Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Advanced Guide to Building Muscle, Staying Lean, and Getting Strong (The Bigger Leaner Stronger Series)

Have read everything Mike Matthews has put out and follow his site muscleforlife.com regularly. Mike is the single most knowledgeable and straight-forward writer in the health/fitness space. No BS, he gets results and I am living proof - had been lifting for 5+ years, focused on the typical bodybuilding workout with 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, when I picked up Mike's book Bigger Leaner Stronger and realized I need to focus on lifting heavy with compound movements, evolving my workouts to focus on 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps. My body reacted quickly and continuing to get bigger, leaner, stronger, and less frustrated :) Beyond gets into more advanced periodization approaches and is a terrific upgrade to the original foundation Mike laid out - he also covers nutrition, various recent diet approaches (IFYM, carb cycling, IF, etc.). Couldn't be more positive on the clarity of Mike's writing and the tangible results it drives - highly recommend!

Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger (BBLS) is a great easy to read book that uses science based principles and techniques to improve your overall health! Author Mike Matthews starts the book by focusing on the mental side of overall health and creating good habits to complete your fitness goals! The book then explains the importance of maintaining a good diet and what role supplementation can actually play in your overall health. BBLS then goes into science based techniques to maximize your workouts and move past strength plateaus you might be currently experiencing. I love how at the end of each chapter the fundamental information is give a quick bullet point overview. Overall I would highly recommend BBLS to anyone looking for a good science based workout book!

Even if you are an advanced bodybuilder, I would read Bigger, Leaner, Stronger first. I ran across Michael Matthew's site by accident, just researching something about working out when I was trying to put a program together for myself. Of course, when reading the articles on his site, his books are advertised. At first, I'd just close them all and continue looking at different stuff. The thing is, I read so many people's rants about how great his books were, I finally just said what the hell and bought BLS. I'm fifty one and figured I've spend so many thousands of dollars on books, magazines, equipment, supplements and flat out bulls*** over the years, what was another ten bucks, right? Another thing was that he answers questions pretty quickly and I was impressed by this. All I can say is that if you actually read these books cover to cover, and actually listen to and do the things (including diet, folks...NO CHEATING), it is the best bodybuilding program ever put together. Yeah, strong words for sure, but after three and a half decades of failure, I was ready to blindly follow what looked to be the most sensible and complete thing I'd ever read about bodybuilding. Even then, I still farted around just picking and choosing what I wanted from his teachings for a few weeks until one Sunday I sat down and just said "screw it...I'm all in." I sat for nearly an entire day and worked out my diet, sodium levels and all, and I have basically eaten the exact same thing every day since. Now that doesn't mean that YOU have to do that, but I can deal with it. The first eight weeks have been incredible. I've doubled and tripled my strength on every single lift, and while the scale is still saying the same thing, I've went down a whole size in clothing. Yes, I've put on muscle and lost fat. I'm five eleven, 250 lbs, and suddenly people are saying that they can't believe how I look after a few weeks. Do you know what it's like having a girl in her mid 20s wink and say "keep it up, sexy"? I sure didn't until about a week ago, lol. I bought this book as soon as it came out, even though I knew I wouldn't be using it for a long time because (A) I like to "master" things, so I wanted to read it over and over before I ever needed to put it to use and (B) I was craving more. What I've found, is that this book helped me understand Bigger, Leaner, Stronger better, and some of the theory is a bit more in-depth, if you are into that. I also found a continued inspiration and new way to look at things from the first few chapters. Like I said, I'm into mastery, so I still read BLS over and over, but to me, these two are simply one book. I have also purchased Muscle Myths and a few others that Mike has written and they are all fine reads, but these two books are kind of like Led Zeppelin 1 through 4, or Rush 2112 through Moving Pictures--if you are going to get something, get these first. They are his Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall...enough classic rock comparisons, lol. There is a lot in these books you may not care to read, and I believe that Michael puts all of this in there because some of us want to get into the theory and science as much as he does. Some of us do not. For those that do, all the extra information is freaking outstanding. For those that don't, you know what? Skip over it. This sounds like an infomercial pitch, but after knowing what I know, I would have paid anything for it. You get EVERYTHING. The workouts, the theory, the science, the diet planning, proper form and info on where to go to get it for every exercise, how to cheat on your diet, when to take a week off, when to change it up, when and how much and WHAT cardio to do, you name it. Also, use his website. It is fantastic, and he answers your questions within a few days, a week tops. This is impressive considering that they come from many different sources. Michael doesn't just take your money and run, he is invested in your success and never, ever makes you feel like you've asked a stupid question, which I know I have!

This was a fantastic book that is jam-packed with qualified information and research to justify the authors point. the biggest takeaway here is that whatever your goals are for your body, that they're numerous ways to achieve them. Constantly in the fitness space, people are looking for the silver-bullet, single solution that will help defeat their demons and achieve masterful results. Well, IT DON'T WORK LIKE THAT and Matthew presents great examples and ideas as to why and which solutions actually can work. I have applied his theory and have dropped over 25 pounds, lowered my body fat percentage by almost 10%, and maintained it over the course of 1.5 years. This is not a get rich quick scheme. This is a way of life. If you need something quicker you can achieve those same results, but it'll be in other fashions not explained in these books, not to mention it's much likelier that you revert back to whatever you were before the change. Commit and you will enjoy life much more. Just make sure that if you do commit to the teachings in this book and the BLS one, that you simplify your life. As with any change your plate has to be small so you can focus intently on the things that matter like getting into optimal strength! PLEASE READ: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HIS FIRST BOOK BLS (the one with the big yellow background). You need to read that first even if you know a ton on the subject. You need to know how he thinks to help further qualify the material in this book.

I was excited to hear Mike's new book was out and ordered a copy straight away. Not only is this book a goldmine of info for the small price, the bonus content he personally emails you after your purchase (by forwarding your amazon receipt to [email protected]) makes the purchase a no-brainer. I'm a early 20-something physique competitor (5'7", 170 lbs, 6% bf) who's been training for about 5 years and has been following Mike's books and blog since the original Bigger Leaner Stronger came out. As a scientist I do a lot of my own research for my training/diet/supplementation just like Mike, and had come to many of the same conclusions about the best approach to a healthy lifestyle and gaining muscle. Because of this, I greatly enjoy his friendly no-BS writing style and hearing about his opinions to compare with my own. This book is a very cohesive combination of his thoughts from the MuscleForLife blog and new content for anyone interested in knowing exactly what's what in the world of weightlifting. He goes through everything you need to know about what works, what doesn't, and what fads to watch out for, in just the right amount of detail. A lot of these claims go against the grain and may be hard to believe for some. For the most part I agree with his mentality and greatly appreciate all 277 of his cited scientific studies supporting his conclusions. I've incorporated much of his findings into my regime. However, different approaches work for different people even if these specific studies suggest otherwise. Techniques such as carb cycling, losing fat while building muscle in a calorie deficit, and high volume training have worked for me and my crew while some alternative suggestions given in this book haven't, but that's just our experience. All in all, I think this is the most solid and proven approach out there. One last thing, just want to mention his supplement line "Legion" is probably the best thing to happen to the supplement industry since powdered protein. Before the highly anticipated launch of his all natural and scientifically dosed products, I used to pay an arm/leg/first born for crappy tasting overpriced "natural" products which didn't use artificial sweeteners or dyes. Some products, such as a naturally sweetened pre-workout, couldn't even be bought before Legion's Pulse. Thanks for bringing honest and healthy supplements to the market Mike. Your hard work has helped more people than you think, and you're probably well on your way to breaking a million.

No BS here, just science and evidence-backed research that Mike has developed into a 360-degree, color by numbers program. Would recommend Bigger, Leaner, Stronger if you're new to weightlifting, but if you've been on your fitness journey for a few years, this "Beyond" version is a fantastic read. Great use of anecdotes, analogies, and sarcasm, but most importantly, just straightforward, practical, no BS diet & training programming to help you bust through a rut or just motivate you to keep grinding. From following MIke's work for 6+ years, it's clear he's genuinely motivated by helping others reach their fitness goals and living healthier, happier lives (not the norm in the industry...). Highly recommend this book.

Book is okay. Nothing really new. In a nutshell basically eat clean, follow the workout, do some cardio, and you'll gain some muscle. Workout is 3-4 compound movements performed at different rep ranges. Workouts take about 30-45 min to do. The one thing I had an issue with was the author says we shouldn't waste our time with most supplements. Then there is a chapter about certain supplements that he said might help. Then, at the end of the book, the author is pushing his own line of supplements.

Mike Mathews is an amazing author and communicator. I have not completely read the book, but can confidently report that this book represents yet another triumphant addition to the wealth of knowledge that Mike has already authored and is a natural extension of his earlier works. Those intimately familiar with the world of weightlifting, both bodybuilding and powerlifting are undoubtedly painfully aware of the insurmountable mountain of misinformation that is currently being propagated. Unfortunately, sorting through and identifying what is truth and what represents outright lies is both frustrating as well as challenging. This arduous task can be complex to such a degree that it becomes almost impossible to know what information to trust. Many of the people who circulate such information would rather compromise their own personal integrity rather than to reveal that the results that they have personally achieved are not naturally obtainable and are not the result of the training or diet that they represent and disseminate for personal gain. In contrast, Mike Mathews shines brilliantly. It is clearly apparent that he lives and breathes what he writes about. Mike has done current research and concisely translates the seemingly cryptic conclusions of innumerable academic studies to support his principles. By breaking down this information into useful bits that can be clearly understood, he demonstrates, in vivo, the tactics that work at an advanced level. Mike draws from real-world experience to communicate useful information without superfluous ramblings while maintaining personal integrity. With that in mind, this book makes no promises of a "magic bullet" or of some kind of shortcut to instant success. Mike is forthright in disclosing that such things simply do not exist. Instead, this book represents the opportunity to work smarter instead of working harder because in reality, hard work and personal dedication is what is required to maximize personal potential. Beyond Bigger, Leaner, Stronger outlines academically proven strategies to provide a rock solid program for advanced lifters to transform their training and diet into another realm. This book is well planned, well researched, and proven reliable. It is not suitable for beginners or most intermediate lifters because more basic methodologies are suitable in those situations and before these advanced techniques can be applied. If beginning in the sport, I highly recommend the original Bigger, Leaner, Stronger book instead.