Pure Physique, by Michael Lipowski - Book Review

Recently, I read the book Pure Physique: How to Maximize Fat-Loss and Muscular Development by author Michael Lipowski, trainer of Men's Fitness magazine's first ever "Fat to Fit" contest winner. For starters, Michael Lipowski is a certified fitness clinician, President of the International Association of Resistance Trainers and writes for a number of health and fitness publications, as well as, a natural bodybuilder for the INBF. Before starting this book I was curious what it had to offer and what would make it stand out against the many health books on the market right now. I was also curious to read the writings of a natural athlete because I am also a competitor in the natural circuit. Here is what I walked away with after reading Pure Physique.

Best Body:
This is a term Mr. Lipowski uses in his book to represent the body we wish we could have. This doesn't mean the body on the Victoria's Secret model or the person on the cover of Muscular Development, unless your physique is genetically capable of doing that. It's the best body you can personally and reasonably attain. I appreciate the use of his term because I feel people get caught up with what the media sells as beauty and this is a way to create a vision that is healthy and realistic.

Components and Performing an Exercise:
Spending hours in the gym is not an ideal way of training, nor is it beneficial in the long run. Mr. Lipowski uses many terms that have been heard in any gym such as volume, intensity, set length and reps. He also discusses fast and slow twitch muscle fibers which vary from person to person and also depends on gender. Although these are important, what really comes across is the "work smarter, not harder" concept that not only creates visual changes in the body but is less taxing. One example he uses is learning the weight load needed to bring a muscle to failure. Using too heavy of a weight is often the culprit for being fatigued but not meeting muscular failure because the muscle for that exercise is being under-trained. This is the "more is better" concept I have often seen in the gym with a gentleman doing 80lb barbell curls but nearly throwing his back out to do so.

Creating a Program:
Health and fitness magazines often offer workouts within and are developed with set standards for reps and weight. Although these are an outlet for someone trying to get in shape it is a generalized plan offering without an assessment of the trainee's needs. Mr. Lipowski's book Pure Physique breaks down the components which are necessary for a person to create their own training program. From early on in his book I realized the goal is not to set a general standard for training but to teach the principals so anyone can be self sufficient and properly train.

Diet:
As with any training manual no book would be complete without a section on food and dieting. Mr. Lipowski explains that food is a numbers game most people are not good at. This is not saying people can't get better ; it's an understanding of food that needs to be learned to attain the goals of weight loss. For the most part trainees don't realize how many calories a day they are consuming and often consume far more than their bodies actually need. He suggests tracking all foods for four to six months as a way to see what you are eating and how often. With this resource at your fingertips you'll be able to see which foods can be excluded or added to reach your goals.

Mind Over Matter:
Mr. Lipowski's theory of "think your way fit" is a way to re-create your body in the physical aspect, as well as, the mental aspect. The only person who can make the changes in your body happen is you. Having dreams of being slender for more muscular is only something that can be done by creating a plan of action and following through.

I enjoyed Pure Physique's practical concepts for training because they could be used in everyday applications. Although the book does not have illustrations the text is well written and gives many examples to help understand the proponents of each chapter.