The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

THE PREMISE: While contemplating whether or not this was a program that I wanted to embark on, or a book that I wanted to add to my collection, I came across a few reviews that said this book was not for overweight women or for women who do not have any gym experience. I strongly disagree. Here's why: No matter what your size is you will always need a strong foundation. I hear from women and men alike all the time "I'm going to drop some weight before I start lifting weight." My response is always the same, "What's the appropriate weight for someone to start lifting weight?" My point exactly. Now, since I've said that let me tell you who this book is not for. This book is not for someone who does not have any knowledge of what a dumbbell looks like and has not done any physical activity (besides waking up and going to work and coming home and sitting on the couch) for years. THE PROGRAM: There are really 3 parts to book, in my opinion. The First part is the mental prep. The mental prep consists of why a woman should lift, what "endurance", "aerobics", and "muscle pump" is, and essentially what muscle does for us. The second part is food. The food section basically talks about the flaws in programs that people have put out and the public eats up. Although this section debunks a lot of nutrition myths it does not exactly bash other diets or plans. It then continues talking about the importance of macro and micro nutrients. The third section of the book is the training, which I will discuss in more detail later. THE FOOD: The books includes a breakdown of fats, carbs, protein, and booze! One thing that book is not is a dieting book, but diet plays a big part in determining the results that you'll see (Lou even states this in the book with an example of study of high protein diets.) The meal plan includes formulas for suggested caloric intake. You can also check a few calculators online and compare the results. The diet plan isn't in stone. It is flexible and even states that if you're not seeing results with the amount of calories you are consuming that you'll need to change things up. I like that there are suggestions of how to put your own meal plan together rather than just daily menus telling you what you must eat. I can enjoy the occasional treat without feeling like I am failing the entire plan. There are also some pretty tasty recipes included. THE TRAINING: This is the fun part. If you're someone like me (I have been exercising for quite some time, but weight training for three years) you will see the exercises and think "that's it?". I am so used to go to the gym doing and a lot of exercises during one session that the workouts looked like a cake walk. Let me assure that you will soon find out that they are anything but. If you're working out at home you'll want to pick up a barbell and some plates, dumbbells, and a swiss ball. You'll be surprised at how fast you advance. If you start the phases and do not feel anything then you need heavier weight. If you're someone who is not familiar to weight training the book takes you into consideration by offering detailed descriptions of the exercises and offers alternatives without babying you. All total there are 7 stages which will probably take you 5-6 months to complete. Depending on your fitness level, it may take you longer or shorter. It is recommended that you workout three times a week to avoid over taining. With this breakdown the first stage will take six weeks, the second, third, forth, and fifth stage will each take about three weeks and the final (7th) stage will take four weeks. Between each stage you will be taking a week off. Rest is important to let your body recover and your muscles grow. THE STYLE: As with any book there is room for improvements. One thing that readers have to realize is that they have to determine if this is the book for them. If you are not ready to workout or do not know the slightest about nutrition then you might want to look elsewhere before starting this book. One thing that is nice about this book is that throughout the chapters studies are shown to support what the author is saying. I have read a lot of other programs and it seemed as though those authors were pulling their information out of the air. Lou also makes a point not to state studies that are just in favor of what he is trying to say. He leaves the decision up to you. IN CONCLUSION: This workout can be done at home, but if you do not have any experience it doesn't hurt to go to the gym and work with a trainer so that your form is correct. Utilize online tools to check your nutrition and your exercise form. Hit the weights heavy and don't ever underestimate what you can do!

I was lent this book to try out, and later bought this book for myself. This was the first program that I've ever followed. The routine goes on for about 6 months. With breaks and visits out of town, I took over 7 months. Prior to this book, I was one of those cardio addicts who spent all my time on the machines at the gym. With dieting and cardio, I lost about 30 lbs. Then as some people who still have a long ways to go might realize, cardio alone will eventually stop working. The body will get accustomed to that hour a day of biking, or treadmilling, etc. That is my personal discovery. And any diet plan proved difficult to follow for long term. Don't get me wrong, I am eating much healthier than ever, but my point is, life doesn't have to be all about a "perfect" diet. With lifting, I have discovered that I don't always have to eat like a bird or cut out all my grains or carbs, etc. I had been wanting to start a weight lifting routine for a few months before I started the program in this book. I started in January of 2015. I didn't follow any specific diet, nor did I follow the recommended meal plans. I think if I had, I might have seen even more progress. The exercises in the program started off very basic, perfect for a beginner like myself. Then there were workouts that made me sore in places that I didn't know I had muscle. The workouts are demanding, but fun. I did exercises that a beginner like myself didn't know existed, but when I did them, I really felt the soreness later. I would say that these workouts are challenging, however with some determination, the routines are all doable for a beginner. Now that I am finished with the program, I can report on some of my results and thoughts about it. After I had finished the program and immediately moved onto another one, I could really tell the difference between the routines in this program vs. routines in other programs. These workouts made me feel like I was constantly working out muscles that I don't often workout, making me feel stronger and with more stability. This book focuses on health and strength, which it really delivers. There are lots of compound movements, which is why I often felt like my body was tired but in no specific area afterwards. The quads will end up burning a lot. I became much stronger after this workout. My deadlift and squat numbers all started out with weights that were less than the 45lb bar. By the end, I was deadlifting 135 at one rep max, and squatting about 95 lbs. Visually, I got compliments by many people that I was noticeably looking better. I lost more than an inch off my waist, and I started to see curves on my apple-shaped body. The weird thing is, I actually didn't lose too much weight - about 7 lbs. So imagine my surprise when I got all those compliments. Trust me, what matters are the inches that are shedding off of your problem areas! Again, I haven't followed a diet or cut any carbs. I ended up counting my daily calories and apparently that's quite enough. There is one hang-up I have on this program. I started out on the program about 25-30 lbs overweight. In this way, I felt that perhaps the book wasn't exactly written for me. The book does not place a lot of emphasis on cardio. I am not passionate about cardio either, however in my opinion, as someone who was 25-30 lbs overweight, some cardio is still necessary. During the beginning of the program, I was doing mainly the HIIT cardio like the book illustrates. However, I started to lose MORE body fat when I began to do the steady state cardio at medium intensity for over 45 minutes again. Of course, I hear that HIIT works wonders for some people. It's just not enough cardio for my body. That's a learning process that I'm still trying out for myself. Overall, I owe my high regards to this book after my full year of my life in lifting. I am sad for the people who can't follow this book. Exercise tapes are nice and provide good workouts, however books like this are educating for a lifetime of health awareness. The general fitness or health industry is a lot of flashiness, promising fast results and amazing changes. Most of these marketing pitches don't work in the long run. (Believe me, I've tried them all.) I personally am liking going to the arm curl section of the gym and scrapping for the squat rack. I am considering other programs from this book series later on. If there is an intermediate or advanced book for women available, I am on it.

Excellent book.

Faut maîtriser l'Anglais mais je l'adore! Cela à ouvert mes yeux et j'ai changé ma façon de faire du sport avec un meilleur résultat.

Grundsätzlich ist dies ein Buch, das von allen Frauen die Sport machen wollen gelesen werden sollte. Es macht Schluss mir einigen dämlichen Mythen (Frauen sollen nur kleine Gewichte bewegen,sonst sehen sie gleich aus wie ein riesiger Kerl.. Zum abnehmen muss man wenig essen usw..) und gibt gute Ratschläge tatsächlich das zu erreichen, was man sich in den Kopf gesetzt hat. Die großen Grundübungen werden erklärt (hierbei fehlen noch einige genauere Angaben, aber die groben Grundzüge sind doch vorhanden.) & auch auf unterschiedlichste Abwandlungen & Variationen wird eingegangen. Neben diesem Teil gibt es noch einen Ernährungsteil - über den ich nichts sagen kann, da ich mich vegan ernähre & ich in diesem Buch logischerweise nichts in die Richtung finden konnte (es dreht sich hierbei um die typische Bodybuilder Ernährung.. Viele tierische Produkte, wenige Kohlenhydrate..) - und einen Teil mit fertig zusammengestellten Workouts. Dies ist vor allem für Einsteigerinnen sehr praktisch. Alles in allem ist es ein sehr gutes Buch für Anfänger & macht wirklich Lust auch selbst kreativ zu werden & einige Trainingspläne zusammenzustellen!

I hate running, I don't enjoy working out in gyms, and I have a hard time getting motivated to work out. The New Rules of Lifting is amazing! I've built muscle mass, toned down, and while I still don't like running, I now get really excited about exercising. If you are working out at home it really helps to acquire a few things, like dumb bells, a simple workout bench, a step, and an exercise ball. Some of the exercises that require specific workout tools/machines often come with a "do it at home" alternative that is completely fine if you have the preliminary tools listed above. The book has great pictures and descriptions for the different types of workouts, and the writing is clear and fun to read. The diet section of the book was really informative, and makes a big difference if you follow it. The book really spells it all out so not only are you exercising and eating well, but you understand what you are doing to your body and what your body needs to be healthy while working out. I am so happy I found this book, and I am really happy with how I look. There is also a forum so you can seek advice/guidance along the way. Just in case there are people like me out there I'll say it again: I really don't like exercising, and this book/strategy for getting fit is so great. Instead of taking some annoying spinning class, or running all over parks in the rain, you can lift weights and do other exercises that engage muscles all over your body. And run in the rain too if that's your thing! The workouts are varied so you're not doing the same thing over and over again, and without realizing it, you'll look and feel amazing and people will see the difference.

I love love this book and workouts, i have done the stage 1 workout almost 5 weeks ago ready to start stage 2 in less rhan a week. I definity notice improved muscle tone in my arms and legs, keeping in mind i have weight trained before, i find it very informative and workouts are fun and challenging. Best part im done in about half hr. This book proves u do not gave to be in the gym for hrs at a time to feel a good sweating burn. I bought kindle version and the paper back. Great recipes also not difficult to prepare.