Essential Strength Books – Beyond Muscular Strength by Stuart McRoberts

A hardgainer is a skinny person who has trouble gaining muscle mass. He had followed Stuart McRobert’s hardgainer.com for a while before picking up a copy of Beyond Brawn. He is currently 6’8″ and normally weighs between 240-250. When I got my first driver’s license, he was 6’7″ and weighed 150lbs. Much of the progress I’ve been able to make was following the methods I had read about on hardgainer.

I have always been a fan of McRobert’s writing style and his obvious passion for strength training. He is a strong man who has gained a wealth of knowledge about the Iron Game. Have you ever met someone who was so passionate about something that you couldn’t help but get emotional when you heard them talk about it? That’s how I felt when (don’t laugh) the dean of my library school talked about cataloging. He raved about it as a fervent Baptist preacher, and it was impossible not to rave about it. (This feeling faded immediately after he left the room.)

Stuart McRobert’s writing turns you on from page one and stays with you. Too often, books on training are tired rehashes of what has already been said billions of times before. Recycled bullet lists. Many harsh words but little humility. When someone who has accomplished something I want is also willing to say, “Look, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my training over the years. I wasted a lot of time and got hurt a lot,” that means something to me. By the end of any of the Die Hard movies, John Mclane has always been beaten within an inch of the life of him. He does heroic things, but we know he’s going to take a beating when he’s sorted them all out.

McRoberts does not pretend to know everything and admits his mistakes. He focuses on his mistakes so much, in fact, that, it sounds kind of silly, you get to meet him at the end of the book. He doesn’t appear as a guru, but as a normal guy who figured out how to become strong. Larger-than-life figures are hard to spot, unless he’s in the larger-than-life club. A man’s humanity is never more fully displayed than when he admits that he is vulnerable to the same mistakes, hurts, and insecurities as anyone else.

There are two main selling points for this book.

1. McRoberts is a person to admire

He is humble but incredibly knowledgeable. His desire to help others is manifested on every page.

And that gives me the opportunity to deftly move on to…

point number 2:

The content. Do you want whole? you got it

Anyone who puts “Encyclopedia” on the cover of any book is either a brash fraud praying to make some money before being exposed, or someone like Stuart McRobert. Encyclopedic knowledge is broad in scope and depth. You only get encyclopedic content one of two ways: either a team of smart people work on tons of little articles together to prepare the next edition, or one person pays their fair share, pays attention, and takes their time (years!) to synthesize your knowledge. for the boisterous masses.

Flip through Beyond Brawn and you’ll quickly realize that this is an encyclopedia. Maybe you are not a naturally curious person and just like to throw heavy things. If picking up the latest copy of Brittanica doesn’t get your motor running, let me assure you that BB is an exciting book for strength seekers.

A Summary of McRobert’s Philosophy

• It’s a privilege to train hard
• Most people who exercise have no idea what a “hard” workout is.
• Short attention spans and information overload keep most people from getting the results they want.
• It takes brutally hard work to get those results, but it’s not complicated.
• Squat, Deadlift and Bench if your body is healthy enough.
• Do not get hurt.
• When in doubt, train less often, not more.
• Practice proper nutrition
• get enough rest

Sounds like a lot of other books, doesn’t it?

it is not. He is able to say the “same old things” in a way that will resonate with you. He is also adept at illustrating which methods don’t work without patronizing anyone who practices them. More than anything, he is saddened and frustrated by people engaged in a noble quest, but who are wasting the best training of their lives by spinning their wheels.

Beyond Brawn has no images. Very little formatting. Simply block paragraph after block of smart, actionable information that you can immediately benefit from. I have never read a book so thick so fast, and I read a lot of big fat books. There is not a false line or paragraph in the entire volume.

As I said before, the most important thing is the mentality and the passion that McRobert has … his respect for the pursuit of strength. If you have any interest in strength, positive thinking, or goal achievement, you should read this book. It’s equal parts self-help, road map to power, reference tool, and pep talk masterpiece for days when he needs the push to get back on track.

Read it, read it, read it, then read it again. “Empower” is not a word you can use very often without rolling your eyes. Talk too corporate. But Beyond Brawn will make you feel empowered. You will be eager to get it on the second page.