Customer Reviews

Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan for Burning Fat and Getting Fit on a Bike

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ride Your Way Lean advocates cycling as an exercise and lifestyle choice to lean up. It begins with very basic information: why cycling, how to buy a bike, equipment - and my fear was that it would be too simplistic for my needs. It gets a bit more helpful though, with good discussions of basic nutrition, eating plans, ride plans, indoor trainer exercises, off-bike exercises and other goodies.

I would recommend this book to somebody who's considering or just getting into cycling. For more seasoned riders wanting more depth of content, see Base Building for Cyclists by Chapple, or The Time Crunched Cyclist by Carmichael.

The book market for exercise and weight-loss is flooded with ideas on how to take off and keep off the weight. But how many of the weight loss ideas are actually fun! Selene Yeagers new book "Ride Your Way Lean" will not only explain in splendid detail the workings of our bodies, all those chemical things going on and the balancing act they perform, but she makes reading it uncomplicated and forgiving for those of us without a fitness background.

Two years ago I purchased her book "Every Woman's Guide to Cycling" where I was educated about bikes, accessories, making and reaching cycling goals. My copy of her book looks like my grandmother's bible, all marked up and highlighted. Here I got the basics. In her new Book, "Ride Your Way Lean" I get the details of the inner workings of our amazing bodies and I intend to use the information she provides to help me knock off those last few stubborn pounds.

Make no mistake, this book will be just as helpful to a newcomer to cycling as it is to a seasoned cyclist and it will give you the tools to lose 100 pounds or 10 pounds at any age and have fun while doing it. Quit paying a therapist....buy the book, get on a bike and heal thyself inside and out. Janeen Shirley

First of all, kudo's to Amazon, I puchased the book on Sunday and it was delivered yesterday, a full day before the release. Good job gang.

I read this excellent book in an all nigter. I use to race, and well, life got in the way and I needed to be lean and not lard. I was excited to read some no-nonsense material that has given me the kick I was lacking.

I had been thinking about riding again to lose the weight, but quite honestly I had forgotten how to eat, what to eat and how to properly train for optimal weight loss. Look no further, it's all here.

This is a well presented book of information and inspiration, but do not purchase it for your Kindle. A substantial part of the guides presented are in table form and they are unreadable on my Kindle. I think it is highly unethical of Amazon to even offer a book for the Kindle when important portions of the book are unreadable.

This information contained within this book is very useful and inspiring. I have been following (mostly) the suggestions laid out in this book and I have already started losing weight. The first part of the book is more about inspiring the reader to ride rather than giving any particular advice. There is nothing wrong with inspiration, but I imagine that the majority of people reading this book already do or want to ride. The book contains great information about bikes, trainers, and biking gear in general. Please keep in mind that this book is written for beginners. Seasoned cyclists will find nothing new about the information contained within the pages. This book would easily be a five star were it not for the following problems:

1) Contradictory information
2) Lack of information
3) Anti-running mentality of the author

The following is an explanation of each issue related to the book:

1) Contradictory information: There are (unfortunately) many parts in the book that contradict other parts in the book. For one example, one section of the book warns the reader to stay away from gels, bars, drinks, etc. (good advice for overweight people), but another part of the book contradicts that information by recommending many types of bars, gels, drinks, etc. (bad advice for overweight people with few exceptions). For another example, one section of the book states that a cyclists diet should consist of 50-55% carb., 20-25% fat, and 20-30% protein, which is a breath of fresh air from the ultra-low fat and ultra-low carb. diets. That would be fine except later the books tells the reader not to count calories. As many people know, there is really no way to calculate these numbers without counting calories and macro nutrients. Instead the book tells the reader to guess (not many people can successfully accomplish this).

2) Lack of information: There are many spots in the book where something is mentioned in passing but no information is given. For one example, the author mentions a podcast that directs the listener through a workout session (including intervals), but the author does not anywhere put the name of this podcast. For another example, the author has sections on cross-training and resistance/weight training (which is a good thing), but in the weekly workout schedule there is no spot for cross-training or resistance training. For a minor example, the author has a section on the three types of bikes suited for this kind of cycling (mountain, hybrid, road) and mentions that mountain bikes are mainly for people who want to off-road a lot, but nowhere does the author mention that a hybrid would be a much better choice for road riding for people who can't afford or don't like road bikes. It also would have been nice for the weight training section to include adaptations for using resistance tubing/bands.

3) Anti-running mentality of the author: The author seems to have a vendetta against running. Throughout the book, the author mentions how running can be hard on the joints, etc. There are even a few anecdotal stories thrown in for good measure about how running hurts joints, etc. The reality is that the majority of complaints about running have to do with the wrong shoes, not stretching afterwards, and going too fast or too far too soon. This is too bad because running can actually strengthen joints according to more current research. Running can also (arguably) have a greater metabolic impact than cycling. The reality is that most runners bike and most bikers run. Changing up the type of physical stimulus can actually be good for the body.

(One minor gripe for the Kindle edition is that the workout schedules are hard to see on an android phone using Kindle. It would be nice to have a PDF of the workout schedule available for download to printout. I had to install Kindle on a desktop to read these sections properly.)

This book was advertised in Bicycling Magazine in which 5 weeks of one of the plans was displayed. I started following the interval plan and came to the end of the 5 weeks and had lost 8 lbs. I had just finished a long season of training for a couple centuries and had gotten in good shape but had not lost the weight I wanted to. A friend during the season told me I should try doing a couple intervals in my training and I said, "No way they suck". Well now I believe that is really the only way to get those stuborn pounds off. The book has several plans. One of the plans is for those who want to drop pants sizes, another is for that stuborn tire around the waste, etc. I personally would like to see these people write a book about how to take off weight while training for a century. I am sure the plan would be different and less days during the week for intervals. But I was done with my season and doing 4 days of intervals a week worked just fine for me. Each of the day plans are different from the next which makes it interesting and then the weeks get more difficult as you progress. A couple of my friends and myself tried to make it more fun by doing it together and giving new names to the different types of intervals. By the time I got the book from Amazon I had gotten down to the weight I wanted and followed it not as astringently and didn't lose any more weight but could climb up those hills a lot easier and keep up with the guys a lot better. I read the whole book and I will start back up I am sure in the spring to take off that winter tire before training.

Don't like to run, but you still want to get a great aerobic workout and cut some pounds? Looking for a way to burn calories and be able to vary the workout you perform? Why not try bicycling? Not sure where to start, or you want a little more formality than just hopping on a bike and going? Check out "Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan For Buring Fat And Getting Fit On A Bike" by Selene Yeager and the Editors of "Bicycling." This well organized book will assist you with everything you need to develop a biking exercise program to burn calories, drop weight, and stay fit for life.

The book starts off with an introduction that shares a personal story and then why cycling can not only help you lose weight and get in shape, but it is also gentle on the joints and gets you out of the gym, as well as other benefits.

Chapter one focuses on the facts about fat and why we gain weight and how to lose it. It then focuses on how to pedal fat off, benefits of cycling, and then provides information on weight, BMI, and your waistline.

The second chapter gears you up for hitting the road to weight loss. If you don't have a bike, this chapter will assist with selecting one that is right for you and what you want to do with it. Besides some general guidelines for bikes, the chapter contains information on clothes, shoes, etc. as well.

Chapter three explains how to use your bike as the ultimate weight-loss tool. Learn about burning calories on your bike, and how to grow your fat-burning engines and how to build your cycling strength. Good basic primer for the person who has not used a bike for working out.

Chapter four is titled "Ride It Off" and contains plans to lose the weight you want to lose. This chapter explores training as more than just jumping on your bike and riding. It contains some good information regarding making a bike training plan.

The fifth chapter is on eating. Burning calories is only part of a weight-loss plan, and this chapter provides some basic information on nutrition and sound eating for weight-loss. Obviously there are many ways to eat, and many diets. Look at all the books available. This chapter does provide some simple basics that will make a difference if you follow the guidelines.

What if you live somewhere like I do, where it is tough to ride year round? Chapter six tackles taking it inside. It provides information on indoor cycling training. Yeager even includes some of the songs she likes to ride to for different effects. However, the indoor bike I've grown to enjoy, because of the different courses and ways to motivate yourself while riding, the expresso line of bikes, were not mentioned.

While I agree that biking can be great exercise, I still think a person needs more than just bike riding, and that is why I liked chapter seven and the inclusion of other exercises to include in a person's exercise and fitness program. There are some basic exercises and stretches, that hopefully will motivate a person to go beyond them once they are mastered. There were also suggestions on doing other forms of exercise such as swimming, hiking, jogging, skiing, and strength-training. You will have to look to other sources to learn about these if you are not already familiar with them and including them in your routine. I especially think everyone should have some strength-training in their fitness regime.

The final chapter, chapter eight, provides a few tips to help you keep the weight off once you have lost it. Overall, this is a solid, well laid out book for the person who wants to use a bike to lose weight and get in shape. It's a basic book, and provides good general information. It's aimed at the novice, and the person who wants to lose weight, not the competitive cyclist or hard-core fitness athlete. It's a good book and I hope it helps people to get out there and pedal their way to fitness.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.

With wonderful clarity Selene Yeager tells you how to lose weight while having fun on a bike (okay, the hills are not necessarily fun all the time), fun being important because, if you're like me, and you choose a form of exercise that's a drudge or just unpleasant, your resolve will soften along with your waist. This book makes it clear that biking is a highly effective exercise for fitness and weight loss. It's full of training schedules and nutrition info to take you from tubby to buff. And it's inspiring. I have highly technical books like "The Cyclist's Training Manual," which are informative but charmless. Selene makes you feel like your being coached by a friendly expert who has the goods to get you to whatever level of svelte fitness you're looking for. Nevertheless, I have two reservations. First, the book doesn't address what to do if you live in a climate with seasons that get too cold to bike, unless you want to use a stationary set up, which is no fun. You can certainly dress warmly in technical gear and use a balaclava but, with wind chill, biking in cold temperatures sucks. This is a concern because what do you do after you've gotten in shape and the weather changes? The answer, for many, including myself, is start running. However, to avoid having to re-acclimate it's a good idea to keep running (or some other all-weather activity) in your schedule year 'round, and Yeager does touch on the benefits of running. But since this is a book about biking, for obvious reasons, she doesn't go into much detail, though she discusses the value of cross-training. Look, this is a terrific book that fills a gap. Most books on biking, even for beginners, tell you you'll lose weight. They don't tell you how. And most books on biking aren't geared for people with a LOT of poundage to drop. This is. Buy it.

I had gotten this book for Christmas and was initially excited to read it. I had hoped to find something to expound upon my existing cycling knowledge and how I can use my bike to help shed the pounds. Instead I found myself reading what was essentially a diet book with a bit of cycling knowledge thrown in.

This reads just like every other diet book on the market, with the author detailing her harrowing journey to lose 10 pounds (big deal) and how she's helped so many people shed pounds over the years (not so much her as Bicycling magazine).

1/2 of the book is cycling/weight loss testimonials.
1/3 is full page b/w images of off-bike strength exercises
and the remainder is actually about cycling.

I'm extremely disappointed. Had I known this book was such fluff I would not have put it on my Amazon wishlist.

I was not overly "wow'd" by this book. I believe there were many great pearls of wisdom within the text itself for beginners or those who are not abreast of current nutrition/exercise trends, however, it was not any new information for me in terms of exercise and nutrition requirements. The information can be found online for free with a little bit of research and interest in fitness. As a beginning cyclist I did learn a few things about how I should be riding which was most helpful, but as a weight loss/lean muscle building book it lacked some really key nutrition and exercise facts that I feel would benefit those beginning in cycling or beginning to get back into shape. Regardless, if you're a beginner or havent been reading up on current exercise and nutrition requirements/research then this book is for you.