I have read ALOT of bodybuilding books, and about 95% of them are unacceptable, and full of useless information. I would say that Ellington Darden (in particular in this book) is one of the best. The basic principles to follow (falls from combo of Arthur Jones, Mentzer, Darden, Parillo):
1. Perfect form on all exercises
-- This means smooth, slow movement - no bouncing, always
-- in control.
2. Heavy weight.
-- You need to tax the muscles, but while following principle
-- #1.
3. Go to Positive failure.
-- I go to failure on every exercise. This is fine as long
-- as you also follow principles #4, #5.
4. Brief Workouts.
-- Few sets. For Chest I do 3 sets bench, 3 sets incline.
-- No need to do 12 - 20 sets for any muscle if you follow
-- principle #3.
5. Get enough recovery.
-- I split my body into 4 parts and work each muscle once
-- every 8 days.
6. Follow good nutrition standards.
-- Eat well, and EAT TO WHAT YOU DO! In other words, you
-- need to get certain nutrients, amounts of protein and
-- carbs, calcium, etc. based on what you do each day. If
-- you aren't working out for a bit - adjust the diet.
7. Eat Frequently.
I could go on for days about what's in this book. It's a great book and the closest to my own workout principles of anything 've read. The only other person I'd recommend reading is Stuart McRobert.
