Customer Reviews

Living Longer Stronger: The 6-Week Plan to Enhance and Extend Your Years Over 40

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Months ago, a close friend, who had recently put on some muscle and lost a bit of weight, after hearing Ellington Darden speak at a business seminar, gave me a copy of Ellington Darden's Living Longer Stronger. I read the book and put it aside. A few weeks later, I talked with a favorite university professor who had always been plagued with weight problems, and the subject came up again. He mentioned the success he had using Darden's program.

Over the years, I tried lots of popular diets, aerobic exercises, and strength training in various combinations and taken to various extremes. They all worked to one degree or another, sometimes for only a while, but ultimately fatigue and a back injury from overdoing them had left me resigned to being grossly out of shape. A trip to the emergency room and surgery shook me up and I decided, once again, to shape up.

I hoped Darden's program, which claimed it was possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, would work for me. I was skeptical, but desperate to try. I did have the assurance that both a scientific friend and a former college professor found this program truly helpful.

The program in Living Longer Stronger relies on moderation of all things, except drinking icy cold water: a gallon and a half a day. Calorie intake is reduced over six weeks, gradually but never drops below 1300 per day to prevent the body from conserving fat. Strength training increases gradually from 6 to 10 exercises every three days. Darden explains that two days of rest in between is necessary for muscles to go beyond recovery and increase in strength. He also recommends getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

I just completed six weeks of the Living Longer Stronger program, and will begin the cycle of calorie cutting again in a week or two. I followed Darden's nutrition guidelines, but ignored the specific foods listed in his meal plans. (I like cooking and couldn't bring myself to eat canned potatoes, bottled low-cal salad dressing, margarine or Sarah Lee's so-called bagels, but that wouldn't be a problem for a lot of guys.) I walked for half an hour after dinner, when I could. I trained on a friend's Bowflex every three days without exception. I drank ice water all day. A new body fat sensing electronic scale - a tool that wasn't available when Darden wrote this book-- made it easy to chart fat loss. In six weeks, I lost 45 pounds of fat, and put on 5 pounds of muscle. My waste is 5 inches smaller. I can even see some muscle definition on my shoulders. There are no stretch marks anywhere. After a week or two continuing to training and to drink lots and lots of ice water, I will ready to do another six week cycle of stress free weight loss.

The program is written for men over 40, but the book features at least one example of a man in his 20s who used the program with great success.

Following the workout and diet just as printed yielded exactly the results the author projected. The book is easy to understand and makes a rational case for moderate exercise and good diet with certain adaptations to permit weight loss and stabilization. This is no radical 'fad' diet, just good common sense with a couple of unexpected twists. Read it in good health!

Living Longer Stronger is a complete fitness book, covering both the diet and exercise aspects with equal aplomb.

His exercise routine are as efficient and comprehensive as they come in weight loss books. Moreover, he gives thorough explanations and diagrams on how to perform each exercise, so even novies can learn quickly and safely.

His diet recommendations, while not innovative, are sensible, familiar, and proven. He lays out all important aspects of a fat-loss diet -- minimeals, nutrients, scheduling -- such that anyone will understand.

But, what's really special here is his advice on making your body burn even more calories by a process called thermogenics. His major technique is superhydration, and it's revolutionary.

Living Longer Stronger is beautifully laid out and clearly written. You can tell alot of work has been done to make it glossy, yet highly useful. Diagrams, tables, plenty of before-after pictures abound give men a real physical education. And, although it's specifically written for men over 40, ALL men could gain from this quality book.

I don't think there's a better book today for men over 40, because the results on this program are consistently better than any other diet. The only real flaw with the book is that it's written in 1995, so you won't get the "Quickstart" program outlined in Flat Stomach ASAP. But, that nonwithstanding, this is THE Darden diet book to get.

Want to lose more than 3lbs of fat a week? Buy this one.

I sat down to read just a few pages before dinner, just to get a feeling for the subject matter - I ended up reading the entire book all in one sitting. The very next day, at age 42, I began to apply both the philosophies and the techniques provided, and after only two weeks, I can already feel and see the difference that it has made to my weekly exercise and dietary routine. Covering everything from a general review of human physiology to strength training (including instruction on using equipment) to dietary suggestions - A GREAT READ.

This is an excellent book, full of good advice, sound research, and a workable program for anyone, (men or women) at any age, who feels they need to "get back into shape". The workout, and diet suggestions, are probably the least intrusive on a person's lifestyle of any program I have ever become familiar with.

I have found the high intensity strength training sessions not only have made me stronger, and increased my muscle mass, but they have also helped me to transition to other physical activities that I am beginning to enjoy again, e.g. hiking and cycling for pleasure.

The exercises Dr. Darden suggests can be used with a variety of "machines", Nautilus, Soloflex, Bowflex, etc. or freeweights.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his/her overall fitness.

I have used the exercise and diet programs in Dr. Darden's books with hundreds of clients, and have gotten results that literally must be seen to be believed (which is why Body Defining contains standardized before and after photographs of real people who went through the program). I highly recommend any of Dr. Darden's books to anyone interested in improving their physical appearance and condition in the fastest, safest, most effective manner possible. Andrew M. Baye The Exercise Specialist Altamonte Springs, FL

I applied about half the principles in the book (I didn't follow the eating/drinking water guidelines exactly, but I did do the exercising as described). I reduced my caloric intake, but not as much as he prescribes.

Basically, over the course of a year and half I went from 193 lbs. to 150 lbs. I am 5'7", and that was really noticeable. I would guess that I put on 7 or 8 lbs. of muscle during that time, so that's 50 lbs. of fat lost. I never thought when I started that I would have those kind of results.

I applied his principles not just over a 6 week period, but more or less made a lifestyle change. It's now been almost 2 years since I started his program, and I'm motivated to lose the last bit of fat off my body and pack on some serious muscle (buying another Darden book for that -- HIT training).

I was recommended this book by a friend who I watched follow the program to the letter and lose 50 lbs. in 6 months. I am here to tell you that if you have the discipline, you can absolutely do it. The best part is, after you read this book and learn the principles, you'll laugh at infomercials for ab machines and diet pills. There is no free lunch in serious (healthy) weight loss, but if you're willing to pay for it (unwavering determination), you can get there, no doubt.

Highly recommended. I bought one for my friend.

Ellington Darden has written several books on the subject of strenght training and fitness. I found this book an informative straight talking and comperhensive. He has examined just about everything an over 40 should know. his style of writting is as if he would an older brother talking. All he says if backed up with fact, and personal experence. Antother one of his books I enjoyed very much. No nonsence information on working out staying in-shape. Paked full of losts of information that can be used by every one (even if your not over 40 !!)

Great book. Valuable and reliable information.

This author offers and explains a point of view exercising to improve strength can improve one's life. I tend to agree. I was referred to this book by my personal trainer. The language is straight forward, yet not simple. This is a must read for those who have an interest in weight training but are not die hards at it.