Customer Reviews

Lower Body Solution: Shrink Your Hips, Thighs, Butt and Belly with This New Exercise Program for Women Only

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

 

 

I couldn't be happier with the results I am getting from this book. I have a "stubborn Pear shape" & had only been happy with my workouts when I cut my eating way back. I am only 1/3 of the way through this program and my muscle tone has dramatically changed & my clothes have never been baggier. By the time I finish, I'll be ready for a tropical vacation, no problem!

I can not make it to a gym, and to use this book, you need gym equipment. I have dumb bells, and a few other things I can use at home. I had to return this book because it is unusable for someone like me who can not make it to the gym.

Im a 42-year-old "pear"-shaped woman who's been doing this program for 7 weeks now. I've lost a dress size and my hipbones have reappeared. I've kind of watched what I've eaten, but I haven't missed any meals. I think the information is valuable, and I like how it's presented. Detailed routines are given for every workout. The routines are varied and customized to all levels of fitness (starting with a beginner's program that fitter people skip). I like that complete exercise descriptions are in a separate chapter, listed alphabetically for easy reference. I've also learned several new exercises. I'm ordering a second copy because the first one had a water bottle dumped on it. I think this is a great book.

I'm 36 and was getting marginal results with my self-defined workout schedule. I am extremely happy with the results I'm getting from following the plan. The detailed workouts are a real plus. They help keep you focused in the gym and really push you to the next level. I'm on week 8 of Level 3 and have toned up considerably without really watching what I eat. I'm recommending this book to all my friends.

I recall Laura Dayton's work back when she wrote for VIE magazine and other Fitness journals and was eager to get this book having been unable to buy it back in the day. The moves are great and show a well learned knowledge of weights and power lifting. I was somewhat disappointed though to read that she's has never had to get her own body back after pregnancy yet considers herself a huge expert in over 30 fitness. Nor is she an hourglass or top heavy woman so experience in those realms of fitness are also very clearly limited. She herself mentions how she was a ghost writer for hundreds of fitness articles so it was hard to gauge just where her expertise is (though it is clearly there) beyond good ol 1990s weights, diet and cardio moves. True, her very original method of training the legs six days in a row with 75% load to reduce size is great but unfortunately it also shrinks the glutes something fierce. This is well over a decade later and post Jlo, Kim Kardashian and Beyonce- NO woman wants a flat, small , reduced or high boyish butt anymore! It is amazing that once a small butt and a behind that was "childlike" was once coveted by fitness professionals like Dayton. Now a big and toned booty (or just big and shapely) is considered healthy. I was also interested to read one of her recent blog theories that an "hourglass figure may not be healthy" and that large busted women "have a 30% higher rate of breast cancer" when masses of data contradicts this (she provided no citations). She also called Kim Kardashian an "extreme version of an hourglass figure" (frankly I've seen many fit and healthy women who make Kim's curves look modest) in a slightly pejorative manner. Yet she also lauds Madonna of all people for having those frightening steroidish looking arms and a VERY masculine square block shaped torso-one of the worst examples (despite the media drones...) of excessive fitness we've seen in the past two decades. Dayton's theory is that women need to "get their body fat as low as they can" while still being feminine. That simply does not work for most womae's bodies. I do not mean to be picky because she does stand as an important voice in fitness but she unfortunately has a "one size workout/fat reduction method fits all body types perspective". I'd cherry pick the good stuff like the moves, some diet advice etc but avoid following the entire programme to the letter.

I am starting this program on January 1, 2001 so I can not attest to its results. I can say that this book is excellent in detail. Every single workout is broken down for you. There is also a place to write your sets and reps etc. It is divided into three parts (beginning, inter., adv.,) It is a 28 week program that I am sure will bring outstanding results. It is a lot of work, for instance...by the time you have made it to the advanced portion (the last 16 weeks) you will be working out 6 days a week. Some may think that is too much but hey... how bad do you want an awesome body? If you want one bad then I suggest you check out this book. Excellent prescription of excercises for those of us with "pear shapes" or larger lower bodies. I can't wait to get started.