Customer Reviews

Strength Training for Women

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have purchased several books devoted to strength training. I have to say, this book is the best I have found--by far.

What makes this book exceptional is how thorough it is and also how much variety it offers.

Exercises for home users--both those who use dumbbells, those who use resistance bands and those who use stability balls or all of the above--are offered. Exercises for gym dwellers are also given. This book caters to everyone in a very balanced manner.

The book covers upper body, lower body, core exercises and lots of stretching ideas.

While, sometimes, strength training can get confusing because one often questions which exercises are best, how much weight you need to use and how many reps to do, this book really does simplify the whole thing.

Also, there are both modified and advanced descriptions and photos for each exercise.

Usually when you come across a book on strength training, you see the same, basic moves you've seen (and probably done) a million times before. But Joan Pagano includes variations of moves even I, a fairly experienced exerciser, had never seen before.

The layout of the book is visually stimulating. Along with photos illustrating each exercise, there are illustrations showing which body parts are being used with each move.

The book was well-written as well. Joan's instructions are concise and encouraging.

Recently, I decided I wanted to start working out during TV commercials--just to add a bit of boost to my fitness routine. I found many exercises within this book I will be doing while watching TV.

I think this is an excellent book for an advanced exercise looking for a some new ideas. But more importantly, this is an awesome resource for a beginner. I will be purchasing this book for friends and family who are daunted by the idea of doing strength training. I suggest you do the same.

I checked this book out from the library 3 weeks ago, renewed it, and now am purchasing the book.

Target Audience:
- Beginning to intermediate level
- Women
- Home exercisers like myself who wish to obtain few equipments at a moderate cost


This book has the following sections:

A. First Moves: To get you started. Explains why and how to use the programs in this book to exercise.

B. 4 for Life: 4 exercises for full-body conditioning, if you never do anything else.
- Programs at a Glance
- Warm Up
- Individual Exercises
- Stretches / Cool-down

C. Lower Body Program
D. Upper Body Program
E. Core Body Program
(Sections C-E include the following)
- Programs at a Glance
- Individual Exercises
- Stretches

F: Useful Programs: 4 programs that combines individual exercises from sections B-E for some popular fitness goals


Great things about this book:
(1) Clearly written instructions for each exercise
(2) Easy to follow suggested programs, depending on your fitness goal and level
(3) Well-organized content
(4) Visually appealing diagrams, photos, and layout design

I like to workout at home with video fitness DVD's. With this book, I have been able to customize and add to my existing programs to target specific areas as well as full-body conditioning while purchasing very few low-cost equipments. It has been a very helpful tool, and is a book that I will refer to over and over again.

Joan Pagano's first love is yoga, and it shows in the type of exercises in this book. She also appears to have a cross-disciplinary interest in physical therapy; I recognize several exercises (all excellent) which I learned from physical therapists in recovering from injuries.

I give Ms. Pagano an A+ for both clarity and variety. The book has clear descriptions of exercises, and excellent photos with a white dotted line showing the muscles each exercise is supposed to work. I was able to understand how to properly perform several stretches which had been unclear in other books. The variety is excellent, including many exercises for rubber resistance bands and for those big, fun, colorful stability balls. I was pleasantly surprised to find several pages on exercises for improving posture.

Where the book really shines is in providing a safe, approachable beginning for women who are either very out of shape or recovering from illness. For example, she de-scarifies the push-up, that ultimate symbol of military-grade fitness, by showing four less physically demanding variations in order of gradually increasing difficulty.

But I do have one major caveat: If you're hoping for a serious weight training book--which will help you build muscle--this is not the one. Ms. Pagano seems to seriously underestimate women's strength. Doesn't she know we lift grocery bags, babies and suitcases in airports? The section on push-ups, for example, fails to include the standard 'man's" push-up. I would think that working through the other four would be with a goal of getting there, to the most difficult one. Nowhere in the book does she ever show a barbell, and her choice of dumbbell weights (mostly 3-8 lbs, with a maximum of 15 pounds recommended once in the book for lat rows) is almost insulting. Three to five pounds might be okay for a beginner looking to learn proper form, but after a few weeks most women can lift a lot more. Lifting weights which don't challenge your muscles will just waste your time, and very likely lead to discouragement when you see no results.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for yoga and physical-therapy style exercises for general well-being and injury prevention. It would also be useful as an adjunct to a serious weight-training program found elsewhere--just take the weight recommendations with a grain of salt and listen to your body instead.

I bought this book to start free weight training at home. It is wonderful for home use. The author describes the benefits of weight training and how to lift weights properly(which I found very useful as a first time weight lifter). I love the descriptions that the author gives for each exercise. The author also color codes which exercises to do for each level of training. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is first starting out with free weights.

I bought this book as something to help me use the equipment at the gym. I was surprised to find it also offered exercises I can do at home without expensive equipment. The diagrams and pictures are wonderful and I absolutely love the page that shows the muscles so if I want to have a targeted workout I can pick a few muscles and easily find the pages that show me how to do the exercises. The best part is there is no expensive equipment to buy to do the exercises. I've taken this book to the gym to follow the exercises and now the gym is selling it! Several co-workers and friends have also borrowed it and are interested in getting their own copy.

At last Joan Pagano has provided us with what has been missing from many of the fitness and exercise books: a concise, well written, superbly illustrated guide to simple, effective exercises for women. Pagano is a certified personal trainer who has worked with women of all ages.

Thankfully, there are no references to "quick fixes", pills, or elaborate, expensive equipment. In fact, all of the exercises can be performed with no special equipment at all, although one or two hand weights, an elastic band, and a large ball are useful.

Pagano points out that strength training helps a woman to "curve up" without bulking up or becoming muscular. She shows you how to get the benefits of such training for every age. Special attention is paid to prevention of osteoporosis and recovery from breast surgery.

The color photographs are of excellent quality and demonstrate the movements clearly. Especially useful are the "feel it here" arrows pointing to the muscles targeted by the exercise. Helpful Training Guidelines are enclosed in boxes at the top of the pages. Photographs even show the proper use of weight machines so that anyone can feel comfortable going to a gym if they need more challenging amounts of weight.

This book provides safe, medically correct, effective exercises that will serve women well for their entire lives. I recommend it highly to my patients, friends, and colleagues.
John E. Barnett, MD

I am a woman in her mid-twenties who has, for quite some time now, been wondering how to get myself back in shape. When I came across Strength Training for Women I was thrilled. I really like how it offers different levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), and I'm very pleased with the step-by-step photos that are on every page of the book. I don't feel overwhelmed by types of exercises included, and I can be confident that I am performing each exercise correctly. I would highly recommend this book to women of all ages.

I've been working out with a trainer at my health club for more than 6 years and now I want to start working out at home on my own. This book provides me with the perfect guide for staying in good shape. The step-by-step directions with great photographs make each exercise clear and easy to follow. The "Trainer's Tips" make me feel like I have my trainer right there with me. Having the correct positioning of the body for safe weight training is essential, and this book has so many photographs along with clear and concise directions that anyone can follow the exercises contained within correctly. The "Programs at a Glance" takes the guesswork out of putting together a balanced program. I like being able to choose one with special emphasis, like working the major muscle groups, improving posture, targeting trouble spots, and balance and coordination. This book offers a wealth of guidance and information. I know that I will be able to do a varied and exciting exercise program on my own.

I was wondering how to jumpstart my "weight-bearing exercise" again since I'd had pneumonia and lost a lot of strength, when I got a copy of Joan Pagano's breathtaking new book, Strength Training for Women. It is designed with such simple elegance, starting with easy exercises and working up to more difficult ones, that it doesn't overwhelm the reader. Because there are Trainer's Tips throughout, and little dotted-line circles on the model's photos to show where you should feel the exercise, it's almost as good as having Joan Pagano right there in the room as your personal trainer. (She's been training on NYC's Upper East Side for 16 years, and has clients aged 13 to 92.) There is a section called "4 for Life," with 4 exercises that if you do only these, you're taking care of your body and way ahead of those who do nothing: simple squats, pushups, back stretches, and pelvic tilts. The exercises can be done at home, with inexpensive equipment like a floor mat, stretch band, and folded towel. The models are lovely to look at but not too skinny or too muscular. The blue, pink, lavender, and plum page colors make me want to keep picking the book up and reading it. I was so inspired that I actually did get started today!

I am in my late 70s and have been helped so much by Joan Pagano's strength training techniques. Not only am I stronger but I am more limber and have better balance. Even more important, I have got my 80-year-old husband to work out -- doing the Pagano exercises -- with me and he loves it. We don't do all the same exercises, but do those that each needs the most.He is stronger, less stiff and more steady than he was before he started the regime.