of core training because it gives good functional sports-focused advice. Its dietary recommendations are out of date, but it recommends a 24-week workout plan, which is much more realistic than the 6-week plans advocated by many of the other books.

If You Have Back Pain: See your doctor, and if he prescribes abdominal/core strengthening, see above.

My one-book recommendation: Body for Life.
My two-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back.
My three-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs.
My four-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs + The Abs Diet.

Hope this helps!!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 15 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars