A wonderful, concise guide to creating auspicious energy in your surroundings from a noted expert in Feng Shui. Take this with you when you are shopping for a new home or office.
Showing posts with label life fitness home gym. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life fitness home gym. Show all posts
FENG SHUI KEYS: Selecting The Perfect Home & Office
A wonderful, concise guide to creating auspicious energy in your surroundings from a noted expert in Feng Shui. Take this with you when you are shopping for a new home or office.
The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You
I lived blissfully unaware of just how bad so many of our products are until my youngest was born and we discovered he had vicious allergies and asthma right from the start. It took going through a lot of doctors to find anyone even remotely interested in finding the problem instead of just masking symptoms with chemical creams and steroids. And this was back before allergens had to be clearly listed on labels. I spent countless sleepless nights on research and turning my house and our lives upside down trying to rid our house of as much crap as I could. My friends and family thought I was going nuts and OCD -I probably was!but I was really just a mom looking to give my baby boy some relief and had virtually no one to help me. As I read The Honest Life, all I keep thinking was "If only this book and brand existed 10 years ago!!" The sanity, sleep, frustration, and tears it would have saved me!!Whether you're invested in doing a whole lifestyle change or just looking for some clean products and tips on how to cut chemical and toxin exposure from your life a little bit, definitely read this book. Even if you already know most of the information, it's filled with Jessica's personal tips, tricks, and suggestions, which can be helpful for anyone.
You also don't have to join a hippie commune in order to make substantial changes. Jessica herself admits on page one she eats meat, doesn't have time for cloth diapers, and doesn't grow her own food. She and her husband even eat and love bacon. You'll be amazed how simple most changes are. She does admit that she has the money to eat completely organic and buy the crazy expensive Eco-friendly chemical free crib mattresses, but understands that most people don't. (Thank you!!)
Jessica explains that this is her way of natural living. It may not be for everyone. But everyone CAN get some very useful information from this book. It's up to you what you choose to do with it. "No judgement! No guilt!"
The breakdown of book:
Introduction Jessica explains how it all started for her even though signs had been there all along (allergies, always getting sick and serial bouts of pneumonia, etc), all it took was a reaction to the fragrance in laundry detergent to open up the floodgates for her. Fans of Alba will find this interesting, too, as she discusses some of her early years. She also debunks the ever-frustrating rebuttal of "But we used that when we were kids and we're fine!" (Again, thank you!)
Chapter 1 Food: The basics of what eating "honest" is, what her diet entails, eating as local as possible (with some very useful links on how to), foods that are the highest in pesticide absorption, foods that resist pesticides the best, the basic lowdown about GMO's, tips on how to eat certain foods and what eating seasonally entails, cooking tips, snack ideas (especially for kids!), and the bads of plastics. She also touches on party ideas and even the subject of weight loss. Newcomers will gain a lot of helpful information and tips from this chapter, making it feel much less overwhelming. Just remember, this is Jessica's way of living. My family doesn't eat nuts or tofu (soy), but she does and so do millions of others. It's okay to pick what doesn't work for you.
Chapter 2 Personal Clean Care: Jessica states, "One hundred percent of women of childbearing age have detectable levels of phthalates in their system probably due to cosmetic use." Don't buy into "hypoallergenic", "fragrance free" and "green" claims they're still too often loaded with chemicals. And you don't have to have allergies, rashes, or rashes to be effected. These chemicals are linked to all sorts of things from hormone imbalances to cancer. Jessica helps break down how to find the safe products. Yes, she has her own product line. But she's not pushing it on you. She clearly states there are other brands and all-natural products at your disposal. This chapter was incredibly helpful for me because, even after years of research, food has become easy, but hygiene products are still a challenge.
Chapter 3 Make up & Beauty: Even more helpful for me than chapter 2 because safe makeup is even harder to come by and even more difficult for women to give up. Jessica breaks down the good, the bad, the ugly, and what your safe options are.
Chapter 4 Personal Style: This chapter is less on chemicals and toxins and more on Jessica's personal style and how she picks what makes her feel happy and comfortable in her own skin. It's a fun, light chapter and will appeal to Jessica's fans much more than those reading just for clean living tips. It does touch on dry cleaning.
Chapter 5 Your Home's Style: It's about finding a style for your home that is both minimalist and stylish, which can often be tricky. But, it offers information on safer products like carpets and paint, too. Go for real wood (vintage is even better) over fiberboard because of the difference in off gassing... It's impossible to keep everything in your home completely free of gasses. But simple tips like this can make a big difference. She breaks down the basics on how to get the toxins out and keep them out. She also offers basic DIY cleaner recipes that anyone can do. You'd be amazed at what you can do with some vinegar, baking soda, and lemons. And, surprise! They actually work!
Chapter 6 The Baby Chapter: prepare for parenthood without losing yourself. How to take care of yourself mentally and physically, and how to gently prepare your home and nursery for your expanding family. She offers her own parenting tips and advice. It also goes into diaper options and what to do if breast feeding isn't working. And then we have the dreaded lead-in-toys issue. She even touches on how to pack and travel with kids! Very helpful, especially for new parents.
Chapter 7 Inspiration: Who doesn't need a little inspiration from time to time?! This chapter reminds you that life can get heavy and weigh you down if you don't remember to have a little fun and take time to enjoy life. How to find balance, dinner parties, make your own pizza nights, recipes for sweet treats, nontoxic art supplies, make a fun outdoor playhouse or a wall garden... She also offers a list of her top "10 Essentials for An Honest Life" which I think are simple, but absolutely brilliant and spot on.
Chapter 8 Details!: Resources!!! There's nothing worse than people who preach, preach, preach, but offer no verbs on HOW to do what they're preaching. This chapter is full of pages and PAGES of links to helpful information, products, and some just light-hearted and fun. More pages of links for where to shop and brands that offer safe alternatives. It breaks down chapter by chapter what was covered, what to do, and where you can find help, information, and safe products. Honestly, if this book could only be one chapter, it would have to be this one. Worth it just for this list of resources alone!
This book is so much more than just information on ridding toxins, it's about simplifying all aspects of your life to create a peaceful, happy, healthy, and inspired environment for you and your family. If you're starting a whole life overhaul, this won't be the only book you'll ever use, but it's a great start full of all the basics. If you're just looking for a few tips on natural living, you'll find more than enough to pick through here. Ad if you're just a fan of Jessica, you'll like it, too, as it's got personal pictures and some details and stories from her personal life.
I'm so happy to see Jessica using her celebrity to do something so helpful for people and so positive. Read her blog or use her products if you want or don't, but I highly recommend reading The Honest Life to everyone.
Melissa Lanz
Founder,
Buy The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You Now
The Honest Life, by actress and mom Jessica Alba, is a book written out of her passion to provide a safe environment for her daughter before she was born. The Honest Life is for anyone who cares about providing their children and themselves with a healthy lifestyle.Alba was pregnant with her first child and had asked her mom for a recommendation for baby detergent. She took her mom's advice and started cleaning clothes...only to discover she was breaking out in hives from it! Alba discovered it contained some nasty chemicals...and although her mom at used it on her as a child, research revealed that many of the products we used as children now contain new, untested chemicals. (Just a note: a major detergent just had to change its formula when it was discovered that one of the chemicals in it was carcinogenic.)
That's right--we have 1000's of products with chemicals that have been untested (never mind the result of combining chemicals). What is a consumer to do?
Alba set out to find the safest goods...along the way found out the companies "greenwash"--that while the worlds "natural" appear, many products are anything but.
Along the way, she created a green company call The Honest Company.
This book is what she learned along the way.
As an eco-friendly designer, I love to keep current on what is out there, and this book is terrific--especially for mothers who don't want to expose their children to harmful chemicals.
Alba begins with a chapter on food--which is clearly a passion of hers, as she loves to cook and eat. In it, she provides a blueprint for eating whole, seasonal, organic ,local food--or the safest alternatives. ...nothing groundbreaking if you know this stuff; for the newbie, invaluable. She also includes nice recipes.
Subsequent chapters includes tips for buying safe personal hygiene and makeup. Here she shows how companies try to fool you and directs us to safe choices.
There is a chapter on decorating and cleaning your home in an eco-friendly way. Next, a chapter on the safest products for your baby.
Finally, there is a chapter on resources which is very helpful.
Alba's approach is not to freak you out, but to introduce the reader to healthy, natural, fun products...products that are safe for you and the environment. She concedes she isn't perfect and understands that not everyone has the money to buy all organic, for instance. But she provides the reader/consumer with the tools to understand how to make the best choices.
If this book gets you hungry to learn more about green housekeeping, Home Enlightenment is a good source; for green living and a beautiful home, I recommend Harmonious Environment.
Recommend.
Read Best Reviews of The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You Here
I wasnt sure what to expect from a book written by a celebrity and so far I am greatly pleased. Jessica Alba comes across as very down to earth and in touch with the world in a way that most average familes are. I am not even done reading her book (on page 22) but already find it very informative, helpful and interesing. I have only begun to recently educate myself on healthful eating and using products that are phalate and paraben free etc, so this book just helped confirm my efforts and gives me more information to continue my quest to keep my family safe and free of unwanted surprises in what we eat and use. I am waiting for a cookbook from her now! Although most of her recipes are simple and fresh I sure wouldnt mind it if she condensed your ideas and family favorites in a cookbook. I love this book! It will not be in a yardsale, its a keeper! I will recommend it to family and friends!Want The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You Discount?
This book has helper me understand more about all the toxins in so many products. Easy read, but super fun to read. I didn't think I'd toss my old products in my home like other reviewed, but after reading her book, I have! It's really making me want to have a healthier lifestyle (but keeping it fun and simple!) for myself and my family. I've purchased her products on the honest website. Their AWESOME. It's worth going Eco and yet, her advice and products if you choose to by from her, are affordable. I'm obsessed with this book. Thank you!Save 40% Off
A Doctor's Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis
As a practicing Chiropractor for 21 years, I can attest to the efficacy of Dr. Campbell's advice. I have treated dozens of arthritics his way and without exception, pain and inflammation are gone within a week, and the patient is on the road to recovery from there. And, most important, without the use of drugs. How the medical profession can continue to lead patients on, telling them there's nothing they can do for themselves, is nothing short of criminal. I sincerely hope this book will be reprinted.
I have recommended this book to many, and was saddened that it is out of print now, for the information is still urgently needed by sufferers with the honest desire to become EX-sufferers.
Buy A Doctor's Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis Now
At the time this book came into my hands, I was 19 years old and in excruciating all-over joint pain from the rheumatoid arthritis I'd had since aged nine. I was bed-ridden at the time and hardly wanting to eat but I started the diet recommended in the book and within three weeks I was pain free and have remained so. I went on to become a journalist and mother. I only wish that I had had this book as a resource when I was nine and those awful years of pain and joint damage could have been avoided. I am totally grateful to the author of this book and highly recommend it to those searching for arthritis self-help knowledge.Read Best Reviews of A Doctor's Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis Here
After living with debilitating pain for so many years I am very pleased with the results after having removed starch from my diet. I used to be in constant pain and barely able to walk (despite strong medication), whilst now I can actually run again :-).. and no more need for the pain killers / NSAID's [woohoo].By the way, the mechanism involved in the diet involves eliminating starch, thus the diet now referred to as the 'No Starch Diet' or the 'Low Starch Diet'.
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My uncle in England passed this book along to my mother in Australia in the early 1990s. He said it had cured his arthritis and wanted my mother to help herself with the book. Mum passed it on to me. At the time I was in my late 30s and had arthritis in my hands and hips. I had started the book a few times but had stopped reading it each time I came to the part that said, "If you're not willing to give up tea and coffee, put this book down now." It wasn't that bad; I could live with it, I thought.A couple of years later and it was painful to knit. The change came when I decided to go to an introductory Aikido class. I loved it but both my hips became remarkably painful within 30 minutes and I needed to walk with canes for the next few weeks. That's when I decided I had to get past that page!
I'm glad I did. Within 3 weeks I was off the canes and knitting again. Now, nearly 20 years later, I still have no symptoms of arthritis and I stick to a modified form of the diet (because that is the heart of the treatment).
What I found remarkable were the before and after x-rays. Dr. Campbell does not make light claims; he backs it up with x-rays and patient testimonials. He says that the only people his book can't help are those who have had gold injections(!).
I found some of the dietary recommendations a little hard to swallow (literally), but I just adapted where I could and I still ended up with no pain, no swelling, and no symptoms for the last 18 years.
Well worth a read.
Gym on a wall: A complete family fitness center that mounts on any wall of your home (Rodale plans)
I bought this book when it first came out and built one of these units, which I still have and use to this day. One of the best bargains for the return that I know of. Aerobics and weight-lifting in one unit, easily built for around $300 in parts. I wouldn't be without it! As an architect, I am including this amazing unit in my new home, since it only takes up the space of a book case against a wall. I was able to improve on a couple of operational equipment details to simplify and bring this already remarkable unit a little more into the 21st century, but the original is certainly equally serviceable. I heartily and frequently recommend it to friends and clients alike. Last I knew, the author was the head of Michigan's state office promoting physical fitness. I really wish the book was still in print, reprinted or a new edition issued. Every family could benefit from this unit's use in homes. It easily does the job of equipment costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more. Buy this book before no copies are left to purchase!
The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women: A 4-Week Head-to-Toe Makeover
Being a Personal Trainer, I enjoy reading all the fitness books that hit the market. Most of them have gimmicky workouts and strict eating regimens that are almost impossible to maintain long enough to see good results. Admittedly, I thought this book would be the same. Boxing for women? Surely some marketing genius was riding the coattails of a blockbuster movie, but what the heck... I am a trainer... it is what I do.World-renowned trainer Hector Roca and owner of Gleason's Gym (an icon in the world of boxing), Bruce Silverglade, have published boxing secrets for women in The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women. This book outlines a step-by-step program that promises to get any woman into knockout shape in just four weeks.
Four weeks? Okay, so everyone knows that boxing is a dynamic exercise program in and of itself, but four weeks? I had to put it to the test. I read the book, looked over the drawings that I found particularly appealing to the female eye, learned the moves and got started, but I was mystified. Where was the strict eating plan? I searched the book cover to cover to find that the eating plan for a boxer was just using common sense, and that the best food for boxers was beans and rice! My vegetarian self was overjoyed! I can eat my carbs and get lean too? I was eager to put this program to the test!
Using unique combinations of muscle groups and both aerobic and weight training movements, this program works out the entire body at one time! Very effective and time saving, this program won't send you to the poor house either; all you are going to need is a jump rope and the motivation to get started (look at Hillary Swank's arms in Million Dollar Baby). Hector Roca takes you from how to make a fist all the way to awesome combinations. The most difficult part for me was getting reaquainted with my jump rope. Boxers jump rope because it helps with balance, speed, agility and it burns fat like nothing else!
So here I sit 4 weeks after starting the program. Does it work? Well, it worked for me. I am down 8 lbs. and 6 inches. If you need to switch up to a more exciting workout program that won't leave you starving but give you results, I highly recommend $2.00 jump rope, a bean burrito and this book.
Highly recommended!
Buy The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women: A 4-Week Head-to-Toe Makeover Now
I found this book to be well done. It has a 4-week workout schedule with three workouts per week. I am on the third week and not only are my arm muscles developing, but they glow when I finish a workout and I feel great. This is a full-body workout you don't stand still and push your arms around. In addition to 3-minute round-style combo punches and defense, you jump rope and do strength exercises (push ups, crunches, flutter kicks). The instruction is well-illustrated and the book does a great job of motivating you. This can be an intense workout, but you'll feel stronger after each one. You really need to put your all into the workout no half-hearted punches, and no cheating!I purchased this book to start boxing for fitness, and I love it. These are actual punches and combos you could take to the ring someday, if you wanted. I also purchased a DVD boxing video and I find myself drifting off and going back to this book because it encourages you to practice numerous combos and come up with your own unique workout, not a boring jab, jab, right, hook, repeat 10 times.
Get a pair of gloves (mine are pink), pick up this book, and really work off the pounds.This book in an absolute need for any woman looking into boxing as a sport or just for fitness. It explains everything simple and clear. No diets!!! Good advice and good workouts any one can do. Now you just have to do it and want to do it.
Want The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women: A 4-Week Head-to-Toe Makeover Discount?
I bought this book to supplement the boxing workouts I recently started with my trainer to 'shake up' my exercise routine. The book provided a great explanation for the sport and how I, as a woman, could benefit without getting all bulked up or even having to step in a ring, although I hope to do that at some point. As an almost-62-year-old woman, it feels good to be able to apply the books routines to my workouts and know I'm joining the ranks of so many younger female boxers with ease...well, 'ease' may not be the best word choice since it really kicks my #@%! The quotes and tips throughout are also helpful. I showed my trainer and he loved it, too. I may have to visit Gleason's Gym the next time I'm in NY!Save 10% Off
Cure the Incurable
The book is well written, and its orderly presentation is commendable. I think the main value of this book is that it will help people to wake up and take charge of their health. Research the things the author mentions -eliminate sugar and fast food from your diet, the microwaved and/or fried dinners, hormone milk, etc, add breathing exercises and daily walking for a few miles... Simply take care of your health. And that's all BEFORE you start preparing your healing remedies, or reaching for prescription drugs. You have more control over your health than you realize. Also compare the cost of changing some of your habits to how expensive a trip to the hospital is, or a visit to the doctor or lost wages resulting from your being sick and not being able to work.
Medical doctors are only humans and they are only one source of information. Our lives and the live of our loved ones deserve more than just one source and one option. Especially when we are facing the so called "incurable diseases". This book is a reasonable start, especially if you have no clue about the chemicals you're prescribed by your doctor. And especially if your illness fall in to the category of "incurables". This book opened my eyes to what's going on and some tips on what I can do about it.
Most people would rather only have a pill to tame their diabetes or high blood pressure or high cholesterol than have to do a colon cleanse or full body cleanse. I admit that many of the procedures offered in this book can be often inconvenient, but my body and my life are worth some extra effort. Again, compare the cost of prescribed medication and medical bills to taking simple actions to improve your health -it is a no-brainer.
Get informed! Get educated rather than medicated! In any case, read the book and then make your own decision. Don't let others decide about your health and how you are going to take care of it. But you cannot make an informed decision without getting to the source of information. So, read it first, then decide what to do in your case.
Merry Christmas!
Last weekend my brother was admitted into the hospital with severe gastric pain. He had three doctors, a surgeon, gastro and another doctor
The last two doctors over rode the surgeon recommendations that there was tearing/hernia in the intestinal wall and just proceded to give him antibiotics and IV and hurry up and wait and they said it was this, then changed this to that, and then whos on first.
Five days had gone by and it was just getting worse, abdomen hard, but the doctors still said to wait to see if the antibiotic kicked in and "supposidly" the white blood count was getting down to normal
With these five days that have gone by, his liver, on an empty stomach for days, was sucreting bile, to help digest food that wasn't there thus he had a pump attached to remove this
Because I read this book I had somewhat of a basic understanding of how our intestinal system works, I contacted the adminstrator of the hospital and after they were defending their treatment I and gave them a biological review of what was in Mikail Tombaks books by saying they stopped the colon for five days, with that said the waste was fermenting and decaying in his system, backing into his bloodstream, and could be affecting the liver and the kidneys in given an amount of a short time
They again reviewed his chart, got him into the operating room WITHIN one hour of my phone call, the surgeon found the holes and a hernis ( he is a heavy coffee and pepsi drinker )repaired them and said that within 36 hours he would be past any hope of surviving
So on that being said, read up, you dont know who you can save
For many of us to read this book was sort of like taking a horse pill...hard to swallow
After I read it, I came with a very good understanding of how to help myself...It worked!!!
If we all could just have a simple understanding of how our bodies work, we would all be healthier and happier....and maybe even pill less
Our colon is our life line and is over 50% of our immune system. Over the decades, with our wonderful diets, especially white flour produts and meat, etc. it is caught in the colon, like glue. This then builds up to have a herniated/ballon bowel, then because there is no movement in the area, parasites, acid and such start to develop. Acid then is forced back into our system. Along with that the impacted bowel then need room to grow thus then your gut is then enlarging and it is also putting pressure on your other organs, causing issues with them.
The bowel should be moved at least 1-2 times a day....and if anyone thinks this is a laughing matter usually are the ones that need it most
My daughter had been complaining about headaches, IBS, diabetes, no energy etc, you know the drill....and the doctor told her she needed a brain scan, had to be on a diabetic medication. She couldn't eat much of any food, even the water bloated her up.
She was becoming very scared as nothing would help her...even my suggestion to follow what Mokhail Tombaks she thought was ridiculous, until she became scared enough of the symptoms to try it.
She started with the enemas, and not only was amazed of what was coming out but also noticed a nest of worms (we all have parasites). Her stomach became flat again and no pain and now she understands
Also, was the recommendation in the book to drink fresh juiced (not store bought) apple juice (3 days). This cleans the liver, kidneys and gallbladder and other organs. This is a fantastic cleanse
Read Best Reviews of Cure the Incurable Here
Mikhail Tomabks books are somthing that everyone should read.This helps to understand how the body works and how to care for it without the neccesity of medications that build up in your liver.
Take it to heart, it will help you
...any who are complainging about the wording in the book it was translated from Russian and I am assuming whoever translated it needed a bit more education on the English language, but, dont fault the book for that
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another reviewer was rightapparently, lemons cure a lot of things. this book is pretty good and an entertaining read, but i don't think it will take the world by storm.
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle
I'm a fifty year-old guy who's long been more into cardio workouts than weights. Sure, I might do a half-hearted circuit on machines after jumping off a treadmill, but like many folks, I thought cardio workouts were tantamount to "real" exercise. Then I happened upon this book. It struck a chord with me, and I decided that free-weight training was in my future.One day, I bravely picked up an empty Olympic bar and embarked on the first exercise of Schuler and Cosgrove's "Break-in" program: the squat. "Fifteen reps with 45 pounds," I told myself, "I can do this." However, I stopped at twelve reps. I stopped at twelve reps because I really wanted to avoid forever being tagged as the guy who collapsed in the power cage with forty-five measly pounds atop his shoulders. I forgot all about the prescribed one-minute resting period between sets, and simply waited for my legs to quit shaking. This took significantly longer than one minute. A profound realization overtook me: I was a wimp--a six-four, two hundred and forty pound wimp. At that moment, I decided that I'd spent decades of my life ignorant of what constituted "real" exercise.
The upper-body exercises went better. The real challenge, at that point, was walking from station to station. If the gym had offered me a wheelchair to move between exercises, I would have humbly taken them up on it.
The next morning, I felt sore, although I told myself that it wasn't so bad. Then came the second morning. I got out of bed, and for a moment, I considered asking my wife to call 9-1-1. My upper legs felt as if someone had taken a meat tenderizer to them. For about the next week, my lower body reminded me that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.
It took me two weeks to gather the courage to embark upon the Break-in program again. (I felt torn between that and self-flagellation.) The second time around, things began on a little better note. I still couldn't get through a full two sets, but I was no longer moving between stations at tortoise speed.
I'm now finishing the four-week Break-in program. I'm still not using much weight for the squats, but I've graduated from the empty bar, and I'm completing all of the reps. Instead of staggering out of the gym trying not to vomit, I'm doing Cosgroves's "Afterburn" program on cardio machines to top off my workout. I'm glad I've stuck with it, especially when I run up hills and notice that my heart rate is lower than before I began the program. It never occurred to me that free-weight training would benefit my cardio activities.
Of course, as a newbie to free-weight training, I can't offer a valid comparison between the NROL programs and others. However, I like the idea that the Break-in program uses higher reps with lower weights. I think the chance of connective tissue injury is lessened compared to the "standard" three sets of eight to twelve reps, and I think it's a much safer way to learn what's involved in working your muscles to exhaustion.
My lack of experience notwithstanding, I think this is a great book for those who want to break into free-weight training, with a caveat or two. Looking back, I wish I'd started my program with a couple of weeks of body weight exercises. I had a nagging feeling that I was running before I could walk when I began the program, a feeling confirmed by an article I later found on Alwyn Cosgrove's website. He wrote, " . . . the only reason to ever use external load (i.e. weights) is because your bodyweight is not enough resistance. Yet most guys are making exercises harder by adding external load, when they aren't capable of handling their bodyweight in the same exercise. I'm constantly amazed by how many people I meet who can bench press whatever pounds of weight, but are unable to perform 10 correct push ups (typically due to a lack of core strength and synergistic muscle stability). As far as I'm concerned unless you can do an easy twenty push ups, you have no business getting under a bar for bench pressing. In my training facility everyone begins with bodyweight exercises. You have to earn the right to lift weights in my facility." In another article, Cosgrove states that a lifter shouldn't consider doing squats with a barbell until he or she can do a set of single-leg squats with body weight. If I'd discovered that advice in time, it might have saved me from a week of moving around like a hobbled, worn-out old gelding.
Also, rank beginners such as I might consider using the services of a personal trainer when learning the squat and deadlift, or at least ask the advice of an experienced lifter. Although I'm new to this free-weight game, I'm convinced that the squat and deadlift are safe for most folks IF correct form is used. That's a big "if," however. In my case, I found the deadlift to be counterintuitive, and I had to use a mental checklist of sorts to avoid slipping into bad form.
So, I heartily recommend this book, given those qualifications. Schuler has a relaxed writing style I found effective and enjoyable, and Alwyn Cosgrove appears to be one of the most qualified and respected trainers out there. I've lost 11 pounds in the last month, with only minor changes in diet. That's quite heartening: at fifty, I've found cardio workouts are no longer the magic bullet for weight loss that they were in younger years.
And, that's only with the Break-in program. Next up is Cosgrove's Fat Loss program. Let me at `em!
BTW, this ties in real nicely with the works of Gray Cook, who has developed a Functional Movement screen around the 7 main movements of the body. Funny, how these tie in together. Its about time that someone has made this program simple for the masses. Lou, Alwyn, Mark Verstegen, Gray Cook, and Mike Boyle have got IT. Nice job to the authors!!!
Buy The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle Now
First of all, I'm a woman, and this book is clearly not geared towards women. I've been lifting for 15 years, on and off. I take it very seriously and I really enjoy the sport. I was previously using "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. It's a very good book for beginner/intermediate lifters. It's concisely written, the authors take fitness seriously and explain the proper form and execution of all the exercises they introduce in the book. The workouts offer a fantastic starting point for lifters, but after 3 months, you're going to have to start developing your own to keep making progress. (A side note: "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" is almost word for word identical to "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men." The same is true for the "Abs" books written by these authors, which makes me think that the books are ultimately more about making money than promoting the science of lifting. If you were left confused by the explanations or lack thereof in New Rules, try the Body Sculpting Bible.The New Rules of Lifting is based on some very cutting edge research in muscle cell recovery. Turns out, you make the most gains for the time you invest if you work to exhaustion and give your muscle cells several days to recover! I was hugely sceptical of this idea as essentially a life long lifter. I was born and raised on the 3 lifting days with cardio days in between for a total of six days a week with one day off. No more. Two intense lifting days a week, well separated with each other. I do aerobic fitness training between lifting days using an ironman heartrate monitor, specifically to widen my range of aerobic fat-burning capacity. This is a very different goal than endurance training, which New Rules says can conflict with a serious weight training program.
Here is what I am most impressed with. New Rules sites many, many scientific studies to back up the advice given and it has a bibliography at the back of the book that can allow you to find and read those scientific studies for yourself.
Here is what I am least impressed with. This book could be half as long if the author would just cut out the "witty banter" which is sometimes amusing, and sometimes offensive. I understand that the book is geared towards men, and crude language in and of itself isn't my problem. I bought the book for the science and the technical advice. All the anecdotes and humorous asides just get in my way. That said, if you have the patience to wade through the unimportant jabber, the program itself is challenging and highly effective. If you are not a highly self-motivated person who is willing to work to physical exhaustion and be very soar afterwards, this may not be the book for you.
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Between Schuler's self-effacing humor and Cosgrove's heiny-kicking programs, you can't go wrong with this book. Schuler and Cosgrove helped me look at my lifting routine in a whole new way. I'm no longer stressed out that I'm "missing" a muscle or muscle group, I'm working to muscle fatigue every time I work out--and yet I'm spending less time in the gym per session. Another plus: I emailed Lou Schuler to ask if I needed to modify any of the programs because I'm a woman; he responded in about an hour. Very impressive. I highly recommend this book for beginner and intermediate weightlifters. Advanced lifters will no doubt be disappointed at the lack of "curl" exercises. See the book for Schuler's take on why all those myriad curls are unnecessary. I for one found it liberating--saves me so much time to cut out hammer curls, preacher curls, concentration curls, etc., etc.Want The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle Discount?
My background: I started using this book shortly after turning 29. At 5'10, I dropped from 215 pounds to 170 pounds through smarter eating and exercise 2-3 times per week (P90x, treadmill, light lifting). After getting as small as I wanted, I decided to start getting bigger. That meant lifting. As a high school athlete, I lifted often and got very strong. Since then I have been off and on in the weight room with far, far more days off than on. Over a decade of obesity and ineptitude in the gym made me feel like a far cry from my high school days. Fortunately, this book provided me with exactly what I needed: a concrete weight lifting regimen that kept me interested and motivated.My results:
In rougly 6 months I...
Gained 20-25 lbs of mostly muscle
Gained >1.5 inches in my arms
Gained 60-70 lbs in bench press
Gained ~125 lbs in squat
Gained ability to eat vastly more food, including those of dubious distinction (i.e. Deep-dish pizza), without putting on fat
Gained first-hand knowledge of amazing lifts I never would have tried otherwise
Maintained flexibility
Maintained waist size
Maintained social life (a max of ~8 hrs/wk in my initial over-zealousness, 2 or 3 60-90 minute workouts per week is enough for the book)
Decreased level of self-consciousness at the gym
Decreased reliance on cardio to maintain weight (rarely ran a whole mile, never more than 2)
Decreased number of annoying fat folds under my butt cheeks from 2 to 0.
I recommend this book to guys who:
have lost all the weight they want to lose and want to gain muscle
have always been skinny and want to gain size
are tired of going to the gym 3 times a week and never seeing the results they
want despite consistency
can't give a definitive answer with concrete details when asked what they do at
the gym
are overweight, enjoy the weight room and would rather slit their wrists than
run on a treadmill all day
follow a weight lifting program but are looking for a new one to change things
up
don't want to "get too big" (trust me, huge muscles won't sneak up on you,
you'll get defined on this program, too)
I don't recommend this book to guys who:
are unwilling to do squats, dead lifts, or high weight, low rep sets.
cannot follow directions and will try to alter the program
are extremely overweight (consult a physician if unsure)
have never stepped foot in a weight room...unless you have someone to watch
your form the first few times
are afraid of being sore
Last words:
It's hard for me to say enough about how crucial this book has been in my ascent to great fitness. I'm now 5'10, 190, bench over 300, squat roughly 400, have noticeably bigger arms, great definition throughout whole body, absolutely no joint pain (less than when I was doing P90x and running), and increased attention from men and women alike. Are there better books/programs?...maybe. This one works, though, and my two friends and I all are true believers. As a testament to this book, my friends and I constantly text each other about our love for this program and our successes. One friend texted me after a workout to tell me that he literally skipped between two sets because he was so pumped and felt so good. The other friend was hesitant to do squats and dead lifts and almost never started the program. Recently he went into the gym on a day the book recommended he take off and did dead lifts because, according to him, he couldn't stand to be away from dead lifts for over a week. Your body will start to fiend for the post-workout feelings you get from these lifts.
When I turn 30 this summer, I'll be stronger and healthier than I've ever been in my life with no doubt in my mind that I'll continue to improve and evolve as long as my body and time will allow me.
In conclusion, this book works. If you follow it, you'll get bigger, stronger, and feel better than you have in a long time.
*Update* I recently turned 30 and am as in love with this program as I ever was. At just under a year into the program, I'm about 10 workouts behind the suggestion of the book, yet I'm still in incredible shape and always improving. Since writing this review I convinced my cousin to try the program and 3 months in I can't get him to shut up about how his legs "are like rocks!" His weight is about the same, 215 on a 6'1 frame, but his shape is changing. His shoulders are bigger, his waist smaller (his pants went from very tight to very lose), and all his lifts have gotten considerably stronger. Yesterday I gave my book to another friend along with my clipboard and some spreadsheets. He will make five people I know on this book's program. I'm confident he'll enjoy the same success as the other four have so far.
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