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jhagenbuch621's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book. I am currently doing the exercise program!
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
A dearth of affordable gyms has led me to look for alternative options and as this was the only body weight (or calisthenics) book I could find at my local library, this is where I'm starting.
The author of this book has spent some time training members of the military and despite a book created specifically for woman, he still ends up with a bit of the macho attitude that can go with that.
As per usual with every exercise book I read, I skimmed the beginning pep talk portions. Honestly, I already have the book in my hands and I'm reading it, I don't need the sales pitch.
The plan itself seems to be relatively easy to follow, it is possibly more complicated than I was expecting with interval times and creative items needed to complete the exercises. I was thinking more of Charles Atlas on the beach rather than doors and tables. There are only 5 types of exercises, with progressively difficult versions as you get stronger. The sets are minimal and the entire workout would take less then 30 minutes, 3 days a week as recommended.
I have entirely ignored the nutritional advise at the end of the book as it was not what I was interested in.
The author of this book has spent some time training members of the military and despite a book created specifically for woman, he still ends up with a bit of the macho attitude that can go with that.
As per usual with every exercise book I read, I skimmed the beginning pep talk portions. Honestly, I already have the book in my hands and I'm reading it, I don't need the sales pitch.
The plan itself seems to be relatively easy to follow, it is possibly more complicated than I was expecting with interval times and creative items needed to complete the exercises. I was thinking more of Charles Atlas on the beach rather than doors and tables. There are only 5 types of exercises, with progressively difficult versions as you get stronger. The sets are minimal and the entire workout would take less then 30 minutes, 3 days a week as recommended.
I have entirely ignored the nutritional advise at the end of the book as it was not what I was interested in.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
The bodyweight exercise in this book are good and I like the progression given from easier to harder versions. It's definitely useful in that aspect. But I completely disagree with his strong aversion to cardio and am not entirely behind his nutrition advice either. I would recommend just looking at the section with the exercises and pretty much skipping or skimming the rest.
s_books's review against another edition
3.0
Seems like a decent progression program for exercise, might be able to be simplified just a tad (e.g. why the differences in how to progress from Cycle 1 vs Cycle 2 vs Cycle 3? What is basing that off of? Why not the same progression rules for each cycle but change the sets and reps?)
kslhersam's review against another edition
3.0
I skimmed through most of it and tried the exercises. I think the workouts from his other book are better (harder, but work better), and easier to figure out so I'm going to stick with those.
stacys_books's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up for $1.99. Overall, I'd say it was worth it. I really like the exercises and how you can move through them gradually. I like that there's no equipment other than a hand towel (for Let Me Ins and sometimes the squats)--which makes it easy to do these exercises virtually anywhere. If you're one of those people who find doing even a few push-ups too hard--even when you're modifying them--these are a great way to work your way up to them.
The only issue I have with this book is that Lauren makes some stupid comments about cardio. He says not to do it at all--pretty much going against every single doctors' and medical experts' advice ever. Yes, if you do too much cardio, it's possible to burn muscle. You also burn muscle if you eat too little. But let's face it: most of us need SOME cardio. Are resistance training exercises important? Absolutely. But SO many studies have been done that it's pretty safe to say a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to go. And a recent study showed that cardio helps your body get rid of fat in your organs. When you're overweight or obese, your liver can store fatty tissue, and that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. And your heart--you need cardio for good heart health. So... just a word to the wise.
I started off with just these exercises for the first two weeks. I didn't feel like I did much at all during my first work out, but the next day, my thigh muscles were so sore I could barely walk down a flight of stairs. But I noticed no difference in how I felt, and I sort of missed riding my recumbent bike. So I started again, and that's when I started to see a change. So for me, a combination of cardio and these resistance training exercises has worked best. The cardio keeps me more alert and has pretty much gotten rid of my mind fog. The resistance exercises have slimmed me down somewhat and have definitely made me stronger.
I knocked off two stars for the cardio comments. I think they're dangerous. But the exercises are really good, and it's great that you don't need special equipment, which makes this a cost-conscious and effective program.
The only issue I have with this book is that Lauren makes some stupid comments about cardio. He says not to do it at all--pretty much going against every single doctors' and medical experts' advice ever. Yes, if you do too much cardio, it's possible to burn muscle. You also burn muscle if you eat too little. But let's face it: most of us need SOME cardio. Are resistance training exercises important? Absolutely. But SO many studies have been done that it's pretty safe to say a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to go. And a recent study showed that cardio helps your body get rid of fat in your organs. When you're overweight or obese, your liver can store fatty tissue, and that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. And your heart--you need cardio for good heart health. So... just a word to the wise.
I started off with just these exercises for the first two weeks. I didn't feel like I did much at all during my first work out, but the next day, my thigh muscles were so sore I could barely walk down a flight of stairs. But I noticed no difference in how I felt, and I sort of missed riding my recumbent bike. So I started again, and that's when I started to see a change. So for me, a combination of cardio and these resistance training exercises has worked best. The cardio keeps me more alert and has pretty much gotten rid of my mind fog. The resistance exercises have slimmed me down somewhat and have definitely made me stronger.
I knocked off two stars for the cardio comments. I think they're dangerous. But the exercises are really good, and it's great that you don't need special equipment, which makes this a cost-conscious and effective program.
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