Boost your gains with the help of this book

June 1st, 2010

While the photography isn’t the most important thing in a book, it is of keen value in a book of this type. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with what you see in the way of photos that fully explain the exercises. They’re most effective.

You’ll also find a large variation of popular exercises that have been around forever and remain valuable. You’ll even see the old push-up fully explained. And there’s no better exercise than that. But, you’ll also find some lesser-used exercises that can be very effective.

The author also discusses using the Swiss ball and the medicine ball for core exercises.

Actually, the number of exercises in this book is astounding. And knowing how to adjust your grip to hit different parts of a muscle is great knowledge.

In truth, most of this information is not new. But it is presented in a very effective way that can help you regain any losses you’ve had and to boost your gains.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

These workouts will kick your butt

June 1st, 2010

Try doing the 2nd set of exercises for Crowded Gyms and see if you don’t burn 775 or 820 calories at a pop. That’s what happened to me AND you’ll use muscles you’ve never used. I was sore for 3 days after and was so remotivated to workout again after years of having a blah time working out. There are so many varieties of workouts, it’s worth buying the book just for the stimulation..workouts for: ultimate weight loss; crowded gyms; beach body; wedding day; bodyweight; Sparactus (movie), etc. I’ve tried the Crowded Gym and Spartacus. I love them both, and both burn tons of calories, and you’ll have fun doing it, although you’ll be so beat up after, you’ll barely be able to stand. But it’s all good. You’ll also love the hundreds and hundreds of exercises with great instructions and pictures detailing the exact position of moves. I great great resource applying the latest workout science.

Worth every penny. Must buy for anyone

June 1st, 2010

I recently bought a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a weight bench. I also bought a few other equipment like pull up bar, swiss ball and wanted to know where and how to get started. This book exactly meets my requirements. It clearly lays out all the different exercises for various muscles, gives the latest information from research, shows all the exercises and their variations ( some times more than 8-10) with very clear and very high quality photographs.

It also groups all these exercises into various workouts designed by expert professionals to address specific goals like fat loss, muscle building, sports/athlete training, etc.

It also speaks about the latest in cardio workouts like HIIT, finishing of strength workouts with brief but killer cardio workouts. This books though does not assume you have access to a gym or machines. Most of the exercises shown are designed to be used with free weights ( dumbbells, barbells ). some of the variations ask for bosu ball, cable row etc but are completely optional.

Latest information regarding nutrition too is mentioned. A couple of workouts I have seen so far are also accompanied with a nutrition plan.

All in all, an EXCELLENT book for anyone working out at home or even with a gym membership. I am sure even people working out for a long time can pick a lot of good advice from this book.

Effective Guide for the Self-Guided Weight

June 1st, 2010

I have bought a lot of exercise books over the years. The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises is one of the best. This useful book has a fair amount of general information on diet, fitness, and training for specific sports, but what makes it stand out are its descriptions of individual exercises, photos, and versatility. The main part of the book is broken down by muscle group (chest, quads, hamstrings and glutes, upper and lower back, biceps and triceps, core). Each section has several exercises that use barbells, dumbbells, cables, or body weight, with good descriptions of how to do the exercise and good color photos. I don’t always trust myself to do a lift without instruction from an expert, but every new exercise I have picked up from this book has felt right and targeted the right muscles. I have used the book to fine-tune an existing workout, adding or swapping out individual exercise, but the Big Book is also packed with suggested workouts, including a series of 15-minute workouts for people who are new to lifting or have no time for elaborate workouts. There is also a section devoted to exercises that work several muscle groups at once. I have liked every workout I have tried, and am impressed that the book targets both the gym (with a section on the best way to get a good workout in when the gym is crowded) and the home. I have a bunch of dumbbells, and have focused on the dumbbell and body-weight exercises, but if you have a barbell set or cable machine at home you should find the book helpful, too. I am a runner and cyclist and drift toward the low-weight, quicker workouts, but there seems to be plenty here for the more serious lifter too.

Great Book for a Great Price

June 1st, 2010

This book intrigued me after I started doing the much publicized “Spartacus Workout” from Men’s Health, which a friend had ripped out of their copy of the magazine. I really enjoyed it, and when I looked it up on the website they had a little plug for this recently published book.

Well, I have to say, this book is phenomenal — especially for the price being offered on Amazon. I found the division of the exercises extremely coherent and logical — each body part is given a section, with a “Main Move” that the other exercises stem from. For example, the main weightlifting move for quads and calves is the basic barbell squat, fully explained and with a full page photographic spread. Master the Main Move, and you’ll be set for variations, etc.

I was also pleased by the sheer breadth of body weight exercises offered in the book. For those of us who can’t always get to the gym, this is a great resource, since there are some extremely challenging body weight variations to exercises for when lifting is impossible.

Using this book to craft your own routines is a breeze, as it has both advice on how to optimize your lifting/cardio patterns, as well as pre-made workouts for different fitness goals in the back of the book. It gives equal weight to different lifting philosophies and their objectives — low weight high rep vs. high rep low weight, for example. Additionally, each body part section has a workout tailored specifically to that body part, which is great if you’re chasing after Schwarzenegger biceps or six pack abs. These are typically advised only one every four days are so, so you can just integrate them with another workout from the book, or your personal workout.

Nutrition information is also covered, and the “Food Myths” section is particularly interesting. It’s not a full-fledged diet plan per se, but since this is a big book of EXERCISES, it’s a nice bonus.

I highly recommend this book whether you’re interested in a resource to craft your fitness routine, or if you just want to learn some new variations to your favorite standby exercises. It’s a great primer for total body health, with lifting, cardio, nutrition, and even advice on the indispensable equipment for your home gym, and where to find it. I’ve never had so much fun spending time planning new ways to punish myself in the gym.