Customer Reviews

Smart Girls Do Dumbbells

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you've never done weight training, this book is a good place to start. Tha majority of the book espouses the benefits of weight training, then gives "recipes" (yes, that's what they're called in the book) for specific exercises. There's also a 30-day "menu" designed to be completed in about 30 minutes. Performing the exercises as prescribed allows for a total body workout spread out over 2-3 days.

If you know a bit about weight training, then this book may be too simplistic for you. For example, the author chooses to stick with simple terms like "shoulders" instead of identifying which specific muscle in the shoulder region is being worked, e.g., Anterior Deltoid, Lateral Deltoid, Trapezius, etc.

However, the low-tech approach to using only dumbbells and a chair to build a better body surpasses most other weight training books I've seen. Plus, being geared towards a woman's body instead of a man's is another plus.

Sensible approach, not very clear descriptions of the exercises. I appreciate the motivational style of the book; the author stresses that some exercise each day will yield better results than doing nothing at all, and has designed a workout for people who can't spend hours at the gym. Her program suggests just one exercise per muscle group each day, alternating upper & lower, with different exercises on alternate days to balance the workout over the week.

However, I find her descriptions of the exercises less than ideal if you don't already know the exercise. Consider the first exercise in the book, the Hamstring Hug. Her instructions say to lie on the floor and gently draw your knee toward your chest. Um, okay... I suppose it's common sense to straighten your leg to stretch the hamstring, but if you were new to stretching, would you know that? It really should have been mentioned. Or maybe she meant something else. Is it possible to get a good stretch on the hamstring by pulling your bent knee toward the chest? Could be, as she goes on the say that it's okay if you're not flexible enough to get your knee very close to your chest. On the other hand, maybe the reader was never supposed to bend the knee at all but pull straight up from the hip? This is just inexcusably sloppy. Exacerbating the problem, none of the stretches or abs exercises are illustrated.

The exercises with weights are better because they have pictures, but even these can be confusing. For example, on day 1, she recommends doing V-Backs for triceps. The pictures show before and after, but the description doesn't explain the motion intended to get the reader from point A to point B. The picture for point A shows a woman standing with feet slightly further apart than hip width, holding weights with her arms akimbo, the weights touching in an "A" in front of her. The picture of point B is from the back, showing the woman with her leg position unchanged, arms straight, arms and legs parallel to each other. The first step in the instructions is "Glue the insides of your upper arms against your rib cage." This isn't apparent in either picture. She goes on to tell you to extend your arms behind you. That makes sense, but because the picture of point B is directly from the back, the reader can't tell how intense the backward thrusting motion should be. The arms look flush with the body, but could be several inches behind her. I couldn't tell from the picture; as this was a new exercise to me, I ended up skipping it and will eventually ask someone else to show it to me. The poor quality of instruction is especially annoying given the book's emphasis on the importance of good form.

Overall, I give this four stars for passion, one for content. I do find that I'm using her workout guidelines as a quick cheat, but substituting exercises I already know for new ones she's introduced, or going elsewhere for similar exercises, rather than slogging through her descriptions.

Love this program. I didn't need all the motivational chapters in the book because I had already decided that weight-training was the way to go for me, in order to prevent osteoporosis (being thin and small boned I am at risk). This is a very do-able program, nothing complicated or expensive, something that you can easily stick with. The 30 day recipes provide enough variety so that you won't get bored, and if you start to feel 'blah' in your workouts, remember to increase the weight a little bit to challenge your body. I feel better, look better, and love the feeling of 'strength'. The author is really committed to providing service - she even includes her e-mail address in the book so that you can write to her with your workout questions - AND she actually will answer your e-mails! (Give her a few days to get back to you).

This book is no gimic! No fad dieting, no quickie promises. I love the honesty in this book. I have been doing Smart Girls for two weeks now and after the 3rd day, I was already feeling my muscles burn. I started with 5 pound weights and I have already started using 8lbs for the tricep excercises. My favorite part of Smart Girls is the variety! Because you are doing different excercises everyday, there is no room for boredom. I wake up and I can not wait to see what I am doing that day! The recipes are so easy to follow. This book is for long term and permanent weight loss and toning!!

I'll be honest, the first thing that attracted me to this book was its adorable, bright and fun cover. As soon as I opened it however, I learned there was more to this book than looks! "Smart Girls Do Dumbbells" is filled with excersizes (with illustrations!) that help me to stay toned, slim and fit! And best of all, they are extraordinarily accessible and easy to perform! I have been doing the "recipes" since I picked up the book last week and already see (and FEEL) great improvements! Judith Sherman-Wolin is a dumbbell genius! Buy this book NOW, you won't regret it!

I'm currently on day five of the 30 day routine Judith sets up in her book. I'm sore (which is a good thing) but happy! I'm working muscles I've never worked before, and I'm not feeling intimidated by pictures of giant Ahnold-type bodybuilders demonstrating the poses since Judith herself demonstrates each of the exercises. She gives detailed instructions so you can achieve proper technique and avoid injury. The abdominal exercises kick ass! The book is concise, clear and fun to read. This is the best women's weight-lifting book I've ever read.

Love this book. It's bigger than I expected. Everything about it was more than expected. And exercises. It's loaded with exercises. This book is a winner if you want to get yourself looking great by using a few sets of dumbells. I especially like that there are a number of different exercises for the same body parts, so you can change, add, take away or rework your routine by changing some of the exercises you do. This book is one big winner in my book. Get it. You won't be disapointed.

The summer months are approaching and I've tried almost everything to keep myself looking fit without having to commit to a time-consuming workout regimen. With other fitness plans, I couldn't take all the time out of my day necessary to achieve the results I wanted. Until I found this book! This book is the answer to all of my fitness needs. The workouts are easy to understand, fun to do, and take almost no time at all...best of all, the results are stellar! This book is a GREAT addition to any home. It's also adorable and a great gift to give to your best girl friends!

This is the best book I've ever read on strength-training for women. If you can't understand from the descriptions you're obviously the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. It is easy-to-understand and full of valuable information, also enjoyable to read. (The author is funny, too!) She gives detailed descriptions on how to do 35 different exercises. She calls them "exercise recipes" which makes sense because she breaks down each movement as you would when following any recipe. I am not a beginner, but my sister is and I gave her this book to help get her started and understand why muscle is important for women. If you've been using weights for a while, this book is great because the author gives you a variety of exercises for each muscle group and there are photographs inside demonstrating how each exercise should be performed , Yes I said photographs! can it be more self explanatory?. It really takes the boredom out of your workout. Also, she's a great cheerleader and inspiration for women! She gives you her email too, if you have any questions. (I did and she answered me within a few days.) Any woman who is serious about losing weight and having a great body should buy this book. (It's also makes a GREAT GIFT for your girlfriends.) I love it, it's a cute book!

I have been struggling to lose 6 pounds for the last 18 months. I've been following Judith's Smart Girls Do Dumbbells program for the last 12 weeks. I have lost the weight plus some and gained lean, sexy muscle. And, my abs are flat--at last! I feel better than I have ever felt before. This is a safe, easy-to-follow program that I did AT HOME in less than 30 minutes a day! I own a lot of exercise and fitness books, but I have to say, none has helped me accomplish my fitness goals like this one. Awesome.