THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMID BOOKS
THE 2ND EDITIONS
Ready to end your frustration?
These books will show you how to build and tailor nutrition and training plans, so you can finally achieve your physique and strength goals.
The latest evidence-based recommendations, distilled and clearly explained by one of the industry’s leading experts.
THE TRAINING BOOK
Six sample routines to get you started quickly
Six programs for novice, intermediate, and advanced-level bodybuilders and strength-focused athletes.
Break through those training plateaus
With our full progression guidelines and examples, you’ll never be left frustrated and wondering what to do next.
Tailor your programming for faster results
Our quick-start programming guide will show you how to apply all the principles that go into program design.
THE NUTRITION BOOK
No longer waste time and energy with your nutritional efforts
The structured order of importance is what makes this book different. Learn what matters and when.
Use our science-based calculations for optimal setup
Whether you’re headed for the bodybuilding stage, cutting pounds for a weight class, or about to go on a bulk, we’ve got it covered.
Achieve continued and lasting changes
Learn how to balance adherence, consistency, and flexibility so you can live your life while progressing toward your goals.
WHAT TRAINING EXPERTS ARE SAYING
I wish I had a resource like this during my initial foray into the fitness field!
This a must-have for anyone looking to take their training to the next level. It’s a true evidence-based approach that combines the latest research and years of in-the-trenches experience to formulate a blueprint for program design.
Others dumb it down way too much, and miss CRITICAL nuance.
Few people know how to strike the right balance when they talk about training. Some people make it overly technical, which makes it easy for the reader to miss the forest for the trees. Others dumb it down way too much, and miss critical nuance. Eric, Andy, and Andrea have struck the perfect balance. I guarantee you’ll learn something from it, and walk away with a much better overall understanding of the training process.
The books bridge the gap between the latest scientific information and practical implementation.
There is no gimmick by the authors to make more money and the training principles here are not mired in confusion. Rather, the work on the Internet that we wish existed previously is now available; and if you are a novice or intermediate this book will help you bypass the stage of confusion.
WHAT NUTRITION EXPERTS ARE SAYING
Highly recommend this for anyone looking to change their body composition.
Whether you’re looking to get big or get ripped, Eric shows you, in an evidence-based yet easy to understand fashion, the hierarchy of importance of the things you need to consider. There’s no B.S. or huge promises; just a straightforward, no-nonsense, practical guide to nutrition and training for transforming your body.
I would have saved myself years of confusion.
It’s difficult for me to write a sufficiently accurate appraisal of the content within these books without sounding like I’m overplaying the quality and net benefit to be gained from them. The quality of content is astounding. The delivery is masterfully crafted and paced. And the net result for the reader is one that will be truly impactful on their approach and practice, whether they be a fitness enthusiast or a seasoned coach.
Distills what REALLY matters for nutrition and training.
Eric Helms represents the next generation of exercise scientist. Not content to take other expert’s word for it, Eric desired answers so voraciously, that he did what any good scientist does… he became obsessed and crazy enough to do his own original real research. I can’t recommend these books highly enough.
Ready to go from nutrition and training principles to practical application and progress?
Prefer physical copies?
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THE AUTHORS
Eric Helms, PhD, CSCS
Chief AuthorFor the better part of his career, Eric has worked with drug-free physique and strength athletes at all levels, including two IPF World champions and pro-show natural bodybuilding champions. Eric is a WNBF pro natural bodybuilder and competes in strength sport.
Eric is a Strength and Conditioning and Sports Physiology and Nutrition Senior Research Fellow at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand at AUT, where he mentors masters and PhD students conducting applied strength and physique sport science. He has a BS in fitness and wellness, an MS in exercise science, a second masters in sports nutrition, and a PhD in strength and conditioning.
Andrea Valdez, MS
Co-AuthorAndrea is a lifelong athlete, experienced coach, and content creator.
She has trained athletes in multiple disciplines for over 15 years, and has a M.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Oklahoma. She has also been a bodybuilding coach, podcast host, and operations director with 3D Muscle Journey since 2015.
Andy Morgan, BS
Co-AuthorAndy Morgan is an online training and nutrition coach.
He has seven years of experience working full-time coaching people exclusively online. You can find 100+ client result photos and 400+ client testimonials on his site. This puts him among the most experienced coaches out there, with the results to back it up.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where can I purchase physical copies?
English language physical copies are available on Amazon in the following country stores: USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
Note: If you click and find that it's not available in your country, it may be possible to go to one of those local country sites to order. (Apologies for any inconvenience. These are all the stores we were able to make them available in.) We are not able to give discounts to those who purchased digital copies, nor vice versa.
Who are the books written for?
These books have been written with physique athletes, strength athletes, and those that coach them, primarily in mind. However, the majority of our readers are just regular people, but serious recreational trainees. If you are a novice looking for a comprehensive approach to muscle gain and or fat loss and have some basic information to start, you’ll be good with these. But if you don’t know how to perform basic exercises, and aren’t totally clear on what macros are or have any idea of how to match them to foods, then this won’t be for you just yet.
What do you mean by “free future versions, forever”?
Every time we write a new edition of the books, you will receive fresh download links. The 14,000 people that bought the first editions received these second editions 10 days prior to general release on the 25th of December as a Christmas surprise.
Note: This offer only applies to those who buy the digital pair set. Those who buy just the one book will need to purchase any future editions. There is no upgrade offer, and this cannot cover any physical editions.
Are the books fully referenced?
Yes. There are 158 unique references in the training book and 301 unique references in the nutrition book, listed at the end of each of the chapters. The books are heavily updated and there is around 50% more content. We have a couple of pages dedicated to outlining the changes and new content in detail, but I'll briefly outline what is new.
What's new in the second editions?
New Content in the Training Book:
- A “Quick Start” guide to program building,
- How to address weak points,
- The flowchart for when to adjust volume includes other considerations related to recovery, stimulus, and adaptation.
- Volume counting has been simplified, no longer quantified by repetitions per body part, but rather sets per muscle group or movement pattern.
- A flowchart to help you determine when a deload is needed.
- How to gauge progress without testing strength.
- A discussion of blood flow restriction training.
- Setting initial volume by experience level.
- Pairings for rep ranges and proximity to failure with different classes of exercises
- How to modify training while cutting,
- How to incorporate autoregulation,
- Which progression models to pair with different exercises at various stages of your lifting career,
- How to organize a training split.
New Content in the Nutrition Book:
- How to determine whether you should ‘bulk’ or ‘cut’.
- A chapter on making adjustments and measuring progress,
- Ketogenic diets,
- The ins and outs of peak week for physique competitors, and making weight (and changing weight classes) for strength athletes,
- Recovery diet guidelines for physique athletes post-competition,
- A deeper discussion around finding maintenance,
- Energy availability, with signs and symptoms to be wary of,
- Whether tracking caloric intake is necessary initially,
- How to set protein if your body fat is very high,
- A visual chart to help you determine hydration levels,
- Protein digestion as it relates to protein timing,
- Updated supplement recommendations including a new “A, B, C” tiered ranking system,
- Extensive additions on the potential psychological pitfalls of relying too much on external nutrition cues (tracking nutrition and bodyweight) and how to use qualitative approaches guided by satiety, hunger, and habit-based methods to avoid them.
Are they available on Kindle?
There will not be Kindle editions. The graphs and training program tables do not lend themselves well to the format.
Does the training book contain sample training programs?
Absolutely. We have six programs for novice, intermediate, and advanced-level bodybuilders and strength-focused athletes. You will see the principles in action and get started quickly.
Does the nutrition book contain any actual example macro plans of real competitors? What about meal plans?
We don’t have a specific athlete’s example of a full prep (for privacy), but we have example calculations based on real people that we’ve worked with. You’ll see pictures of these individuals on the chapter title pages.
Why offer the money-back guarantee? Isn’t that a little unusual for a book?
It is unusual, but here’s the deal: the overwhelming majority of people are decent and honest and don’t abuse offers like this. While we’re confident that you’ll enjoy and get an immense amount of value out of these books, we know that they are not cheap and we want you to feel confident in your purchase. So, if you read them and don’t feel that you got your money’s worth, let us know within 30 days and we’ll give you a full refund.
How do these books build on your 2013 and 2015 Youtube video series?
Great question. Consider those videos the cliff notes and highlight-reel version of these books, without the most recent research that has come out since they were originally recorded. So while the books cover the same broad principles as the videos, they go into far greater levels of detail and cover more context and nuance. The books are around 300 pages each.
100% risk-free. 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
WHAT OTHER INDUSTRY EXPERTS ARE SAYING
I don’t question myself. I don’t wonder, “How many sets of this should I do? High reps or Low Reps? Am I on the correct workout split?” No, I am confident in myself. This knowledge comes from an accumulation of experience and by humbling myself and listening to the experts in this industry, not just the guys with the best physiques or highest follower count. This is your chance. End your Wheel Spinning. Buy these books.
Finally, a comprehensive source to send people to who are interested in bodybuilding. I was coached by Eric’s partner Jeff Alberts for my bodybuilding competition, the results you can see in the photo, the principles in this book were applied. I would recommend to anyone looking into doing a bodybuilding show or if you are coaching bodybuilders.
Over the years I have read many books. Some are bad, some are good and a few are amazing — these fall in the latter category. Eric has referenced a lot of the available literature but still managed to write in an easy, straight-forward way that makes it very practical to use.
Eric Helms and company have gone to great lengths of providing a resource that doesn’t set out to describe a particular nutritional strategy or training template, they lay out the fundamental principles and their relative importance in detail, while still remaining extremely readable.