A REVIEW

I was lucky enough to given an advance copy of Paul Borresen's new book 'The Anabolic Edge 2001' I say 'lucky' although I suspect it had more to do with my constant questions and Paul's wish to shut me up. I have been a member of Paul's coaching program for four months and during that time I have driven him almost to distraction with questions about what is happening and why.
I came to Paul as a novice bodybuilder and therefore had huge gaps in my knowledge of the subject. Like many people I had been trying to grow either on my own or by listening to 'advice' from others. I had little knowledge of the relevant physiological systems or of pharmaceutical enhancement. I had tried to source a relevant textbook that would tell me what I needed to know without success. The good news is, 'The Anabolic Edge 2001 closes that gap. Paul has produced a 'must read' for all bodybuilders and those interested in enhanced performance.
The book is divided into major sections, which can be read individually or as a whole.
I would advise everybody to start with the section on physiology, it's highly informative without being techno-babble. This section details each of the major processes we are trying to influence as bodybuilders. Optimum nutrition, how protein is actually used in making muscle and how Pharmaceuticals influence this process. Paul also outlines how the body can hit back and thwart the efforts you are trying to make. I found this section on homeostasis highly useful in understanding how my body rapidly adapted to and therefore resisted gear courses.
As a direct result I have adopted a shorter cycle of course to keep my body 'off balance'. Without this insight I would be wasting huge amounts of time and money pressing on with a course that my body had already worked out how to resist. You don't hear many conversations about homeostasis in the gym!
The Section on the Immune System and methods to boost health, is valuable reading for everybody, not just sports people and body builders. Paul is generally known as a 'Gear Monster' and yet this underestimates the emphasis he places on the importance of overall health, to the process of bodybuilding.
His recommendations on supplements to boost the immune system are both practical and achievable as well as being an essential part of his coaching. From personal experience I can say that, having just finished a months cutting program with 1200 Calories per day, including only 30gms of Carbohydrate, full weight training and 90 minutes cardio, largely outside in January, without a cold or any illness, this would have been unachievable without effective immune system support. If you want to know what I took, give it a read.
The section on Pharmaceuticals is vital to anybody that wants to go down that route. How these substances work, how to spot duff gear, how to use site injections to the best effect, how to use pharmaceuticals to hold on to those hard won gains including how to improve your own support systems and an honest review of the potential risks involved are all covered in an easy to follow format.
We have all heard various stories in gyms across the U.K. about what pharmaceuticals you should use and how much. In the four months Paul has been coaching me, I have discovered that most of these stories are Ju-Ju. If you want to be a serious bodybuilder, get to grips with the fundamentals of the art. To do that, either ring Paul everyday for four months with a list of 25 questions as I did, or buy this book. The latter route will save you time, not only in phone calls, but real time, the stuff we spend in the gym or planning how to grow!!!
You won't find yourself mentioned by name in this book, but trust me you are in there. Each process Paul writes about is happening right now inside your physiology. If you want to grow, you owe it to yourself to find out how to do so in the optimum way.