The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess by Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess
Book Review: An excellent fitness guide
Summary: 4 Stars
I recommended --- but criticized New Rules of Lifting (for men) because it excluded women. Well, thanks to the authors, my criticism is now stilled. And thank you, authors.
I like this book very much. It covers three areas. First, it discusses the general differences in women's fitness problems and that of men. It also explains how women can expect somewhat different results in some areas. Everything is backed up by science and studies. Unfortunately, not nearly as many studies have been done on women than men. No surprise there.
The book also has a section on nutrition, including some good recipes along with the nutrition information such as calorie count, etc. It had some great protein shake recipes, which I appreciated.
I found some of the recipes out of step with most clean eating recipes I use. Most of them look great and any can be modified, of course. But, as an example, one simple recipe called for cottage cheese and cashews. Not a bad mix. But as nuts go, the cashew, while tasty, is not among the best for the heart and it didn't say to use unsalted.
The exercises are not something I plan to follow. First, it lays out a plan of exercises for a certain period of time. I'm not one to follow a certain path in my workouts. But then, I may be older than the average reader and been lifting longer. So, for others, it's probably a great idea.
On the other hand, it gave no modification for those of us with bad knees and shoulder injuries and such things as happen to most of us as each day turns into another. And one or two (the pullover comes to mind) can be dangerous and lead you into trouble. The pullover is one of seven exercises to avoid in fitness lifting. If you're a professional bodybuilder, you're on your own. Any exercise done behind your neck is to be avoided.
I especially like the part where the author explains that you actually need "more" calories to lose weight, not less. He shows how to speed up your metabolism. He is dead-on right here. I know. I read that in Tom Ventura's ebook, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. I had hit a one-month plateau after losing ten pounds. I re-read that old ebook and learned I should eat more, not less. I did, and the weight started coming off in a matter of days! (I have to add I did one extra workout as well.) I recommend that ebook, by the way.
So my favorite part of this book is the first section. In fact, it's worth the price of the book and it will be good to look back on and refer to as needed.
It guides you on how often to workout and tells you to use heavy weights. I like that. Too many women use those little sissy red, yellow and blue weights and lots of reps and it's stupid. What is that? Real women need muscle to do all we have to do and get through life. We need muscle to age successfully and not end out in a rest home with the feeble. Bring on the muscle! Lift iron, not little pretty bobs.
But when you start lifting heavy and as you age, you'll want to buy some of Jim Johnson's books on exercises for torn rotator cuffs and other issues that happen with age and over training. Or, can happen. This book doesn't deal with modifications or injury.
On the whole, this is a fantastic book. The authors have done an excellent job and Lou Schuler, who did the writing, writes in a friendly, conversational manner. He is not condescending as some men tend to be. Although, it's very clear that he knows he's a man writing to women and he writes differently than in his book written for men.
As with all books, you have to take from it what you need and let the rest go. But I recommend this book to every woman of any age. If you want to be healthy and ward off the bad things that happen to older women, you must lift weights! And you must begin now to eat right and understand how to protect yourself from the ravages of time. This book will get you going. Buy it!
- Susanna K. Hutcheson
Book Review: Good book for some women, not for others.
Summary: 3 Stars
As a Personal Trainer, I am very familiar with Cassandra Forsythe and Alwyn Cosgrove's work. You can't go wrong with Cassandra's diet plan. She has done a lot of research, and has had some great success in combining diet and resistance exercise for reducing body fat.
As far as Alwyn's exercise plan, you will see great results if you put the effort into his exercises (but start off with lighter weights as the book recommends) His "no-nonsense" approach to full body training has a proven track record for getting his clients in shape and reducing body fat.
However, I have one warning if you are thinking about buying this book and you have trained like a bodybuilder in the past. Almost all of my clients are female and they know what they want. They want a "leg day" or a "butt day" or an "arm day". If they are paying my salary, they want their money's worth and they want to feel it in their glutes or biceps the next day. This is especially true if we feel their biceps need more work to catch up to the triceps, or if their shoulders or calves need more work to sculpt that muscle to bring it in proportion with the rest of their body.
I can talk until I'm blue in the face about how Alwyn's approach is the best for loosing body fat, but if they don't feel it in a target muscle group, they aren't coming back, and they will do it on their own. As a trainer that follows the bodybuilder workouts, I will agree with these women, that hitting a certain muscle group in an exercise session still has its place in the gym.
Book Review: Worth buying even in hardcover
Summary: 5 Stars
This workout book is inspiring and helpful. At first, I checked it out of the library only. Then I thought I'd buy it when it was issued in paperback--but I liked it enough that I decided to just get the hardcover version.
I particularly liked the author's no-nonsense tone of voice, as when he punctures various myths about certain kinds of exercise being able to make muscles "long and lean." (A muscle is a muscle--you can make it strong and bigger but it takes its shape from your genes and you cannot "sculpt" it as so many hope.) The book also demystifies issues like "how heavy should the weight be" and "should I eat anything special after lifting."
I also liked the clear directions for each exercise. I finally became brave enough to do "real" squats with a squat rack (instead of a Smith machine or a leg press) after reading the book. The routines, at least the first set, are do-able in 30 minutes or less. It remains to be seen whether I will ever look even remotely like a goddess, but I do feel I'm getting a good workout in less time than before.
I wish that the author provided more alternatives to the machine-only exercises. For example, one routine calls for you to use the lat pull-down machine, but I don't have one of those at home and I don't always like to travel to the gym. And some of the non-weight-bearing exercises seem to call for more reps than the author prescribes. But I do most of my workouts at the gym so this isn't a huge hardship.
For those women who are reasonably familiar with lifting but are not necessarily complete hard-body gym rats, this book is worthwhile.
Book Review: Great book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book really hits home about how women should lift. It has an intense workout in it, I just wish it had more upper body to it. I've just started the program, so I don't know the results yet, but I know it will build overall strength. Book Review: Best workout book I've read and I've read a lot!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to this book by my best friend and ended up not being able to put it down. Finally, a book which makes sense! I have been waiting for a plan that is simple but EFFECTIVE. I do NOT like to work out, but at my age need to, and want every work out to be extremely effective. I also like the information about cardio work and the fact that it is not necessarily super productive! I plan to begin my plan tomorrow and looking forward to the results!