Fitness Weight Training [Paperback]

Walk past any fitness bookshelf in any bookstore, and note the proliferation of weight-training books, most of which promote "Monster Arms" and feature cover photos of some outsize male or female who hasn't left the gym since Carter was president. This book offers a sensible alternative to that approach. The authors, both certified fitness professionals, provide an overview of weight-training benefits compared to other fitness regimes, offer guidelines for equipment selection, and discuss whether one needs to join a fitness club. They help readers assess their current fitness levels, and they discuss weight-room safety, stretching, warming up, and cooling down. The sample exercise programs are color coded for easy reference and graduated to ensure progress with minimal risk of injury or undue strain. Significantly, the text also differentiates between body shaping and strength training, two quite different goals. A very well done guide that is sure to be popular for years with the fitness crowd. Wes Lukowsky

"Fitness Weight Training provides step-by-step guidelines for a variety of workouts that will bring results." -- Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS - Director of Strength and Conditioning, University of Nebraska

Whether you’re a newcomer or veteran in the weight room, this complete weight training guide makes it easier than ever to tailor a program to achieve specific muscular fitness goals.

Fitness Weight Training is an easy-to-use manual that helps readers determine what they want from weight training (muscle toning, body shaping, or strength development) and how intensely they should train. Then readers use 50 color-coded, progressive workouts as they follow a program that matches their current fitness level and personal goals.

Part I lays the groundwork for getting the most out of weight training. Readers will learn how to

• assess their weight training fitness level and then decide where to start and how intensely to train, • determine desired outcomes (muscle toning, body shaping, or strength training), • choose weight training equipment; • warm up and cool down properly, and • use proper lifting techniques.

Part II is the heart of the book. It contains descriptions of 50 progressive weight training workouts that vary in intensity and training focus. The workouts are distributed across six color-coded zones according to their levels of difficulty--green workouts are the easiest, red workouts are the hardest. Within each zone, the reader can select workouts designed to produce muscle toning, body shaping, or strength development.

The detailed description of each workout covers warm-up, training time, exercises to perform, number of reps and sets to be completed, muscle groups worked, cool-down, calories burned, and workout tips.

Part III shows how workouts can be organized into a structured program, including guidelines for determining training loads and making load adjustments. Participants can use the workouts from Part II or modify them to design a custom-made program that fits their short- and long-term goals. The book provides sample programs, guidelines for cross-training, and information on how to chart training progress.

A special section features illustrations of how to perform weight training exercises on the most common types of equipment.

Fitness Weight Training is more than just another exercise book; it’s easy to use and provides scientifically based programs that will help readers make dramatic changes in how their bodies look and feel.

". . . An excellent guide for developing muscular fitness through progressive programs of weight training. The exercise information is presented in a simple and practical manner, with ample program variation to meet different training objectives. The procedures for determining starting weightloads and self-recording are particularly valuable."

Wayne L. Westcott, PhD Fitness Researcher/Educator, South Shore YMCA, Quincy, MA National Strength Consultant, International Dance-Exercise Association (IDEA), YMCA of the USA, American Council on Exercise, and National Youth Sports Council Member, IDEA Board of Advisors

"Fitness Weight Training provides step-by-step guidelines for a variety of workouts that will bring results. Your investment will be richly rewarded if you follow the recommended routines."

Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS Director of Strength and Conditioning University of Nebraska

Thomas R. Baechle, EdD, CSCS, is the executive director of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists Agency, the certifying body for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is co-founder and past president of NSCA, former Director of Education, and in 1985 was named their Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year. Dr. Baechle is also the chair of the Department of Exercise Sciences and the exercise leader of the Phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Creighton University, where he has received several honors, including an Excellence in Teaching Award.

For 16 years Dr. Baechle competed successfully in weightlifting and powerlifting, setting various Midwest records. For more than 20 years he coached collegiate powerlifting teams and taught weight training classes. Dr. Baechle also holds certifications as a Level I weightlifting coach from the United States Weightlifting Federation, a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer from NSCA, and an Exercise Test Technologist and Exercise Specialist from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He is a member of NSCA, ACSM, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), and the National Organization for Competancy Assurance (NOCA). Dr. Baechle has authored several texts, including Weight Training: Steps to Success and has published more than 30 articles on the topic of weight and strength training.

Roger W. Earle, MA, CSCS, earned his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in exercise science. He is the head strength and conditioning coach and is on the faculty of the Department of Exercise Science at Creighton University in Omaha. In addition, he has served as a personal fitness trainer for individuals at all age and fitness levels for nearly 10 years. Earle serves as the Nebraska State Director of NSCA. He is certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer by NSCA and as a Health and Fitness Instructor by ACSM.