Body Defining [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Ellington Darden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

The correct combination of diet, exercIse, water, and rest produces a well-defined body, according to top fitness expert Dr. Ellington Darden. In fact, if you're an average woman and if you follow his proven six-week plan, featured in Body Defining, you can expect to lose:

• 13 pounds of fat
• 2 3/4 inches off your waist
• 2 1/4 inches off your hips
• 3 1/2 inches off your thighs

During the fat-reduction process, you can also expect to add 3 1/2 pounds of body-enhancing muscle, making your physique stronger, firmer, and more symmetrical. Body Defining includes a wide variety of routines that tighten and shape hips and thighs, flatten the stomach, and work out the shoulders and arms, helping to counterbalance a dominant lower body. The entire program is easy to follow and includes carefully researched menus, at-home exercises, strength-training equipment instructions, and maintenance guidelines. In addition, Body Defining is illustrated with inspirational before- and-after photos of women who have transformed their figures through Dr. Darden's effective six-week program. Dr. Ellington Darden was recently honored by the President's Council of Physical Fitness and Sports as one of the Healthy American Fitness Leaders. His 43 books have sold more than four million copies, and his lectures and workshops are popular throughout the United States and Canada. Darden lives in Gainesville. Florida.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Men are the bigger sex, writes Darden, but women are the fatter sex. A woman's hormones--coupled with pregnancy and childbirth--conspire to add fat throughout her life, making the average woman's body a little over 47 percent fat by the time she's 50.

Darden believes that there's only one way to permanently change this equation--to turn on the body's natural fat-burning mechanisms--and it's not aerobic exercise. He's a passionate advocate of strength training as the best method for improving a body's ratio of muscle to fat. Darden also asserts that there's only one way to effectively strength train, and that's using the excruciatingly tedious Super Slow system. He makes a convincing argument for the system, but he's among a tiny handful of exercise professionals who believe that people should train one way and one way only for the rest of their lives. Virtually everyone else says you should frequently change training methods to keep your body from getting so used to one type of exercise that it stops making improvements.

Those who have purchased one or more of Darden's 42 previous books will recognize most of the information in "Body Defining." But if you're new to his work, you'll find provocative ideas about how keeping your body cooler helps it burn more calories, and why you should drink much more water than you're consuming now. The actual exercise and nutrition programs are pretty strict, but Darden peppers the book with before-and-after photos of women for whom it worked. --Lou Schuler

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809232324
• ISBN-13: 978-0809232321
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ellington Darden has a goal: to help people live leaner and stronger longer. For the lost thirty years he has worked with thousands of men and women who wanted to feel better physically, look more attractive, and improve overall health through a disciplined approach to nutrition and exercise. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from Baylor University and a doctorate in exercise science from Florida State University. Two years of postdoctoral study in food and nutrition set him on the trail that led to the ASAP program. Dr. Darden was director of research for Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries for seventeen years. There he helped develop and popularize the highly acclaimed Nautilus exercise machines. Today, Dr. Darden is the founder and chairman of Living Longer Stronger, a corporation devoted to science and education. His outstanding research, which is applied in his books, is one reason he was recently honored by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports as one of the top ten health leaders in the United States. A Flat Stomach ASAP is Dr. Darden's forty-fourth book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the quick-fix generation, only hard workers., January 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Body Defining (Paperback)

I bought this book not with the intension of losing weight, but the idea of gaining muscle and improving my overall shape. I'm only on week 3 now, but already I can see and feel results. The superslow method really works and I am so motivated to get to the gym to improve on my resistance level. If you want a gimmicky book, this isn't for you, but if you're willing to put in the work, there will be some amazing results for you.I haven't followed the diet , but the exercise program certainly is a boost for me to eat healthy, why put in the work at the gym to undo it at the dinner table. This book is worth the money in information alone. I think every woman needs to read the truth about fat, cellulite and the real way to rid ourselves of it. A good buy.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Body Defining : Drop Pounds, Firm Flab & Maximize Lean Muscl, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Body Defining (Paperback)

Dr. Darden's program really works for middle-aged people who have let themselves slip! My husband and I both are following the recommended meal plan and superhydration and are faithfully working out with weights three times a week. I follow the body-defining exercises with dumbells Dr. Darden has outlined, while my husband does his own workout on our home weight equipment. We are just beginning week 5; he has lost 14 lbs and I've lost 12 lbs. We are both looking and feeling a lot better and are regaining strength lost over the years. I "stumbled" onto this book while looking for weight training guidance to use our new equipment. This was a wonderful find and I've recommended the book to many friends and coworkers. This plan has particularly made us aware of our eating habits and has changed us for life!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Works!, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Body Defining (Paperback)

One of the reasons people don't follow diets for long is because they don't see quick results. Another reason is because when they do see quick results, it is usually because the diet is lacking in a certain type of food (like carbs for example) and people binge as soon as the missing food is around! This book will put an end to those problems - quickly. You will see massive results in a very short time! I have been using Mr. Darden's approach for three weeks, and I am already SEEING muscle improvements, and overall toneness. I have never seen such quick results in my life - and I have tried everything. The most important element is that this program doesn't take much time - so I feel excited about working out! I am lucky in that I am not overweight - I am just a bit out of proportion, so I have not been following the diet - just the workout plan. My results prove that muscle does build quickly with this program, and muscle seems to incinerate the fat around it. I am convinced that if you do follow the losing fat diet with it, you will truly see the benefits in a very short time. I wish I had found this book ten years ago. Good Luck!