Customer Reviews

Maximum Fitness: The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Cross Training

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is definitely a great book. I have workout books, which includes the marine corps 3x fitness program, but I've never had another book like this one. This one has it all. Variety, Almost every workout, if not all of them, is different, except when it tells you to repeat previous days (which is very rare). So, you won't get bored with this book. Good illustrations, the pictures in this book are perfect. They couldn't get any better, the paper is nice which makes quality photos. Hard, this is probably the hardest workout program ever. At least out of all the ones I've tried. As the weeks go on, the trials get harder and harder, until the 13th week which is the final test for the 13 week programs. There are 4 programs. They are each 13 weeks long equalling a 52 week workout plan, 1. Calisthenic Base Cycle (no weights), 2. Hardcore PT (Physical Training) Running, Swimming, Biking, 3. Weights/PT/Cardio mix, 4. And the loading phase which is hardcore weight lifting. This book is for everyone, Men, Women, and Teens. This book is also very explanatory. It shows and tells you everything you need to know (how do do certain excercises and stretches, how to go about the order of events in a workout, etc.) This book also has a section on nutrition. It has everything from vitamin descriptions to the foods to eat to get the vitamins you need. This also includes weight loss. Now, that I've got you totally believing that this is the book for you, here's the letdown. You have to be in at least decent shape to be able to do this book. You can be the judge on that. I recommend doing a lot or stretching. Stretching helps the muscles with their every function. So before this books arrives at your house, stretch for 30 minutes a day to get your muscles used to it. The other excercise I recommend is running because it gets the heart going and gets you to use your lungs to a more than normal extent. While going through this book, you may find an excercise that you do well, like pushups for example. If the book tells you to do a specified amount don't do more, no matter how easy it is. All of this equals the best workout of anyones life. If you can survive it, it will reward you like nothing else. I am a teenager who has finally found the right thing for myself. I recommend this book to everyone. I hope this review helps.

The fitness regimen that is contained in this book is for anyone that wants to acheive a high level of fitness. True it is ideal for guys that want ot have an edge before going on to BUDS but anyone can use this program or modify it somewhat to acheive an elit elevel of fitness.
It take ssome time to understand the workouts but time and trial makes it a musthave for training

This is the best all around fitness guide that I have ever seen or used. Unlike other similar (Navy SEAL workout) books, this book goes well beyond the BUD/S warning order that is freely available on the internet. The best part of the book is the detailed weekly workout charts, which start off really slow which is good if you are out of shape (like I was).

The only drawback of this book that the workouts can be a little confusing, and it doesn't seem like a lot of effort was put into making the instructions easy to understand (I think another reviewer mentioned this). It is particularly unclear when it is appropriate to take rest between exercises. However, if you use some common sense, these problems are easily overcome.

Another great thing about this book is that the training is broken down into four 13 week phases, each with a specific goal.

1st Phase - general fitness
2nd Phase - mostly cardio and endurance (run/swim/bike)
3rd Phase - weights, PT, and cardio mix
4th Phase - mostly strength training

After completing the entire program, you can go back and concentrate on the phase that best suits your goals. Overall this is the best overall fitness book I've ever used, and the LAST one I'll buy for a long time.

There is nothing out of the ordinary in this dime a dozen fitness book. Its basically "canned fitness" that Stew pushes in this one and its the usual advice you could have gotten from your local Y instructor. Stew discusses using machines in this book...a cardinal sin for any real fitness buff, especially an ex Navy SEAL.

How about writing something original and unique next time? Instead of pushing more HIT (High Intensity Training) type workouts that are boring and just lead to injuries and burnout. Another thing I DISLIKED about this book is the emphasis on isolating muscles during strength training. This is classic bodybuilder type HIT stuff and doesnt build any real strength.

If I could use one word to describe this book it would be this. BORING.

This really is an excellent book that succeeds in providing a series of programs that are both motivating and result oriented. I therefore have to agree with the numerous other reviewers that sing Stewart Smith's praises. I have two complaints about this book, however, that focus mainly on production:
1) The quality of the binding is atrocious. This would not usually be a big issue, but as the workouts are broken down to the day, this book ends up getting quite a bit of use. By the fourth week, the pages began to come apart, and I am now left with a pile of looseleaf.

2) The daily workouts are sometimes confusing and frequently error filled. I suppose you could call this picking nits, but given that the daily workouts really form the core--and the most valuble portion--of this book, I view the attention given to writing up these work-outs really lacking. The finished product would have been a lot more classy if more effort were put into editing and proofreading, rather than producing a dozen pages showing every concievable variation of sit-up

Don't get me wrong--I am psyched I purchased this book. I have gotten amazing results, and the concept of breaking one's workout into different phases through the year is powerful. It's just that the production values of the book do not match the ideas it contains

This book is so simple and yet so effective that I got back to the shape I was in in high-school in about 5 weeks without lifting a single weight. Don't let the sissy sit-ups and pushups fool you. They'll kick your butt, plain and simple!

This is an EXCELLENT book! It has easy-to-follow workouts for every day of the year that are all challenging and vary from day to day so that you don't get bored. Clear photos demonstrate the exercises, and comprehensible explanations give an understandable reason for doing the exercises in the workouts. The rotation of the exercises within each workout is well balanced along with the workout schedule each week (how the workouts vary from day to day, including rest days). This is a perfect next step from the Bootcamp Workout by Stewart Smith, which is also a great book if you want to be physically fit.

I bought Stew's 1st book & it really helped me get back into shape. Eagerly, I bought this one but was disappointed. It's a re-hash of what is in the 1st book with cycling and weights thrown in helter-skelter. The workouts were difficult to follow.
His 1st book was terrific. This one isn't.

I am glad I purchased this book. I needed something to refresh my memory on calisthetics;free weights and some weight machine training. This book has great pictures although a few were out of sequence ( easy enough to see when you go by the written instructions) Where the book falls short is in the 52 week training program. It is very difficult to interpret what is meant...He calls some exercises by a different name than is shown on the picture. 1st day-regular crunch-nowhere to be found. There is no table of contents ( the first thing I had to make) so when he lists an exercise you have to hunt it down! He uses swimming as part of the program..not everyone has a pool; I would have liked a substitute.But the pictures have me hooked and I am well into training using this book as a guide.

Not a lot of books of this topic dare to start off by giving you the bottom-line facts: if you decide you want to be as fit as you can be, you will work for it. The book is deprived of any sales-talk or hype/false promises. Rather it gives an insight in what it takes to complete the loop to maximize your work outs, and become fit beyond your belief. This no-BS approach works, and is a hell of a lot more credible than some of the other publications out there (like "Body for Life"). The exercises are basic, but with some good variations. Some small programs especially for when traveling, or when low on time to do a full work out. The nutricion chapter has an interesting section on vitamins and minerals, though an improvement may be to explain how some combinations need to be made to counter some effects. Like fiber takes out calcium, so when eating fiber it is best to do so with calcium enriched milk; info like this can help the athlete to better compose their meals.
My introduction to Stewart Smith was his 12 week program for BUDS, which I completed. During which I found out more about my body and mind and their capacities, then during the 15 years of sports and training I've done prior. Stew simply changed my life. His book can help you build up to this 12-week program, and/or help you sustain the stamina level acheived by it. Okay: it will not make you bulky and buff, and truth granted: in my gym there are guys with a more impressive frame than mine. But can they do 5 sets of 100 push ups, followed 5 sets of 50 pull ups, with a 1 minute pause in between, and then run 10 miles in an hour? I never get them to take up the challenge...
If you are ready to take up the challenge of dedication and focus, within a year of your time, you will not recognize yourself anymore, and everyday you will be amazed on how much stamina, strength and determination you have! Change your life, let Stew be the guide.