Women's Home Workout Bible, The [Paperback]

This book is flat-out terrific. I don't think I've been this happy with a workout book since The New Rules of Lifting for Women. You can set up a simple space for very little money or if you have the desire for a more professional gym-at-home, you can set one up as well using the advice in this book. The budgets range from a minimal $100 to upwards of $2500 (estimates, as your costs locally will vary.)

I just listened to someone complain that their gym played "unsuitable dvds" for their little toddler in the babysitting area. And someone else complained about loud cellphone conversations on the treadmill next to them. Uck. AND it is flu season and perhaps you don't like to watch people wipe their noses on equipment, not wash their hands after you-know-where and drip sweat without wiping it up. If you are grossed out by this, or have no good gym nearby or if you are happier at home, this book is for you. Also for you if getting up and out of the house is an issue; no excuses when the workout area is right next to the tv set.

The book has beautiful photographs that show proper position for using weights on benches, physio ball or bands, as well as machines. These photos are LARGE and CLEAR. While I think it's advisable to see a professional trainer if you are beginning to work out in order to get the best advice on the safest way to position yourself, this book is a great adjunct to occasionally working with a trainer or to re-familiarize yourself.

There are workout routines in the back of the book for core stability, body sculpting, or body conditioning and they are organized by ...budget! Yes. Not everyone has megabucks to set up a home gym. So the workouts go from a hundred dollars to a couple of thousand depending on how you set up your home gym. There is also a table in the front showing which exercises are done with which set of equipment, so if you love doing leg presses on a sled, you will have to substitute leg presses with a resistance band if you don't have this gigantic machine in your budget (I love the sled but it looks like an iron maiden, doesn't work with my decor and costs a bundle.) There is a section on fat loss and intensity training.

The book has info on buying equipment (used? new? local? online? and what about those alluring late-nite-you-saw-it-on-tee-vee inventions that promise to give you a six-pack if you'll only order in the next twenty minutes?) The minimal gym (and minimal space) uses a physio ball (aka Swiss Ball, exercise ball), resistance bands and a few dumbbells and maybe a yoga mat. I have a setup like this in my bedroom where we have no carpet. It takes up maybe 20 square feet if that. I store it in a space about the size of a tv set. (rolled up mat, ball, dumbbells and band.) While I have a larger space in the basement, I often just want to wake up and grab my physio ball and dumbbells and go for it. This set-up is perfect for a dorm room, an apartment or a house where you just have no space for a complete workout area. Literally, your family room can become a decent gym in a few seconds.

The home gym will also work for other workouts that you may already do with DVD or book. For example, Joyce Vedral's Speedy Non-Stop Fat Meltdown uses a bench and three sets of dumbbells. I substitute a physio ball for a bench, but benches are to be had for a reasonable sum especially if you search local classified ads or yard sales.

If I could give this book TEN stars, I would.

Women's Home Workout Bible is a fantastic book for any woman looking to get into better shape. It's one of the best books I've found to help you get started - from the very first steps.

Author Brad Schoenfeld does an awesome job - with great details - on getting your home setup with a budget anywhere from under $100 to over $2500. Brad lists the type of equipment that will work in each cost range, and what to plan in terms of space.

The transition from this area into the exercises could be done a little better - it seems that you're reading about equipment and then POOF pages of exercises just appear. Some sort of an introduction could have done well here. Also, some of those models look decidedly grumpy :) I'd be more inspired by people who looked like they were enjoying their workout.

Still, minor complaints. The photos are large and very clear, and the descriptions include modifications for those who need help. The book indicates - as research is showing - that stretching before working out doesn't really help much. You should always stretch daily as part of a daily routine, and not try to cram it in right before working out! Instead, do light cardio to warm up, and then if you want to, stretch at the end of your workout while your muscles are nice and warm.

Brad guides you sensibly. 80% of people who set up a gym stop using it in two months because they give up. Make realistic goals, in 3 month chunks. Visualize your healthy state with focus, and eat well. Drink lots of water. Make sure you include rest days in your routine, to give your body a chance to heal and settle.

One thing Brad talks about is the worry some have about the "ideal time to work out". In the end, he explains, it really doesn't matter what slight advantage you get for working out at time #1 vs time #2. If you don't exercise because it's inconvenient, then you get zero benefit. Find a time that works best for you, and work out then.

Make sure you switch through a range of activities and exercises. If you do the same thing every day then your body gets used to it and becomes efficient. Change things up to keep your body adjusting.

Interestingly, this book introduced me to a new concept - that of mitochondrial density. Mitochondria are little organelles inside your cells which power the cells. The more energy you need, the more mitochondria your body creates. If you stop needing energy, your body destroys the excess mitochondria. By ramping up the number of mitochondria you have - increasing your mitochondrial density - you ramp up the energy you burn every day and the energy you have available to use. It's well worth it to exercise daily, mix it up between stretchy yoga, jumpy cardio and tough weight-based, to keep those mitochondria duplicating.

Some of the charts in here are hard to decipher - they would have done better with line charts or more descriptions. Maybe that will come with a later version.

Still, all in all, the book is really great. The information is extremely useful, the photos are clear and easy to use, and everything is laid out in a simple fashion. I have belonged to gyms in the past, but now that I work from home it's just not convenient to go out to a gym, especially with the hours I keep. By having my gear set up at home, I can do some exercising any hour of the day or night, whenever I have spare time. It's great.

Highly recommended!

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book directly from the author.

This book is designed to assist women with creating a custom workout space at home. In his Introduction, author Brad Schoenfeld asserts that home-gym ownership provides both freedom and significant savings. His book is extremely individualized, allowing the reader to determine what exactly is appropriate to her allotted workout space. Once these preliminary decisions have been made (in Part 1), Schoenfeld devotes Part II of the book to selecting exercises based on the type of equipment which works with both your space and your budget. He begins with the most basic of tools, including one's own body weight, balls, and bands. The next chapter introduces use of weights--in the form of dumbbells and barbells--and finally, Schoenfeld, addresses the use of larger pieces of equipment such a multifunction machines. Throughout this section, the exercises are are beautifully illustrated using full-color photographs: a single move is featured per page, with two separate photos displaying the start and end points for each exercise; additional variations are sometimes shown as well. Schoenfeld ends Part II by offering some guidance for the cardio portion of your exercise routine (including a brief discussion of cardio machines) and devoting a chapter to stretching.

In the final section of the book, Part III, Schoenfeld provides specific fitness strategies and exercise routines based on the information provided in the previous chapters. Here he reviews general training tips and presents an overview of the major muscle groups. Schoenfeld advocates a multiple set training style, maintaining that this will optimize results and avoid plateaus. Within this style, however, he offers various routines, as determined both by budget level (e.g., $100 Budget, $1000 Budget, or $2500 Budget) and by training emphasis (Body Conditioning Routine, Body Sculpting Routine, or Core Stability Routine). Furthermore, Schoenfeld also talks about varying other aspects of the program, including number of repetitions, types of sets, which muscle groups are worked on which days, etc., all in the name of avoiding plateaus and moving forward. In the final chapter of the book, Schoenfeld mentions the use of high intensity interval training for increased fat loss.

Overall, I found this book to be extremely well-done. I'm not exactly the target audience, as I am already a dedicated home exerciser with a well-established home workout space (in my own case, mainly in the form of my vast fitness DVD collection, but I also have most of the basic resistance training equipment discussed here--e.g., bands, dumbbells, medicine ball, and a stability ball--as well as a recumbent bike). However, this book was still quite useful to me, mainly in the variety of exercises which Schoefeld provides. For example, although I was already familiar with most of weighted exercises included in the book, there were definitely some resistance band variations which were new to me, and I plan to incorporate these into my worktout routine from time to time as a change of pace. For women who actually are looking to set up a home gym, this book is likely to be an invaluable resource, and I highly recommend it.