High-Performance Bodybuilding

The basic message of this book is rather motherly: eat, eat. But according to trainer and former bodybuilding champ Parrillo, it's quite revolutionary advice in the world of bodybuilding, where it's not uncommon for those pumping iron to resort to starvation diets and even diuretics in their quest for ``lean mass.'' Parrillo's more sensible approach centers on adding calories (up to 10,000 a day for men) and eating four to five times a day, with meals structured around a lean protein (chicken or fish) and one or two starch carbohydrates (cauliflower, green beans). Except for its proscription of fruit of any kind, this is not a bad regimen for those who don't spend most of their time in the gym, and the text is quite straightforward and approachable. Still, the book is meant for a very specialized audience. Entire chapters are devoted to the ingestion of esoteric nutritional supplements (dessicated liver tablets, supplemental growth hormone releasers) and ``fascial stretching,'' which Parrillo claims can help weight lifters achieve ``bigger muscles, deeper separations, greater strength.'' There are also pre-competition tips, clearly not intended for the general exercising public: ``If your muscles are hard but your skin is loose, drink slightly less water. If your muscles are soft and lack vascularity, increase your carbohydrates and slightly more water. On the other hand, if you look hard, ripped, and vascular, do not change a thing.'' (Jan.)