Rodale

Exercise ain't easy. The body is a complicated machine, with 650 muscles and 250 million individual muscle fibers. Some would say taming those fibers and building strong, healthy muscles is not an act of labor. Some would say it's an art. Here's a book worthy of that art. The Men's Health Book of Muscle is the big, lavishly illustrated, full-color coffee table book that only Men's Health could produce-one that doubles as the ultimate guide to building a better body. The goal of The Book of Muscle is simple: create a beautiful, artistic guide to the body that also helps guys build great physiques by showing in detail how muscles work and how that knowledge can be put to use. Inside, you'll find lush anatomical illustrations and photographs of a quality that no other book on fitness can match. You'll also find complex biological information, boiled down to language any guy can understand, and three 6-month workout programs, one each for beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters. It's big muscles, big benefit, and beautiful all at the same time. It's the book you've always wanted from the guys at Men's Health, the fitness experts you trust.

Ian King is an Australian strength coach and former powerlifting champion who has trained world-class athletes on four continents. A certified strength-and-conditioning specialist, he has a bachelor's degree in movement science and a postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Queensland in Brisbane. He lives in Brisbane with his wife and two children.

Lou Schuler is fitness director of Men's Health magazine and a certified strength-and-conditioning specialist. He is coauthor of The Testosterone Advantage Plan and The Men's Health Home Workout Bible. He lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three children.