How To Get Six Pack Abs

Review by Matthew Siebert:

I looked through this entire book while at a bookstore recently and it is better than average.

Pros:

-101 exercises

-FULL COLOR photos / high grade paper

-Fairly comprehendible

-Shows starting and ending positions on most exercises

Cons:

-Everyone in this book appears to be on steroids, this may be intimidating to new people

-The nutrition and supplement sections are severely lacking

-Not all the exercises have a starting and ending position. Someone new to working out would have a hell of a time figuring out how to properly do a cable crunch based on the description and one picture.

-Some of the descriptions are lacking a bit

In conclusion this is a good reference guide for a fitness enthusiast, but I wouldn’t recommend this to someone without general knowledge. The full color photos make this stick out from other books and it’s relatively small (so it’s easy to take to the gym). I’ll buy this when it goes down in price.

Review by Self Help & Exercise:

This has to be one of the best exercise books I have purchased. It has easy to follow pictures along with exercise routines at the back that make it easy for anyone to begin working with weights or to improve on their current routine. A must have in your library!

Review by :

I thought some readers might benefit from the perspective of a beginner/intermediate weight trainer. I use this magazine for little more than getting ideas for new exercises so that my routine doesn’t get stale. In that sense, Muscle and Fitness is a treasure trove of information on new and interesting ways to work out. Some of the routines are inappropriate for beginners or even intermediate lifters, but the principles remain the same. There is a great emphasis on proper form and a general disapproval of lifting heavier weights than you are capable. Exercises are well described with examples of proper form and thorough explanations provided by professionals. As a previous reviewer said, these professionals sometimes contradict one another, but as in any profession, opinions differ and all that can be done is to present the information and allow the reader to judge what is best for them.Having said that, there is bad with the good. There are an enourmous number of multi-page ads for supplements, often posing as articles. Some of these are of dubious benefit and often make outrageous claims. 90% of these are useless for the general user (I have no interest in spending outrageous amounts of money to build muscle while I sleep) though I imagine a professional would be interested in anything that might help them gain a slight competitive edge. In my opinion there are too many ads which tend to distract from genuine articles. There is also great emphasis on building mass and losing fat – if you are thinking about subscribing to this magazine you should be far more concerned about the “muscle” aspect than the “fitness”.So, in conclusion, there is some good and some bad. You may be better off just buying two or three of these magazines if you are only looking for ideas to add variety to your workouts. After a while the articles start to repeat themselves.

Review by A. Pittman:

Muscle and fitness is a decent magazine. its like most all else out there. a bit slim, but good articles beyond just working out.

theres not magically gonna be a new bodypart that appears in a future magazine. you can only train the bodyparts you have. so all the posts saying “its the same articles, big chest, huge arms, etc”

those are the ones that might wanna start reading the articles a bit more than “judging a book by its cover…..or title spot”

reason being, i;ve read this since the beginning of highschool and am now a college graduate for three years now. over 10 years of reading this magazine and yea… its the same bodyparts mentioned in a certain rotation…

HOWEVER EACH ARTICLE HAS SHOWN DIFFERENT METHODS FROM MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

its like baking a pie people…. apple pie consists of crust, install the apples, bake,then eat.

however not every apple pie is made nor tastes the same.

if more people would quick bickering over the bodyparts covered (which are limited being that humans havent changed much over the past hundred years as far as bodyparts are concerned) and pay more attention to:

1) the nutrition studies

2) different methods and tips from various people to work a part

3) new breakthroughs in supplements and nutrition.

4) and perhaps the other nicknacks sections of new products outside the gym world

more people would learn more and less people would be out of shape in this country.

if you actually wanna read a magazine for articles different methods and nutrition studies, this is a decent one.

if you are one of the idiots who just look at pictures or article titles and ASSume its all the same and T&A then come to the conclusion without thouroughly reading, that the magazine is bad, go for a picture book instead.

Review by merlot:

i teach fitness classes at a major national chain. this book is excellent. great ideas, wonderful pictures and tips. no diets (which i don’t always like to have mixed with my fitness/exercise books). it’s pure exercise moves using barbells, dumbbells, bands, stability balls and machines with good variety on each. if you workout at home only without a gym this probably won’t work for you but if you’re a gym person this is a great book. i should mention that i really like the diversity of fitness models. that’s something you don’t always see in fitness books but i really appreciate it. this book is like having a personal trainer! i’m going to use it to select some exercises before i go to the gym then when i get there i’ll just do the routine i planned for myself. again, i have lots of exercise experience but i still find this book to be a fresh edititon to my fitness book collection. if you like muscle & fitness hers magazine you’ll really like all the workouts in one easy to ready, and pretty, book. good job!!!!

Review by I am Samantha…….:

I just picked this book up at B&N yesterday and for some of the very reasons previously listed by the other two posters. I love all of the great ideas it has to offer and the diversity of the women in the book. I also love the fact that all the pictures depicting the poses are in COLOR. It even provides exercise routines which includes the number of sets and repetitions along with tips on what or what not to do. For those of you who don’t have a gym membership don’t fret it offers plenty of exercises you can do at home utilizing dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, resistance bands, your furniture, a step apparatus, a workout bench, and an exercise ball.

So there’s something for everyone at any level. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about exercising since there are 101 fully color illustrated exercises to choose from.

I wish that I had ordered it from Amazon because I could have saved money but I’m still happy I got the book.

Review by Michael L. Touna:

I have a few workout books and this one is a good companion. I love that it offered some new exercises i hadn’t tried before. The charts are easy to understand and follow. What’s very helpful is all the exercises in the book are indexed in the back with full descriptions. They don’t show photos for all the exercises, but it’s easy to comprehend, and I’ve already added some new routines to my workouts. Book is definitely worth the i paid.

Review by James M. Coffey:

A well-organized guide for the man determined to get in shape the correct (i.e., old-fashioned) way: a gym routine that addresses all major muscle groups – using weights. Great photographs and the perfect size to take along to the gym.

Review by LatinJazzJunta:

101 Fat Burning Workouts & Diet Strategies is exactly as the title says. This book is a small library of workout information for anyone wanting to burn fat. Following this program, YOU WILL MELT FAT OFF OF YOUR BODY! Not only that, but the muscle building exercises will give your body a toned and lean look. I have read several books on weight lifting and fat burning but this book surpasses every other book I have read on building muscle and losing fat. This book is great for people that want to get right to it! No fluff, no boring stories, no extensive articles on the science- just what works! The style of this book is like this: “Here are workouts for every part of your body, whether you are beginner, intermediate, or advanced at working out. Then, how to lift weights to burn fat. Next, how to chisel your midsection. Next, CARDIO. Ouch, rough but absolutely necessary in burning fat but this book presents several ways to make your cardio more interesting. Next, HIIT! Next, what to eat, how often to eat, what not to eat!” By the end of the book, if you follow the program, you will make the people in your gym look ridiculous! I absolutely recommend this book to anyone that is getting into working out. I didn’t give it a perfect score because a few of the exercises are not illustrated. That is a positive and a negative. Positive because it makes the book leaner and easier to carry. You can look up the exercises on the internet or through some other laboriously large muscle bound book! Negative because absolute beginners might not know how to do a barbell bench press. Most of the more uncommon movements ARE pictured. Most people that have some experience in weightlifting will navigate through this book fine.

Again, if you had to buy just one book to build muscle and lose fat, THIS should be your book. I have recently begun following this program, as of November 2009. Check out my progress at [...] I have also found that supplements are very helpful. One supplement is an antioxidant drink that has given me more energy, focus and stamina than I have ever had before. It doesn’t give you boost & crash; it gives you sustained energy and it contains 80% juice. It is called Emv and you can check it out at [...] God bless…

Review by Godoy Laelson:

EXCELLENT !! All what you need to know is there , easy to follow and clear explained !VERY GOOD BOOK !

Review by Susanna Hutcheson:

The muscles fascinate me. And when I plan my workouts, I like to plan them according to the needs of my muscles. For example, if my back is bothering me, I try and plan exercises that will soothe and strengthen my back muscles and not further injure them.

If I want more strength in my upper body, I want to train the muscles that will help me accomplish this in the fastest, most efficient manner. That’s why I find this book so helpful.

The book shows you all of the muscles that a person uses in most all compound and isolated weight bearing exercises. Also you’ll find the muscles used in yoga and stretching, fitness in general. So it’s a book for everyone.

Exercising without knowing what you’re doing, what muscles you’re working, is not a good idea. It’s more fun and more productive when you understand what muscles you’re working and exactly how to work them to get the most benefit. That’s why you need this book.

There are other books on muscular anatomy. But I find this one to be the best.

You’ll discover how often and for how long you’ll need to workout to accomplish your own unique goals. You’ll also learn how to deal with injuries. I was a bit surprised, however, that the book failed to give modifications for many of the exercises. Unfortunately, most books of this type have the same failing. I guess it’s expected the reader will know the modifications. Fortunately, I do. I hope you do to. If not, you need to invest in a book that shows the different modifications for those with injuries or limitations.

I suggest you read at least the first part of the book. Then you can skim the rest if you like. But carefully read the information about the muscles and exercises you’re going to do. It’s not a book you’ll necessarily want to read cover to cover. And, you won’t necessarily need to.

But you will want to refer to it often. So always keep it handy. Keep in in your gym bag or your workout room and use it when planning your workouts for the week.

The exercises in the book are mostly using your own body weight or simple free weights. Only a few use machines. So you can select the ones you want and for which you’re equipped.

This is an excellent reference and I highly recommend it to you.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Review by Janine Tacey:

It’s a great resource for me. I am a woman who goes to the gym for fitness and strength training. Even though the gym provides a trainer, who has explained these things to me, the great illustrations in this book really help me to visualize how the muscles work and I now understand and can work them even better.

Review by C. Curry:

I know that overall men’s fitness should include sex (and lots of it) but I tire of hearing it from a magazine whose main focus should be fitness, wellness, and health. I’m not purposing to eliminate it completely, because as we all know sex sells, I just saying minimize it! I can read all about sex in Playboy! I would suggest buying Men’s Health- it’s a better read.

Review by Shane P.:

I’ve been a longtime subscriber to Men’s Fitness. As one of the other reviewers said, this magazine used to be better. It still has a great deal of workout, diet and fitness information, but it’s not as good as it once was. I think the magazine is losing its focus a bit as each issue does seem to have more and more about sex, pornography, etc.

The only reason I give it 4 stars is because a lot of the workout and fitness information is still very useful (otherwise I would give it fewer), but I used to feel this magazine was worthy of 5 stars.

Review by Mohamed F. El-Hewie:

It is hard not to give this book five stars. The author has labored hard and honestly to present deep, extensive, and insightful information on a specialized subject, on which few people could even scratch its surface. Not only his hard labor that earns him credit, but also his open mindedness and intimate association with physical training has that rendered his work believable. This book will survive its author, as one of the best references on planning strengthening routines. Needless to say, its cover design is simple, thoughtful, and smart.

The drawbacks of the book are few, as follows.

1- The book is not encyclopedic as its title suggests. It offers extensive analysis and theories on how to mass muscles but it completely omits spinal integrity, stretching, warming up, and arranging exercise sequence based on progressive load rather than body part.

2- The paragraphs of the book are gloomy and dense without a catching focus or emphasizing key issues. That conceals many insightful information amidst circumstantial text.

3- The author plunges into training essentials without giving any idea about his credentials, achievements, or his objectives of writing the book.

4- The author teamed up with exercise performers of mediocre technical skills. Body curvature is definitive in sorting out skillful athletes from others. Those photographed in the book are not good models (in my opinion).

The highlights of this book project follow.

Chapter 1, “Core Concepts”, describes physical strength along 7 dimensions, the 3 types of muscle contraction, and the 6 principles of strength training. It does so in convincing as well as challenging manner.

Chapter 2, “Training Variables”, is encyclopedic in its analysis of exercise choices, order, sets, type of resistance, and rest breaks.

Chapter 3, “Training Cycles”, though only 6 pages, it offers invaluable analysis of periodization of load for various goals of hypertrophy, strength, power, and peak performance. That is heavy stuff.

Chapter 4, “Strength Training Equipment”, is a filling up chapter on training gadgets.

Chapter 5, “Tactics for Building Muscles mass”, is a 33 page long article of dense text. It deals with various arrangements of weekly splits, body-part and whole-body training splits. Here is where the author shows his best work as well as his opinionated bias. It is the best chapter in the book because each exercise is accompanied by a labeled anatomical sketch, next to three exercise photos, next to a table entailing exercise goal, order, and set number. Thus, you could identify each muscle by its label, see how to exercise it, and then read on how to achieve that. That where the author’s academic background advances his presentation. The author’s bias is clear in his preference of isolated exercises of muscles regardless of spinal integrity.

Chapter 6, “Programs for Building Muscle Mass”, is another 33 page rich chapter. Here again the author’s excellence is vividly illustrated. It discusses supersetting, compounding, high intensity setting, various repetitive setting, negatives, controlled setting, forced setting, pyramidal setting, circuiting, exhausting, antagonistic setting, and multiple daily training. The 50 and 100 repetition sets annoy me to the extreme. It is unscientific and impractical, if not harmful.

Chapter 7, “Training Cycles for Building Muscle Mass”, is overreaching and biased, yet motivating. It describes programs for beginners, intermediates, and advanced for various goals of sizing and strengthening and individualizing body image. Its drawback is its adherence to the 10 and 15 reps, omission of coordination and balance, and following main stream of isolating exercises that undermines spinal integrity (my passionate topic). Mechanically sound training should enhance spinal stability before emphasizing peripheral strength of off-center joints.

Chapter 8, “Tactics for Maximizing Strength”, emphasizes Powerlifting compounding of heavy load at low repetitions for peaking strength through squat, bench, deadlift, abdominals, and pulls.

Chapter 9, “Programs for Maximizing Strength”, details the strengthening of chapter 8 through managing the rate of achieving tension, from static to ballistic, the direction and duration of achieving tension.

Chapter 10, “Training cycles for gaining Maximal Strength”, further details the previous two chapters along the time cycling of training load.

Chapter 11, “Chest”, describes various modalities of training the pectoralis major. Form here to the end of the book, the author shows exhaustion and limits discussion to “start” and “move” of each exercise. The One-Arm Dumbbell bench press, page 229, is both harmful and useless.

Chapter 12, “Shoulders”, describes various modalities of training the Deltoid along the same theme of previous chapter. Again, three of the one-arm dumbbell exercises of Deltoid are also harmful and useless as well.

Chapter 13, “Back”, describes various modalities of training the lats, rhomboids, and teres major. It is done better than chest and shoulders yet with one flaw. It tangentially touches on the spinal muscles in back extension and stiff-legged deadlift. No mention of goodmorning or barbell pulls.

Chapter 14, “Trapezius”, poorly describes how to train such awesome muscle. It entails few lousy shrugging exercises while the Clean, Snatches, and Pulls are omitted. The Y-raises by dumbbells in prone position are wasteful to time and effort.

Chapter 15, “Triceps”, describes commonly known exercises of the triceps, in addition to unique ones and a bad one too. The reverse-grip bench press defies anatomy and could inflame the elbows and wrists.

Chapter 16, “Biceps”, is flawless, as expected in many American books geared towards the Biceps excellence.

Chapter 17, “Forearms”, in addition to common exercise of the forearms, it has two lousy ones. The weight plate pinch and farmer’s walk are wasteful.

Chapter 18, “Quadriceps”, shows the poorest aspect of the book. The crossing of the arms in front squats, the Smith machine squat, the incomplete squatting, the forward leaning during squatting are few of many flawed techniques in that chapter. The Zercher Squat, page 328 is forbidden and harmful since the bar is shelved on the forearms. The step-up and jump squat are my favorite.

Chapters 19, “Hamstrings and Glutes”, and 20 “Calves”, are wasteful since it describes low yield exercises.

Chapter 21, “Abdominals”, describes seated, lying down, and standing exercise of the front muscles of the torso.

Chapter 22, “Whole Body”, describes the high yield exercise in a superficial and incomplete manner. None of the photographed guys seem to be able to do any snatch, clean and jerk, or full overhead squat. Moreover, condoning the dumbbell push-up and row, page 376, is a big mistake. Its spectacular outlook does not justify its harm.

Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Author of

Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

Review by Jim J:

First I am not formally educated in this subject but I try to follow those who are such as Stoppani, King,etc… I have been reading and training for 12 years and this, hands down is the best and could be the only book of it’s kind in my library.

What it is: A comprehensive look at wt. training techniques that are used today and how to manipulate them, all in laymen’s terms. It cover’s everything you need to design routines or follow his for the rest of your life.

What it is not: A this is the “Miracle” routine you’ve been waitmg for book. Nor is it random routines that you see in magazines endorsed by enhanced athletes.

If you want a practical and scientific book that is a great read than this is for you whether you are a bodybuilder or power lifter, novice or pro.

Review by Franklin Joyner:

I have had this book for about 9 months now. I recently completed the intermediate program and made great gains. I followed the nutritional advice given in the book and gained 20 pounds. 20 Pounds may not sound like much, but it is a total body transformation when you go from 169 to 190…and it is all muscle.

The workouts are designed in such a way that you stress your muscles very hard and then have ample recovery time to get bigger and stronger.

I ran a marathon and a week after finishing it I started this book. So I basically started from scratch.

Starting I could bench press 40 pound dumbbells for a max 8 reps. After the six month intermediate workout I lifted 80s for 8 reps.

Shoulder press went from 65lbs barbell press for 5 reps to 120lbs for 5 reps.

Squat was the biggest improvement. Started at 65 for 10 reps. Finished at 185 for 10 reps.

The best exercise there is in my opinion I never knew about before this book. It is the DEADLIFT. The deadlift made me bigger and stronger overall than anyother exercise. And it focuses on a common weakness for most people, the LOWER BACK.

Deadlift start was 65 for 5 reps. Finish at 225 for 5 reps.

The key to this book is that it takes you through a cycling approach. By taking you through stages with varying sets, reps, and exercises, you muscles are always in a state of shock and always responsive to the workouts.

I am doing the intermediate workout again. After I complete it a second time I will advance to the advanced workout. You will never need another book for fitness. This is the best book I have EVER read and APPLIED for an extended period of time. The authors have done a wonderful job with writing. Again, the workouts are great and because of the cycling approach the author takes with the workouts, you can continure to do them and never have to switch to another program.

I got very good results from following this book exactly as the authors prescribed. I am continuing to make gains in strength and size by following this book. Ian King and Lou Schuler have put out what I consider the best book ever on the topic of getting strong and gaining size. The bottom line is that you WILL get injury-free results if you follow this book.

Review by GymGoddess:

On the plus side, this is probably the best book I’ve ever read on the subject of weight training. On the down side, boy, there is so much to each work out that it is overwhelming.

I’ve been weight training for over 5 years and have used Body for Life and a number of the Men’s Health training books. This volume, far and away, has the greatest number of new exercises to be used each week. In the intermediate program, e.g., there are 3 separate workouts to be alternated. Perhaps if someone has a half an hour a day to review the exercises, another 40 minutes to do them (and to tote the handsome volume to the gym), these are reasonable….but for someone who has other responsibilities, kids, job, home, this is a fairly time and concentration intensive program.

That being said, I would certainly endorse this book for anyone who wants a genuinely serious, long term program. Too often, the Men’s Health “Bibles” are limited programs, leaving the lifter who is committed with wondering “what next”. This book provides enough variety and different routines to make it a great long term investment.

Review by Vincent Mancini:

Whether you are going through the rigors of the P90X work-outs, looking to lift or pull at your own pace, looking to augment any other work-out approach, this Strength Bands System by Bodylastics is amazing and easy to use. This particular set allows for couples to use at the same time and allows for somebody to have multiple bands set up prior or on the fly.

I’m using them with P90X. I made the mistake of buy other bands that are basically permanent in their weight. With this Strength Bands System by Bodylastics, I have extremely sturdy and versatile bands. And this particular array of bands makes it easy to have two different strength bands ready to go without changing a thing. Even if I had to change the strength, the ease at which makes them easy to buy these cords.

One of the best thing about the Strength Bands System by Bodylastics, it allows you to attach multiple bands to one set of handles. So, unlike other systems where you have to hold multiple cords with multiple handles to increase the weight/strength, Strength Bands System by Bodylastics allows you to attach multiple bands/cords to one handle.

Lastly, the quality of these cords over those that I bought and sampled at Fitness Outlets is like night and day. While the reputable name bands are well-made and perform as they claim, the Strength Bands System by Bodylastics out-perform these other brands in every category you can think of.

With Strength Bands System by Bodylastics, there are different sets or packages. This particular set I believe is the high-end (which means it doesn’t differ in quality but in quantity and multiples). So look for the right set for you and remember, as you go from set-to-set, each colored band or cord is of the same high quality and versatility.

I love these bands. This set came with a gym/travel bag. I can’t wait to take them w/me on a trip. One just has to carry around about 4lbs of bands and such to get the equivalent weight of a set of dumbbells.

Review by Ryan M. Woods:

I bought these for use with P90X. I was highly skeptical they would do anything. I’ve been going to a gym for about 10 years now, and have played around with the bands they have. They were garbage. These are definitely not. Probably the best home equipment I have ever bought. They do take some getting used to, and some exercises are better than others, but overall they are awesome. I think they are worth it simply because of how well they simulate a pulldown machine, allowing you to do lat pulldowns and triceps pushdowns without having a huge machine in your house. Plus, I travel a lot for work and these can be brought with me. A major plus. Highly recommended!