Customer Reviews

Harvey Walden's No Excuses! Fitness Workout

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The title says "fitness workout" and that's exactly what you get in this book. You get a big serving of motivation, a little bit of bio, followed by a boot-camp style workout. There's only a small number of pages devoted to diet or offer recipes, but Harvey readily acknowledges he's not a nutritionist or dietitian. Fitness is his expertise. A fitness workout is what the book offers and you get a very effective one.

What makes this fitness book different is:

1. No equipment needed (except a stopwatch or watch with a second hand).

2. Can do anywhere. Enough floor space to do push-ups and leg lifts is all you need.

3. No 'reps.' Everything is timed by stopwatch, so you might do scissor jacks for one minute, push-ups for one minute, jog in place 3 minutes, etc.

4. It's a total-body workout that combines cardio and strength training, so there's no separate days for cardio or for a split routine.

The workout is presented in 3 stages, depending on your fitness level, and he recommends working out for 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week. I remember some of these exercises from USMC boot camp and they were tough then. And Harvey uses a lot of them: mountain climbers, variations of push-ups, variations of jumping jacks, squats, variations on leg lifts, and so on. These aren't easy, but they get results. The workout includes stretches and mixes in bursts of cardio. Harvey also offers up a gym workout for those gym rats who want to focus on specific muscle groups.

When Marines and SEALS write fitness books, it's often a mixed bag. Some of them seem to think that standard suburban patio furniture includes a full obstacle course. And then there was the Marine workout book where the author called the reader "cupcake" - put me off the book completely. Harvey's style in this book is realistic, straighforward, open, and less confrontational than he appears on "Celebrity Fit Club," so if you've been put off by that on the show, check this book out anyway.

Even if a boot camp style experience isn't for you, at the very least, you may find this workout useful as a backup plan. It works well for when the gym is closed, when you're on the road, or when you're at home and just feel like burning some excess energy and calories.

This excellent workout book returns to the basics.

You don't need any fancy equipment in order to work out, you just need motivation. And Harvey does his best to motivate!

I own a really fancy elliptical running machine and a large home-gym type weight machine. But I'm selling both of them. Why? Because when you use machines to work out it puts you in an assisted groove. Your muscles are not working completely because the machine holds you on a mechanically preset course.

Much better to just use your body, the floor and maybe a few dumbbells. Return to the basics and make progress. Depend on trips to the gym and expensive machines and likely you will bog down.

Excellent book.

This is a good, no-nonsense book with clear explanations and pictures of each exercise. Also contains a few healthy recipes in the back, and a brief description of what a low GI diet is.

My only quibble with this book is that there is no accompanying wall chart, or cheat sheets with smaller pictures/lists of the exercises for cues when you're learning the exercises (Minna Lessig's Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly and Boy Shorts Bottom book has these in the back). It would be great to have cheat sheets to take with you while traveling, so you can leave the book at home.

Hopefully the next edition will correct this oversight, and then it will definitely be a 5-star book.

I love Harvey! Not only does he provide various exercises but he motivates. I wish I was in the Corp.

THIS IS A VERY GOOD READ. HE'S GOT GREAT MOTIVATION. ITS BASIC COMMON SENSE AND IT WORKS. NO EXCUSES. DO IT. CAN BE DONE AT HOME. I USE TO DO THESE EXCERCISES YEARS AGO. I'M GLAD I WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK THANKS TO GOD. I'VE READ IT TWICE. HE'S A VERY LIKABLE GENTLEMEN AND HE'S GOOD AT HIS JOB.

I wish I had gotten this a long time ago! Harvey has done a superb job with this book. It is interesting from the beginning to the end, and the illustrations only enhance the content. I found this book extremely helpful and insightful as it pertains to a way to get fit that is practical and doable for anybody. Harvey is also very motivating in this book and he shares some of his personal experiences, and a side of him basically not seen on Celebrity Fit Club comes through in his writing. Harvey covers everthing you basically need to know and explains it all in a way that you can understand. He relates to you. He has anticipated your questions and has answered them. He entertains you as well! This book truly squashes any excuses that anybody could ever have for why they can't get fit. I use it as a reference book on a regular basis. It works for me. I love it!

no excuses is a good excuse to get you in shape. after trying this program on the 1st day I knew it was good. been doing it for 1 month now and already lost 1.5 inches off my waist. Not very specific on diet, but the program will get you in shape!

This is a great workout. As a former Marnie I reconized these excersises from the get go. I have had the book for about a month and have noticed myself getting stronger. I do the workout as shown in the book and then go run about a mile and a half or two miles afterward.

I am now going through a Jail Officers School and as the class leader I encouraged my fellow student to do this with me. They all seem to like it.

I like it because I can Physicaly Train a group and still have them move at thier own pace. Great book, great workout!

SEMPER FI!

This book was a gift to me.. I don't think I would have read it otherwise.

The book is targeted to people who have never worked out before. He motivates 'obese' people - and tells them they can even do the workout while watching t.v.

The exercises themselves are very good, however I don't see obese people starting with push-ups - they is no point in doing them at that stage, and are very likely to injure themselves.

I liked the descriptions of the exercises, and they all have pictures which is great.

For a book on training I really didn't care to hear about his life story or how he's a good parent, blah, blah.. and "I taught my kids to sort out laundry".. *yaay*.

I have issues with some of his nutritional advice, for example he never ever cleans his plate.. anyone who wastes food is a looser, why take so much if you're not going to eat it (portion control and wasting are two different things).

Five recipes are included, all sound nice.

Design-wise: The layout looks nice, but there is absolutely no color (b&w pics) apart from the cover.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. If you're serious about working out and eating healthy, get your info from a qualified trainer/nutritionist. Getting obese people to do pushups infront of the t.v. and throw away all their egg yolks is nonsense.

The exercises in this book are pretty basic. I expected something a little more difficult. I feel this book is best for someone is just starting a workout routine.