I was a personal trainer for a couple years and I saw a number of programs like BFL that worked well. Regardless of what it was called, there were some basic tenets that these programs shared (including BFL):
- Lift weights
- Do cardio
- Reasonable diet
- Work it into your life
- Learn how your body responds
BFL was ground breaking in that is was the first program pushed to the masses (you could win a corvette is you showed the most improvement with the program) while also pushing EAS products. The book has lightened up it's EAS supplement recommendations since the author no longer runs EAS (Bill Phillips).
It was a great starting point for many people as far as what it took to reach their fitness/aesthetic goals - tracking the diet and workouts, encouraging weight lifting for weight loss, and working the program into their daily lives.
But it's hard to say that BFL was responsible for the dramatic changes if the user had been sedentary for a long time and had never watched their diet. I've seen similar changes in some clients using Atkins and cardio while other responded to Big Macs and weight lifting. So, don't draw any conclusions that BFL is the reason for their success. That being said, BFL has some good principles that are applicable to the majority of its users.
I personally never liked the program because it didn't apply to me at the time and I didn't like Bill Phillips (too much sensationalism and consumerism). But I encourage people to read up on the program and decide for yourself if it's something you want to do. It has some good information but don't consider it the Bible of fitness programs - you don't necessarily need supplements to do it and you may need to modify the workout to fit your body and goals. But there I go being a trainer again...
