Basic Training: A Fundamental Guide to Fitness for Men [Hardcover]

Jon Giswold (Author), David Morgan (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 1999

Basic Training is an introductory guide to achieving health and fitness for men, and is a user-friendly source of information, techniques, and images that will enable and inspire any man to achieve a healthy body and a fit lifestyle.

Divided into three sections -- Motivation, Action, and Lifestyle -- this book explains the basic elements of health and fitness, and how to combine aerobic activities with a weight program that will give you the body you want and the energy to make life enjoyable.

The reader learns the principles of all the basic exercises, clearly illustrated by the vivid photographs of David Morgan, and is shown how to put together a personalized workout program with attainable goals.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

So here's a question: you're a guy who's inundated with images of men whose rippling muscles are being used to sell everything from Abercrombie & Fitch shirts to Men's Health magazine. You'd like to have muscles like that, but you've never worked out and have no clue how to begin. Where do you turn?

Basic Training is as good a place as any. It explains the fitness nomenclature, tells you exactly how and where to begin, and offers a very realistic view of just how fast you should expect your progress to be. (Not very, but the book still enumerates the many reasons why you should begin the journey, including immune-system improvements and stronger bones.)

The descriptions of exercises are more conversational and detailed than any you'll find, and the photos by David Morgan offer very clear illustrations of the moves. One word of warning: those photos--including close-ups of bulging shorts and bare gluteals--will probably be as big a turn-off to some readers as they will be motivational to others. --Lou Schuler

About the Author

Jon Giswold is a highly successful aerobics instructor and personal trainer described by the Daily News as a "guru." He is best known for his work with New York's most prominent fitness centers, including the Reebok Sports Club/NY. He has been featured in five fitness videotapes and in many national and international magazines.

David Morgan has been a commercial photographer in New York since 1975. During the last decade his popular fine-art images celebrating the male figure have been available worldwide through prints, posters, and greeting cards.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312192355
• ISBN-13: 978-0312192358
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely A Winner!, October 17, 2000

By 

Nicole Smith (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Training: A Fundamental Guide to Fitness for Men (Hardcover)

I have been in the Health and Fitness field for 13 years as a Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Health Club Director in NYC. Over the years I have seen many many books on the subjects of How to get in shape, How to build a better body, and How to start a work-out program etc. come over my desk. Jon Giswold's book, Basic Training for Men is head and shoulders above the rest. This book is intelligent and highly readable. It speaks to us as we need to hear the information, clearly and accurately, while anticipating then resoving any questions and excuses before we even hve time to realize they were there. I like this book because it takes you from A (out of shape, unmotivated, lost amongst an onslaught of conflicting information) to Z ( an understanding on how our fitness goals can be achieved with a step by step plan). Jon delivers this book in a way where we don't feel pressured, judged or overwhelmed but nurtured and supported on our journey to our ultimate fitness goals.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basically very soft-core, June 8, 2004

By 

Charles Sutherland (Indy, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Training: A Fundamental Guide to Fitness for Men (Paperback)

The author and photographer here have a sense for the same kind of soft-core male anatomy shot that makes catalogs from major clothing firms sell so well. There are very stylish and polished black-and-white photographs throughout the pages, not necessarily demonstrating the particular exercises, but in those kinds of poses that range from the high art (a chiseled black man standing against a white background holding up a big gray globe, various angles of stretches and the kind, etc.) to the "we're just having fun" shots of men running across a field or other similar photographs. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with these, and there is nothing overtly pornographic about these photographs, just rather titillating and artistically edging toward to the sexual.

This is not a book that is purchased for the exercises per se, as the workouts and nutrition information and other stuff, while basic and good, are not particularly inspired. The inspiring part is the layout, designs and photographs. There are workouts listed that probably make for decent programs, but they don't really have the promise of turning a mid-30s body like mine into the image of the Greek gods in grayscale that adorn these pages. Still, I do find that I am more "inspired" to work out in the hope, going ever more to the unreachable dream, that my physique might be more like theirs.

Still, I like having this book, and hope to purchase their second book. Just for the articles, you know.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the best all around fitness book to date., October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Training: A Fundamental Guide to Fitness for Men (Hardcover)

I found this book to be down to earth in it's approach to fitness, giving realistic goals to strive for. It offers great information that other fitness books for men have been afraid to touch on. For example educating men on the fact that BREAST CANCER occurs in the male population, and why joining the fad of body piercing may not be the best for ones health. Very informative! I thought it wise to look at this book with an open, intelligent mind and not fixate on a couple of reviews in this forum obviously submitted from narrow minded, pseudo-macho points of view.