What is the recipe of the gods?

June 11, 2008 12:19 PM

I am looking for THE book for exercise and nutrition programs.

I realize this is a topic that is often debated in many different forums and blogs throughout the Internet, but I am looking for an authoritative book on supplements, nutrition and exercise. I own a large number of books myself, but the information I have acquired over the years is spread thin, and oft-repeated, in a variety of sources. Primarily I would like the book to feature a tried-and-true "recipe" of exercise, nutrition, and supplementation. I have experimented with a number of programs, but have yet to develop one of my own that works for me. That said, I have lost a good amount of weight, but feel I am missing something.
I am not looking for a Joe Weider or Men's Health or Body for Life program, but instead a scientific oriented manual on the hows, whys and whens of the program and supplementation. Basically, I need a pre-made program that I can stick to and follow. I am in my late 30's and have lifted weights for nearly 20 years.

posted by mcarthey to health & fitness (4 comments total)

I have read numerous books but then found all of the information that I ever needed at http://www.bodybuilding.com . It had everything including a lot of online tools and calculators for crafting a really good diet.
posted by skewedoracle at 12:24 PM on June 11, 2008

There isn't one.

People may come into this thread and recommend a variety of books, but the truth is that there isn't one.

First, your exercise program and nutrition is different depending on what type of fitness you're after. A marathoner, power lifter, football player and bodybuilder have vastly different training and nutritional needs. Second, we still don't have close to complete understanding how our bodies work. For example. the benefits of interval training are far from completely understood. The benefits of a low (or lower) carb diet are also relatively new discoveries and the mechanisms by which they work are not fully realized.

Basically, our knowledge of nutrition and fitness is far too complex, varying, and developing to be encompassed in a single book.
posted by christonabike at 1:02 PM on June 11, 2008

You say you've been lifting for 20 years, what's your approach? The book that has helped me to become pretty strong and shed some weight is Starting strength.
posted by aeighty at 5:15 PM on June 11, 2008

Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding is the closest thing to comprehensive I've seen.
posted by Andrew Brinton at 11:16 AM on June 12, 2008