Customer Reviews

The Men's Health Cover Model Workout: Body-Sculpting Secrets of the World's Top Fitness Model

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I used to lift weights and swim throughout college regularly, but once college was over, I often would exercise for a month and then quit for two months, etc. to the point where I gained some weight and inches. On top of which, since I knew how to lift weights from years of doing so, my expectations were always too high when I got back into it and always ended up ummotivated (or hurting myself).

Anyway, a while back I finally had a good reason to get back into shape: I was getting married within 6 months. The first couple of months I tried what I had done before and was able to regain some aerobic fitness through jogging, cycling, etc, but I wanted to build more muscle and burn more fat more quickly to look extra fine for the big day. I downloaded Owen McKibbin's workout from the Men's Health website (it's not up there anymore since they published it in this book and reproduced the whole regime along with more material) and while I was dubious of the fact that the title seemed corny ("Cover Model Workout"???) was instantly hooked.

Owen starts off the first month by just trying to get you fit. So, he gives you a short weight-lifting workout three times a week (by the end of the month, it took my 15 minutes tops) along with 20-minute aerobic interval training workouts. So, I was spending a total of 2 hours max per week. The first month he really focuses on strengthening the back/chest/shoulders and legs (larger muscles), avoiding the mistake of many workouts where people try to build their arms right away and you don't notice results in your normal workday (who curls stuff during the day anyway? But you will notice increased strength within two weeks if you help someone lift a heavy box with your legs and back.). I honestly lost five pounds the first month and tacked on lots of muscle, so who knows how much fat weight I lost. But, I felt tighter.

As the workouts progress, they get longer, but by that point you're mentally hooked, and you start seeing the physical changes by the end of the second month as Owen adds smaller muscles to your workout. The focus continues to be on adding muscle and getting rid of fat, but as you add more muscle, the muscle helps burn fat anyway. His diets tips are also sensible and helpful

By the end of four months, I had lost around 15 pounds and felt stronger than I had in years - I could hit a baseball harder, throw a frisbee farther, jog longer and fit into clothes I hadn't worn in a while. One big problem: I had to get my tuxedo realtered at the last second because I looked like a circus clown since the pants were too big and the jacket ahd too much space around the middle.

I honestly think this is th best 4-month workout I've ever seen. Owen doesn't promise any tricks or pills or any such crud - just the promise that if you stick with it for 4 months, you'll be a changed man (or woman). Plus, since he starts slow, it's hard to burn out and get frustrated with his workout.

Some drawbacks - at the end of 4 months, I wasn't sure what to do next. I tried designing my own, but they aren't as effective, so I just keep starting this one over, and Owen doesn't provide too much help on where to go next (unless you want to be a cover model I guess). The discussions can be spotty from a grammatical sense, but who cares - it's a workout book! I'd give it 4.5/5 stars for those small points along with the fact that the corny title almost dissuaded me from trying the workout.

Today, I look at my wedding photos and have to thank Owen's workout for looking so good (my wife did an altered version of it that was more lower-body and upper-back intensive and she looked great too - Owen needs to come out with a version for women). Plus, I still feel strong yet limber and unrestricted by larger muscles, which is also a big point since Owen's workouts are designed to hepl keep you injury-free by focusing on building a good stabile frame.

Anyway, I ramble on, but I hopefully I have shown how helpful at least one person found this workout. If Owen sees this - keep it up!

This book is a great first workout program. The exercises are clearly demonstrated and each section comes with a chart to monitor your progress. That said, here are some things that don't make this book a best-seller: 1) way too many cheesy modelling shots, it looks dumb and almost embarassing if anyone sees you with it (I hide my copy from my friends); 2) They tried to market Owen as a guy who had it rough when he didn't, Owen tries to sound like his life was in the toilet before his workout routine but it wasn't - many of his claims (i.e. his bad back, his party-harty days, etc.) are just minor stuff that everyone's dealt with - find me a cripple with his body and then I'll buy HIS book; 3) the diet plan is elusive, he tries to claim there's a diet plan but there's not - he only lists three meal items for B-fast, lunch and dinner - in short, a strong diet plan is needed to follow your new program.
A really good strong point about the book that I do like is that he emphasizes all-around fitness. A cardio-program is the backbone of all fitness routines. I never noticed how many guys go to the gym and lift weights but don't bike or run after. In fact, I saw this one really bulked-up guy climb the stairs at my gym and he was panting by the end! I'm no genius but I know that you should do some cardio to follow your body. That is what Owen's program does; it gets you fit while emphasizing the elements that will benefit you all-around. This book is a great startout program but I think that any advanced lifters/athletic people will already know a program advanced beyond this.

PS-what's with the "Owen Crunch" in this book? It's just a normal crunch so stop trying to pawn it off as something miraculous; it's not like I go around turning doorknobs and trying to get people to call it the "Ty turn". Don't be stupid with terminology.

This is probably one of the most rewarding fitness book available. McKibben's Cover Model Workout outlines excersises and a vague but easy to follow diet in order to acheiving a great feeling and healthy looking body. The Workout he outlines won't give you Brad Pitt's cuts or Priest's extreeme mass. This is definitaley not a quick fix (the program takes a minimum of 16 weeks), but the look you can achieve using his methods (a healthy more natural look) is becoming much more popular in today's world of fitness and bodybuilding. Another great thing about his method is that it helps you to achieve long lasting stable fitness and it is extreemley cheap to follow (no expensive supplements), natural, healthy. Kudos to McKibben for a motivating, honest essential to anyone who wants to get into shape the right way.

I enjoyed some of the other reviews written here. Yes, it has a copious amount of cheesy cover model shots. I have one of the earlier hardbound versions and it's practically coffee table material with all the glossy pages, etc. And, while his personal story is motivating, the important part is that he's just another normal guy who's had his share of challenges but hasn't quit. That makes him a lot like most of us.

Here's the nuts and bolts - I drilled past the glossy stuff and did what Owen said. I have followed his program (admittedly not very perfectly)for a little over 12 months now. In that time, I have lost over 50 pounds (225 down to 173), have dropped over 6 inches from my waist ( >38" down to 31"), and, most surprisingly, have gotten stronger the entire time.

I followed another program by the same publisher, The Testosterone Advantage Plan, with much less results. They didn't have the same emphasis on cardiovascular. I was very strict with that program, even keeping a comprehensive spreadsheet on everything I ate to follow their caloric metrics. I got much stronger, but my overall health didn't improve, and I never achieved any appreciable definition. I continued to gain weight on that program.

After years of wildly fluctuating weight and a variety of starts and stops with a multitude of exercises (weight-lifting, running, cycling, etc), I've finally found a well-balanced program that stresses common-sense with diet - that works!

The exercise program is well-thought out and includes proper focus on preventing injury. Those who are looking for someone to spoon-feed them a diet plan for each and every meal or snack need to look for another book. Owen provides something every adult really needs - common-sense guidelines for eating, no matter where you are or who you're with. I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend my days eating cheese, olives, bacon and steak for every meal, or having to measure every single item before it goes in my body. I want the freedom to make sensible choices. Just give me some guidelines I can actually live with and stick to.

And, I quit going to the gym before I even started this one. It's all been done on my basement weight set and 12-year-old Nordic Track. This is not a program for bulking up. If you want serious dense and lean muscle in the right proportions with plenty of cuts and separations, this is the real deal. If you want a physique that works on the basketball court or in a suit at work, give this a shot.

I've been using the principles of the "Ab's Diet" and then wanted to bump it up a notch and then purchased BFFM (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) online which the Ab's Diet seems to be "based" on - ok, basically they ripped it off. I've gone from 215 to 178 pounds in roughly 5 months with some really nice changes in my physique...I would highly recommend both related programs...the Ab's Diet simply makes BFFM more commercial/palatable plus it gives you some great smoothie recipes.

Now, with that said, I previewed and then returned this book by McKibben & Garrett. It's based on the same principles as the Ab's Diet (Men's Health) and BFFM but it's really thin in terms of useful information compared to the other two sources. Also, while somewhat inspirational, you have to understand that McKibben has been lifting since high school and he has the time to concentrate on his physique so don't expect to look like him at all. The only thing I got out of it were workouts that I could use to change things up while building muscle. I also don't like the Abs Diet's over-reliance on muscle to burn fat over cardio when, in reality, I do agree with McKibben that they should be valued equally because while they burn fat in different ways they compliment each other.

The bottom line is that you should get BFFM and the Ab's Diet and only read McKibben's book if you can get it cheap and/or free. It's a lite version of the other two programs. In fact, if you were to purchase these items get the Ab's Diet first (not because it's better by the way!)...then buy BFFM (the BEST resource on fat loss by far - but it is involved - like getting a graduate degree in fat loss)...and then get McKibben's book if it's offered on the sale rack for next to nothing just for reinforcement/entertainment/limited information.

I've got to admit that when I first saw this book in a store, I laughed to myself, "Cover Model Workout, they MUST be joking!".

I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen!

For some reason though, every time I'd see it in that same book store I was becoming more and more curious to see exactly what it was about. For kicks, I decided to look at it here and there and even looked up some reviews on Amazon. There were enough positive reviews to make me try to find out more about it.

Then I decided to see if I could take it out via my local library system. I actually liked it enough to go back to that store and purchase it.

I find Owen's story to be very interesting and inspiring. He definitely had more genetic difficulties to overcome than most people I know (in terms of propensity to heart problems and obesity, not to mention his spine).For a person with all that going against him to achieve a world class physique in spite of that is remarkable. It's easy for us to look at him now and think that it came easy to him, but unless he's completely making this stuff up, he had a lot to overcome. He is also brutally honest about his shortcomings of the past regarding the idiotic things he did in his younger days and how he learned to transcend them as he grew into a more mature person.

As far as the workouts go, I have to admit that it's rare that I follow any particular plan in a book to the letter because I've been working out for a long time (well over twenty years). I have found that using various combinations of disciplines works best for me. I do Pilates and Yoga every day and also weight train twice a week. I do an intense upper body workout on Saturdays and then an intense leg workout on Wednesdays. I use some pretty high intensity techniques so two weight training days is all I need in addition to the daily Pilates and Yoga.

My main interest in a book such as this is for extra motivation (one can never have to much of that) and I always pick up something I can use. I'm sure at some point I'll give some of those workouts a try to mix things up, though with all the Pilates I'm set in the Abs dept.

Anyway, while I can't give you the play by play results from doing this workout program I found the book definitely has a lot of positives. One of the best things about it is that you get to hear from a guy who looks like a human being instead of a "juice monster". I appreciate the fact that he's truly attained his physique naturally and that the strongest supplements he recomends are Whey protein and vitamins. That sort of thing is rare in these days where "so called" natural bodybuilders are using all sorts of crap that are far from natural, perhaps they aren't illegal (yet) but they are far from natural!

Also Owen's approach to eating is more of an overall approach to the subject rather than a specific food program. This makes it infinitely more practical and doable. His approach to nutrition is very similar to Baron Baptiste's in his incredible book "Journey Into Power" which is a book written about Power Yoga (though it's more of a complete healthy lifestyle approach than just a Yoga book). I've kept my weight within five pounds of my target weight for many years thanks go Baron's concepts and Owen's approach is very close.

So, if you can get past the whole deal with the book being called the "Cover Model Workout", I think you'll find there's a lot of good food for thought in this book. It's written in a very conversational tone which I find makes it an enjoyable as well as informative read.

As with most "Men's Health" publications it's a little over-indulgent with the cheesy modeling and action pictures. I'm not sure I care for the excessive family history talk and background either. But as far as workouts and eating, the author (McNibb) knows what he's talking about...look at him... The workout program he's detailed is sound and paced for both beginners and more advanced gym rats. the exercise pics are good but i think a little bit better explanation for the biginners to explain what muscles the indavidual exercises are targeting would've been helpful. Good stuff.

I just finished phase 3 of the program and I couldn't be happier with the results. If you're looking for a workout that will give you a lean muscular physic that looks as good in a suit as well as it does on the beach, then this is the book for you. I give it my highest recommendations.

Owen McKibbin has obviously accomplished a lot in his life...just his bibliography was an exciting read. More importantly to the function of the book, though, I found great workout advice, too. The concepts he outlines are great. I've been following phase 1 for a few weeks now, and I've seen noticeable results in my physical fitness. I've been lifting for almost 6 years now as it is, and I can say that this program, when executed correctly, MUST give results.

Owen McKibbin's "The Men's Health Cover Model Workout" is a funny book, especially in the beginning when he tells us a bit of his biography. It's funny to hear him tell stories of how people become jealous of him because he is good looking and has a nice physique. It is also a bit sad to hear of his family and personal issues with health. But it is also inspiring to learn about the obstacles he had to overcome. So most of the first section of of the book is about Mr. McKibbin.

The second section shows Mr. McKibbin demonstrating various exercises for different areas of the body. Exercises are the standard and basic ones that make up a regular men's program. They include exercises which use primarily weights and machines, with a few bodyweight and Swiss ball exercises. There are a few exercise programs designed for the beginner and for the advanced. This section is a fairly quick read with the photos.

The third and last section covers food and nutrition.