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Keys
to the Inner Universe reviewed by |
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How many exercises do you do for your triceps? Not just in a workout but how many different tricep exercises do you cycle through over the course of a year? Let's see...pushdowns, dips, overhead extensions, lying extensions, maybe kickbacks. That's five and with some variations between dumbells and barbells, let's say ten. That's a lot of variety that you can use throughout the year, right? Keys to the Inner Universe lists 265 different triceps exercises. THAT is variety.
This book, written by bodybuilding legend Bill Pearl, has long been considered the king of weight training books because of the enormous number of exercises given for each bodypart, and I must concur. The book is broken up into bodypart sections and each section lists exercises, variations of those exercises, variations of those variations, etc. along with diagrams showing how to perform them. Pages and pages of them. While flipping through the exercises you may say to yourself, "These variations are obvious." In some cases that is true but are you doing those variations? Palms in instead of palms forward? Altnernating instead of simultaneously? You can think of alternates but this book lists them so you don't have to rely on your memory. There are also plenty of exercises that you have not even considered doing and, naturally, variations on those, too.
The sheer number of exercises may seem like overkill but as a home trainer, I find it a blessing. In any listing of exercises there will be ones that cannot be done in a home gym because of a lack of equipment (a cable crossover setup, for instance). So even when the exercises that cannot be done are eliminated, one is still left with many, many exercises that can be done. This also applies to injuries and other limitations that may prevent someone from doing certain exercises. Think about it: if someone was unable to do 50% of the triceps exercises listed, that would leave over 130 that can be done.
There are other sections on Bill's training philosphy, nutrition guidelines, and his contest history, much of which is also found in Getting Stronger, but the meat and real strength of this book is the exercise listings. About 500 pages of exercises (three or four to a page). If an athlete has moved from intermediate to advanced training and wants to really add some variety to his or her workout, the best game in town is Keys to the Inner Universe.
Oh, as an added bonus this book, previously available only in hardcover, is now in paperback.
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