Principles of Muscle Building Program Design (UP Encyclopaedia of Personal Training Vol 1) Perfect Paperback – 19 Dec. 2017

Truly excellent book and absolutely worth every penny of its purchase price. No, I’m not an Ultimate Performance employee, nor have I used their services. I have been a passive stalker & advocate of their blog for approximately year and really enjoy the content that they share (do check it out- it’s free!)Across my relatively short years I have had a waviering love affair with the gym, so I am very far from an experienced, battled hardened gym rat. I do however feel I have a decent eye for a good book, having read a number of weight training & martial art books…And this absolutely falls into that category, it is well produced, clear & concise in its layout and delivers great content. It has a very “no nonsense” feel to it’s delivery, which is what you would expect from an UP encyclopaedia. I suspect that this book & the additional ones that follow will become a go-to for PTs. For weekend warriors such as myself I can see this being an indispensable guide to getting the most out of training at the gym.I personally find the book very accessible as it provides “How To” sections on a number of areas of the gym- providing a series of best approaches. In addition, I really liked the detail included in the exercises section to ensure correct form, something I feel is often lacking in other books on the same subject. Finally, the program structure is excellent & works as a framework, essentially teaching you “How To” build a program, instead of providing a series of cookie cutter, one size fits all approach.Just to add, as an experienced gym goer you may think that this book is not for you… but I suggest otherwise as ensuring you have a through understanding of the basics in any sport is so important for progression… how can you really progress until you have the basics completely dialled? Plus, the program section could provide various degrees of difficulty, it is really only limited by you.

This is the third book I have purchased written by Nick Mitchell, this is by far the best. I have been training off and on for years with no real plan with my training. This book is ideal if like me you are getting back into training or have no experience in training or planning a workout. I am in my second week of four sessions a week (this frequency is optional) to get the best results and I am really enjoying it. Everything is very well explained including how to correctly perform each exercise and there are plenty of ways to vary the exercises. I have never approached my training in this way before and not only am I seeing the weight fall off it is keeping me interested in my workouts so I don't get bored.

Principles of Muscle Building is the de-facto reference for anyone who goes to a gym. This book helps you to start with a plan, then guides you through the process of continuous learning by both reading and doing. It helped me to connect the dots between all aspects of training from warm up, pairing exercises, selecting weights, reps and sets and when to use cardio. It’s a How To guide of the best variety being easy on the eye and clearly written, I read it in a single sitting but now dip in and out of it and refer back for reference. No gym membership should be without it.

This is the third book I have purchased that is written by Nick Mitchell. I followed religiously the most recent 12 week plan and achieved amazing results. The difference with this book is that you can now build your own programme depending on your training age which is a huge bonus. There is some differing exercises that could be used in conjunction with the other books as well. However the biggest plus of this book is the explanations as to why exercises work! Buy this book and it will really give you a deeper insight into muscle building!

If you’ve a lot of gym experience like myself don’t buy this book. A large part of it is the explanation of different weight training movements which any reasonably experienced gym user would already know. Nothing revolutionary either in the rest of the book that hasn’t already been written in multiple different exercise books in the past. If your a complete beginner then it’s a reasonable buy otherwise leave it alone. Well illustrated though to be fair.

Having reached the grand old Training Age of 14 months I thought I was becoming quite proficient however this book has given me another level of understanding that has already improved my technique and efforts in the gym which I’m sure will accelerate my results. Very clear and concise with great illustration and some impressive photos! A must read for anyone who wants to really understand what to do and why to do it in order to get great results. Follow my progress on instagram @angelamiddleton 💪

Print quality is really good and it looks a d feels like a premium product that you would expect from UP. The photo quality and layout is very good. It’s a simple book yet packed with useful information. The advice on intervals, reps, feeling the muscles being activated, form and technique is second to none and whether a novice or experienced you’ll get something from this book.Every so often the authors obviously need to fill space so whether a beginner or experienced gym goer you think well that’s obvious - such as using a leg extension machine to do leg extensions. These don’t spoil the book but do make you wish they’d just missed them out.Overall though very good and an ideal way to start putting your own programmes together.

Such a great, thorough starting point. The knowledge of the writers really comes through. It'll never match the obvious depth of UP personal training, but for 15 quid it feels like incredible value. In particular the detailed guides and trainers tips for each specific exercise.I've been training for 11 months but have hit a bit of a plateau, and will use this as a basis for the next 12 months. Look forward to seeing what the next in the series will offer.