Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness [Paperback]

Phil Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 24, 2007

Review: This is an excellent fitness book. It is both well researched and well written. What makes this book so good is the fact that if you follow the program the author is outlining, then you will cover every aspect of fitness that is important, the author does not leave anything out. From weigthlifting, to cardio, to stretching, to anaerobic interval style training, everything is present in this program. I have read many other books that make an argument that weightlifting is essential, but leave out how to integrate cardio work. Some books emphasize cardio, but leave out the short sprint style interval training that is so important to overall fitness. This plan covers everything! - Review by Anthony Yniguez, Mr. Why, Catholic School principal in Azusa, CA

Editorial Reviews

Review

After not quite 3 months on your program, I've now burned about 19 pounds of fat, added about 4 pounds of muscle, and cut body fat by almost 6 percent. I'm tremendously grateful for your insights and am turning friends on to your book and ideas at every opportunity. I had a complete physical this morning and even my doctor was impressed. My cholesterol dropped 70 points (to 207 since my last test 2 years ago!!) I am stronger than I've ever been in my life and fitter than I've been in at least a decade. At age 44, I feel like I've made an effective commitment to good health and fitness for the rest of my life. --Terry Bazyluk, Writer/Lawyer, Maryland

First of all, many thanks for your outstanding work. The E-Lifts and Sprint 8 workouts have revolutionized my fitness. I am 63, and Sprint 8 has boosted my maximum heart rate from 162 to 171 in three months. Not too bad for an old guy. I have always been fit, but my maximum heart rate never went beyond 162 despite a full year of P90X, in addition to my martial arts workouts. Also, my waist has gone down by 1-2 inches even though I was a very lean guy to start with. I faithfully do Sprint 8 three times per week - usually mountain climbers, or the elliptical when I get to the gym. Initially, I could only do 45 mountain climbers (counting only the frequency of my right knee) in 30 seconds. Now, I can do 62 in 30 seconds, so I believe I'm adding fast twitch muscle fiber as you promised. -- Bill Stutesman, Plano, Texas Thank you for helping me achieve a level of fitness that I was beginning to think was unattainable. I am elated that I am able to participate with my four growing kids (6yrs, 8yrs, 11yrs, and 12yrs) in their athletic adventures; Tri-Athlons, gymnastics, running events, etc. You have no idea what level of hope and encouragement that you have given me, and give me daily, with your book, and your reports and articles contained on your web site. I tap into your material often. --Jeff Endrulat

As an active cyclist as well as fitness enthusiast I am always looking for something to push me to the next level. I signed up for the Sprint 8 workshop held at my local bike shop (BGI Fitness). LOVED the program and book! I have incorporated it into my workout regimen. I am not a slave to the scale. I do periodically weigh myself, however, I go by how I feel, how my clothes look etc. I put on a pair of pants I hadn t worn in about a month and they were, well a bit loose. I jumped on the scale and in 2 weeks have lost 5 pounds. I am guessing inches as well! I LOVE the program and have encouraged others to jump on board! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! THIS PROGRAM WORKS! Oh, and I can t wait to see how this translates to my increased speed and endurance on the bike! -- Kristen Schwark, Greenwood, IN Next week will be week 14 on your program and I have told so many people about it I hope you sell a thousand copies. I am buying a copy for each of my sons right now. I am really impatient with the pace but I have lost 18 lbs and am possibly in the best shape of my life already at 55. I have only been able to do this because you defined how to do all this in such a short period of time. I can't thank you enough. -- Craig Gilmore As a professional acrobat and All-American gymnast, I was excited to learn so many new tips on health and fitness. The Sprint 8 workouts are extremely efficient and beneficial to any athlete. They supplement my training and helped me get in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend Sprint 8 to anyone who wants to look and feel younger. The best part about it is the workouts are so efficient. You don t have to spend hours in the gym. You just have to challenge yourself to get faster. I love the fact that I can set new goals and feel younger with every stride. --Sarah Harding, Ms. Fitness USA 2006

From the Publisher

The best advertisement for a book is the reader. Let's hear from a reader in Salt Lake City, Utah in a letter to the author.

A friend recommended your book Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness to me as I was embarking on my goal to lose 20 pounds (I am 5'4" and weighed 140 when I started). I wanted to write and thank you for an excellent, full coverage and extremely useful book.

At my age of 55, I have felt frustrated by a lowered metabolism and energy level. The growth hormone release was new information for me. Acquiring an understanding of the GH release has made a significant difference in my weight loss success as has the addition of taking 2 grams of Glutamine prior to my workout. Not only do I feel healthier, but I have lost those 20 lbs in just 10 weeks!

Chapter 3 on "How to Improve Performance" includes the best information I've ever read on the benefits and dangers of a wide range of supplements. Incorporating the Sprint 8 Workout on my treadmill has been extremely rewarding. Twenty minutes of anaerobic exercise finally feels like a productive workout! Your book has helped me not only reach my weight loss goal, but also given me and excellent resource for staying healthy.

Also, I started this program with a friend who had a similar goal to lose ~20 lbs (She is 45, 5'7" and weighed 155). She has had similar results, feeling incredibly better and losing 20 lbs. over the same 10 weeks. She completes her anaerobic exercise component on a rowing machine primarily with interval routines. We have both accomplished the weight training component primarily with dumb-bells and a bench with a leg attachment at home.

The approach makes so much sense. Thanks for putting it all into one book. It might be the best $20 I have ever spent! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pristine Publishers, Inc.; 2nd edition (February 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971663386
• ISBN-13: 978-0971663381
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A., ACSM-CPT, FACHE
Certified, American College of Sports Medicine CPT

If you've seen a fitness magazine lately like Oprah's O Magazine, Outside Magazine, Physical Magazine, OnFitness, MS Fitness, Muscle Mag, or Successful Coaching, you may have seen an article or a quote by masters athlete, author, University Speed & Athletic Performance Coach Phil Campbell.

You may have seen him on the cover of Personal Fitness Professional, or heard him speak during the Health & Fitness Expo in Denver or during Greta Blackburn's Cancun, Las Vegas or Malibu Fit Camps.

You may own a piece of award-winning Vision Fitness cardio equipment with his Sprint 8 cardio program featured. Or you may know an athlete who has traveled internationally to him for advanced speed technique training. But until you've read his book, you may miss having the most meaningful fitness improvement experience of your life. His book is that good!

Phil Campbell, over age 50, holds two advanced degrees and is certified the American College of Sports Medicine C-PT. He applies his advanced training in Health Services, experience in training over 18,000 athletes in speed and strength, and his experience (over 35 years) in the development of Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness. He spent 20 years in hospital administration (including several years as a Division President with eight hospitals under his command) where it was his responsibility to take the medical disciplines of surgery, pathology, radiology, pediatrics, physical rehabilitation, physical therapy, pharmacology, and other health disciplines and operationalize diverse medical, health and wellness services into a comprehensive healthcare delivery system for the purpose of improving the lives of others. And he has taken that same approach in the presentation of vitally information to readers.

Guided by mainstream research

Phil Campbell uses 300 photo-illustrations and cites over 200 mainstream research studies in the biomedical disciplines of endocrinology research, exercise science, medicine and fitness training for specific age groups to present a research-supported system that will help improve the lives of others.

He is an expert at taking complex medical subjects and making them understandable and practical. He calls this approach "street level applied science." And he shows readers step-by-step how to improve fitness, increase energy, lose, cut, and tone in the most efficient way possible.

Phil Campbell wrote his first training manual over 30 years ago. While in college, he managed health clubs and performed personal training ... 20 years before it was called personal training.

His inspiration to help improve the health status of large populations was sparked by his Health Services advanced degree advisor, Dr. Ed Cavanaugh, a former division administrator with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Mainstream biomedical research is the basis for all of Phil Campbell's writing, and over 200 research studies are cited in his book and placed in the thumb margins so readers can see the exact quote from the study.

As a masters athlete, Phil Campbell holds several USA Track and Field Masters titles including first place in the 100-meter sprint, Southeastern US Championships for his age group. He won the 200-meter sprint and the discus throw, placed second in the 100 meters, and he set the meet record in the javelin during the USA Masters Track & Field Tennessee Championships. Nationally, he has placed third in USA Track and Field Masters Nationals in his age group in the javelin, and fifth in discus. In his late 40s, he won a 40-yard dash competition in 4.69 seconds. He teaches athletes how to improve speed, agility and quickness during his Speed Camps held across the US - www.40speed.com. He holds a black belt in Isshinryu Karate and has competed and won first place in martial arts and weightlifting competitions.

Motivational

Thousands of people across the US have been inspired by Phil Campbell's motivational presentation "Fitness for a Lifetime." If you'll let him, Phil Campbell will show you how to have the most successful and lasting fitness improvement experience of your life.

PRISTINE PUBLISHERS INC.


"This is an excellent fitness workbook. Along with photos of people performing the actual exercise, there are explicit descriptions of how the exercise should be done correctly and why. I've already used this book to add to my usual exercise routine. I think it's improved my overall performance dramatically! I recommend this book for everyone young
and old!" - Lisa, Managing Editor, THE BOOK REVIEW CAFE

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 136 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Promising; worth a shot June 11, 2002

By Dennis Littrell HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The interesting argument in this attractive and thorough (and well-researched, by the way) fitness training book is the idea that anaerobic exercise will promote the release of the Human Growth Hormone in our bodies and thereby lead to weight control and a reversal of the metabolic slow down associated with aging beginning in our middle years.

Anaerobic exercise (as contrasted with aerobic exercise) is sprint training, not endurance training. When we sprint we use muscle fibers that Campbell identifies as "fast type IIx" as opposed to "slow type I" used in long distance running. The use of these "fast twitch" muscles leads to the increased production and release of the growth hormone. Since it is all the rage in some circles (e.g., Hollywood) to take injections of the growth hormone at a cost of about $12,000 a year (it is not effective taken orally), a program that allows us to produce the growth hormone naturally would be a godsend. Our bodies as we grow older produce less and less of the growth hormone and this has been linked to what Campbell calls "somatopause," the well-known phenomenon leading to weight gain, middle-age spread and a slower metabolism.

I have little doubt that if my body would produce more growth hormone I would be able to control my weight and perhaps look and feel better. I feel pretty good as I am, but since I gave up playing basketball five years ago, I have gained about 12 pounds. It's worse than that, however, because I have lost probably about ten or 15 pounds of muscle mass, so in fact I am now carrying around 25 to 30 more pounds of pure fat! I was able to control my weight with the sort of ease that Campbell describes in this book when I was playing basketball (which is sprinting and more) three times a week. I could (as Campbell claims he can) eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and never had to worry about my weight. I realized in a flash while reading this book that indeed what I had been doing playing basketball was anaerobic exercise.

The essence of Campbell's program--or at least the part that interests me--calls for no high fat foods one hour before anaerobic training and no sugar foods for two hours afterward. This will stimulate fat-burning. I know from personal experience that this is true. When you're doing some serious anaerobics three or four times a week, you just naturally eat less, and less often. I always thought this was because my system made me less hungry because it didn't want to divert its energies to the digestion of any more food than was necessary. But perhaps it is the release of the growth hormone that leads to the desire to eat less.

Regardless of how this works, it does work. But the problem for someone older than Campbell (he's fifty) is that it is very, very difficult to engage in a training program that involves sprinting because it too easy to pull, tear or strain muscles which take a relatively long time to heal. This is the "catch-22" of growing older. It's hard to exercise enough to get into and stay in shape because you're always coming up lame. However, Campbell presents a carefully balanced and well-thought out program that just may allow those over fifty to get into shape and exercise anaerobically on a regular basis. (This program will definitely work for those younger who are in good health.)

He uses the trendy word "synergy" in the title because he believes it is the synergistic effect of the total program, including weight training, proper diet and the combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise that leads to fitness and an increase in the production of the growth hormone.

Bottom-line question: Will this work? Quick answer: I don't know. Campbell himself is the very picture of health with the well-muscled, but lean body of a decathlon champion. When I was fifty I too was in great shape (although I was not as strong as Campbell), and looking back I can say that it was playing basketball on a regular basis that did it. I can no longer play basketball but perhaps I can sprint and weight train. I'm going to give it a try.

87 of 92 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect for everyone April 2, 2006

By Kevin A. Williams

Format:Paperback

This is a very good book...depending on what you are looking for. If you are new to fitness and looking for a cookbook that tells you some basic theory and gives you concise workouts to follow as well as good illustrations of exercises...this book is worth it.

The reason I give it 3 stars is because I have been at this for over 5 years, read fitness books galore, worked with trainers and am constantly looking for new ways to spice up my workouts and increase their intensity. The only really new thing in this book is the Sprint 8 interval workout. I read about the Sprint 8 in a magazine and integrated it into my workout. I loved it and bought the book to see how else he applied the Sprint 8 to other aspects of conditioning...he doesn't. His plyometric and weightlifting workouts are pretty much standard stuff (not bad, just not innovative). When all is said and done his workouts still requires you to spend at least an hour a day in the gym, 6 days a week. I have however, found that integrating the Sprint 8 running with Crossfit workouts for strength are very complemetary and make for an efficient workout program that can get you in and out of the gym in 30 mins with the same results as spending an hour in the gym.

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blimp out or bulk up? Fitness for combating middle-age May 7, 2002

By Joanna Daneman #1 HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Why, oh, why, do we blimp out after 30? Even when I was active, lifting weights and exercising regularly, I still found I gained weight steadily after 35 years old? Is it just in our genes?

Author Phil Campbell reveals some interesting scientific findings here, and he provides practical 3 to 5 hour a week work outs designed to combat middle age spread. The cover picture is of the author who looks rather like a super-fit version of former President Clinton. It certainly seems to work for him--and he is fifty.

Campbell discusses how growth hormone, banned from drug-free athletic competition, is responsible for keeping that middle-age spread at bay. But short of illegal injections in Mexico, what can a middle-aged person do to boost their growth hormone naturally and reap the fitness benefits?

New medical discoveries show that you can significantly increase GH naturally. Very specific forms of exercise, some nutritional supplements, and adequate sleep, will increase levels of the hormone naturally, even in older people.

Some interesting findings are that eating properly before and after exercise can either boost or inhibit growth hormone. For example, if you eat a Big Mac, fries and then go work out, and two hours afterwards, down the supersized coke or drink Gatorade, you can kiss results goodbye. The combination of high fat before and high sugar after exercise prevent the release of tiny amounts of growth hormone, which puts on muscle and improves athletic performance.

The exercise programs here range from about 3.5 hours for beginners up to 5 hours for enthusiasts. But at first blush, the workouts seem excessively technical. They range from aerobics, to "plyometrics" which are exercises that boost fast-twitch muscle--the muscle type that fades away with age. And then there are weights. The book shows Mr. Campbell tossing javelins, doing karate kicks (another of his areas of expertise), bounding and otherwise flying about. This can be discouraging if you are a couch potato, but dream of being fit (me, for example.)

The "Strategic Fitness Plans" are five different fitness levels- based on your age, your current fitness status, and training experience. If you intend to follow this program, you should visit your physician first if you are tremendously out of shape. Some of the exercises here can get you hurt if you don't go at them correctly (the bounding can whack your ankles.) And a personal trainer, if available, would be a real asset. There is a lot here--flexibility, fast movement (sprinting, fast cycling), weights and more. It seems complicated at first, but a complete exercise program should at least contain stretching, aerobics and weights, so here you are adding the fast-twitch stimulating exercises to combat that middle-age metabolic monster.

If you are SERIOUS about wanting to beat aging and get or stay in the best shape, and are noticing that age is beginning to take a toll, this book could be very helpful. I predict Campbells
s book will become the next exercise fad best-seller.