Customer Reviews

Smart Exercise: Burning Fat, Getting Fit

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the book is too biology/chemistry related. I was looking for a more practical hands on approach to exercise. This is great if you are already very knowledgable and perhaps you are in the profession of exercise. For your average person it was way too detailed. A whole chapter was on the Kreb Cycle. Who cares tell me what exercises are most beneficial. He also refutes alot of theories that have been long standing in exercise yet he does'nt provide proof of his way.

I bought and read this book when it first came out and refer back to it often. As many people have suggested, Bailey does not shy away from detailing the biochemistry of exercise thought he does a pretty good job of presenting some very complex material in a simple manner (he has a PhD in chemistry or something like that from MIT and it shows). I have no science background myself so I found the book to be fascinating---particularly where he addressed the effects of low-carb diets way before they became the fad they are today (p. 35-38). On the whole, the best exercise book I've read.

Covert Bailey is a master at making physiology easy to understand for the average person. If you are looking to improve your health and get into better shape, then you should have this title on your bookshelf. It does a great job of helping you to understand what works and what doesn't.

Much like Bill Phillip's book Body For Life, this book stresses that exercise is the key to reducing fat and improving overall health. It explains why diet alone won't help you to lose weight permanently, and what the benefits of cardiovascular exercise are.

When you finish reading this book, you will have a basic understanding of how the human body works, what makes people gain weight, how muscle is formed, how fat is formed and how to take it off permanently. Medical techno-babble is translated into terms that absolutely anyone can understand. His humor and amusing metaphors make for an enjoyable reading experience as well.

...This book is worth way more than it sells for. It is packed with useful information, good science and great advice.

This book is for anyone who wants to get in shape permanently and learn about the theories underlying different workouts. With Covert Bailey's help, you will be able to design a program based on your goals without having to hire a personal trainer. Not that I have anything against trainers, but I am not a fan of paying people do what I can easily do for myself. Also, personal trainers will often just tell you to do x, y and z without ever explaining WHY you should do it or why a particular workout is the most effective. After reading this book, I incorporated wind sprints into my training instead of just plodding along at the same pace for the duration of my run. Following his advice, I concentrated on running faster for a set period of time --not necessarily at top speed -- and then slowing down, hence forcing my body to learn to recover under stress and increasing my fitness level in a shorter amount of time. I now understand why you are burning sugar and not fat if you are exercising to the point that you are out of breath and why your body produces lactic acid when you tax it. I am not saying that I could now go out and teach a course on biochemistry, but I've been able to use the information to work smarter in the gym. And that was the whole point of my reading this book.

The author does get a little technical in some parts, particularly in the discussions about Krebs Cycle and ATP, but you don't have to get bogged down in every little detail to be able to make this book work. If you can just grasp the basics of what he is saying, you will be far ahead of the average exerciser. The best thing that I took away from this book is the understanding that the benefits of exercise occur not just during the actual activity, but also in the aftermath while your body is recovering. You may only burn 350 calories during a workout, but you will also change your metabolism. Not bad for a 30-minute investment of time.

Thank you Covert Bailey!! I've been recommending this book to all my friends and family who are trying to get in shape.

The great thing about this book is that it is of particular help in the first weeks after starting to exercise properly before there are any visible results.

The book explains in some detail the processes that are underway from the first day that exercise levels are begun or increased. So it inspires the reader not to stop when there are no visible results from exercising, by explaining exactly what changes in body chemistry are occurring each time exercise is undertaken and what internal and external results WILL occur if the reader continues with an exercise routine.

Now I can understand exactly what is happening and why the scales may be going up a couple of pounds one week while the tape measure stays the same or my waist shrinks by an inch. It is truly motivating!

As a non-scientist I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the biochemistry but by taking notes of what was being explained it all came together like a jigsaw. And the fact that I had to think about what was being said meant that it has stayed in my head as a logical argument instead of just being trite phrases.

Excellent book.

The great thing about this book is that it is of particular help in the first weeks after starting to exercise properly before there are any visible results.

The book explains in some detail the processes that are underway from the first day that exercise levels are begun or increased. So it inspires the reader not to stop when there were no visible results from exercising, by explaining exactly what changes in body chemistry are occurring each time exercise is undertaken and what internal and external results WILL occur if the reader continues with an exercise routine.

Now I can understand exactly what is happening and why the scales may be going up a couple of pounds one week while the tape measure stays the same or my waist shrinks by an inch. It is truly motivating!

As a non-scientist I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the biochemistry but by taking notes of what was being explained it all came together like a jigsaw. And the fact that I had to think about what was being said meant that it has stayed in my head as a logical argument instead of just being trite phrases.

Excellent book.

This book gives a somewhat more in depth explanation of the bio chemistry of nutrition than "Fit or Fat", Bailey's other best selling fitness book. That said, this book is very accessible in its ability to explain a complicated subject to the layman.

I disagree with another reviewer's notion that this book is discouraging to fat people. Bailey makes the point that the more out of shape you are the more progress you make for any effort that gets you in the activity zone.

People looking for some kind of panacea are warned that the focus of Bailey's solution set for fitness requires a life-long commitment to activity such, that your body starts using fat to meet its energy needs. The tradeoffs are numerous in favor of both physical and mental health, but requires discipline and commitment for the long haul.

I read this and other Bailey books as part of some personal research on diet, fitness, and weight loss. "Smart Exercize" was the best of the lot and I am purchasing the book for my friends and brother.

I bought this book when I was trying to get in shape and lose some weight. It works. Covert Bailey has some good hints on how to optimize fat burning. The writing style is light and sometimes humorous. I have re-read this book several times. Emprical evidence in the last six months have proved most of Dr. Bailey's recommendations to work for me.

I absolutely love this book. It is just technical enough to give you the needed information without being too difficult to read. The chapters are short and you can flip through to see what topic you are interested in at the moment and read 3 or 4 pages about it quickly. I am finding it very helpful. I even got my 75 year old mother to get one and after not moving for years she is now walking her drive and calling it her wind sprint - and it is for her!!

An outstanding text. Covert does not deal with fad diets or gimmicks. Having first seen him on PBS, I decided to buy the text which was more informative and better than the show. He provides common sense no nonsense techniques on ways to achieve and maintain fitness with the approporiate physiological background as support. He tells you how your body burns fat and how to trick its inherint self preservation mechanisms. Easy to read, interesting, and not overly technical, it is a must read for anyone serious about becoming or maintaining overall fitness.