Weight-Training Books

I bought this on sale about 12 years ago. I've had people borrow it and I've had to go get it back. I will not let this one go. It is an excellent workout book. Whenever I need to get back on track - this is one of the four books I use. The others are great too. This book will be in my house for a long time to come.

This is an excellent book! If you are looking for a no-nonsense, easy-to-do, anywhere/any time workout routine then this is the book for you. It is concise and clear. The instructions are well written, and the pictures provided help you visualize the exercises. There is also good information on staying healthy and eating well.

You can start implementing the techniques described immediately. This book offers a workout routine for the gym as well as for home! Your start up costs may be mimimal, depending on whether you want to work out at a gym or in your home, e.g., you may choose a gym membership or a few free weights and a workout bench or a full-blown home gym.

I've investigated/tried a lot work out programs that look good but aren't always convenient to use on a consistent basis. I am a working mom with five children. I commute and travel for my work. This doesn't leave a lot of time to exercise. I can do these easy routines anywhere/any time and began it with mimiumal expense. Even when I travel, I can use many of the exercises without my weights (dumbell/barbell/leg) or my benches!

It would be nice if the publisher would reprint this book. I think more people would consistenly workout if they had this resource available.

I was a bit taken aback by the photos when I first saw this book (skimpy leopard skin leotards for example) and thought that this book really wasn't for me. Nevertheless, I read it anyway and have to say that I haven't found a book that better suits my needs yet. Great format, good information. I wish it had a more info on proper form, and for that, my actual rating would be a 4.5 star, but having to choose, I leaned towards the 5 star rating as it really has been a fantastic book.

As a rank beginner, I found this book helpful. The instructions and pictures are easy to follow. The only drawback for me is that the authors seem to subscribe a bit to the "no pain no gain" theory. I ignored that and started out with no weight but my own body weight, and one set, and worked slowly from there. I have been improving and after six weeks can feel the difference. I find twice a week easy to stick with, too.

I want to buy a copy for my sister and I am so sad to see it is out of stock! She borrowed my book and loved it too. It worked for me as a great reference and guide and I am inspired by the pictures of Gladys. She looks great.

Chris Freytag has taken all of the complicated fitness and diet programs out there and traded them in for some common sense! She spells out things that ANYONE can do to improve their health and fitness and does it in a way that is not intimidating or too complex. Her exercise and diet ideas are so helpful (and not hard to do). This book taught me a lot about healthy eating habits and how your body responds to exercising. I highly recommend it!

Chris Freytag knows her stuff. I have many of her workouts on dvd and so knowing how good of an instructor she is, I knew she'd have good stuff to say in her book. She does. She is well educated in health and she is certified by the American Council on Exercise. While she doesn't really add anything new to what we all already know, she does add insight to what she sees with her clients. She talks about their motivation or lack thereof and how to deal with all of that. Then she goes on to talk about ditching myths, excuses, building better body images, and then goes into the nitty gritty about diet and exercise.
It is a good read. It's choc full of information and hopefully enough motivation for people as they struggle with doing workouts and eating right.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have previously purchased the Video Tape or DVD. Excellent instructions and illustrations so you can practice them slowly on your own in the beginning, without having to keep up with video. Lots of other excellent information regarding nutrition, etc. Great Book alone or to compliment the Author's video.
JMW - Orlando

I loved this book! After reading it I felt motivated to go do something about those 20 extra pounds I am carrying around. It is filled with great ideas for getting moving and for the first time ever I think I am going to try a new exercise like pilates. I liked the charts and pictures that were included. Overall I would highly recommend it--especially if you are like me and have been lacking motivation to get started on a healthier path.

Move to Lose is well written, organized and includes all the necessary components to getting and staying fit and healthy. The program is such a common sense approach to eating, exercising and living well that it is easy to understand and implement. I purchased this book after dealing with a medical crisis. This book motivated me to eat healthier, exercise daily and create a plan to reach my fitness goals. I have lost weight, become more tone, have more energy, confidence and strength. I highly recommend this book!!!!

I bought this book many years ago and I still refer to it. it really gives you good information on how to make lifting weights part of your life. I recommend this book.

I've read various books on weight training and this one is by far the best. It is easy to follow and understand and it works!

I recently started weightlifing as my primary sport. In the past, I had only strength trained as part of a conditioning regimen for other sports (basketball, rowing, volleyball). At age 35, I decided to start working out again, with the focus on my shape and muscle size and tone. Of all the books I looked at to start my workout regime with, I chose this one. Dr. Vedral covers all of the angles -- diet, motivation, what exercises to do, how to do them (with pictures!), how to do them at home or at the gym, how often to do them, and when to fit in your cardio workouts. It is clear that she knows her stuff, and from her photos, it works. I also have Dr. Vedral's 12-minute workout, which I had pretty good results with. My goal - to look as good as Dr. Vedral! (I have a ways to go....)

I was looking for a program that requires only dumb-bells, but this one uses dumb-bells, bar-bells, a few kinds of benches, and other equipment. Since I don't have a home gym or access to a commercial gym, this book has not been useful for me. But it looks very good for someone who has the proper equipment and wants to use very heavy weights.

Also one of the first book I added to my now extensive collection of strength training/ body-building/ weight lifting/ fitness references. She is a very inspiring author and the before and after photos (especially of herself) are worth a thousand words. I have changed my weight lifting routine countless times over the past 14 years and this routine is by far the one I use most. It gives proven results and keeps me from "plateauing".

I believe those who would enjoy it most are those who are ready for training that packs a wallop! I thought I was fairly strong (for a middle-aged female) before I started on this weight training program. I was surprised at the increase in strength this program gave me. I now use fairly heavy weights (no I can't quite bench press my weight...YET!), but it keeps the compliments coming. What a great feeling to have total strangers comment on your great (and still feminine) muscles and ask you WHERE you work out (not DO you work out?)! This book really kicks up muscle tone and strength by leaps and bounds! You just need to make the time commitment to do this for yourself.

If you would rather not work with somewhat heavier weights, Joyce Vedral's "Bottom's Up" and "Definition" books would be a better bet.

I had been looking for many years to find a book about Eugen Sandow. I remember my grandfather had a magazine article about Sandow and how he could do chinups with any one of his ten fingers. Sandow's feats of strength described in this book were truly amazing and as the book indicates, Sandow was the "father of modern day body building." I would recommend this book.

A wonderful book about a most interesting man. I'm so inspired by Eugen Sandow, because of this book, that I named my Giant Schnauzer show dog, SANDOW!

Sandow The Magnificent is an excellent biography of an enigmatic showman who came to the forefront of physical culture at the turn of the century. Growing up during the fifties in a household of amateur bodybuilders I was subjected to back issues of Strength and Health magazine and often saw old photos of Sandow. Familiar with the image, but not the person, my interest was piqued when I came upon David Chapman's book. Chapman's approach in telling the story of Sandow sheds light on almost every facet of the strongman's life-the good, bad and kinky. Though some of Sandow's life is apparently somewhat shrouded in mystery, and much is left to conjecture and interpretation, the book is both illuminating and interesting. Sandow The Magnificent is well written, enjoyable reading and gets quickly into the depths of Sandow. Unlike many biographies that extensively probe the lineage and childhood of the subject, something I personally find tedious, Chapman gets right to the man behind the fascinating black & white images. Now when I see a photo of Sandow there is more understanding of what was behind the rugged facade of muscle and strength.

At a time when the chemically-enhanced monsters of today are putting professional bodybuilding back in the freakshow arena and ensuring it remains the minority sport it has always been, it is interesting to read about its 19th century music hall/variety show beginnings in the strong man act. Sandow was the most famous and celebrated strongman of them all and his story in this book is a fascinating and entertaining read. The depth of research and wealth of interesting characters and anecdotes make this book a must have for anyone interested in physical culture and the history of bodybuilding. The petty politics, scams, and dubious business deals among the strong men and health club owners of the late 19th/early 20th century have never left the sport. Sandow, while seemingly being a genuine advocate of bodybuilding for health reasons, comes across as the master of self-promotion.

His position as the father of the sport is assured, not least by the fact that the Weider Organisation/IFBB call their Mr Olympia trophy (the highest honour in todays bodybuilding world) a Sandow. The irony is not lost on this reader.

David L. Chapman does an amazing job at piecing together the life story of Eugen Sandow, who was part workaholic, part legit, and part hype. What makes Chapman's coverage of Sandow so impressive his near disclaimer in the preface: that despite there being plenty of print on Sandow from his heyday, how much of it is reliable is questionable. Chapman sounds almost dismissive of his end result, but by piecing together multiple sources of Sandow's history, he has done an excellent job portraying which aspects of Sandow's works were impressive, which aspects were marketing hype. Sandow is neither deified nor demonized; this is a biography written the way biographies should be written.

Eugen Sandow had both incredible talent as well as sly business savvy. With a chiseled physical in a day when massive muscles were few and far between, he is the first man to successfully market such a wild physical fitness mania, an industry that seems to be at an all time high in the 21st Century. This book serves as a tour of Sandow's evolution from theatrical strongman to a pioneer in mail order fitness courses and health clubs (Sandow's Institute of Physical Culture).

While it is easy to fill this book with Sandow's many legitimate achievements, Chapman never shies away from showing his embarrassing flops, like Sandow's continuous reinvention of his biography, his joke-of-a-fight with a circus lion, and the "Sandow's Health & Strength Cocoa" debacle. We also see the rare instances where Sandow realizes a challenge from a rival strongman or wrestler is out of his league, and his wise and sometimes clever ways he bowed out of the competition. It should be noted, however, that Chapman shows us more instances of Sandow being the man making the challenge, resulting in showboaters and "Sandow impostors" trying to duck the challenge.

This book also reveals the balance of Sandow's personal and professional life, from his rocky but lasting marriage to Blanche Brookes Sandow, the multitude of women (including some female celebrities of the day) who hit on him, to his professional and personal friendship with Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.

If you are a fan of bodybuilding or pop-culture, this book is an essential addition to your library. This is one of the most underrated biographies I have read in quite some time. David Chapman's notes and bibliography are impressive alone (and there are SO MANY books on pop-culture history that penny-pinch in this department). This book will reel you in at the beginning, and hold your attention until the last page.

Even though I disagree totally with the title, "Ultimate Guide," I do have to admit that the contents of this book are right on the money and very specific to the sport of boxing. Although all of the exercises and stretches demonstrated in this book can be found in pretty much any good book on weight training and/or stretching, it is the specific focus of this book that makes it so unique. In other words, it is not the individual exercises in this book that make it such a great resource, but the way the material is presented to the reader whose primary focus is on improving their own boxing skills.

Although I didn't necessarily agree with absolutely everything the author presented in this book, I would have to say that I found at minimum at least 90% of the material in this book to be valid.

The majority of workout routines suggested in this book should be considered as just that, suggestions. Use them as guide to go by and create your own training routine based upon your physical abilities and personal goals.

I have already started incorporating several things that I picked up from this book into my own training regiment and have found that I have already made some improvements in just the first couple of weeks. This book was definitely worth the price I paid for it.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

This is the best book I have seen for boxing training! No matter what level you compete at, this book is for you. I have really improved my agility in the ring after reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in being a better, more athletic boxer!

If Rocky could do it so can you -- and this book is the secret how. The book (aka "the boxing bible") won't only put you on a plan to increase strength and stamina, but it will also boost your quickness and agility. After reading this book you'll be able to knockout Mike Tyson.

This book is perfect! A workout plan geared specifically toward boxing that really works! Appropriate for any level of boxing! I highly recommend this book!

This book made great suggestions for improving some of the most critical parts of being a successful boxer--endurance, power, agility, and speed. This book takes a healthy approach to boxing--it succinctly and clearly outlines how, depending on your experience and level of competitiveness, you should proceed on improving your ability as a fighter. I recommend this book without any hesitation.

This is a great workout and eating plan for anyone who is short on time and really wants to see results. Rich has put a lot of thought and work into a simple, yet effective guide to getting into shape. The best part of this program is that it is healthy and sensible! I really liked the emphasis on eating whole foods. Rich refers to this in the video as food that God made and man hasn't messed with. That's probably the best diet advice I've heard in my life! It's a lot of fun, with enough variety that you won't get bored!

Genre: Health/Fitness

Title: The 16 Minute Body Sculpting Kit

Author: Richard Walters

If you want to learn how to apply this body sculpting kit to attain your dream body in just 16 minutes a day, this book is for you. Pg. 5

Richard Walters is a Certified Personal Trainer. A former talk show host of Your Money Matters, financial advisor and district manager, Richard started to transform his body. Over the past 11 years he has researched and refined several techniques that will get you a firmer, healthier body in only 16 minutes per day, 6 days a week.
The book consists of three important sections: Cardio, Strength Training and Food. Each section takes the reader through an intense, instructive overview of what you need to do to achieve the maximum results in the shortest possible time.
Well laid out, concise and fully researched, this book is an easy to use guide for anyone that wishes to make changes in their physical appearance.
A DVD is included in the kit for readers wanting a step-by-step exercise plan. Each exercise is fully explained and demonstrated on the DVD as well as in the book. The food plan is unique and easy to use, with a small index card system to keep track of what you eat and when.
I had two personal trainers take a look at the program, and both of them saw it as a very workable plan and gave it the `thumbs up.'

Recommended by Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review.

I am turning 50 this year. I have played hockey all my life, and had managed until about a year ago to get by just on instinct and natural quickness. But then I started getting nagging injuries, none too serious but they kept me from enjoying myself. Early this Spring, as I stood there savoring a victory in our league playoff finals--we Won the "Cup" (with my son as a team mate--quite an experience), I could not help but notice how much it had taken out of me--I would not be able to go on much longer like this.

So, it finally gelled in my head that my goal was to play, really play, til I was 60, and began reading and motivating myself, and looked for a trainer. When I found his website, www.GetFitWithRich.com, his picture was SO inspiring (go look for yourself--this guy is in his mid-50s!).

In four months working with Rich, I have lost about 25# of fat (and added about 10# of muscle), lost about 4" in my waist, and already pretty much have my body back. Now I can already set a goal much higher than I started out with, which was basically to get where I am already.

This book encapsulates his method. If you're not lucky enough to work with Rich personally, this is the next best thing.

Last September I started a new medication with a side effect of weight gain (25 lbs.)! I tried everything to drop the weight, but was getting nowhere fast! I have been weened off the medication by my physician & have been using Rich's Food Card System. His simple explanation & easy to use food card system helps me to chose the appropriate foods to eat each day. I get plenty of food & eat SIX times a day. I lost 7 lbs. my FIRST WEEK! For me, a food card/food log works best. I highly recommend this book!

Rich Walters is a prolific writer who doesn't waste time on a lot of fluff. He gets down to the nitty gritty giving you the quintessential information you need to succeed at body sculpting. I am personally involved in carrying out Rich's daily plan and find that my body is getting stronger every day. I only spend the few minutes that Rich proscribes, and it works...and it'll work for you too!

BRAWN was truly the shot in the arm that strength training for average men and women needed.... BEYOND BRAWN delves into it much more finely and with more precise theory laid out. ANOTHER AWESOME BOOK !!!!

First an apology for my previous review. I love the book, I read it 6 times. I wrote that I lost muscle size before, but that was due to regular seasonal patterns - I found that in Oct-Nov I gain the most, while in Apr-May I lose some. Many other people living in the Northern Hemisphere do the same my cat too! I live in South Africa since 1996 but the pattern didn't change. I have not noticed this in my friends here. I am starting again the system, after 6 months change.

I wish I had this book when I started lifting. It would have saved me years of frustration because it tells it like it is, nothing gimmicky or faddish here. It would have allowed me to bypass all the pitfalls that most lifters fall into because of too much enthusiasm and gullibility and too little wisdom, not to mention too much misinformation coming from the magazine publishers whose only real goal seems to be to promote their advertisers' products. Yes, McRobert is a bit on the conservative side, but for a long, healthy life of lifting most people need to be.

Two other books I highly recommend are McRobert's book on exercise technique and form, and Clarence Bass' book Challenge Yourself.

Happy lifting!

I like Stuart McRobert in general. His books are well-organized, to the point and contain accurate information without hype. He is also realistic about what can be achieved and not achieved based on your genetics. At the same time, he is enthusiastic and very motivational.

With respect to scope, this book is geared toward how to train, training cycles and related issues and building a good foundation. Although it is well-written, it doesn't have many diagrams and doesn't include detail on exercises. For this, I recommend Build Muscle Lose Fat Look Great: Everything You Need to Know to Transform Your Body and Starting Strength. These are REALLY... the only two books you need.

My background is that I have a graduate education in biochemistry, psychology and physiology. I was a Physiology Teaching Fellow, researcher and a personal trainer at one time. Currently, I am reviewing some of the new books out there and this author is particularly impressive. If you are going to get one of the Stuart McRobert books, I would get Build Muscle Lose Fat.... However, they are complementary and in my opinion, you would be cheating yourself not to get both. Build Muscle Lose Fat focuses more on proper technique, general training guidelines, etc.

One interesting inclusion in this book is a calculation scheme for ideal symmetry. This is great for setting realistic goals and I also like that this author is drug free and favors a natural approach. As a biochemist, I think his nutrition guidelines are very good, but I think he is overly cautious. For example, he doesn't recommend protein powders, but doesn't give a compelling argument why they are not a good idea. While it's true most people could get by with milk, I think protein powders and other supplements can be useful to hard-gainers or people that don't eat right.

If you are a hard gainer, then this book is for you and so is Starting Strength and Build Muscle Lose Fat Look Great: Everything You Need to Know to Transform Your Body.. especially the latter two! From Scrawny to Brawny is also very good, but a distant second as a one point reference. However, it's worth getting for the training tips and tricks for people with long limbs, that are prone to injury in the shoulders, knees, etc.

I bought this book back in 2002 and now 6 years later I have made some incredible progress due to its simple, practical and real world advice. You just cannot go wrong with this book. Buy it and thoroughly read and aplly its contents and your success is guarantee. I'm a strength and conditioning coach with over 12 years experience and a national powerlifing champion as well. I have read over a 100 books on the subject and i have to say that this is about as good as it gets.

I have been heavily involved in personal fitness for the last 15 years and I can tell you this is a great book, and value! It is very easy to follow, and the techniques are easy to implement into your workouts. Great job!

What a great book! This is truly a must have! A great value, with excellent information for working out with a partner. The illustrations were fantastic, and very easy to follow! I have recommended this book to all of my friends, and they love it!

A great book for getting the the most out of a partnered workout without having to invest years of study into the science of fitness. Outstanding illustrations and easy to comprehend. Perfect for building a exercise template that fits you and your time schedule. A very helpful book.

I bought two copies: one for me and one for my workout buddy! Working out with a friend gives me the motivation to stick to a fitness program - this book provides great information to take our workouts to the next level. Plus the authors have a light, humorous style that makes it a great read!

This is one of those books that you can't put down once you start. Made me want to get out of bed and do some push-ups. Great pictures, easy to understand and a quick read.

There is no body on earth that knows more than Arthur Jones and Ellington Darden and those associated with them in the Nautilus Fitness regime! With this information and application of it (okay, genetics too), you will achieve beyond what you would believe with your body. Even if you don't become Mr. Olympia you will increase your strength, looks and stamina to a pinnacle you would never have imagined. Try something that will really blow everyone else away- follow the super slow protocol, explained within.

Awsome book with some very interesting and intense workouts,great pics of those fantastic Nautilus machines being used to explain the exercises.Dont forget though unless your 250lbs of solid muscle and super strong the workouts have limiting effect.

This book which is based on the concept of High Intensity Training originally developed by Arthur Jones the developer of the Nautilis machines is a good reference for your library of strength training books. If you do a Google search you can get a summary of this technique by Jones himself which adds important dimensions to this concept. Also, the "Power of 10" is a good book on this subject. That book also references Jones and I think Darden as well. Jones was the man, however.

See my review of Super High Intensity Bodybuilding: Nautilus Principles Applied to Free Weights, also by this book's author; my comments regarding Dr. Darden's inspirational writing and photography apply equally here. For bodybuilders of an advanced level, the routines and techniques herein are simply unmatched in intensity and WILL stimulate growth unlike any other regimen you're likely to employ; THIS I can say from personal experience...my best gains ever in my years of working out. You've simply GOT to be willing to outlast, out-suffer, and just plain out-stubborn rhe pain and nausea you'll endure if you've got it in you to follow the directions therein to the letter. For a passionate musclehead as myself, however, sustaining such motivaton isn't quite so forbidding a possibility when you're actually stronger and taping out bigger every two weeks or so.

Considered to be among the best advanced technique bodybuilding books ever published, the book covers fundamentals as well as in-depth advanced techniques and training methodology. It has detailed (yet easy to follow) text as well as numerous photo diagrams and charts. A must have reference for any serious bodybuilding enthusiast. -- (now out of print in any form, the book has become quite a sought after item by personal trainers as well as individuals)

I did this diet and didn't feel it was a diet. I got lots to eat, recipe's were great. I didn't lose the weight I should've because I cheated but still lost 20 lbs. and I'm still following this menu as it is good and easy to do. I'm hoping to lose another 10 lbs. yet. I highly recommend this book. Bob

I went on this diet about ten years ago, and went from a dress size 12 to a size 6. I know it works. I am planning to get on it again after my child is born. I want my old body back!

Ellington Darden makes fitness plain and simple. Dieting is futile without exercise to develop muscle. The exercise regimen fits all levels and goals , including every thing down to the grocery list! If you can't succeed here, go home!

This is a great book. I have lost many pounds using the methods in the book. But I replace his Nautilus routines with my own free weight and other routines. The only quibble I have with the book is that there may be too much sugar in the diet. Darden states that the diet is not for everybody but I believe there is too much sugar for anybody. It doesn't seem to harm anything for the normal individual but it does encourage a sweet tooth.

I first did the Nautilus diet about 3 years ago, and lost the first 20 lbs during the 10 week regimen, then 20 more lbs after the regimen ended because I kept up the healthy eating and exercise routine. I kept this weight off for 2.5 years until I moved home for 6 weeks before my wedding! Since then I have probably gained 15 of the lost pounds back, but it is b/c I stopped exercising and eating properly. I have just started the diet again, and know (REALLY KNOW) that in 10 weeks I will look fantastic again. This book gives you a menu for each meal, recipes to follow, and a grocery list. It really couldn't be easier. When you think about it, 10 weeks is only 2 1/2 months. That surely isn't long to wait for a new body and a new lease on life. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone needing an easy and effective diet.