Customer Reviews

The Body Sculpting Bible for Women

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I have been working out and eating according to this book's plan for about six weeks now and I am very pleased with the results. I have been weight training for several months and I have tried many plans that I considered unsuccessful, but this one is motivating and effective. I saw positive changes in my body after only a couple of weeks. I work out strictly at home; I have a very basic weight bench with a barbell and several dumbbells. I have no problem using the workouts with this basic equipment. I find the two-week "cycling" of workouts and diet both refreshing and effective. I will be able to continually progress using these workouts as I get stronger.
The descriptions of the exercise techniques are the most detailed that I have ever found in a workout book. And I e-mailed the authors with a couple of questions and received a prompt, detailed and helpful reply.
I cannot praise this book enough!

In terms of offering a structured and effective workout, this book is great. The are three types of workout options proposed, one for each of the following types of women, those who are: 1. Novices 2. Intermediate exercisers and 3. Advanced exercisers.

The book tells you exactly what muscles to work, how to work them and how many reps you should do. The book is so decriptive that I could actually function as a "Bodysculpting for Dummies Book" with all due respect. The images provided also the familiarize you with proper form. (But let me interject that nothing compares to having a competent trainer show you one-on-one how to do properly lift a weight.)

I used the program designed for the Advanced user for six weeks and acheived the results I desired.

As a figure competitor, let me assure you that there is more to sculpting your body than just doing workouts. Yes, working out properly and consistently is crucial to muscle development. But this is only 10% of the game. The other 90% is ensuring that you eat well enough so that you 1.have the energy to lift the weights and get through the workout and 2. have enough protein to ensure that your muslces recover and grow. Moreover, you must sustain the mental control that motivates you to consistently eat well and rest.

I don't feel this "difficult, self-discipline" part of training is properly covered in exercise books. It's probably because discipline is a hard sale. I have read muscle mags and exercise books for years and was mislead about how critical nutrition was to altering the appearance of the body.

There are lots of books at there that go through the motions of a "good" workout for muscle development. The "Bodysculpting Bible for Women" expertly takes you through the motions. For this I give it a rating of 4.9 stars. But please heed my advise that if you want to change your body, you have to change you other habits as well, starting with your mindset and nutritional habits.

I wish you the best.

I highly recommend this book as an educational tool for women who believe that pure aerobics and lifting 5 pound dumbbells will get them the body they desire. However, I do not recommend strictly following the program endorsed in this book, for several reasons which I will explain later.

This book is a total fitness and diet program, it tells you what exercises to do, and what to eat. There is nothing revolutionary about this program. Essentially, it is what bodybuilder's do and eat to prepare for competitions, but it is water downed for the bodysculpting market. The differences between bodybuilding and bodysculpting are subtle, both focus on building muscle and lowering body fat percentages, however, in body sculpting there is less emphasis on building mass. The author's themselves are both personal trainers, one is a competitive bodybuilder and the other is the owner of a gym, both are men whose full time job is to develop their muscles, and because of this the program lacks practicality and sensitivity to women.

The book has many merits, which are:

This book explains why weight training is superior to pure aerobics;

The weight lifting exercises are explained superbly in detailed words and pictures;

This book explains why what you eat and when you eat it can make or break your gains;

The book explains the concept of exercise and caloric plateaus and how to avoid them;

And the book has several flaws, which many of the other reviewer's have pointed out. Many reviewers' feel that this program is too hard on the body, the caloric intake is too low and those six days in the gym puts you at risk for overtraining. These are debatable topics in the fitness world. If you are excellent shape to begin with, have the determination and the free time to perform this program, it is doable. But if you are new to weight training, than you risk injury on this program and you will find yourself starved for food.

Here are some of the other flaws in the book:

There are too many sets and exercises for one muscle group, this is great if you are a bodybuilder, but not necessary for the average woman;

There is too much emphasis on the lower body, women should be encouraged to work out the upper and lower body equally;

The diet plan is unimaginative, bland and confusing unless you are extremely knowledgeable about nutrition (it was written by men);

The plan is very detailed, and the novice can feel overwhelmed and confused by all of the information;

The book is written in a way that if you don't follow the concepts laid out in the book in the exact way they are written, you will fail to make any gains;

The program demands six days in the gym, and to be successful they encourage early morning workouts for part of it. This is just not practical for any woman who has 1) a full time job, 2) a job with a long commute, 3) a husband, and 4) children. The author's full time job is to build their bodies, and so they can spend hours in the gym, most women don't have that luxury;

They don't really address the issues of nursing, pregnancy or the effects that menstruation have on a women's body;

Finally, the book tells you that you can visit the getfitnow.com forum to ask the author's questions. The author's are rarely there. But, if you want to see how confusing most people find this program to be, by all means check the forum out.

In summary, I do encourage women to read this book, and to learn the tips and tricks that bodybuilder's use to fine tune their bodies. And I take my hat off to the author's for empowering women to lift weights and not waste their time on the unchallenging exercise programs that are often given to women.

But following it strictly is a risky for those out of shape, and not practical for the busy women. If you have the free time to follow the program, have a basic understanding of anatomy and nutrition, than this program can be tweaked for personal use. If you find the information confusing and overwhelming I suggest buying the Idiot's Guide to Weight Training to read in conjunction with this book. If you are the type of women who has been lifting for years, than you might gain a few tips to help you.

The Body Sculpting Bible is the best women's weight training book I have ever read.

The authors present a vast collection of information on nutrition, motivation, and outline an exercise plan that is tailored to a woman's needs.

Unlike other books, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women is extremely well-organized, easy-to-follow, and comprehensive.

The exercise descriptions are very well written and detailed and the photos provide proper form which is key for success.

The appendix includes muscle charts, and a section on exercising during pregnancy and other special circumstances which is invaluable.

Finally, the authors present a sophisticated yet understandable training schedule which provides variety and intensity as needed.

Well done and recommended. Excellent job!

But if you follow the workouts in this book, you will see results. I am an avid exerciser (at least 1 hr of cardio 6x per week) who has been lifting weights regularly since my teens. So, I was looking for a book that would challenge me and spice up my lifting routine--and this book delivers. Within two weeks I had people asking me if I'd lost weight (I hadn't, but my already athletic shape had changed to be more toned). I have been doing the 14 day "Advanced" workout and I keep up my same cardio routine. I did not follow the nutritional plan in the book--it seemed dull and far too rigid. So, here's my review:

Lifting 6 times a week is a lot. You will be sore and tired. "The perfect body" doesn't come without a lot of work, and I like the fact that this book doesn't try to argue an easy way out. If you want to change your shape, but don't want to spend more than 15 mins or a few days per week in the gym, then this is not the right book for you. This book is for people who:
1) Like to work out (in a gym) daily
2) Are looking for a "serious" workout
3) Are already in good physical condition
4) Want to either change their current routine or are looking for some structured routines to follow

And you will see results! The descriptions and pictures are a great refresher to make sure you're executing the moves correctly.

I have only 2 criticisms of the book:
1) While the workouts are split into 2 week segments, the actual exercises don't change after 2 weeks (just the reps and amount of weight). With 6 days a week in the gym, this gets a little old after about a month or so.
2) In the advanced level, the reps go too low and weight too high in the last 2 week section. Lifting that much weight that many times a week is too much and risk of injury too high.

Overall, I am really impressed with this book--definitely money well-spent. This book definitely has a solid place in my exercise library. Even if you don't follow the workouts or want to put one together yourself, the descriptions and pictures of the exercises can help anyone make the move from the stairmasters and treadmills into weight room!

I first saw this book on display at the store, and was intrigued by the title (I mean, it's the "Body Sculpting Bible," I must chuckle...)

The book has several pros and cons, which I will spell out; and then I will tell you what my experience after five weeks has been.

But first, some background. This book is a BODY SCULPTING book, and anyone who took 5 seconds to peruse it in the store would realize and should accept that this book is ideal for gym training (ie. it requires the use of weights and machines) rather than purchasing it and complaining about this later.

The pros about the book:

1) the authors have a truly motivating voice. They themselves have been through a lot of ups and downs, and it shows through in the writing--they are really sensitive and want to help.

2) the pictures are good; the descriptions of the exercises are good and detailed as well

3) good background--why it is necessary to juggle things around after 14 days, the benefit of doing cardio in the morning rather than afternoon, metabolism, etc.

4) nutrition recommendations for those who are interested

5) great workouts--tells you exactly what to do.

The cons:

1) really needs an index

2) not especially good in telling you by how much you should periodically increase the weight

So far, I've noticed that I'm getting stronger (stronger hamstrings and triceps especially). BUT I haven't lost any inches or dropped any pant sizes or lost weight, despite being on this for 5 weeks now, and doing the Advanced plan (6 heavy-duty cardio workouts and 6 weight workouts a week). I've been devoting a LOT of time to the gym, and have been REALLY watching my caloric intake (my nutritional diet is fantastic--low carb, good protein, low fat). I'm a little disappointed about this. Is it me? Or is it them? I don't know yet.

I DO know that I am stronger, and that maybe 5 weeks isn't enough time to cast judgment. I'll do a 6th week, and then re-start with the Week 1 lessons at a higher level, like the authors suggest.

I'll let you know if I lose any inches.

Good luck!

First, this book appeared not to have been edited. I found so many mistakes, including something along the lines of, "One thing that's good for you is cream of." Cream of what? There are mistakes all through it and the writing is poor. OK, but that's the editor in me.
As for content, there's plenty of good information, but some of it seems extreme. It sounds like it's coming from a male body builder, which I guess it is. Their suggestions for total calories per day seem a bit low. I have read a lot of books on fitness, and none of them suggest that few calories on an ongoing basis. I am quite petite and even when I make every calorie count, I starve on 1200 calories a day -- especially if I work out. A woman of average height and bone structure would really go into starvation mode, it seems. I also don't like the advice to work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach -- I felt horrible and couldn't complete my workout. How is this good for you? I would have preferred more practical advice on what to eat before a workout if you really need fuel. And suggestions for daily diets that don't include whey shakes for three of the meals. I want to eat actual food. This all didn't seem very practical for average people who want to get in shape. It's for body builders.

What I did like were the pictures of different excercises with complete descriptions on how to do each one properly. That was helpful.

Overall, it's better than other books on the topic, but I don't feel it's geared toward regular, non-body builder women.

This is a great book! Even after working out for a year, and reading everything form Body for Life and the Pilates Body Book, this book is one of my favorite. Covers really basic topics and gives no-nonsense advice for those who think they know everything, but are lacking some common sense, especially in areas of aerobic training and muscle recovery, the only problem is that the nutrition advice is a little too "one size fits all".

Some points to remember:
*Great book if you DO NOT have access to a gym. You WILL need to get a set of dumbells for the first 6 weeks of workouts, a bench (or step) to use as a bench would help, but is not necessary. Come on ladies, get some real weights for real results, not those 3 pound dumbells that we have been doing aerobics with!
*The second set of 6 week workouts assumes you have a bench, with a leg attachment. If not, just do the first set of 6 week exercises over and over.
*the nutrition section is not for everyone. They advocate a diet, that I would not follow, and that has not worked for me in the past. It may work for some, however, NO book can give a one-size-fits-all diet solution!
* The chapter on training is worth the book alone.
*Great descriptions of proper form for doing the exercises.
*Don't be scared of weight training!

You can download free workout journal pages for this book and the men's version from the website listed on the back of the book: bodysculpting bible dot com , which will get you to journal download link under "free downloads"

I bought this book to help me to lose weight, firm and tone my muscles and enhance my running ability. I like to run but not lift weights. After suffering from injuries and overuse in training for races, I realised I had to strengthen my body. I read the reviews and bought the book. For months it sat on my desk as it was hard to settle into a strength training routine. I have run for years and even though I lost some pounds here and there, my body shape never changed. If I went on running break, I gained weight back. Around 6 weeks ago (after an extended running break due to injury), I made a conscious choice to build a strength training regime using the exercises in this book. I started with 3 lbs weights then increased to 5lb weights after 4 weeks. I also ran a few miles 3 times per week.

It was hard at first to strength train but after 6 weeks, I am now beginning to see results. I have dropped almost 2 pant sizes but the scale has barely moved (around 2 pounds). My arms look firmer and more defined. I feel lighter. Granted, I haven't followed the strict 14 day regime in the book but I did modify my eating habits to lessen portions, eat my own cooking more, have more vegetable and fruit, and less fat. I haven't cut anything from my diet. My running has even begun to improve.

The book is not a cure-all. Will-power, motivation and dedication go a long way. But the exercises were easy to follow and well-laid out. I had no aches or pains completing them. I train a home with dumbells, so I could only do some of the exercises as some used gym equipment.

There are many books available on fitness, all claiming to provide the perfect plan for creating a great body. Unfortunately, most of the books I've read are basically refurbished material packaged nicely. This was my experience up until I purchased the body sculpting bible. The author has done an exceptional job of developing new and exciting material that works wonders! I've been training with weights for over 2 years now and consider myself very experienced when it comes to fitness. I must say that after reading the awesome information in this book, especially the incredibly detailed exercise descriptions and 14 day principles, I have become somewhat humbled in respect to the fact that I now recognize that I actually knew little about how to get the best results from my workouts.

This books has truly helped me to filter out the chaffe and demistify misconceptions that only held me back. I am proud to say that after only 4 weeks that I have lost over ten pounds and have undoubtedly noticed my arms and legs getting considerably toner. I still have a way to go, but I now have the tools to get there. In summary, this is a Great Book for any woman wanting to make life-long changes.