9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Be Careful!, July 5, 2010
This review is from: Totally Toned Arms: Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days (Paperback)
I got this book hoping to shake up my exercise routine. Instead, I ended up hurting myself!
There are, no doubt, many good tips in this book (I agree with eating lots of vegetables, avoiding processed foods, and doing HIIT cardio, among many other good tips listed - the reason I gave 2 stars), but I must caution anyone who attempts the strength-training exercises. It is *very* important to use good form when doing strength training so as to not get hurt. In my opinion, the instructions given for these exercises are not thorough enough and don't emphasize enough the importance of using safe form. For example, the book advises squatting "as low as you can get" (p. 59). When squatting, for knee safety, it's often advised that your thighs should remain parallel to the floor and to "not" go any lower than that, as doing so puts undue stress on your knee joints! Also, your knees should *never* protrude beyond your toes when you descend, but that cautionary tip wasn't given.
Some of the exercises are flat out hard on your joints. I threw caution to the wind and tried Day 1 exercises, as they looked like fun - my knees and wrists did *not* thank me later. If you google some of the individual exercises, as I later did (should have done it beforehand!), you will find that several are talked about as being hard on one's joints.
There are plenty of safe exercises out there - you do *not* have to hurt yourself or risk developing joint pain to get in shape. It's not worth it! I strongly advise looking elsewhere when it comes to strength training exercises. You don't need a plethora of exercises - just a simple but safe routine. I know that author, Rylan Duggan, has helped many and most likely has very good intentions with this book, but I cannot recommend his exercises.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tone Your Arms & Body Today, December 30, 2009
This review is from: Totally Toned Arms: Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days (Paperback)
While I am not a woman, I do try to stay fit, and this book (while small - only 178 pages) is full of great information for the person who wants to tone up and start living better.
I liked the fact that the book is set up so that you can go step-by-step toward tone yourself. All of the exercises have pictures accompanying them and there are even dietary guidelines to follow while on this plan to help yourself do the right things to get yourself where you need to be.
The setup of the book is conducive to a good exercise plan. With the fact that the author takes the reader through such things as:
Strength Training
Cardiovascular Training
Nutrition
The 21-Day Progam
The Maintenance Plan
These five areas help you to prepare and excute a great exercise plan for your future fitness.
Many people say that one of their new years resolutions is to get fit, and this book is an easy step to take in that direction!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reading At The Beach: Reviews, January 29, 2010
This review is from: Totally Toned Arms: Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days (Paperback)
Who doesn't want toned arms? I know I do. This book is a great way to get those toned arms. It's easy to follow and has information on everything you need to get the results you want. This program can be followed at home or at the gym. Since I live at least a 45 minute drive to the nearest gym in any direction, I turned a spare bedroom into a home gym, which I haven't really used that much. But, this is the year that I promised myself that I'll get fit enough to do a 5K, so this book is just in time to help me reach that goal.
Totally Toned Arms is written by certified personal trainer Rylan Duggan. Inside this book are six sections that are easy to follow and in just 21 days, you will see results.
The sections are:
Introduction
The introduction is an overview of the program, three step system for sculpted arms, the great spot reducing lie, how to ignite the after burn effect, and three types of problem arms.
Strength Training
This section goes over the equipment you will use such as free weights, stability ball, resistance bands, exercise bench, universal home gym, elliptical. It then gives you step by step instructions and photos on how to do these exercises.
Cardiovascular Training
In this section the author shows how to cut your workout time and increase your results with HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training. He gives you cardio exercise options such as elliptical/cross trainer, walking/jogging, rowing, skipping, shadow boxing, and swimming. There is also information on knowing how hard to work.
The Nutrition Program
This section covers Three Core Principles of Nutrition which are eat only clean, whole foods, increase you metabolism through your diet, and detoxify your body to trigger fat loss. Next there are Ten Nutritional Commandments, Food Guidelines-What to Eat & What Not to Eat, Individual Meal Breakdown, Planning Your Own Meals, How To Adjust Your Portion Size, and a Grocery Checklist.
The 21 Day Program
There are 3 Phases which are 7 days each. The first is Quick Start followed by Level 1 and then Level 2. There are day by day instructions including what exercise you do, how many reps, and the rest time at the end of each one. There are photos also.
The Maintenance Plan
At this stage, you are only to workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Again you are told what to do and how many reps., with photos and a section on tips for maintaining your totally toned arms.
Last there is "About The Author".
I pretty much know how to eat healthy(even if I don't much of the time), but I've never done a detox, but learned so much on how to do it naturally everyday, and I loved learning about this. I've tried most of these exercises and they are all easy to do, you just have to figure out what weight is right for you.
I love that the author gives you a section on each meal and some foods you can choose from. It makes it so easy to follow.
I still don't think anything is better than a strength training dvd, but this book is so thorough and that I love having it among my other health/fitness books and know I will periodically pull it off my bookshelf and do this 21 day program just to give workout and meals a jolt.
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