ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs [Hardcover]

Shawn Phillips (Author), Bill Phillips (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2002

The question I'm most frequently asked goes something like this, "Shawn, what's your secret--what's the one thing you do differently than everyone else that allowed you to build such great abs?" The one thing, the one thing, the one thing... So many people are looking for the one thing--the secret. Many people think the one thing is some ab-training device like the type you see advertised on television infomercials. It's not. Others would like you to believe that the one thing is some miracle fat-burning pill. It's not. Others would have you believe that the one thing--the big secret--is liposuction or some other quick fix. Once again, it's not.

The fact is, and this is the first and most fundamental lesson of my ABSolution Program, the one thing is everything! Everything we do affects the way we look and the way we feel. It's when we exercise, how we exercise, and the exercises we do. It's when, what, and how much we eat. It's which vitamins and supplements we nourish our bodies with. It's how much we rest and recover. It's how we think and how we live. It's everything. And, that's what this book is all about. It's about everything you need to learn to build your own absolutely fantastic abs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"ABSolution is the only ab book I own. And it's on the living room table in my house. Inspiring and real." ~ Frank Zane, Former Mr. Olympia, Mr. Universe and author --Frank Zane, Mr. Olympia, Mr. Universe, author

"An instant best-seller, ABSolution is the best, most complete truth about abs book ever created. The amazing art is inspiring." ~ Bill Phillips, author Body for LIFE, Transformation --Bill Phillips, author Body for LIFE, Transformation

"I hear from at about 20 trainers a month who were inspired to guide others in health & fitness by this book. That's great to know!" ~Shawn Phillips, Strength-for-LIFE --Shawn Phillips, Creator Full Strength Nutrition

About the Author

Fitness expert Shawn Phillips says it's time to forget fad diets, miracle pills, and trendy exercise machinery--it's time to get back to basics. It's time to accept the fact that if you want to build a lean, healthy, muscular body, complete with a defined set of abs, you're going to have to work for it.

However, he points out that hard work and dedication alone are not enough to produce the results most people are looking for--you have to follow an intelligent plan. And, unfortunately, in today's world of over-hyped and under-performing "quick fixes" for building better abs, finding a voice of reason has become a real challenge. The good news is there is a solution--a practical solution for building your best abs. And that solution is clearly revealed in the book you have at your fingertips right now.

ABSolution incorporates the many lessons Shawn Phillips has learned through his own pursuit of building a better body, which has spanned some 20 years. It also incorporates his countless hours of scientific research and real-world experience gained by helping numerous world-class athletes and people from all walks of life successfully reach their fitness goals. ABSolution is not a quick-fix, nor is it a "simple and easy" way to get in great shape. It's an effective, scientifically safe and sound approach. And it's a common-sense approach in a fitness industry where common sense is not common at all.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: High Point Media; First Edition edition (May 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972018409
• ISBN-13: 978-0972018401
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Ab Workouts

More About the Author

I make complex things simple. That makes me a bit of map-maker. I make maps that help guide you to a fitter, healthier, stronger, more awakened life.

It's really that simple.

Now for the fancy stuff...

A health, fitness and nutrition veteran who studied engineering and excelled in physics and mathematics has, for better than two decades, applied his critical thinking to help people live leaner, fitter, stronger lives.

"I'm fascinated with making the complex simple, and finding the hidden patterns--the universal truth at the center of every seemingly unsolvable riddle like, 'How to lose body fat while maintaining a real life.'," Says, Shawn.

Shawn is concerned that people are deceiving themselves in their widespread fascination with "health." For as he says, "Health, for most people is defined as 'the absence of disease,' not the presence of anything. Hence, it leaves us without focus, goals or motives until we are ill.

In his book, Strength, is health and so much more. It's the abundant energy and capacity to make a difference in your world.

In addition to being an aficionado of the Andy Griffith Show (B&W only) and Seinfeld, Shawn has been a principle founder of three successful, category leading sports nutrition companies, including EAS, the one time world leader.

For nearly his entire life, Shawn has been brother, supporter and at times partner to his younger brother, Bill Phillips, author of Body for LIFE and the recent best-seller, Transformation.

Shawn most recently created the first true Premium Nutrition Shake for men, Full Strength. A delicious, supremely nutritious shake that is designed not simply as a protein shake but a full meal replacement for the busy, driven, "Type-A" man.

Shawn is also the creator of Focus Intensity Training, a system integrating body and mind; blending the depth of Eastern traditions with the Western form and function of strength training. He also has served as a faculty member of the Integral Institute, a leader in the field of human potential.

Shawn doesn't talk about it much, but he has helped hundreds of thousands of people including business leaders, professional athletes, numerous celebrities, clients and friends look great, feel great and unleash their full strength.

While known by many for his signature "six-pack abs," (which you can see in his previous book, ABSolution) his brilliant clarity and inspiring vision, Shawn, a Colorado native, is better known by his family, close friends and associates as a focused, hard-working man with a kind heart and an intense passion for helping people live extraordinary lives.

Shawn currently lives in the foothills of Colorado with his wife Angie and their two children, Nathaniel and Lilly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than an Ab -solution, June 25, 2002

By 

Karl Miller "kemspeaks" (Phoenixville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs (Hardcover)

Shawn Phillips knows how to market an ab book - pull up your shirt, expose your stomach, and watch the dollars. Fortunately there is a good deal of "mind" working with the muscle in Shawn's program, and some solid explanation of exercises, food and other tangibles necessarily part of the ab-mix.
Shawn's got an incredible stomach, and it takes a lot more than crunches to develop this type of build. Fortunately, he is generous (far more generous than a lot of authors) in explaining how to achieve something vaguely resembling his core (I say vaguely - unless you are going to retire, hire a personal chef, and devote yourself to fitness 24/7, noone is going to be mistaking you for the author in the next few years).
The abdominal exercises in the book are very well detailed and explained, and the building of a program is rather methodically presented. Shawn targets each section (upper, lower, obliques, and back) with sharp focus on detail, and provides enough variations on core exercises to keep the program interesting and challenging. I also like the fact that there is a recognition that crunches alone are not getting you the "look", and there is some focus in this book on other weightlifting programs that compliment the development of an admirable core section (can you say Squats?).
Nutritional information is also presented in a thorough manner, though I have better nutritional guidelines (see my other reviews if you want some good ones). Remember, body fat percentage is also key to ab development, and repeated core exercising won't get you the look if your body fat is over 10-12 percent.
My attitude on books like "Absolution" is, if I learn a new component of exercise, or eating, or mental assistance in my program that I use for more than 2 weeks, then the book has served its purpose. I moderated my core training program with some of Shawn's exercises, and I'm pleased with the burn, and look I've gotten from them. That makes this book worthy of a reccomendation.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Simple Truth of Abs, May 16, 2003

By 

Lovin' Life (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs (Hardcover)

I'm mystified by some of the poor reviews for this book, including some rather mean spirited ones ("best as a table book for gays?" uh, yeah, there are some nice physique photos of Shawn Phillips, along with a lady friend, but oh well; they are artful, like living sculpture.) I completed one Bill Phillips' Body for Life Challenge, and am on my second one, and have nearly regained the physique of my dreams using Bill Phillips' approach. I ordered AbSolution, because my abs were still not reaching their potential. I found the book to be well written and easy to follow, and the Abs program to be very well explained in terms of the actual exercises. Sure, the exercises may SEEM simple, but they are VERY effective, when done slowly and to his specs. Shawn also wisely shares how having great abs is perhaps the final result you'll get in pursuing an all around great body. He minces no words about saying this is Hard Work, and the culmination of a lifestyle, that there is no "one thing", but the "one thing" you need to do is the "everything", the way you live your life. I highly recommend this book, as a great tool in your kit for getting into your best shape. I found it to be easy reading; I sometimes find books with tons of exercises and exhaustive explanations more difficult to follow than a simple, concise, well done book like this one. Makes a great companion to Body for Life.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Reiteration of Common Knowledge, July 3, 2004

By 

Karl Schaub (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs (Hardcover)

I admit it. The target audience for this book eludes me. For any beginner, the advice is too general to put together a meaningful exercise and nutritional program. Intermediate and advanced readers will find its content to simply be a commonplace rehash of what nutritionists and exercise physiologists have been advocating for decades. Basically, this book is 1/3 motivational fluff, followed by 1/3 over-generalized diet and exercise common sense, then rounded off with everyday exercises found in many fitness books. Its underlying theme has been widely accepted for quite some time, namely: physical fitness and health is most likely to have lasting success through balanced nutrition, consistent aerobic/anaerobic exercise, and rational supplementation. Nothing new or original here.

Save your money on this one. Do not let the title lure you in - only 18 of the 130 pages are specifically dedicated to strength training your abdominal area. If you are new to the fitness and health arena, look for a book that actually outlines a more complete and detailed physical fitness and nutritional program, such as the "Body for Life" plan. For those who have been training for a while, ABSolution offers nothing new or insightful. When looking for up-to-date information, I recommend sticking to your favorite monthly fitness magazine, the Internet, or books that actually cover their intended topic in substantive detail.

Live well and good luck