Customer Reviews

Weight Training for Dummies

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If you are starting out, this book will give you the basics (as the name implies); the excercises are very well explained and the fundamental facts of weight training are here. However, if your goal is to obtain body mass and really define your body, and I'm NOT talking about going overboard or looking to win a body building contest or anything of that sort but simply looking good, then I would look elsewhere. This book is for the VERY beginners or for people who want to excercise without really "building", and just want to be fit and have a light but useful workout.

but I really needed the next level. Don't get me wrong, it's a great book and is loaded with information. Unfortunately, the first third of the book was basic, like "this is a weight" and "these are barbells." The last third didn't really involve weight training at all, but talked about yoga and Pilates.

The sections that covered actual weight training and exercise routines was very good, but not as in-depth as I would have liked. It seems to me that "Fitness for Dummies" should have covered the stretching and yoga. I would have liked to seen more on just weight training.

But, if you've never - and I do mean never - been exposed to weight training, then this book is for you.

This book explains the basics of weight training in enough depth to be useful, without assuming that everyone who starts lifting weights wants to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book goes into good detail about an assortment of excercises for different parts of the body, as well as things to watch out for with each excersize, and has a good chapter on designing your own program. The pictures are of real people, not bulked up steroid cases, and the writing style is fun to read.

I think that a lot of people reviewing this book forget that it is intended primarily for beginners, and not the experts. Therefore criticising it for "simplicity" is a bit like criticising Shakespeare for being "complicated". I have been a gym member at various times over the past 20 years, but I don't seem to have ever learned the real basics, so the straightforward advice in this book is really exactly what I need. There is a LOT of information - anatomy, equipment, do's and dont's, exercises .. I used it to set up my home workout with dumbbells and it was invaluable for helping me to do that safely. It was also a good source of reference, in that the authors suggest other books and websites that are helpful in moving on with using weights, and that is, I feel, a very unselfish attitude on their part.

I liked very much that all of the exercises are very fully explained, together with easier versions and harder versions, so that it's possible to build on a workout and make it better and harder as one grows in strength and ability.

If you are an expert weight lifter, and don't need advice, then don't buy this book! But if you are struggling to know which exercise works shoulders, which one works abs, which one works glutes or hamstrings, then it's a great investment.

I read no less than 3 books when I start a new endeavor. For weight training (a year ago) I started with 6. After working out for a year I think this book is everything you need to get started and continue to improve. The other 5 books I bought sit unused a year later, this one I still refer to and read. It's well written, easy to read, entertaining and wonderfully organized. I like most how it tells you everything you need to know but does it efficiently. The authors didn't just write for fun.

One thing I didn't agree with is that a home multi-gym should cost $1000 or more (which is what the book says). I bought mine for $300 and I don't think I'll ever need another one. There are quality home weight machines available for $400 and less EVERYWHERE.

At most times this book is a clear and valuable guide for the novice weightlifter. But there are others when it bogs down in condescending simplicity and reveals the petty contentiousness of the co-authors.

They explain that free weights are not the gift of philanthropists and that dumbbells can come in many configurations and materials. They give two examples -- shiny chrome and gray steel. Ok ladies, I think I'm getting it now.

Co-authors Liz and Suzanne are not the patient sort and it doesn't take much for others at their gym to get under their muscular skin. In an anecdotal chapter on gym etiquette, they advise to share equipment with others, a common and expected courtesy. But they tell us that Liz physically removed a woman from a bench who refused to share with another member, an uncommon and hostile act that they present as humor. I don't get it. They also advise that if you find gum in the fountain, remove it yourself and if winded and taking awhile at a crowded fountain, take a drink and go to the back of the line. They offer no advice if you're lingering on the gym's toilet.

There is at least one significant error in editing. In one chapter they provide a list of exercises they'll cover, but fail to provide any information whatever on the last exercise.

How did I feel after buying the book and reading this kind of material? Like a dummy. I'm sure you will too. But I also think you'll agree with me that there's enough worthwhile material to redeem this book and make it one of the better books of its kind.

The chapters describing the exercises are where the co-authors shine. Before dealing with individual exercises, they provide simple line drawings depicting the muscles involved and explain the role these muscles play in everyday life and sports, as well as why their development is important. Each exercise description begins with cautions against performing the exercise if you suffer from certain conditions, such as back or elbow problems.

The exercise descriptions are complete and easy to follow. They are accompanied by two photos, usually showing the start and finish of the exercise. A do's and don't section helps you fine tune the exercises and avoid common mistakes.

Each exercise, laid out in a neat two-page spread, concludes with variations on the exercise and often alternative exercises to work essentially the same muscles. After reading this, I felt more self-assured in performing exercises I was already doing and confident in attempting new exercises.

Early chapters help you choose a gym and better know your way around it, or buy equipment for the home. Later chapters bring the exercises together into a beginner's program, as well as a periodization schedule that facilitates workout changes as you grow stronger and more experienced. The book is indexed, a useful feature that's often omitted in books of this type.

If it weren't for the condescension and the dreadful and insulting chapter on etiquette, this book would make for more pleasant reading. As it is, there's still plenty of useful advice from the usually lucid and knowledgeable co-authors. But here's one more bit of advice from them to mull before entering a gym or buying this book: "Don't dress like a porn star". Now what will we do with our g-strings and leather collars?

I recently moved into the middle ranks of my Tang Soo Do (a Korean Martial Art) school, and started noticing that I was asking my body to do things it wasn't ready to and I was becoming more injury prone. I decided to take a month off and begin a weight training regimen to increase my strength and build up some of the areas in which I felt deficient.

This book has been my bible for the past 45 days. It is organized in such a way that you can quickly get to the information you need without dredging through too much non-useful material. Because what is useful will vary from reader to reader, the authors give a quick run down in the beginning on how to use the book for different things, such as understanding basics, trying to ramp up an on-going routine, or looking to work a particular area.

I was looking for basics, and got a good understanding of the principals and practices of a solid weight lifting routine. I followed a couple of the sample work-outs, just to get started, and that helped me ease into understanding how different exercises work together. There was just enough science with the well drawn anatomical sketches to show me what was going on under the skin, which was a nice touch. Additionally, I leared which exercises and/or weight machines I didn't like and was able to modify the routines to fit my body and my abilities based on the book's recommendations.

The authors do a good job of giving variations of each exercise to accomodate people who are recovering from injury, have back problems, or are looking to add weight training in order to enhance performance in another sport such as running or cycling. Unfortunately, there was no section on weight training for martial artists. Perhaps in the next revision??

The book does seem to have some fluff, such as sections on supplements and how to pick a gym, but for somebody COMPLETELY new to the idea of going to a gym these sections could be of use. I did like the section which gives some examples of minimum fitness requirements for various military schools and police/fire academies. And the regular mention of good gym etiquette was refreshing.

I enjoyed the anecdotes and the enthusiastic writing style, which is part of what the Dummies books are all about. While I will probably outgrow this book after a few years of weight training, it will always be on my reference shelf and I'm sure I'll grab it down regularly.

A lot of other weightlifting books offer more intense routines, or programs focusing on building muscle, increasing strength, or burning fat as narrow goals. This book is meant for the person who's rarely or never set foot in a gym before. It's extremely comprehensive, covering everything from gym etiquette to proper technique for each exercise. There's some nutrition advice, they discuss how to do complete workouts at home, and they even talk about when and how to hire a personal trainer.

I particularly like the advice on how to design your own exercise program, including how to do split routines (dividing muscle groups between multiple workouts per week). If you want to mix and match muscle groups, or incorporate compound sets, giant sets, and other advanced training techniques, this book gives you some tips.

The descriptions of the exercises are very good. There are a lot of them, including all the basics, for every muscle group, and they assume they're teaching someone who's never done them before. They emphasize proper form and include photos showing how each one is done.

Is it perfect? For a beginner with modest goals, just about. The only reason I give this book four stars is that the authors assume you're just trying to do a little toning and fitness, and have no ambitions to really "bulk up" or put on some serious muscle. (From their tone, I do get the impression they assume most of their audience will be women.) Thus, they offer a lot of opinions that are contradicted by more hardcore fitness buffs (particularly where diet is concerned). They also don't talk much about how to "push" yourself to lift more weights or break through a plateau -- they assume that as long as you are working out regularly, you're achieving your goals. The pictures reinforce this, as most of them show average-looking women lifting very light weights, or even doing exercises like the lunge with no weights at all. Again, for beginners this makes sense -- why intimidate a novice by showing professional bodybuilders with huge slabs of muscle pumping iron? But if you're looking for inspiration to pump you up, this book is a little lightweight.

Despite the tone and the pictures, however, the advice is solid, and you won't go wrong if you're starting out by using this book as a guide.

I found Weight Training for Dummies to be an excellent book to get an overview. It answered most of my questions in getting started with a strength training program. I have also found that I go back to it frequently to review the exercises for form and technique. I also appreciated the cautions it provides about low back pain for some exercises and alternatives. I would highly recommend it for anyone beginning a program or for someone who may have begun a program before having taken the time to review the "basics."

I have had this book for six weeks now and I love it! I'm 43 years old, hadn't exercised in three years because of going to school at night and needed to get back in shape. I also have a herniated disk in my lower back, and I was amazed at how this book addressed lower back problems so well! It is the perfect book for anyone who is new to weight training and I imagine that it would be helpful even to more experienced lifters because of the scope of information it provides. It stresses a very "common sense" and cautious approach to weight training and dispels several myths that even I had believed. I can't think of a single topic about weight lifting that it doesn't cover and the exercise explanations and photos are excellent! Every exercise is explained thoroughly and has at least one modified version to help if a particular exercise is too easy or too difficult. I don't think anyone could go wrong with this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.