Strength Training for Women [Paperback]

James A. Peterson (Author), Cedric X. Bryant (Author), Susan L. Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

A practical guide which provides technique instruction for strength training exercises using a variety of equipment, sample workouts and specific training programmes for many popular sports. It is designed for women.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“The authors dispel the ‘masculine-bulk’ myth and replace it with easy-to-understand facts and how-to exercises. In our time-constricted lives, they show us how strength training is also fun, convenient, and inexpensive.”

Kathrine Switzer TV commentator for the Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City marathons “Runner of the Decade”--Runner’s World magazine, 1976

"The most comprehensive and professional source of information I’ve seen on strength training for women. This is truly one-stop shopping for the woman who wants to know more about training and conditioning. There are no lies, no buzzwords, no crazy promises here--just honest, solid advice about strength training from people who are among the world’s most knowledgeable sources.”

Michael O’Shea, PhD Fitness Editor, Parade magazine Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine

“This book allows women to access with confidence important information for safe weight management through strength training.”

Peg Jordan, RN, BSN National Health Journalist and Editor, American Fitness magazine

“A comprehensive book on strength training for everyone regardless of gender. Well organized and easy to follow. Little has been left to the imagination.”

Bill Pearl Author/Publisher/Health Expert Former Mr. America, 5-time Mr. Universe

About the Author

James A. Peterson, PhD, FACSM, was a faculty member of the U.S. Military Academy for 19 years, where he directed the remedial physical conditioning program for the corps of cadets and authored a report of guidelines for the admission and physical training of women cadets. He has performed extensive research into physiological differences between men and women and their effect on performance.

Jim is director of sports medicine for StairMaster Sports/Medical Products, Inc., in Kirkland, WA. He has served on the board of advisers of the Women's Sports Foundation since 1982 and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has also authored 37 books and numerous articles on sports medicine and fitness. Jim lives in Woodinville, WA with his wife, Susan. In his spare time, Jim enjoys writing, reading, and jogging.

As assistant strength and conditioning coach at Penn State University, Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM, designed and implemented strength conditioning programs for the women's basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, softball, tennis, and swimming teams. Cedric also served as strength development coordinator for the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is a fellow of ACSM and coeditor of The ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (fifth edition). He is also a regular contributor to Fitness Management and CrossTrainer magazines.

Cedric now serves as associate director of sports medicine at StairMaster Sports/Medical Products, Inc., in Kirkland, WA, where he lives with his wife, Ginger, and their three sons. In his spare time, Cedric enjoys reading, playing racquet sports, and coaching little league soccer, basketball, and baseball.

Susan L. Peterson, MS, was the first woman physical education instructor at West Point and was actively involved with the development and introduction of the academy’s physical education program for women. She has also served as fitness consultant on the physical training of women with the U.S. Army, New York City Police Academy, Women's Sports Foundation, and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Susan manages health and fitness programs for Microsoft Corporation's world headquarters, a position she also held for Pepsi-Cola Worldwide. The author of 11 books and numerous articles on health and fitness, Susan has been featured on national radio and television broadcasts and has spoken at numerous health, fitness, and sports conferences nationwide. In her leisure she enjoys jogging, hiking, and reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics (Trade); 1 edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873227522
• ISBN-13: 978-0873227520
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,009,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Guide to Strength Training, November 16, 2000

By 

Leslie Shortlidge "lpb" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strength Training for Women (Paperback)

This guide will help you design your own program to fit your needs and wants. Well illustrated with photos, it's also clearly written. The book gives descriptions of free-weight work-outs along with multi-station and Nautilus-type machines, and even has a section on working with a partner. Complete and easy to read, it's perfect for me, a person who likes to work out but isn't an athlete. A chart of major muscle groups and corresponding exercises also helps define what's going on in your body. My only complaint: the human body illustration used to identify muscles is clearly a *guy*, which, though it doesn't take away from the book's effectiveness, seems a bit silly.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Best for its illustrations and sensible introductions, June 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Strength Training for Women (Paperback)

The illustations and directions for doing individual exercises across a variety of different kinds of equipment are excellent, as is the discussion of the pros and cons of the alternatives. However information targeted for the development of strength training programs is elementary and not enough is provided for you to make intelligent variations on the sample programs. So, for example, what is the objective of a strength training program: Should you try to include exercise which tap all the muscles illustrated (in their excellent diagram)? If the goal is to simply include those used in daily living, what are they exactly? Is anything gained by exercising a given muscle in multiple exercises? What is the philosphy behind the selection of exercises in the sample programs? What accounts for the differences between workouts organized by equipment type (eg free weights vs machines) and those organized by program style (eg single vs multiple sets)? In addition, and frustrating for a training novice, there are a number of cross-referencing failures and inconsistencies in vocabulary: for example, are leg and hip adduction and abduction the same thing? How do 'hamstrings' map to the muscles named in the anatomical illustration? It would also have been useful to have a table relating the exercises to the muscles exercised to help the reader think more clearly about how to put an exercise program together.